A fun adventure

Thank you everyone for the lovely birthday wishes today! We're going to give you guys a recap of what has been happening with us, but first, I want to tell you about our evening. We were on our way to our stop for the night, a family campground on a small spring-fed lake in Buchanan, Michigan. We were running later than we had wanted to, after having driven about 500 miles as well as stopping to visit the Henry Ford Museum outside of Detroit (more later). We called the campground early this afternoon, saying that we'd probably be late, and they said that it would not be a problem at all if we arrived around 8 PM. 

We were running even later than we thought, after having stopped for dinner at Crackerbarrel (for those who don't know, think kitschy country store combined with good food) for my birthday. We lingered over coca-cola cake and in the store after dinner, so we didn't get back on the road until 8 or so. We drove for another hour, found the exit for Buchanan, drove through a sleepy little town, out into farm country, turned onto a winding road that steadily became more and more wooded and more remote, and then came to the end of the road to the campground. It was after 9 at this time, and since we're right on the edge of the central time zone change, the sun was still setting, and the lake was beautiful! We got really excited about staying the night here, and I was even thinking that it might be nice to take a dip into the lake tomorrow morning (the humidity here is off the charts). We found the sign for registration, walked around to the office/store....and found that it was closed for the night. There was no sign of any staff member around the campground...anywhere...at all. We waited for about an hour just in case somebody happened to show up. 

We called the phone number for the campground, left a couple of messages, and couldn't reach anybody. We thought briefly about just popping our tent close to the entrance and just checking in tomorrow morning (that's what we did at Kring Point, but there was a note on the registration window directing us where to go) but we weren't sure where we were supposed to be. In the end, we decided to get a hotel room for the night in South Bend, Indiana (right near Notre Dame). It's a bummer to spend the extra money and to miss out on the nice campground and nice lake, but the weather is supposed to be less than ideal and at least we have a place to stay! 

This was the first time on the trip that we had to quickly change our plans and be flexible. After all is said and done, we did well. 

More fun updates later!

Love, Bonnie

From Floodwaters to Islands

Miles since last post: 215
Total miles:           491

We are certainly lucky to have started camping today rather than a few days ago. The water has come down quite a bit as you can see:

When Bonnie asked how big the ferry would be, she was told that tractor trailers and large fifth wheels fit, and sure enough, on the ferry ride we saw both tractor trailers and a large fifth wheel going the other way.

Today was a great day of traveling. We met some interesting people on the ferry and at our lunch stop. People always seem interested in our trip. I am really getting into Bonnie’s study CDs! Maybe I will sit for the exam too :-P We have both decided we like the speaker.

Bonnie mentioned the swarm, but what she didn’t say was that it was all over in only about ten minutes. It was like driving through a heavy rain, but with insects instead of rain drops. We had to stop at the next gas station to wash the windshield, and even after washing it 4 or 5 times, there were still bug guts visible on it.

I am so excited about our camp site! We are basically camping in the river, and we have this bit of the park all to ourselves. There are actually quite a few people camping here, but our loop is tent sites only, and several (like ours) are walk in, not drive in.

I promised Bonnie that this would not turn into my catalog of cars I have seen, but I do have to mention the MG at lunch and the 356 along the access road to our camp site. 

Day 4: A good day for a drive

Yesterday, we traveled from Burlington, VT to Alexandria Bay, NY (specifically Kring Point State Park in the 1000 islands region). It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we had a lot of fun on our first adventure. We saw some cool windmills on a mountain in VT, enjoyed our ferry ride from South Hero over to Plattsburgh, got a smidgen lost in and around Plattsburgh (didn’t use the GPS though!), had lunch with Elvis , met up with a swarm of somethings (ewwww), studied a little, and finally arrived at our amazing campsite. It’s completely secluded, less than 3 feet away from the river, and not another soul is on our loop. The joys of camping mid-week and early in the season…I have a feeling that won’t last as we make our way across the country and into the national parks.

 

Tomorrow we’ll go out and explore the region, hopefully do a boat ride, see some castles, and possibly venture into Canada for a visit.

Love, Bonnie

Day 3: More rain and more family!

just stating the obvious.

Hello world, just a quick note tonight because I'm fairly tired and we've got a big day tomorrow! Today we saw more excellent examples of the power of water and spent some more time with family! We saw my cousin's condo in Burlington, my other cousin's and her fiance's house in Burlington, and then traveled up (over?) to Jeffersonville to my Aunt's house. On the way we saw some excellent flooding (amazing to me, but probably fairly annoying at this point to the folks that live around here). The day started out with rain, but by the end, the sun had finally made a comeback, and tomorrow's weather looks great!

That is not a river, or a pond, or lake, or reservoir. It's a field.

First thing I said when I walked in my aunt's house was, "wow! It stills smells the same!" As kids, we used to go visit this house and it always smelled kind of like the woods to me; and it was just so nice that some things don't change, even when we grow up. I've always thought that smells can bring back such strong memories and emotions. It was very comforting today.

We had a big dinner, played a wonderful, rowdy card game from my childhood (see picture), and spent some time with some wicked cute kids and wicked cool people (is my Maine coming out?). 

Can anybody guess what game this is?!?!?

 This morning, on our short trip from Tim's family to my family (about 10-15 minute car drive!), I mentioned that I just loved the warm send off that we've been given as we go out and conquer the road! It's been wonderful to see family and friends, share our plans, and just feel completely welcomed and comfortable (both literally and figuratively!) as we head out. A big thank you to both our families (we're trying to avoid using names to protect privacy, if you haven't noticed already).

Good night, rest assured we will treasure our last night in a bed for a long while! 

Love, Bonnie

A High Water Mark for Our Trip?

Miles since last post:  45
Total miles:           276

Hopefully our trip has hit it's high water mark. Today we left my cousin's house to visit Bonnie's aunt, uncle, cousins, and an entire menagerie.

We saw two Beetles and a classic VW camper van today, and I forgot to mention the Eurovan camper at the farmers market yesterday. Another interesting automotive happening occurred while in a three car caravan with Bonnie's cousin leading, her aunt and uncle in the middle, and us pulling up the rear: I looked in the rear view mirror, and realized that Bonnie's cousin was also behind us (or at least so it appeared) ;-P

I think I will let some pictures speak for the rest of this post:

Who could ask for anything more (other than a little sun)

Miles since last post:   0 (on our car) 
Total miles:           231

The first full day of the trip was wonderful. Bagels for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and burgers for dinner with lots of fun before during and after.

I was shown a cool series of web videos on world history (they have other topics too, but I haven't watched those). I have to watch more of these, and I think I have Bonnie interested even though she keeps claiming to not know much about history.


We wandered a farmers market in the rain, before lunch, then on the way home we witnessed quite a raging river, and Bonnie says I have to post the video.

We got expert commentary on the NCAA lacrosse game, I don't think it would have been nearly as much fun otherwise. Everyone in the family seems to be an expert, so every little thing was analyzed, and we often had explanations for things while the professional announcers were still scratching their heads.

I was edged out in the first game of Carcassonne while Bonnie was studying (I must have been rusty), but in the second game I dominated despite facing a unified opposition with 92 points to my nearest competitor's 55.

And finally, as promised: One large farm dog, answers to many names (Thor, Bob, Mr. [fill in the blank] Pants, Moose, etc. etc. etc.), with 8 year old girl, and full grown man for scale:

Rain, rain, go away

Spent the day with Tim's cousin and family in and around a very wet Burlington. We went to the farmer's market hoping to see some artists and their wares, but the rain must have kept them in. However, there was a lot of delicious food and a surprising amount of crops this early in the season (radishes, beets, rhubarb and copious amounts of greens). We drove around a bit, had some lunch at a brick oven pizzeria, and then went to see the LaPlatte river. The river was beautiful and scary and very impressive. Here's a picture (I'm hoping Tim will put up a video, because the photo just doesn't do it justice and my blogging skills aren't that good...yet.):



Now, apparently this river usually has a nice fishing area right around the falls, some big rocks that you can climb across to the other side, and is generally calm. It's only like this because of the rain. I think I heard that this happens a lot in this part of Vermont during the spring. They don't call it mud season for nothing!

We spent the evening relaxing, studying a little bit, watching NCAA lacrosse, eating barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs inside (as you do on Memorial Day weekend when there's a monsoon outside your window), and playing Carcassonne! Great game, I highly recommend it if you haven't played (just don't play with Tim, he'll kick your butt, amirite?).

Tomorrow, we meet up with MY family in Burlington for our last wet, rainy day before many beautiful days on the road! 

Love, Bonnie

Best quote of the day: "Bonnie, it's all about mans management."

Setting Off

Miles since last post: 231  
Total miles:           231

Since Bonnie didn't include it in her post, I guess mileage keeping falls to me. Packing the car, and cleaning up Bonnie's apartment went surprisingly quickly. Everything went into the car perfectly, filling the trunk and back seat, but leaving clear visibility out the rear window




And there was just enough space for a couple of best friends in the rear window.



Today's drive was short compared to some we have coming up, so it was a good way to get our feet wet. One day, just over 2 hundred miles, and 3 states. Not a bad start. We saw some fun cars in the traffic on the way our of Boston, including a Solstice with a Honda Type R badge, and a Mister Two. 




The house here in VT is packed with the host family of 4, two other weekend guests, Bonnie, myself, and last but certainly not least Thor the family dog. I didn't get any pictures of Thor today, but look for some soon.

WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS!!!!

-Tim

Day 1: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the...mountains?

Hey folks, Bonnie here with an update from the road! We packed up and set off at approximately 3 PM today with me driving the first leg. You should all be proud of me...I kept my road rage to a minimum in and around Boston (and all the way up through Concord, NH!). I think we were both relieved to be out of Boston traffic with the knowledge that hopefully (hopefully!) we've encountered the worst drivers on the trip. Bad traffic is to be expected, but maybe drivers elsewhere will be a teeny bit more courteous? 

We arrived safely in Shelburne, VT (just south of Burlington) around 7:30 PM to the welcome of Tim's cousin and family. The rain is less than optimal for the beginning of our trip, but our spirits will not be quelled (how's that for vocab, Mary?). I'm determined that we shall enjoy our trip, despite whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at us. Floods be damned, we're doing this! 

One final note for tonight: thought I would inform everyone that Tim and I decided to challenge ourselves a little bit on this trip. We're going low-tech and not using a GPS. We've got one just in case we're up a creek without a paddle, but we're going to try to use maps to get around. This picture shows what we're calling, "mission control." It's just a hard plastic clipboard with a pocket inside that holds our current maps (Northeastern States and Central States right now), our reservation confirmations, and other flotsam. We attached one of Tim's fancy rally pens, threw in a copy of our ambitious itinerary, and its now sitting in between the center console and the passenger seat!
Now, hopefully you can all imagine us scratching our heads, wondering where we are, consulting "mission control," and so lost that we don't even know how to begin to find our back (and if you can't, don't worry, I'll tell you all about it.). 

Love, Bonnie

Final Preparations

Miles since last post: 0
Total miles:           0

This is starting to get real. As you can see from the map at the top of the blog, we have an ambitious trip planned. Reservations are made, supplies have been purchased, and we will be setting off tomorrow. First stop is Burlington VT where both Bonnie and I have family. So, off we go:


-Tim

Hello family and friends! Thank you for coming to visit our blog! Tim has successfully convinced me to give this "blogging" thing a try--although he might regret it (I'll either turn into an obsessed blogging monster or bitch and complain about it the entire trip; no happy medium here). As you can see, both Tim and I are going to be contributing to this vacation blog (watch for the slightly different fonts). Ideally, we'll post pictures, tell some great stories, and develop a scrapbook of sorts for ourselves. Enjoy!

As we prepare to leave, mostly I would just like to thank you all for the support you've given us in preparing for the trip (you know who you are). Also, shoutout and many thanks to those who have agreed to let us crash at your homes on our way around the country (fair warning: chances are we'll be pretty smelly). Thank you!

And now, to test out my blogging prowess, share my love of Pixar, and to shamelessly prove myself as technologically capable: 


See you on the road! 

Love, Bonnie