Lake Erie Shores and Islands: Exploring Sandusky, Ohio and Beyond

This post has been moved to my new travel blog, MichiGal Travels. You can find it by clicking the following link:

Lake Erie Shores and Island: Exploring Sandusky, Ohio and Beyond

Thanks for visiting!

Flashback: Fun in Midland, Michigan

 This post was originally published last year, and references a trip we took in 2010. Look how little my munchkins are! Midland makes a great getaway from the Metro Detroit area, we've even done it as a day trip.

Chris's aunt and uncle live in Midland, aptly named as it sits in the middle of the state. Midland is known as the home of the world headquarters of Dow Chemical. But to our family it is known as where Aunt Nicki and Uncle Bob live. A couple years ago, we decided to be tourists in Midland while we were in town for a visit. We had such a great time, and I hope we get to do it again soon!

Lucy and Mattie at the Midland Tridge

There is a great park within walking distance of downtown, with a splash pad, a playground, and the very unique Tridge (triple + bridge = Tridge). Although I love the picture above, it doesn't really do the Tridge justice. It is really big, and connects paths of separate areas of the park. A lot of people ride their bikes. We packed a picnic lunch and had a beautiful day.

Cousins on the Tridge

Bethany cooling off at the splash pad

Lucy

We walked around downtown Midland. There are flowers everywhere in Midland, along the side of the road and in front of the shops and restaurants. At the time there was a turtle themed auction going on, so we saw all kinds of turtles too.

See that turtle, hidden among the gorgeous flowers?

Even the courthouse is pretty

We also visited the Midland Center for the Arts. They had a Lego exhibit going on then, but there are always fun, hands-on exhibits for kids. Sometimes they have shows too. Check out their website HERE for more information. This summer it looks like they're having a Bob the Builder Exhibit...sounds like fun!

Mattie and the giant Legos! Back then we couldn't keep shoes ON her, now we can't get them OFF of her!

Lego Mt. Rushmore...this summer I'll get a picture of them in front of the real thing!

Lego peace sign...notice Lucy is really trying to hold up her fingers in a peace sign! Also, I think I want to be a pro Lego builder! That has to be the best job ever!

Have you ever been to Midland, Michigan? If not, it's definitely worth a visit!

Flashback: Tahquamenon Falls

 This post was published last year, and references a trip we took in 2011. Tahquamenon Falls is one of my favorite places in Michigan. What are some of your favorite Michigan sights?



When I was about 11, I was invited along on an Upper Peninsula adventure with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin. I crossed  Big Mac (aka the Mackinac Bridge) for the first time, and I was smitten by the quiet beauty of Michigan's lesser known peninsula. We spent a week at our little cottage, fishing and swimming and seeing many of the area's gems. A year or two later I was invited once again. These two week-long vacations constitute some of the happiest memories of my childhood. One of the most memorable sights that we visited during both of those trips was Tahquamenon Falls. I stood before this majestic natural wonder and fell in love with waterfalls. When I became a mom many years later, I vowed I would take my own children to the Upper Peninsula one day and show them just how beautiful the world could be.

Last summer we finally made it to Tahquamenon Falls. It was actually our second time in the U.P. together, but the first had just been a quick jaunt to the beach when we were staying in Mackinaw City the year before. This time we stayed overnight and had a beautiful day visiting one of my favorite Michigan landmarks. The kids loved it; I knew they would.

One of the best things about being a mom is sharing experiences from my own childhood, like Tahquamenon Falls, with my kids. I look forward to sharing more with them, and remembering vicariously through their smiles and enthusiasm. Seeing new things is exciting too, but there is something special about standing in the same place with my kids that I stood when I was a little girl.

Day Tripping from Detroit: Storybook Gardens - London, Ontario

This post can now be found on MichiGal Travels, just click on the following link:

Day Tripping from Detroit: Storybook Gardens - London, Ontario

Travel Tuesday: Florida Spring Break Edition - Sea World Orlando

This post has been moved to MichiGal Travels. Just click the link below to read it now.

Florida Spring Break: Sea World Orlando

Travel Tuesday: Florida Spring Break Edition - Legoland Orlando

This post has been moved to MichiGal Travels. Just click the link below to read it now.

Florida Spring Break: Legoland Orlando

Family Fun: Visit Ohio's The Beach Water Park

This May, The Beach Water Park (an Adventure Landing Park) in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, will be opening under new management and with $5 million in renovations under its belt! It's like a real tropical oasis, right in Ohio - complete with genuine palm trees, white ocean sand, and waterfalls, all situated among 35 acres of shady, wooded terrain.

Attractions are broken up into three categories: Real Thrill, Real Chill, and Real Fun for Kids.You can take your pick from several thrilling water slides, a heated wave pool, the 1200 foot long lazy river, and MUCH more! There is fun to be had for everyone in the family, from the littlest tot to the most daring thrill-seeker! Seriously, my wimpy self can hardly stand to look at the pictures of some of these water slides. Go check out the website and see for yourself!

May 18-19 marks the opening weekend of The Beach, and regular operations begin on May 25. Check The Beach's Facebook page for updates, because at this moment, a full schedule of special events is being planned for the summer!

If you live in the Cincinnati area, you might want to consider Season Passes, which are available for purchase now!

Want to give your child the coolest birthday party ever? Book a party at The Beach! The park is also available for company outings and charity events.

And because I hate to pay full price for anything, click HERE to print coupons good for $5 off admission! You can use one coupon per person, per day! Coupons are valid anytime throughout the 2013 season, not valid with any other discounts or promotions.

My kids have been asking when we're going to a water park, and they're going to be thrilled when they hear about this one!

Are you a water park lover? Do you prefer the Real Thrill or the Real Chill? I don't think it's any secret that I am a huge fan of the Real Chill!

My family is receiving free tickets to visit The Beach in exchange for this post.

Tuesday Travel - Florida Spring Break Edition: Easter Sunday at the Magic Kingdom

This post has been moved to MichiGal Travels. Just click the link below to read it now.

Florida Spring Break: Easter Sunday at the Magic Kingdom

Travel Tuesday - Florida Spring Break Edition: The Star Wars Exhibit and Downtown Orlando

This post can now be found at MichiGal Travels. Just click the link below to read it there.

Florida Spring Break: The Star Wars Exhibit and Downtown Orlando

Travel Tuesday: Florida Spring Break Edition - The Best Laid Plans & Jungle Adventures

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Florida Spring Break: The Best Laid Plans and Jungle Adventures

Book Review: Changing Gears: A Family Odyssey to the End of the World by Nancy Sathre-Vogel

I love serendipitous events.

A few years ago, I stumbled across a blog, Family On Bikes, about a family preparing to commence a bicycle journey from the northern most tip of Alaska to the southern most tip of Argentina. I'm always looking for blogs about families who travel extensively with their children, so of course I was intrigued. But then it slipped through my fingers into the never ending depths of the world wide web, and I lost track of the Vogel family.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when a local blogger friend posted about a book review opportunity on a Facebook forum for Michigan bloggers. The book sounded interesting, so I contacted the author and told her I would love to review her book. As soon as I started reading, I realized that this was the family from the blog I had read about, and I was excited to be "reunited" with them and read about their trip in its entirety.

I don't have a dream of taking my kids on a bicycle trek from one end of the world to the other. I haven't even been on a bicycle since I was approximately 11 years old. But reading about the Vogel family, chasing their dreams across mountains, fields, rain forests, and international boundaries, I experienced a familiar tug of wanderlust; a longing to go and to feel myself uncoil with freedom to stretch and roam and experience the world.

From beginning to end, Changing Gears: A Family Odyssey to the End of the World, by Nancy Sathre-Vogel, enchanted me and held me captive. I could scarcely tear my eyes away from this inspiring tale about facing down your fears and going after your dreams, impossible though they might seem.

I don't like to give away many details in my book reviews, because I firmly believe you should read those details for yourself. But know this: Changing Gears is full of excitement, dedication, and doubt; and it will inspire you to live your dreams, whether they entail traipsing the globe, switching careers, or going against the grain of what's expected of you, in any way, shape, or form. I came away from this book feeling that if the Vogel family could conquer all of the obstacles they faced and persevere for three years in pursuit of a shared goal, then what am I capable of? What could I accomplish if I took a leap and ignored my fears, paying no mind to the naysayers?

Changing Gears: A Family Odyssey to the End of the World is a beautiful and riveting book. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with Nancy's previous books:

Twenty Miles Per Cookie: 9000 Miles of Kid-Powered Adventures

Bicycle Touring with Children: A Guide to Getting Started

What Were We Thinking?: Bicycling the Back Roads of Asia (co-authored by Nancy's husband, John Vogel)

One of my favorite messages in the book is that people are good and kind and want to help. If you start moving in the direction of achieving your goals, the universe will place in your path endless resources, including what Nancy refers to as "Road Angels". These are people who helped the Vogel family along in their journey, somehow managing to show up just when they were needed, to offer food, directions, a place to stay, or even a police escort through a busy city.

I can't stress enough how much I loved Changing Gears! If you want to be inspired to live the life you've been dreaming of (and maybe you don't even consciously know that you've been dreaming of it), I encourage you to order this book today! While you're at it, like Nancy's Facebook page and follow her on Twitter, @familyonbikes. They are also working on a documentary, which should hopefully be released soon because I can't wait to see it!  **UPDATE** The DVD is out! Click HERE to order!

The Vogel family in the Andes

Just one more thing.

Nancy has agreed to an interview for MichiGal, and I'd love to know if YOU have any burning questions for her? Leave me a comment of let me know on Facebook or Twitter!

Our Florida Road Trip

This post can now be found on MichiGal Travels. Just click the link below.

Our Florida Road Trip

Reposted: Spring Break Inspriation

Looking for last minute Spring Break ideas? This was originally posted last year, maybe it will give you some fun ideas!



I know everyone seems to have Spring Break at different times now (didn't they all used to be at the same time?), but ours begins in one week. We are all really looking forward to it. At this point we have one short get-a-way definitely planned, and another one tentatively planned. We tend to do pretty low key, fairly close to home trips for Spring Break. Usually we don't have a lot of time and/or money to work with, so we do the best we can with what we've got. It seems to me a terrible shame not to go anywhere, but sometimes it doesn't work out. Nonetheless I always try to plan something special and fun for the kids.

Most people probably have their Spring Break plans fully organized by now, but just in case you're still looking for someplace to go that's not too far from southeast Michigan, I have done a few posts in the past about vacations that won't break the bank and are close enough to drive to. Some might be more appropriate for summer, but hopefully we'll still have some decent weather for the next few weeks.

Five Ideas For Close-To-Home Summer Vacations   Despite the name, some of these would work well for Spring Break too. In fact, two of them we have done during Spring Break (Hocking Hills and Niagara Falls).

Spring Fever   This post focuses more on Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.

Spring Is In The Air (Or Not)   We always have fun in Toledo!

O-hi-o, O-hi-o, It's Off to the Zoo We Go, Part I   The African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio is a blast! And there are deals to be had right now - don't pay full price!

Part II of O-hi-o, O-hi-o, It's Off to the Zoo We Go   The Toledo Zoo is close to home and we love it (although this visit was definitely not our best!).

Winter Weekend   Wow, we vacation a lot in Ohio! Great Wolf Lodge is a definite hit!

Some other ideas, that I haven't written about in any blog posts:

• Chicago  There's just so much to do! My kids have only been there in the winter (except Mattie, who has never been), so sometime we are going to do this when the weather is nice.
• Grand Rapids  We haven't been there in a few years (again, Mattie has never been), but I'd love to go back. This was on my wish list for last summer, but we didn't make it. Meijer Gardens and the zoo are fabulous, and I've heard that the Children's Museum is really great too.
• Toronto   I haven't been there since I was a kid. It's not that far from home, so I think I need to go back. With or without kids is fine with me.

If you're more in the market for day trips, might I suggest:

• Ann Arbor  Only about an hour from home, this college town offers some cool museums, shops and restaurants. Once we took the train there for the day (we got on in Royal Oak) and walked everywhere. The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is a good choice for kid-friendly fun, as is the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.
• Green Field Village / Henry Ford Museum  The village is an outdoors attraction and doesn't open for the season until April 14, but the museum is indoors and open year round. What I love about this place is that there is so much to see and do, and it is so big that even if the parking lot is jammed it generally doesn't feel like it's that crowded once you get in (goes for both the museum and the village). I'm not a huge fan of crowds, so this is important to me.
• Downtown Detroit  Unfortunately budget cuts have not been kind to some of our wonderful attractions this year, but there is still enough to do to keep a family busy for the day. Some of my favorites include taking a walk along the RiverFront, riding the People Mover, walking around Greektown, and visiting the Detroit Institute of Art. My goal this year is to get to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, which I hear really good things about.

Do you have any special plans for Spring Break this year?

Family Vacation Destination: St. Paul, Minnesota

Last summer when we took our epic cross country road trip, my heart broke a tiny bit every time we had to pass up a fun or scenic destination. We only had a very limited amount of time, and unfortunately, we just could not fit in everything that we would have liked to see and do. Don't get me wrong, we did a lot in two and a half weeks, but the trip definitely reinforced for me that I need to take several more similar road trips in order to see everything I want to see! Next time I will be researching Hotels in St Paul MN because I'm not missing it twice!

I've been busily recapping our trip in my Travel Tuesday posts, but I have yet to get around to writing about our brief time in Minnesota. It was our first time visiting Minnesota, and we were in a major time crunch so my mom could get back to work. Therefore, we were only able to choose one activity in Minnesota on our route home. Bethany had her heart set on one particular destination, so that meant we had to pass right by St. Paul and all that it has to offer. We were literally only about twenty minutes away. Ouch.

Being the capital of Minnesota, St. Paul has a lot to offer in terms of family fun. When we finally make it there, here are some things we won't want to miss:

• Como Park Zoo and Conservatory  Maybe it's cliche, but I love taking my kids to zoos. This one looks beautiful, without being too huge and overwhelming. I love that there are several gardens on the grounds with different themes. Also, a really unique feature is Como Town, a little mini amusement park right in the zoo. Admission to the zoo is FREE, although donations are suggested. Please note, there is a charge for rides and other attractions.
• Minnesota Children's Museum  Museums geared toward children are always a good bet for our family. Lots of hands on activities equal loads of fun, with a little learning sneaked in for good measure! The Earth World exhibit (helping kids to discover Minnesota's unique habitats up close) looks like it would be interesting and captivating. Big bonus: the museum is accessible via the city's skyway, which is an ingenious indoor walkway connecting several buildings. Which means you can get from place to place without ever going outside. That sounds perfect for rainy or cold weather!
• Cathedral of St. Paul  Okay, I admit that perhaps visiting a church would not be on my kids' list of things they'd like to do on vacation. However, I'm a sucker for historical churches, especially majestic ones like the Cathedral of St. Paul. Almost 100 years old, this beautiful church is a treasure trove of art and architecture. And a little culture never hurt anyone.
• Grand Avenue  Sometimes the best part of visiting a new city is simply wandering the streets, people watching and window shopping. Home to many local businesses, Grand Avenue seems like the perfect place to walk around and get to know the city. There are lots of unique options in terms of coffee shops, cafes, and shops. I can just envision a lovely afternoon, walking up and down the street, stopping for a coffee or an ice cream cone.
• Indian Mounds Park  What kid would not like to see an ancient burial ground first hand? It's somehow creepy and mysterious and I know my kids would be interested. There are six mounds at the park, some believed to be more than 2000 years old! The park also looks like a nice place to have a picnic and let the kids run off some steam. I always like to schedule some free time outdoors when we're traveling so my kids can get their exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

Have you been to St. Paul, or do you live in the area? I'd love first hand suggestions for family friendly sites and activities!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Travel Tuesday: Washington Reunion

This week I'm continuing with my recap of our road trip last summer. To bring you up to speed, here are the links to the other road trip posts so far:

Road Trip Success
Let the Road Trip Fun Begin!
South Dakota Supreme: Part 1
South Dakota Supreme: Part 2
The Road Trip Continues Into Alien Territory
Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Leaving Coeur d'Alene was bittersweet. We were sad to say good bye to my aunt and uncle, yet excited for the next leg of our journey. Being in Idaho was like being home. We were comfortable and happy, and our visit was far too short. I cannot thank my aunt and uncle enough for their generous hospitality!

Next stop: Kennewick, Washington.

So happy to be together again!

When I first broke the news to Bethany that her dearest friend was moving to the other side of the country, she was heartbroken. I was pretty sad too, since her friend's family is particularly dear to my heart. I was happy for them, since they were leaving to pursue a dream, yet so not happy for us. I vowed that we would visit, never mind the two thousand plus miles between us, and I can happily blame them for initially inspiring our trip.

Kennewick, in southeast Washington's Tri Cities area, is less than 200 miles from Coeur d'Alene. So we only had a two and a half to three hour drive to our friends' house. We passed from green, lush Idaho into the desert-like climate of Washington, passing vineyards along the way. The stereotypical rainy, evergreen Washington that you are probably thinking of was definitely a far cry from the Washington that we saw.

Having just taken over a busy chiropractic practice, my friends were not able to take time off work for site-seeing. And we definitely did not want to take any time away from them to go off on our own. So I can't tell you from first hand experience about all the wonderful family attractions in the Tri Cities area. But I can tell you that for the four nights we stayed with our friends, we were once again treated to a whole lot of generous hospitality. Our kids hung out, like they had missed doing, and I had adjustments every day and got to spend lots of time catching up. The kids played and rode bikes and went for walks. The moms drank Starbucks and went to Target together.  Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?

I wish we would have had the time to venture out to Portland or Seattle, but it just wasn't in the cards for this trip. Like passing up Yellowstone, this was hard, being that we were only about three hours from each of these cities, and I'd very much love to visit both. Not only were my friends chained to their office, but we were also on a strict time restriction, and three of us came down with a sudden stomach bug while we were visiting. (You know what's fun? Your kids puking at someone else's house! SO FUN!). I definitely was not up for much in the way of tourist attractions, and was happy just to have a few more days of down time. I love seeing things and going places, but the beauty of staying with friends and family is being able to relax and just be "regular" someplace away from home. I really appreciated the R&R before the long trip home. What I saw of Kennewick and the Tri Cities was very clean and seemed newer than things around here. The roads, the buildings...they just seemed not to have as many years of wear and tear on them as most things around here. From my understanding, the Tri Cities is an up and coming area, and is growing in popularity as a destination, being especially well known for the vineyards in the region.

Leaving Kennewick was so sad, because we don't have definite plans for when we'll see our friends again. I do, however, have confidence that we will see them again! Although, being caught up in our own busy lives, we don't talk as much as we should, I like to think that our visit helped to forge a permanent bond between our two families.

The third leg of our trip was over, and it was time to begin the fourth and final leg: Washington to home.

Working hard on a high tech security system.

We miss you guys! And still can't ever begin to thank you enough...for everything! For feeding us and putting us up and letting us make ourselves at home and not flinching when my kids puked. Can't wait to see you again!

Swimming in the tub

Tired girls on our last morning...they may have stayed up a little too late the night before...

Love these kids!

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Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

I am going to try to start doing a weekly Travel Tuesday post. I say "try" because, well, we all know how that goes! This will be a great way to get me caught up on posting about our big road trip last summer. I know that was like six or seven months ago, but I haven't given up yet!

Since it's been awhile, let's recap, shall we?

If you're new here, you might not know that my kids and I (and my mom, for part of the trip) went on an epic road trip last summer, traveling from Michigan all the way to Washington state. You can follow these links to learn more about our trip.

Road Trip Success!
Let the Road Trip Fun Begin!
South Dakota Supreme: Part 1
South Dakota Supreme: Part 2
The Road Trip Continues Into Alien Territory

My last post brought us through Wyoming and into Montana. We dropped my mom off at the camp where she was volunteering for the week and continued on our way.

I was on my own.

But we were only about three and a half hours away from our next destination, so I wasn't concerned about my lack of adult back-up. Although I did all of the driving throughout the entire trip, it was nice having my mom along. It was a great help to have someone to pick up Mattie's cup every 15 minutes, to pass back snacks, and to run into hotels late at night to check for vacancies. Not to mention, having some adult conversation was a good distraction while driving for hours every day.

Next stop: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Coeur d'Alene is in the narrow panhandle of Idaho, nestled in between Montana and Washington. The closest big city is Spokane, Washington. If I had to pick one adjective to describe Coeur d'Alene, it would probably be stunning. We drove through a lot of mountains throughout the course of our trip, with many different types of terrain. I love the mountains, and they were all beautiful in different ways. In Idaho, they were lush and green. Just...stunning. I wish I would have been able to take pictures as I was driving into Coeur d'Alene, with the gorgeous views of Lake Coeur d'Alene. I was on this mountain road, high above the lake, and I was so frustrated that I had to keep driving and couldn't pause to let the scenery soak into my brain.

Good morning, happy campers!

Apparently, Coeur d'Alene is a famous northwest resort town. But we were there to visit family, and staying at my aunt & uncle's house was surely better than staying at the fancy resort in town! The kids got to sleep in a camper on the driveway, and I had my own room, with my own bed! What could be better?

We rolled up to my aunt and uncle's house on day 6 of our trip, and stayed there for nights #6, #7, and #8. Our weekend was full of family time, which was really special for a lot of reasons. I did not know my aunt and uncle as a kid, and didn't meet them until I was in my 30s. My dad's brother and his wife welcomed us into their home, despite the fact that they had only met us a handful of times and barely knew us. Their daughter, my cousin, brought her three kids over, and the next generation of cousins had their own sleepover. We enjoyed home cooked food, and went to a family birthday party. After driving and sight-seeing as much as possible for six days in a row, it was a pleasant relief to relax and do regular things.

Lake Coeur d'Alene - Idaho

Lake Coeur d'Alene - Idaho

While we didn't do much in the way of sight seeing during our stay in CDA, the kids sure didn't miss the hectic pace, and I didn't mind either. One day, we packed a picnic and spent a nice afternoon at Lake Coeur d'Alene, which was lovely. Being in the mountains was just sublime. Decades ago, when my mom and I moved back to Michigan from Arizona, I missed the mountains for a long time. I was only a kid, but I missed being able to look anywhere and see mountains. Being in the mountains was one of the best parts of the trip! My kids were kind of wimps at the lake. I mean, I don't blame them, because I did not bring water shoes with us. I just wasn't anticipating swimming in rocky mountain lakes. I guess I should have thought of that, but the amount of thinking that went into packing for that trip was pretty overwhelming as it was. My advice? If you're going on a long road trip, pack water shoes. Because you just never know. Even though they didn't want to spend that much time in the lake, we still had a wonderful time. We had to work our tails off just to get to the lake from the parking lot. I am accustomed to flat Michigan, where the parking lots are almost always pretty close to being at the same level as the lakes. But in Idaho, we had to trudge up and down and pretty far to reach the reward: a relatively private picnic table on the banks of Lake Coeur d'Alene. All while carrying coolers, inner tubes, and a sleeping Mathilda.

Another afternoon, we went for a little drive through town. We didn't get out of the car, just drove around so I could see some of what the fuss is about. On another trip, I wouldn't mind exploring a little. Touristy or not, it was charming and pretty. There were throngs of people out and about. Crowds aren't my thing, but sometimes braving them is worth it, to be able to see and experience something new and different.

Bethany's 1st cherry pie was a big success!

What else did we do in Idaho? The kids played and watched TV and immediately made themselves at home in my aunt and uncle's home. My aunt taught Bethany how to make cherry pie, and I got to go to Target all by myself. I read and caught up on email and did laundry. We all got to know each other, and I wouldn't trade all the sight-seeing in the world for that.

Leaving was Coeur d'Alene was hard, although my aunt and uncle might have been happy to have their quiet house back! We have to go back. We will go back.

Matching cousins

All the cousins together at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Family 

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Road Trip Mentality

Remember that incredible road trip I took last summer? The one I, ummm, never finished telling you about? Yeah, I have to get on that. In fact, it seems to me that it's been since I got home from that trip that I haven't been caught up with anything and I can't keep my head on straight. Hmmm.

Well anyway, I've had that trip on my mind a lot lately, because it was awesome. It was exhausting and a ton of work too, but I miss being on the road and seeing something different every day. Really miss it. I know that a trip of those epic proportions is not happening this summer (we already have four weeks of our summer spoken for - running out of time and it's only February!), but I am thinking of something a little smaller scale for Spring Break.

I am lucky enough to have a brother-in-law who lives in Orlando, in a big awesome house with spare bedrooms and everything. And he LOVES when we visit (right, Rob??). We actually haven't visited in far too long - about two and a half years. Obviously, we are way over-due. And, believe it or not, we have never driven to Florida as a family. So I think the time has come. I've been trying to make this happen for quite awhile, but something always comes up. This is the year it is happening!

For Michiganders, driving to Florida is almost a right of passage. Everybody does it. But we've never done it, and it's time we join the club. For awhile (okay, it's been a few years) it was basically cheaper to fly. But not anymore, especially not with four kids. And plus I'm looking forward to two full days on I-75. Maybe not really, but I'm sure we can find something interesting to look at along the way?! Honestly, I'm already Mapquesting and thinking it might be best to take 1-95 S on the way down, and I-75 N on the way home. That way we can drive through Columbus and Savannah. Or maybe even I-95 both ways? It only adds a very short time onto the trip. And suddenly one overnight each way is not enough! It's times like these that homeschooling sounds like a really great option. (Plus an unlimited budget would be nice.) One week off of school does not give us much time to drive over 1000 miles each way. Maybe missing a day or three of school wouldn't be too much?

I'm getting all sorts of great ideas. Chris LOVES when I get great ideas! What I'm thinking is perhaps a night at Hocking Hills State Park would be a possibility! If Chris reads this, he is going to tell me to stop coming up with great ideas and we'll be lucky if we make it to Florida, much less any "pit stops" along the way. Okay, I'll focus on Florida for now. And I will be happy even if we don't get to stop at Hocking Hills State Park. Or anyplace else. Yes, I will be happy even if we just do a blitzkrieg drive straight down and straight back, only stopping to eat, use the bathroom, and sleep for a few hours.

Back in high school, I went to Florida for the first time with my friend Jen and her family, during Spring Break. We drove all the way to Key West, and also stayed at Disney for a week. Our theme song was "On the Road Again." I will be so, so happy to be on the road again.

Do you have any special plans for Spring Break? I'd love to hear all about them!

The Road Trip Continues into Alien Territory - Wyoming

It's been awhile since I've posted about our big road trip, but I still have a whole lot more to say about it. Life has gotten in the way, but I better get crackin' before I forget everything!

To re-cap, so far I've published the following posts about our adventures on the road:

Road Trip Success! In this post you will find our basic itinerary.

Let the Road Trip Fun Begin! This post covers the first couple days of our trip, including the fun we had in Iowa.

South Dakota Supreme: Part 1 We did so much awesome stuff in South Dakota, I had to break it up into two posts. This one covers our very busy first day in South Dakota.

South Dakota Supreme: Part 2  And this post is all about our second exciting day in one of my new favorite states. Never been to South Dakota? Read these two posts, and hopefully they will help convince you that this is a fantastic vacation destination!

I can't over state how much I enjoyed our time in South Dakota. Before our trip, I never really thought of it as a place to go on vacation. I thought of it more as a place to drive through (and see Mount Rushmore) on your way to someplace else. But now that I know first hand how cool it is, I would truly like to dedicate at least a week to seeing everything we couldn't fit in.

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel in Rapid City and hit the road. On our way to Montana, our route took us through the northeast corner of Wyoming. None of us had ever been to Wyoming, I don't think*, so I wanted to make sure we had at least one memorable stop. What we saw of Wyoming was stunningly beautiful. Lucky for us, we would be heading past Devils Tower National Monument. The idea of seeing as many National Parks and National Monuments as possible is appealing to me, and my enthusiasm was contagious, at least for my kids.

Not "close enough" to Devils Tower

My mom, on the other hand, was less enthused when we began to realize that the monument was a little further out of our way than we had thought. But I think my kids were totally convinced that anyplace with the name Devils Tower was way too cool to pass up, especially when we were so close. We got off I-90 near Sundance, Wyoming, and headed in a northerly direction. We absolutely had to be in Gold Creek, Montana** the following day by noon. So when we saw Devils Tower from a distance, and pulled off at a scenic overlook to take some pictures. I tried valiantly to convince the kids that this was close enough. But they pouted and I relented. I had, after all, promised them we'd go there. And who knows when we'll be "in the neighborhood" of Devils Tower National Monument again?

Much better! Devils Tower National Monument

So we drove and drove and drove until we came upon a gift shop just outside the entrance to the national monument. At this point, I implored the kids to save their mother the $10 entrance fee, not to mention the time of waiting in the long line of vehicles. Since we had a fantastic view from the parking lot, they were happy. The prospect of doing a little shopping didn't hurt either. While shopping, we noticed that there were quite a few alien themed items for sale in the shop. We thought it was funny and joked that the monument did look like something from outer space. We picked out an alien magnet for Chris and didn't think too much more about it. Not until we got home did Chris enlighten me that Close Encounters of the Third Kind  had actually been filmed at Devils Tower. Hmmm. That explained a lot.

Okay, so we drove all the way to Devils Tower and we didn't even go through the entrance gate. But I was alright with that, and so were the kids. Sometimes it is worth the time to linger, other times a few quick pictures suffice just fine. And the gift shop was pretty cool, so it was all good. I don't think there is much to do once you get through the gates, except maybe drive around and get a little closer to the monument. If you've been there and I'm wrong, please let me know in the comments! It did seem to be a popular place for motorcycle enthusiasts. A fellow gift shop customer (who was a biker) let me know how ticked off he was that he use to be able to ride for free, and now they're charging 10 bucks.

Once we had our fill of Devils Tower, we were on our way to Montana, another gorgeous state. All the mountain driving was incredibly scenic and awesome. The twists and turns and dips and climbs felt a bit like being on a roller coaster, and took quite a bit more intense concentration than the flat Michigan driving I'm accustomed to. More than once, we were coasting downhill for at least five minutes at a time. Seeing so far in the distance was a different experience too. We could see storms brewing miles away, and every time we came to a city we got a big picture view from above. That said, I never felt we were in a dangerous driving situation. Oftentimes throughout the trip, I admit, I may have been driving a bit *cough, cough* slower than the posted speed limit, but we made out okay.

You don't have to tell us twice! Wyoming rest stop.

Since my mom had to be at her destination by noon the following day, we wanted to get in as many miles as possible. So we didn't stop for anymore sight seeing that day (which was day 5 of the trip). We did stop to eat at a rest area in Wyoming, where we saw signs warning of rattlesnakes. By the time we got to Butte, Montana that night, I knew I was pretty much incapable of driving any further. Unfortunately for us, there was a very popular Evel Knieval event in town, which made the prospect of finding a room for the night a bit challenging. Eventually we found our way to the locally owned Copper King Hotel, which ended up being a really nice place. It had been a long, exhausting day (we covered about 600 miles) and we welcomed a comfortable night's sleep and a good breakfast. The rates were very reasonable, and the staff was friendly. When the kids saw the pool, they were disappointed that we couldn't hang around and go for a swim. But our schedule called, and we had to be on our merry way.

Butte was only about an hour away from Gold Creek, so we were able to get my mom to her destination in plenty of time. We were glad that we didn't have to rush. After saying our good-byes, we began the next segment of our trip, and drove straight to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The kids were anxious to get straight to my aunt and uncle's house, where we would be staying for the next few days, so our only stops were a rest area and a gas station. After days of living at a frenetic pace, we could finally slow down a little.

Our journey will continue in my next road trip post...

*When I was very young, about two years old, my mom and I moved out west with her aunt and uncle and drove with them from Michigan to California. We may have been in Wyoming then. Neither of us can remember ;-)

**This is where we were dropping my mom off for the week.

Montana on Dwellable

Blog Inspiration

Not long ago, I learned that one of my favorite bloggers, Anne Andrus, passed away. I have mentioned her family's blog, www.sixintheworld.com, before because it has been an inspiration to me since I stumbled across it six years ago. After I randomly picked up the book One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children by David Elliot Cohen from the library, I was on a quest to find other families who had taken extended round the world trips together. That's when I found sixintheworld. At that point, the Andrus family was in the midst of their travels. I loved what I was reading and seeing, so I quickly went back to the beginning of their journey via their blog posts and marveled over each and every post. From then on, I followed them until they returned to the states, and then kept reading.

I was saddened to learn of Anne's initial cancer diagnosis, and I kept her and her family in my thoughts and prayers through the ups and downs of her illness. Their blog updates were scarce, but I was always excited to see a new one and hoped for good news every time. The last one I read just after we returned home from our road trip, and I cried as I read Anne's husband Tom's eulogy post, Celebrating an Amazing Lady.

Although I didn't know Anne in real life, I did feel that I knew her in some small way from reading sixintheworld. It's an odd feeling, to have a sense of connection with someone I've never met. That's one of the wonderful aspects of the blogging world, I suppose. It's pretty awesome to have the medium to influence, inspire, and share; both for the reader and the blogger.

Reading sixintheworld exemplified to me the possibilities available to anyone with the will and desire to follow their dreams. I saw a large family doing something I wanted to do, but that felt so impossible. I'm grateful to the Andrus family for showing me that the impossible can become possible. I don't know if my family will ever travel round the world together, but I do know that a few years ago it felt impossible that I'd ever be able to drive my kids across the country on a road trip, and this summer I did just that.

Anytime I hear of a young mother dying, it shakes me to the core. Since reading that Anne Andrus died, I have had a hard time not dwelling in the darkest recesses of my heart, where I hold a fear of leaving my children motherless. I love them so much and don't want to miss a minute of them growing up. But more than that, I don't want them to miss me and to know what it is to be a child with no mother. Who knows what the future holds, but I hope I will be around for a long time. Nonetheless, I try to live in the moment because no one knows what tomorrow may bring. Thankfully the Andrus family took their dream trip when they did, because as soon as they came back, Anne got sick. In the same spirit, I try to maintain a sense of joy in our family; to provide my kids with a strong foundation of love; and to do my best to ensure that they have a multitude of happy memories to hold close forever. Today is important; it's all we have. The time to recognize and move toward our dreams is now. The time to do what we love and say "I love you" is now.

Have you ever been deeply inspired by something you've read on a blog?

South Dakota Supreme: Part 1

My road trip story last left us foraging for a hotel room in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I was excited to be in South Dakota because I had some cool things planned for us during our brief stay. I crammed 900 miles into our first two days of traveling so we could linger a bit in the state best known for being home to Mount Rushmore. In fact, I drove about half that distance over days three and four on the road. But the bulk of our touristy fun happened in South Dakota during this leg of our trip, so we were pretty much always going at warp speed.

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

There was no way we were leaving Sioux Falls Tuesday morning without paying a visit to Falls Park, home to the waterfalls for which the city is named. The park has a very unique stone landscape, and was the locale of a former massive mill that harnessed the power of the falls in its operations. It is clean and well maintained, and kind of urban. Looking over the falls and seeing the city in the background felt a little odd. Not exactly a setting with a natural feel. But beautiful nonetheless. We did our best to see as much as we could in the sweltering heat (again, 100+), knowing that our day was just beginning. Much to Bethany's bitter disappointment, we did not check out the restaurant, with its promises of ice cream in the window sign. We did do a little shopping in the gift shop, but we did not go to the top of the lookout tower, which was housed in the same building. We probably should have done that, but when I say sweltering, I mean that as in I was about to lose all of my children to heat stroke induced meltdowns. It was time to move on, lookout tower or not.

The next stop I had my heart set on, the Ingalls Homestead, was going to take us a couple hours out of our way. I knew we had a really long day ahead of us, and the kids were already worn out from walking around Falls Park. I was about to poll everybody to see if they wanted to take the time to do it or not, when Connor excitedly asked if we would be going to the Ingalls Homestead next. The kids were all geeked, as it turned out. I was half relieved because I had been wanting to go to this place for years, and half dreading the excursion because it meant a lot more driving. I had also sort of been prepping the kids by playing a CD copy of On the Banks of Plum Creek in the van. No, we were not actually going to the real banks of Plum Creek, but it was the only audio version of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book available at the library the day I went in. It did kind of get us in the mood.

Years ago I learned of the Ingalls Homestead in what was to become one of my favorite books, Storybook Travels, by Colleen Dunn Bates and Susan La Tempa. This tourist attraction specially tailored for Laura fans calls itself "Laura's Living Prairie". The Ingalls family actually lived and walked on the very land we were standing upon. The structures on the property are not original and were not the ones used and lived in by the Ingalls family. However, they do a good job of demonstrating what life was like for them during that time.

The first stop at the Homestead is the gift shop, where visitors can peruse the somewhat over-priced selection of prairie-themed items. Curious guests are invited to sit down and watch a short film about the Homestead before investing ten bucks per person (ages 5 and up) to tour the grounds and partake in all activities. I drove all this way, we were partaking. No question.

Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Remember it was a miserably hot day. But we trudged all around the Ingalls Homestead, sweating our butts off all the while. We saw a dugout house, built into the side of a little hill, with dirt for walls and grass growing on the inside (ewwwwwwww!), a shanty, and a house built to resemble what Ma's Little House would have looked like. The kids got to pump water out of a water pump, just like Laura, and drink the cool water. They learned how to make simple toys out of a piece of yarn and a button, and had the opportunity to do laundry with a washboard, hand-operated ringer, and clothesline. There were pony rides, but it was too hot so I deftly discouraged that. In the building housing Laura's Travel Exhibit, we were able to climb into a covered wagon and marvel how a family could fit all of their possessions inside, along with the family itself, and travel long distances. We took a covered wagon ride out to the one room schoolhouse, similar to the one Laura taught at briefly before getting married. At the school house, costumes were available to anyone who wanted to really feel the moment. Mattie very briefly wore one, and she was so cute, but it only lasted a few minutes. Again....too hot! Kittens galore were scattered around the hay-roof barn, and kittens never fail to captivate my kids. They also all got to try their hand at making rope, which they were able to keep. We missed some other activities, such as making corn husk dolls, but what we did do was really fun. Plus being where Laura once was, well that was surreal. The Homestead is also a campground, and campers have the option of sleeping in covered wagons. I want to do that, but maybe not when it's 108 degrees outside.

One thing I noticed in South Dakota was that people were generally friendly and trusting. Gas stations allowed me to pump before paying. At the Ingalls Homestead, refrigerators were in a few locations around the grounds, stocked full of ice cold water for sale, with a sign asking visitors to pay on the way out. The honor system? How positively novel!

We enjoyed our time in De Smet at the Ingalls Homestead. I would recommend it to any Little House fan, or even just anyone interested in history. The hands-on aspect ups the fun quotient considerably, too. Was it worth the 80 miles or so it tacked onto our day? Absolutely, yes. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

By the time we left the Homestead we were starving, so we hurriedly slapped together some sandwiches and ate in the van on the way to our next stop: the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. The Corn Palace is exactly the type of kitchy tourist attraction I envisioned encountering on our cross country road trip. Every year a new theme is chosen, and the entire exterior of the building is decorated with corn, depicting pictures and scenes in keeping with the theme. You can go in (FREE), where you will find more corn decorations, pictures of Corn Palace decorations of the past, a snack counter, restrooms, and a massive gift shop. We could barely pry the kid away. It's really close to the highway, and an easy and relatively quick diversion. Worth a stop for sure!

Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

Finally, finally, we were on our way to Interior, where I had made our reservations for the night. Interior is home to the east entrance of Badlands National Park, another must see attraction on our list. What I didn't realize is that one must actually drive through a stretch of the National Park to get to Interior. Or at least, that's what my GPS told me, and I was in no mood or mind frame to question my GPS. By the time we were getting close, it was dark out. It wasn't exactly storming, because there was no rain to speak of, but the sky was lit up with frequent lightning flashes. I came upon the entrance gate to the park, which was unmanned because it was late, and drove through, silently praying that we were going the right way because we were kind of in the middle of nowhere, with no other vehicles in sight.

I didn't really know what to expect of the Badlands. But I do know that I didn't expect my first experience driving through this amazing landscape would be in pitch black darkness, with creepy flashes of lightning illuminating my surroundings every minute or so. To say it was freaky is a huge understatement. We appeared to be the only ones in this part of the park, and it was so completely dark in between flashes. Night driving isn't my strongest suit to begin with. It was a stressful drive. We were exhausted. My brain was cooked. And when we got to our motel, the Badlands Budget Host Inn, we found that the office was locked and closed for the night. I had a moment of panic (middle of nowhere) before noticing a sign on the door directing customers to a trailer out back when arriving after hours. Said trailer was apparently the home of the manager. My mom was questioning my choice in motel by this point, but she gamely got out and knocked on the trailer door until a lady answered and handed her a real live key, telling her we could check in at the office in the morning. I had done my research on Trip Advisor (not fool proof, as I learned all too well another night), and sure enough our room was spotlessly clean and had two very comfortable beds. The carpet had just been cleaned too. The next morning, when we walked over to the office/gift shop/ restaurant, we realized we were privy to some fantastic views of the Badlands. Breakfast was not included, but our rate with a AAA discount was quite low, which left ample room in the budget to buy breakfast. Camp sites are also available at the Badlands Budget Host Inn. It was simple, but a nice place. I wish we could have stayed a few days. There are no televisions in the rooms. I call that awesome. When (not if) we return to the Badlands, this is the place we'll be staying. (Incidentally, the options in regards to accommodations are extremely limited.)

South Dakota was so incredible, I can't quite squeeze it all into one post. Stay tuned for Part 2...

This quartzite is everywhere at Falls Park. Prisoners at one time hauled it from the bluff to build a prison.

Notice the remains of the old mill in the background. Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Notice the city church in the background. Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Covered wagon campers at the Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Could you pack the entire contents of your household into this wagon? Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Living in a shanty would be too close for comfort! Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

We rode in this wagon to the one room school house. Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Lessons in the one room school house. Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Making rope at the Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, South Dakota

Maybe we need a washboard and ringer at home to get everyone all excited about doing laundry? Ingalls Homestead

Close up of the corn decorations, Mitchell Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

My little cobs. Inside the Corn Palace, with corn mural in the background. Mitchell, South Dakota

South Dakota on Dwellable