Travel Tuesday: Florida Spring Break Edition - Legoland Orlando

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Florida Spring Break: Legoland Orlando

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

This post can now be found at MichiGal Travels. Just clink the link below!

Florida Spring Break: The Best Laid Plans and Jungle Adventures

Our Florida Road Trip

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

Our Florida Road Trip

Travel Tuesday: Mall of America

Yes, I'm still talking about our road trip last summer. In case you've missed anything, here's a list of my road trip posts to date:

• 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
• Travel Tuesday: Washington Reunion
• Travel Tuesday: Glacier National Park
• Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into North Dakota

After having some fun in North Dakota, we were headed for the one place Bethany had been looking forward to visiting for months: the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota. We took her to national parks and monuments, and she was most excited about a mall. I can't complain, because she had fun every place we went, and also...I was looking forward to checking out this massive mall too! 

Knowing that Bethany really wanted to go to the Mall of America, I made sure to plan a route home that would take us right to it. Throughout the trip planning process, keeping the kids involved, interested, and happy was a top priority. I wanted them to be excited about the trip, and the way to do that was to make sure we did things they were interested in doing. To conserve money, we reserved a hotel room in St. Cloud, which is about an hour and a half north west of Bloomington. Instead of paying top dollar for a tiny, crappy room near the mall, which is a huge tourist destination, we paid a very reasonable rate for a big, comfortable room and dealt with making the drive to the mall in the morning. It was definitely the way to go. Although it would be pretty cool to stay at the hotel that's located within the mall!

My thoughts about the Mall of America: It's big. It's clean. There are lots of stores. It's a mall. 

Actually, although it is just a giant mall with some extras thrown in for fun, we had a really great day at the mall. Connor was happy to build his own mini figures at the LEGO store. Lucy was happy to pick out an outfit for her Bitty Baby at the American Girl store. Mathilda was thrilled with the Nickelodeon characters. Bethany was excited to do some back to school shopping at the Mall of America. Nobody complained that we opted to just look at the amusement park and not spend money on rides. Nobody complained that we ate at the food court instead of Rainforest Cafe. It was a nice, happy, air-conditioned day.

It is pretty surreal to see the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park right in the middle of a mall. You don't have to pay an admission fee, you just pay if you want to go on rides. So we were free to walk around and check everything out. Characters were walking around for photo ops. Maybe if we hadn't been so pressed for time, we would have let the kids go on a ride or two. But as it was, with just fitting in lunch and the shopping that each kid wanted to do, we spent several hours at the mall and then really had to move on.

The LEGO store was pretty awesome because there were several large brick sculptures around it and on top of it, many of which could be seen clearly from the food court on the next floor.

This is definitely a mall that would require a few days to truly check out every nook and cranny. We were happy with the stores we went to, but we definitely missed quite a few. Something that I would have liked to have seen was the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, which is also located directly within the mall.

I would really like to return to the Mall of America. I even think it would be fun to make a trip just to go back to school shopping. It's about a 12 hour drive from home, so that might be a bit extreme. But it would be fun!

Somewhere in Wisconsin

Not long after leaving the mall, we found ourselves crossing into Wisconsin, our 12th state of the trip. We spent our last night of vacation at a hotel in a small Wisconsin town, with a view of corn fields. On the way there, we drove past the Wisconsin Dells, and at least one of my children had the nerve to complain that we weren't stopping. Because, you know, we hadn't done enough throughout the course of our trip! I thought that was kind of funny, but to put a positive spin on it, at least they were ready and willing to do even more! I didn't burn them out too badly, I guess. 

By the time we woke up on the final morning of our trip, we were getting antsy to get home. The kids were missing Chris, and as always, the final stretch home was the longest. But what a trip! We had such a fantastic time, from beginning to end. I can't wait to do it again!

Connor is making his own mini figures at the LEGO store at Mall of America

LEGO helicopter at the Mall of America

Nickelodeon Universe

Nickelodeon Universe - Mall of America

Mall of America

The closest we got to meeting Dora at the Mall of America

Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into North Dakota

Believe it or not, I'm still not done recapping our big Summer 2012 road trip! It won't be long now, but...if you'd like to catch up on past posts about the trip, here are the links:

• 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
• Travel Tuesday: Washington Reunion
• Travel Tuesday: Glacier National Park

After leaving Glacier National Park, we were exhausted from our day of breathtaking site-seeing. But we still had to get in at least a couple hours of driving because the clock was ticking. My mom was scheduled to be back to work on a certain day, so we couldn't linger. I purposely decided to take a different route heading east than we had taken while driving west so that we could see some different scenery. On our way back to Michigan, we started out on U.S. 2, which took us through northern Montana, and then transferred to I-94 before entering North Dakota. U.S. 2 was definitely a more rural route, taking us along a four lane highway very close to Canada. It was also flatter going, so not nearly as intense as driving through the mountains with a speed  limit of 70! U.S. 2 does go straight to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and I'd love to go that way next time!

Somewhere along U.S. 2 in Montana

There were lots of places I wanted to stop, and again it was difficult trying to have tunnel vision and driving past interesting museums and sites. The area is a hot bed of dinosaur fossils, and many little museums along U.S. 2 display remains. We didn't stop at any, and after spending the night in a little Montana town, pressed forward with North Dakota on our minds. Once in awhile we pulled over to read road side markers, like the one to the left, to learn a little about the local history. Under this particular sign, someone had so thoughtfully left a memorial in the form of a Crown Royal bottle. 

Baker Massacre memorial

Around here, we typically see things like teddy bears and homemade signs at road side memorials. Artificial flowers adorned with ribbons too...but I don't think I've ever seen a Crown Royal bottle.

We also stopped to snap a few pictures of this dilapidated abandoned bridge. It looked pretty dangerous to me, and nothing was blocking it off. But hey, we were in the wild west. I'm not sure if this was in Montana or North Dakota. Actually, the drop wasn't too far down, but still! I wouldn't want to fall in that murky water. Or trip on those rusty iron beams.

Gas station somewhere in North Dakota

Check out this gas station art somewhere in North Dakota. Appropriate, don't you think? Also, there is a baby or small child in the dinosaur's mouth. Sort of disturbing, but still interesting. I love finding sculptures in random public places.

One place I really wanted to visit in North Dakota was the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. However, it just wasn't meant to be this time. But I had read that if we pulled off at exit 32 (off of I-94, eastbound), the exit for the Painted Canyon Visitor Center, that we could get a decent view of the park and maybe even see some wandering bison.


So we had to pass up this ------------------------>

But...we did see this ---
<------------------>
right outside of our car! And at least 12 more like it, including a few babies. It was getting kind of late by the time we got there, so we didn't get out, but we did roll through and take some pics. Lots of other travelers were poking their heads out of their car windows and snapping photos too.







Where else can you see random, free-roaming bison just hanging out at a rest stop? I love the west! However, I just read some sad news. The Painted Canyon Visitor Center is supposed to re-open for the season on April 1st, but it is closed indefinitely due to budget cuts. This makes me sad, and really happy that we stopped! Hopefully the visitor center will be re-opened again soon.

Now, let's talk about sunflowers. I had no idea that North Dakota is home to field after field full of big, beautiful sunflowers. They are gorgeous. All last summer I wanted to find a field of sunflowers so I could take pictures of my kids in it. And here I was, zooming down I-94 going 75 miles an hour and passing who knows how many fields of sunflowers. There was no place to stop and get close enough. I was so bummed! I got a few shots at a rest stop, but we couldn't get close enough to the field for my liking. Just know, these pictures do not do the flowers justice, at all!

North Dakota sunflowers

Since this was our first time in North Dakota, I wanted to make sure we did at least one touristy thing. Jamestown just happened to be on our route. Jamestown is known as "Buffalo City", probably because it is the home of the world's largest buffalo at Frontier Village. Basically, Frontier Village is a compilation of several historical buildings, such as an old post office and church, that have been donated by local residents. And of course there's the buffalo...which is, by the way, a statue. In case you were hoping to see the world's largest live buffalo. It was fun and kitschy and super duper hot.

Fun at Frontier Village in Jamestown, North Dakota

We didn't have much time in North Dakota, but we had enough time to see and appreciate some of this beautiful state. Bison and sunflowers and Frontier Village: a few more reasons to love a road trip. We wouldn't have seen any of this stuff from an airplane. I'm getting nostalgic for our time on the road!

Next stop: Mall of America.

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Travel Tuesday: Glacier National Park

I'm continuing my Summer 2012 Road Trip saga. If you'd like to get up to speed, following are the links to the previous posts pertaining to the trip that my kids and I took last summer:

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
Travel Tuesday: Washington Reunion

We left off last week in Washington. With us saying good bye to our dear friends and being sad about it. When we left Washington, we drove straight back to Montana to pick up my mom in Missoula. It was approximately a five hour drive, and once we picked my mom up at her hotel, we turned north and kept driving.

Next stop: Glacier National Park

Waiting for our 1st shuttle at Glacier

The kids and me at Glacier National Park

Going to Glacier was a little out of the way. Nonetheless, we decided it was a must see. How many times will we be "in the neighborhood" of Glacier National Park?? I followed my M.O. and made a hotel reservation well in advance, since we would be near a national park, and hotels in these areas tend to book up. Our destination was Kalispell, Montana, a picturesque mountain town near the west entrance to Glacier. It took us somewhere around two hours to get to Kalispell from Missoula. We stopped at a grocery store to re-stock our cooler for the remainder of the trip, and headed to our hotel (motel?). Our accommodations throughout the trip ranged from fabulous to mediocre to I-wish-I-would-have-known-this-place-is-a-dump. Unfortunately, this place was close to the latter category. But the rate was very reasonable, and lodging prices tend to be pretty pricey in Kalispell. So I don't regret the reservation, because if we would have stayed at one of the (marginally) nicer places in town, we would have easily paid double. In this case, the savings was well worth it. We didn't plan on spending much time in our room anyway!

When we first decided to visit Glacier, my original thought was that we'd enter at the West Entrance and drive along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, all the way to the East Entrance. And then we'd continue on our way, going a different route from the one we took from Michigan. But then I started doing a little reading, and a little research. I realized that the Going-to-the-Sun Road is not exactly for the feint of heart. Take a gander at the comments on Trip Advisor and see for yourself. Comments like "very narrow", "useless stone guard rail", and "steep grade" sealed the deal for me. I decided that we would enter the park ($25 per vehicle May 1-October 31, $15 November 1-April 30), park the van, and utilize the free shuttle buses.

We entered Glacier via West Glacier and parked at the Apgar Transit Center. Then we went to the shuttle stop and let the professionals do the driving. Once the entrance fee is paid, visitors can utilize the shuttles as much as they'd like. There are shuttle stops throughout the park, and you can get on and off wherever you want. It is really a perfect way to see Glacier, because even if I had been brave enough to drive to Logan Pass and beyond along Going-to-the-Sun Road, I would not have been able to fully enjoy the gorgeous views. Because, incidentally, this was one of the most stunningly beautiful places I've ever seen in my life.

Yes, in case there was any doubt in your mind, Glacier National Park is incredible. We had one day. We stayed longer than we intended and messed up our driving schedule for the day. It was not even close to enough. I would like to go back with a week to do nothing but explore Glacier. I would have liked to do some serious hiking, which we were not equipped to do. We did walk along the Trail of the Cedars, stopped and had a picnic, and went to the Logan Pass Visitor Center. From here, Bethany, Connor, Mattie and me went on a trail in search of snow (Lucy & my mom stayed back by the visitor center). Mattie pooped out, but Bethany and Connor did get to dip their toes in the snow in July.

Hollow tree on the Trail of the Cedars

On the way back, we got off at Lake McDonald and did a little shopping. And almost missed the last shuttle of the day. In fact, we got so caught up in souvenir shopping that we did miss the last shuttle of the day. After waiting and waiting and waiting at the shuttle stop, it finally occurred to us to look at the schedule, which was conveniently posted right in front of our faces. So my mom went into the shop to admit our situation, somebody made a phone call, and pretty soon a shuttle bus for stragglers came by to pick us up. The kids really thought we were stranded though, and that it was only a matter of time before the bears got us. I would have welcomed a break from driving (even perhaps, sleeping on a park bench), since I knew I had to get in some miles once we finally left the park.

When we did leave, most of us had terrible headaches. We figured it must have been from spending the day in the high altitude - over 6000 feet at times. I'm not really sure if we could have done anything to prevent that, or if it was inevitable.

My final thoughts on Glacier:

• One day is not enough, but if that's all you've got, get there early and plan on spending the whole day.
• Seriously consider whether you think you're capable of driving the entire length of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Those little stone guard rails, maybe two feet high at the most, did little to make me feel secure as we were winding along narrow and steep mountain roads at altitudes of 6000 feet and beyond. But the experienced shuttle drivers did make me feel safe!
• The shuttles are wonderful! Take full advantage of them. At times we were pretty packed in, but they were clean, comfortable, and I always felt safe in the hands of the drivers.
• Take way more pictures than you think you should. I thought I took a ton of pictures, but I wish I had taken lots more.
• Bring snacks and water bottles, and maybe even a picnic lunch that can be carried in a backpack. There are places to stop and eat, but not many. We had our own food and were glad that we did.
• Pay attention to the shuttle schedules. That could prove to be helpful.
• Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers. This was the only day of our entire trip that we wore long pants. At times we needed our jackets, at other times we were comfortable in t-shirts.
• Don't under estimate your kids. My kids loved Glacier. Believe it or not, kid friendly fun does not need to include costumed cast members or other scripted fun. We like that stuff too, but sometimes just being out in nature and looking for mountain goats - even if you never see any - is way more fun!

If you're wondering whether it's worth it to travel to this far flung corner of the country to visit Glacier National Park, the answer is absolutely YES! 

After a long day of about 10 hours of seeing as much of Glacier as we possibly could, we drove south of the park and got on US-2, heading east...toward home. 

At Logan Pass Visitor Center

This picture cracks me up. The faces. The poses.

Trail leading to the snow. It is much longer than it appears in this photo.

Stunning view from the trail

At which point Mattie gives up

Looking back toward the Logan Pass Visitor Center from the trail

Waiting for Bethany and Connor

This little marmot stopped by to see us while we waited.

They did it! They touched the snow! 

As visitors get closer to Logan's Pass, they have to transfer to smaller shuttles because the road is so narrow.

Taken from inside the shuttle

Cute General Store that distracted us from the shuttle bus schedule

Convinced that we're sleeping outside with the bears after missing the last shuttle bus of the day.

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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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