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A Tour of the Northeast (Part 2)

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Statue of Paul Revere with the Old North Church in the background. The Freedom Trail, Boston, MA.

After finishing the initial, semi-planned portion of our trip with still over a week left for our vacation, we decided to head to Boston. Arriving in Boston on a Saturday afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the weekend train pass, which allows unlimited trips on the train for only $10 a person, with younger children being free. Because we were staying outside the city, we decided this would be the most economical option, plus it prevented us from having to rent a car and find parking downtown. Wanting to take advantage of our pass, we road the train into the city Saturday evening and spent a few hours exploring the city on foot, before taking the hour-long train ride back to our campground, where we arrived exhausted and thankful that sleep could finally envelop us.

Our train passes also gave us unlimited free train rides the following day, so after riding the train back into Boston, we walked portions of the Freedom Trail and then decided to splurge on a whale watching tour. We were ecstatic to see three humpback whales and a seal on our excursion, watching the whales surface and re-submerge for 30 minutes or more. As I watched everyone hiding behind their phones, trying to capture amazing pictures and videos, I couldn’t help thinking that they were missing the moment and the breathtaking experience.

The next morning we grabbed a rental car, since we choose not to tow a car when we travel in our Class A RV, and we drove to Harvard University, a place with my love a academia, that I have always wanted to visit. After a self-guided tour of the campus, we headed to Cape Cod National Seashore.

At Cape Cod, signs were posted everywhere to beware of Great White Sharks feeding in the area. As we walked down to the beach and watched seal after seal float along in the water just off the shore, the lure of sharks to the area made perfect sense. Afraid of sharks and mesmerized by the seals, we were content just watching the seals swim up and down the shoreline and walking the shore, enjoying the breathtaking views.

Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachussetts

The next day we had a full day planned. First, Plymouth, Massachusetts to see the landing place of the pilgrims. Second, a trip to Mystic, Connecticut, to briefly explore a state where none of us had ever visited before. Third, to travel to Newport, Rhode Island to see the mansions that have made Newport famous. Each stop was brief, but we determined that would be sufficient for this trip.

We began the day exploring Plymouth. After being in Boston, we were surprised by how quaint and un-touristy the town felt. We viewed Plymouth Rock and visited the 1749 Courthouse Museum. However, in the actual town of Plymouth, there wasn’t much to see or do, so after our brief visit, we headed to Connecticut.

Our dreary afternoon in Mystic, CT

My husband had planned to take us to Mystic, Connecticut to see the Mystic drawbridge open and to walk the quaint town streets. However, the weather had other plans, so we quickly found shelter in the Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream shop. After enjoying ice cream, it was still pouring outside and the drawbridge hadn’t risen, so we ran through the rain to our car, as we wanted to travel to Rhode Island for the late afternoon. By the time we arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, many of the mansion tours were closing for the day. We drove the streets of Newport in an effort to catch glimpses of the mansions in spite of missing the tours, and though we were able to see some, many were hidden from the road. After driving around Newport, we stopped in Bristol, Rhode Island for a wonderful dinner at an Irish Pub.

The next morning, we determined that we had done the activities and seen the sites in the greater Boston area that we desired for this trip, so we loaded up the RV once again. Since we still had some time left for our vacation, we decided a trip to Pennsylvania was in order. After a day of travel, we found ourselves visiting Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania and enjoying a tour explaining how they make their chocolate. We, of course, did not leave until we had purchased A LOT of chocolate!

The next day in Pennsylvania, we found ourselves exploring and walking the grounds at Gettysburg National Military Park. My son had spent the school year learning about much of history surrounding the battle of Gettysburg, so being able to see Gettysburg for himself was one of his favorite portions of the trip. We could have spent days there because of all of the sites and history at the park, but our trip finally needed to come to an end, so we once again loaded our RV, to begin the remainder of our drive home.

Camping in West Virginia

Stopping at an RV park in the mountains of West Virginia that night, we enjoyed watching the kids catch fireflies and play in a creek at the campground. For them, West Virginia was another state they had never before visited, so they enjoyed the opportunity to see and experience more of the continental United States.

After about three and a half weeks on the road, our trip finally came to a close. We had chosen not to stay long at each destination, opting to see and experience our top few sites and activities at each destination, so that we could see as much as possible during our travels.

During our three and a half weeks, we had stared in wonder at Niagara Falls, navigated customs into Canada and back into the United States, hiked the mountains of Vermont, explored beaches and peninsulas of Maine, enjoyed the natural beauty of Acadia National Park, watched humpback whales in the wild, walked much of the Freedom Trail in Boston, explored the Harvard University campus, relaxed at Cape Cod National Seashore, visited Plymouth Rock and the town of Plymouth, traveled to Connecticut and Rhode Island for a day trip, toured Hershey’s Chocolate world, explored Gettysburg National Military Park, and camped for a night in the mountains of West Virginia. Like I said: sometimes our vacations don’t go as planned…they’re even better!

A Tour of the Northeast (Part 1)

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Due to COVID-19, any travels that we would have liked to do this summer were put on hold. The amazing trips to Glacier National Park and the Statue of Liberty that I have dreamed of taking for years had to be placed on hold. Quarantine and staying home have replaced exciting travels. However, I have decided to share some of our previous travels since this is a travel blog, with few stories of travel. So, here it goes…

Last summer , we opted to take a break from travels out west, and instead, headed to the northeast. Our plans were to visit Niagara Falls, New York; Stowe, Vermont; and Portland, Maine. However, sometimes our vacations don’t go as planned…they’re even better!

We began our trip at Niagara Falls, a place my husband and I have both previously visited but that we wanted our children to see. Niagara Falls is breathtaking, with three separate waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. We spent the day walking the trails and seeing the various waterfalls. We also walked to footbridge into Canada. To do this, we had to go through customs. Our children had never been out of the United States, so “going to another country” was perhaps more exhilarating than seeing Niagara Falls for several of them. They were excited to go through customs and discover what it was like to visit another country. Granted, Niagara Falls, Canada really isn’t much different than Niagara Falls, New York, but to the kids it was an exciting new experience. We got them each Canadian coins, a snack, and little mementos to remind them of their visit to Canada, and after walking around for an hour or two, we headed back to the United States side of the falls.

After returning stateside, we went to Anchor Bar, the home of the original buffalo wing. My husband had dreamed of eating wings at the place where buffalo wings were created, and his wish came true on this trip! The food was amazing, as was the experience! Once lunch was done, we walked to the top of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three waterfalls. As the wind and mist from the waterfall blew across our faces, we tried to savor the experience, taking pictures and attempting to enjoy the view. We stayed long enough to feel like we had made the most of the experience, but determined that the waterfall was definitely more enjoyable from farther off because at this proximity, we were cold and wet! Sad to say good bye, but tired and feeling like we had done everything we wanted, we headed back to our RV for the night.

The next morning we packed up and drove for two days, stopping only for the night, in an effort to get to Stowe, Vermont as quickly as you can in 32-foot Class-A RV. I had dreamed of the day I could return to Vermont, as I had done a brief internship there in college. For me this stop felt like a homecoming. Memories of mountain hikes and fun with old friends filled my mind. Upon arriving, we opted for dinner at the Bierhall at Trapp Family Lodge, as we had read amazing reviews. The food did not disappoint! I ordered Chicken Schnitzel, and the combination of bacon apple kraut, arugula, and braised red cabbage over chicken was phenomenal. I can honestly say it was in the top two meals that I have ever eaten in my life! I still remember the amazing combination of flavors in this mouth-watering meal!

We spent the next two nights camping with our RV in a rustic campground at a state park. Campfires, playing in a cold river at the base of a waterfall, and hiking in the mountains encompassed our next several days. It was a relaxing stay, and the mountain views were breathtaking. When the time for us to leave came, I was reluctant to go. I would have been content staying in the mountains for the remainder of our trip. Perhaps someday I will own a cabin in the mountains, but for now, I try to make the most of vacations that take us to the mountains. However, with other places we wanted to visit, we packed up and headed out.

After a quick stop in Portsmouth, New Jersey to see the town and enjoy dinner on the water, we continued to Maine, our next destination. We spent our first day in Maine, at the ocean in Portland. The ocean was too cold for swimming, but we enjoyed walking on the beach, seeing the town, and eating poutine and lobster rolls.

The next day we drove to Acadia National Park, a park that I have always wanted to visit. It was a gloomy, rainy day, as were all of the days during our stay in Maine; however, we tried to make to most of it. We hiked part of Ocean Path and a portion of the Jordan Pond loop trail. We even drove up Cadillac Mountain, but were unable to see anything besides fog. We wished for a better day, but since we had no control over the weather, tried to do as much as we could while there. It seemed like the perfect spot to journal and clear your head, if only we had more time and it had been a nicer day. We added it to the “visit again” bucket list and headed back to Portland where we were staying, but not before stopping to eat surf and turf at a local restaurant.

Our final day in Maine we spent exploring some of the states peninsulas, walking on beaches, visiting lighthouses, and local restaurants with amazing food.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Somehow we were only about a week and a half into our vacation and we had already traveled to all of the states we originally planned. Because we refuse to schedule every waking moment of our vacations, this is a risk we run, but not necessarily a bad problem to have–extra time to see more places. My husband and I sat down to discuss what we wanted to do with our extra time and decided on visiting Boston, a place we had always wanted to travel, but had no intention of visiting on this trip. Yes, we could have spent more time in Maine, but we had done the top four things we had wanted to do: eat surf and turf, visit Acadia, tour the peninsulas, and visit the ocean. Since we had done all of these things, we decided to enjoy another part of the northeast, so the next thing we knew, we were packing up and preparing to head to Boston…

Unexpected Travels

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Lock down. These two words have summed up our life for the past four months. We have had hundreds of conversations with our children explaining that we could not travel this summer as we typically do, and that besides trips to the library with face masks on and occasionally seeing local family, we would be home all summer. However, unexpected circumstances required that we travel to Michigan on short notice.

It has been four years since we have been to Michigan, and we didn’t have much time for our usual vacation activities because of other obligations. However, we were able to squeeze in time for a few hours of fun during our four days in Michigan.

On the Fourth of July, we traded our usual warm summer beaches for the sand dunes and cold waters of Lake Michigan, going to a remote beach about which only locals know. The landscape along Lake Michigan is breathtaking. Sailboats dotted the horizon and people relaxing in boats were enjoying the warm summer day.

With the lake at your front and huge sand dunes at your back, there are gorgeous views no matter where your gaze lands. The kids, not being accustomed to northern lakes, strolled in for a few minutes, and then sat on the beach shivering with purple lips. However, my youngest stayed in the water with me, saying over and over, “This is SO refreshing.” She definitely took advantage of the opportunity be in the water and swim, while my other kids sat looking bored. After staying an hour and a half, we decided none of the kids (besides one) seemed to be enjoying themselves, so we went for a drive through Michigan’s farm country and some of its small towns, then headed back to where we were staying.

A few days later, we met some people at Russ’ Restaurants in Grand Rapids for lunch. Russ’ is a family owned diner and is unlike any that we find where we live. I had been telling my husband since we arrived in Michigan, that I really wanted some good fried fish. Much to my surprise, Russ’ had fried perch on their menu. Knowing how much I had missed good fried northern lake fish, I savored every bite.

Since it was our last day in town, we also decided to go to our favorite buffet in the entire United States, actually the only buffet I like: Pizza Ranch. The self-serve buffet style that we are used to was replaced by cafeteria style service. When we first walked in I was a little concerned that the workers would discover how much food I truly eat at buffets. The restaurant was essentially empty, with very few patrons, but any fears were quickly alleviated because the skeleton crew at the restaurant was doing an excellent job of helping where needed, so whoever was available gave you food when you wanted it. In my mind, this made it so no one realized that I ate about seven plates of food. Relieved, I was able to settle in and enjoy the experience…as much as you can enjoy how you feel after eating seven plates of food!

Besides their unique pizzas, such as their Texan (taco) pizza, the thing that I love about Pizza Ranch is that if there is a specific type of pizza that you want from their menu that is not on the buffet, many franchises allow you to order the pizza and have as many of the pieces that you desire brought to your table, while putting the remainder on the buffet. Because of this, you are able to have your favorite types of pizza, fresh each time you visit. I was a little saddened that Macaroni and Cheese Pizza had been taken off the menu, but with so many other options to choose from, I definitely enjoyed the experience.

We finished the day meeting a friend at Thornapple Brewing Co., enjoying a local beer made from hops provided by West Michigan Hopyards. It was a great way to end our last day in Michigan.

This definitely was not a typical vacation for us, but we managed to squeeze in a little fun and good food. With our bleak view of no or minimal travel until the summer of 2022, this short trip, though in many ways stressful, was also a welcome relief for a family of six tired of being stuck in the house together with nothing to do. I am thankful to have had this short trip, even if it was nowhere close to the typical vacation that I would have planned…

Managing the Car Chaos

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Choose a variety of unique activities for road trips.

Many people will make groaning noises when I talk about traveling with kids, and for many people, traveling with kids is a horrifying experience.  Perhaps it is because we have traveled with our children since they were little or perhaps it’s because the Big Man Upstairs hears my prayers, but whatever the reason, my children travel really well.  We have taught the kids a love for travel, and sometimes the excitement helps them survive a long road trip without much complaining.

However, there are some simple things we have put in place to survive and make the time feel like it flies. 

1. Use a Variety of Activities in the Car

Too much of one activity will create boredom and complaining in children on long road trips.  Do not put on movie after movie and expect your children to “be good” and watch them for 12 hours.  You need a variety of different activities.  Put together a fun song list and sing along.  Play travel bingo and the alphabet game.  Try to find license plates from as many states as possible.  Watch a movie.  Color in a coloring book.  Call Grandpa and Grandma on speaker phone to tell them where you are going (on the way there) or what you did on your trip (on the way home).  Read a book.  Play games on a tablet or phone.  Take a nap.

2.  Structure your Time in the Car

Schools and daycares have schedules to make the day run smoothly. Having a “schedule” on a road trip helps the trip run smoothly. Basically, think in terms of one to two hour chunks of time; much longer than that and any activity will lead to complaining. 

The schedule can be in your head only and can be very flexible. For example, sing silly songs for an hour, and when the kids seem to be getting out of control with the silliness, tell them it’s time for everyone to read for 30 minutes.  Once they are done reading, suggest the alphabet game.  After playing a few rounds of the alphabet game, let them find something to entertain themselves for a while.  Remind them that in X amount of time, they will get to play on their technological devices if they are making good choices.  After an hour or two of allowing them to play on the technology, plan a stop.  This creates a natural reason for everyone to surrender their devices without it leading to meltdowns.  Once back in the car, play a couple rounds of travel bingo or color.  Then, as the day winds down, put on a movie for the kids.  With all of these activities, 12 hours passes relatively quickly in the car and the kids don’t have much time to get antsy.  The key is to switch activities when the kids seem to be getting bored, restless, excessively silly, or start to argue and whine.

3.  Have Special Activities that are Only Reserved for Road Trips

Our well-loved game of travel bingo is a great addition to any road trip!

It is important to make sure that you have special activities that are only reserved for road trips.  If you let the kids play travel bingo every time they get in the car, it is less likely to hold their interest on a road trip.  We keep special stickers in the car that can be colored with colored pencils.  When the kids start to get bored, I pull them out and say, “Look what I found; who wants to color some stickers?”  Because we don’t have any coloring stickers at home, these are intriguing to the kids.  Having a few unique activities for the kids to do in the car helps hold their interest.  Just make sure any special activities are car-friendly. 

Also, technology is great on road trips, but if your kids watch TV or play on devices constantly while they are at home, those things will not hold their interest long on a road trip.  To combat this, you may need to buy or rent a newly released movie or download a new game, or consider limiting the amount of technology usage prior to a trip so that the kids will be excited to have technology back and it will hold their attention for several hours.

4. Plan Stops around Meals and Gas

Ever been on a road trip and had to stop every hour because someone else has to use the bathroom?  This can make a 12-hour road trip last an extra 2-3 hours.  As with any activity on a road trip, it is important to be strategic.  Plan to stop every 3-4 hours, keeping in mind that things will not always go as planned.  However, it is a good idea to “top off the tank” every three to four hours and this also coordinates well with meal times.  While driving, we give out beverages strategically (i.e. small “sips” along the way and more about thirty minutes before planning to stop). When we stop, we always have all of the kids use the restroom before departing. Additionally, we tell the kids the next time we plan to stop; for the older kids, they understand that they cannot drink two entire soft drinks when we don’t plan to stop for another 3 hours.  Younger children may need help with this idea. 

If you communicate your planned stops and time frame with the kids, after a little teaching, it is amazing how well they buy into the plan, especially if they understand that less stops means they will get to their destination sooner!

5.  Try to Find a Stop that has Gas and a Restaurant at the Same Exit

Find an exit that has the gas you need, a restaurant where you want to eat, and the coffee you want to drink.  This strategy saves you time getting on and off at different exits.  More stops at more exits equals more time.  Part of structuring a road trip includes wasting less time and making smarter stops.  Time wasted in the car means longer time and more chances for the kids to get bored.  Boredom is the enemy of a good road trip with kids!

6. Find little ways to Reward your Children Along the Way

Rewards keep things exciting for children, as children love rewards and surprises.  Rewards do not need to be expensive or elaborate.  They can be little things such as: after you read for 30 minutes, we will then watch a favorite movie or once nap time is done, we will have a special snack.  These little rewards, if done correctly, cause your children to look forward to little things along the way.  Again, it does not have to be big or elaborate, just something for the kids to anticipate.  This also can help the road trip pass more quickly in their minds.

7.  Keep a Positive Attitude

Silly songs are a great way to improve the mood on a road trip; consider choosing music with a song book to allow the kids to follow along.

If you, as a parent, begin to make comments about the road trip taking forever or being sick of riding in the car, I can almost guarantee that the kids will also begin to complain.  It is important to keep a positive attitude, even if you don’t feel very positive.  Kids model adult behavior.  If you can make the road trip seem fun and do little activities along the way, the kids will believe it is fun.  However, if you complain about how terrible the trip is, you are sure to begin hearing complaints from your kids.  Keep the complaints to yourself and choose to set a positive tone for the trip; it will make the trip more enjoyable for everyone!

Above all else, happy travels!