Author: li***********@*****il.com

Well, it’s been a bit, but we’ve been on the go, so I haven’t prioritized posting.

Our time in Erie ended well. On that Thursday night we went to a Lights Out at the Lighthouse event at the Presque Isle Lighthouse. A fabulous event put on by the state park. There were mostly rangers at each station – one with decorating pumpkins/gourds, one with skulls of common animals, including a few uncommon ones that were found, one with Fresnel lenses, one with bats, one with stinky plants, and one with owls. We enjoyed the information and creativity of each station – especially the plant one that had an hors d’oeurves tray and palate cleansing scents (coffee and mint). The highlight of the night was seeing the live owls – Blossom (barred owl) and Romeo (great horned owl). Romeo spent the night hooting away and finally once it turned dark, two owls showed up and hooted back. It was really cool!

On Friday we did school and figured out Halloween costumes for the kids. Then, on our way to a family hike, we realized our van was running REALLY loud, but we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It was a beautiful hike and we picked up pizza on the way back to eat at the hotel and watch Secondhand Lions (a great flick from 2003).

My cousin and her husband and son arrived in Erie late Friday night. They were driving from MI to MA to ME and made a pit stop in Erie to visit with us – so fun! I picked up food that my mom had prepared and sent (Thanks, Mom!) and brought it back to our refrigerator.

The next morning Matt had to work, but the rest of us went out to breakfast (highly recommend Gem City Dinor). Matt got dropped off there after work and the two guys he was working with offered their garage and help to fix our van. It was a very generous offer, but after poking their head under our van for about 5 seconds, they diagnosed the problem, and Matt would be able to fix it without them. Grateful for their help!

While Matt and Allin went to get bolts to fix the van, Mimi, the kids and I went and rented a surrey (see pictures). So fun on a beautiful fall day! The kids and Mimi continued on to the beach while we went to get our stuff out of the hotel and fix the van. We finally got on the road around 3:30 pm – but with 8+ hours back to VA, it meant a late night, but we made it.

We spent Sunday at ‘Grandma’ Vicky’s before we headed out Monday morning to Chincoteague/Assateague. To get there we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel – 24 miles of bridges and tunnels over/under the Chesapeake Bay.

We arrived at the Chincoteague Pony Centre on Chincoteague Island to discover that they offer pony rides. It was just a walk around a ring, but a fun experience to do on Chincoteague. From there we drove around the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (buildings were closed), but was saw ponies, the beach, and the lighthouse.

Then we ended up camping at Assateague National Seashore where we had ponies walking through our campground! We also walked out to the beach at night to see the stars and ended up seeing a horseshoe crab shell and a really large ghost crab (living).

The next day we drove to a post office and then up to Delaware to get gas (and so we could add the sticker!). Upon returning to the campground we decided on a walk-in tent camping site for the night. We got everything set up and then went for a almost 4 hour walk on the beach. It was rather windy on the walk and the wind continued when we arrived back at camp. Eventually we just decided to sleep in the van since it was also supposed to rain.

The next morning we packed up and headed back around the north side of the Chesapeake Bay. We stopped at Rise Up! Coffee for breakfast before driving over many more bridges to get back to VA.

We stopped by George Washington’s birthplace. It was also closed, but we found a spot to park and walked the grounds. Come to find out, the monument for his birthplace was developed because of the Colonial Revival. I’ll post a picture of the sign that explains it. It sounded familiar…

From Washington DC we drove down to ‘Grandma’ Vicky’s house (also in VA). We set up our camper on her land with all the hook-ups! As Claire said, “Grandma Vicky is AMAZING!”

We spent two nights there – highly recommend the breakfast and the company! The one afternoon we were there, we walked across the street to a horse show – like horse jumping/dressage type horse show. Not something we see everyday, so that was interesting.

Sunday morning, after breakfast, we got back in the van and made the trek back up to Erie, PA for Matt’s work. Didn’t think we would spend this much time in PA, but it’s been beautiful! We’re here for the week.

So far, we’ve been out to Presque Isle State Park everyday to do school, or hike, or play on the beach, or explore the environmental center there. It’s been nice!

We have never met any of Matt’s co-workers, so it has been nice to meet and hang out with his current co-worker who is on this trip with him.

The Tom Ridge Environmental Center was a neat place to explore. It had a lot about the history and ecosystem of the Presque Isle peninsula. It was an important part in the War of 1812 and has continued to be an important place for recreation and boating/shipping. There was a map there of all the shipwrecks on Lake Erie (many!), and I marked on there where we stayed on Canadian side (Turkey Point) and now where we’re staying on the US side. It’s sort of unexpected that were back up by the Great Lakes, but we’re enjoying it!

There was an art installation at the center that I really enjoyed. Here’s a picture of one of the pieces and the artist’s description of the show. (I also put the description on the quote page if you can’t read it here.)

We also watched a documentary at the Environmental Center about plastic waste in the Great Lakes. It was a well done documentary and super convicting. Makes one want to change ALL the things right now. There were many people introduced in the video that are doing what they can to help the situation. We can all help by cleaning up trash around us, reducing the demand for plastic, and holding corporations accountable to use less plastic. It seems overwhelming, but small steps are often the way things get accomplished.

We’ve been enjoying our time in Erie. Living in a hotel once again is nice and more of a learning curve (we didn’t pack as well this time!). It’s not always glamourous (see hotel view picture below), but it works just fine and we’re grateful we get to spend time with Matt while he’s working.

Like the artist from the show at the environmental center says:

“So here I am. Painting vegetables.”

Here we are. Living each day the best we can.

On the road we often encounter new things to figure out or deal with that can be challenging (as people do everywhere!). We’re trying to enjoy the little things and do our best as we go. In these unusual times, hopefully we can all find some joy and connection with those around us. And we can each take small steps everyday to make the world around us a better place. Keep stepping my friends!

On Tuesday we went into Philadelphia! The government was still shut down (as you all know), so we saw the Liberty Bell through a window and didn’t see the inside of Independence Hall. We did see ‘The Signer’ statue, Benjamin Franklin’s grave, several other buildings and statues, and then went to the Philadelphia Mint. There are no pictures from the mint because those weren’t allowed, but it was a neat experience.

We got lunch at the Reading Terminal Market – Philly cheesesteak for Matt and I and ramen for the kids. Then we walked down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Art Museum and Rocky steps. It was a beautiful walk through the city on a lovely (and hot) fall day. We rounded it out with some Boba before returning to our last night at our friends’ house.

The next morning we said good bye and hit the road towards Catharpin, VA – just west of Washington D.C. We stayed with a longtime friend of Matt’s (from CO) and her family. It was fun to meet (reacquaint ourselves with) them, and we were grateful for a place to stay to see Washington D.C.

Thursday we spent the day in Washington D.C. We walked the National Mall from east to west. We started at the Supreme Court Building. Then we went by the Capitol, but with the shutdown, the visitor center was closed, so we enjoyed the exterior.

From there we went to the:

National Museum for the American Indian – a great display of contrasting viewpoints and actual treaties,

the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – the actual first plane the Wright Brothers flew and a neat exhibit about our need for speed,

and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – where we saw they Hope Diamond and an amazing collection of rocks, gems and minerals from all over the world – even our corner of CO!

We continued down the Mall to the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, the reflecting pool, the MLK Jr. Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. And yes, for those curious, there are still National Guard present along the National Mall.

I had hoped that we would be able to make it to Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but by the time we made it to the Arlington National Cemetery rail stop (which is before the entrance to the cemetery), we didn’t have the energy or motivation to make it happen. We gratefully hopped on the train and made it back to enjoy a fabulous dinner with our ‘new’ friends.

Note: I also updated Claire and Reece’s page and will be adding some MLK Jr. quotes to the quote page soon.

Our week near Pittsburgh (actually just outside Beaver Falls, PA), went well! It was the first time we spent the week in a hotel while Matt worked.

Hotel living is good, and hopefully we’ll get better at it! It was nice to have our own shower and flushing toilet that we didn’t have to empty ourselves. We were able to dedicate time to school instead of fitting it in while driving or around other activities. There were nearby parks and a museum that we found to explore. Overall, really good…

…And figuring out food is more challenging with just a microwave and sink. It’s also really easy to eat all your meals in front of the TV since there wasn’t a table to sit around. And motivating yourselves to get going from a comfy hotel room often requires more gumption.

We did school Thursday and Friday while Matt worked. Then Saturday Matt worked again, and the kids and I walked over to the Air Heritage Museum. We did a scavenger hunt that the museum provided and found out escape maps were printed on decks of cards for US soldiers! And we toured and saw a number of old military planes.

Sunday we played some pickleball and soccer as a family at the nearby sports park before driving 15 minutes to East Palestine, OH so we could get gas and put the OH sticker on the van. We also washed the van while we were there. If you’re wondering why East Palestine sounds familiar, it was the site of the massive train crash several years back.

After stopping for showers and lunch back at the hotel, we went on to The Frick in Pittsburgh where we toured the grounds, carriage/auto museum, and art collection of the Frick family and took a walk in Frick Park. All beautiful. I think the greenhouse was my favorite.

It would be fun to spend more time in Pittsburgh. It seems like a really cool city – neat architecture, hilly roads, lots of bridges, etc. We were pleasantly surprised!

After doing school and Matt working Monday and Tuesday, we headed out Tuesday evening for Morgantown, WV with a short detour to pick up an invertor project for Matt on the northside of Pittsburgh from a guy on FB Marketplace. 🙂

The route through West Virginia was one of the options for going back to the Philly area via Gettysburg, so we figured we would be able to put the WV sticker on as well for not much extra time.

Actually, the tolls add up if you’re driving across PA, so we’ve taken a lot of scenic routes in an effort to avoid tolls. It’s been enjoyable!

When we woke up in Morgantown, WV, it was Matt’s birthday! First of the family to have a birthday on the road. We decorated the van, had some donuts, visited Gettysburg, and then celebrated with pizza and dessert back at Ryan and Claudia’s.

Gettysburg was a sobering and poignant reminder of the impact of war. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend there, but we went to the visitor center, cemetery/battlefield, and Little Round Top. Unfortunately this was the first day of the government shutdown, so there weren’t any rangers there. Gratefully the Gettysburg Foundation was keeping the Visitor Center open.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is still inspiring today. I’ll post it on our quote page, so check it out if you haven’t read it in a while.

The next day we did school in the morning and then headed up to the Gunks (Shawangunk Ridge/Mountains) in NY. It’s a famous climbing area that we were somewhat intimidated by, but it was incredible! Thanks to our lovely guides, the vanPop family, we enjoying climbing, hiking, great food, fun, and apple picking. The weekend was definitely a high point of the trip!

And we picked up some fabulous (and fabulously cheap) socks and flasks on the way up!

The route ‘home’ was through New York, New Jersey (new state sticker to add!), and, of course, PA.

We went to Valley Forge for a bit today (12 minutes from the Ryan and Claudia’s), but were only able to see the grounds because of the government shutdown. Still neat to learn about and experience that part of history.

Thanks for following along! I’ll try to post more often, so they don’t get to be as long!

Hopefully you are all well! Missing you and/or looking forward to seeing some of you in the relatively near future!

We drove from Ellsworth, ME to Plymouth, MA on September 11. Pretty uneventful except for hitting Boston traffic. We killed a little time with a stop at Trader Joe’s and Claire getting her hair cut! We finally made it to Plymouth that evening.

Friday morning we woke early to go check out Plymouth Rock. Then we did some school work in a Walmart parking lot before heading to the KOA in Middleborough.

The next morning we took the commuter train into Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. Highlights included coffee at Ogawa (thanks to Amelia for the recommendation), Faneuil Hall, the Holocaust Memorial, Bunker Hill and the presentation there, and the U.S.S. Constitution. We caught the commuter train back and picked up pizza on the way back to the campground.

After making pancakes the next morning we drove down to Bristol, Rhode Island. This was one of the places Matt has really enjoyed working and was excited for showing us around. We were graciously hosted by a guy (Rob) that Matt had worked with and his family. It was an enjoyable afternoon/evening making new friends.

The next morning we walked to a couple parks on the ocean to do school and got coffee/steamers. From there we did a little more exploring before getting a thorough tour of the factory from Rob. Quite an impressive operation and a wonderful learning experience.

From there we drove to New Haven, CT to get thin, New Haven crust, mashed potato pizza. City logistics can get complicated with the camper, but after trying to figure out how to make it work, Matt said we should just go for it – order the pizza and he’ll drive the van and camper through downtown New Haven to pick it up! The bouncer at the pizza place laughed as I hopped out of the van to pick up the pizza, but it went better than expected and the pizza was fabulous!

The next day after getting some school done, we had plans to go back into New Haven for hamburgers at Louis’ Lunch. This is the birthplace of the hamburger, and Reece and I had been talking about making this happen for months. Check out their history here (https://louislunch.com/history/). Matt dropped us off a few blocks away and then unfortunately ended up driving the camper through the Yale campus. He was stressed out, but Claire, Reece, and I just waited patiently for our food to be made in the original ‘machines’ they used. A fun experience for us – sorry Matt!

From there we continued on to Kittatinny Campground in Milford, PA where we could look across the Delaware River to New Jersey, and visit our friends, the Mortensons, in Port Jervis, NY. We enjoyed dinner and their company two nights in a row before leaving our camper with Dan’s parents and heading upstate with just the van.

The drive was beautiful, and the scenic route we took made us glad we did not have the camper. We stayed with my Aunt Lise (my mom’s cousin) in Amsterdam, NY. What a lovely visit! We toured Old Fort Johnson and the Erie Canal, were treated to lunch by Aunt Debby at a fun roadside café and then went apple picking and through a corn maze at Sand Flats Orchard. The owners lived in Colorado Springs for a number of years. Such fun!

The next day were joined by Michael, Lise’s husband, and went up to Lake George, NY and saw a re-enactment of the Battle of Lake George. Very impressive and informative. It was a gorgeous fall day!

Thankful to Aunt Lise for such a relaxing and fun time with good food (stuffed shells and meatballs, miso eggplant, potstickers, the sushi name I can’t pronounce, Stewart’s ice cream, and blueberry muffins), good conversation, and lots of family history! Five stars for Camp Coolidge (aka Aunt Lise’s house)!

From there, we took advantage of being camper-less and detoured to Vermont (since we were close and hadn’t visited that state yet) to do an overnight backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. It was nice to get out in the woods, and the fall colors were really starting to pop!

During the middle of the night we heard a loud screech/scream. We thought it was a screech owl, but with the help of Dan’s dad, we figured out it was probably a fox! If you’re interested to know what the fox says – listen to this or this – you’re welcome.

We got help from Dan’s dad, because we went back to their house to pick up the camper after backpacking in Vermont. That was also a beautiful drive on some smaller roads with the fall colors really starting to come in. We ended up making a short detour to see FDR’s home in Hyde Park, NY. We really only saw the grounds because we were there late in the day and home tours were no longer running. Beautiful nonetheless.

Dan’s parents were gracious enough to let us stay on their property that evening and even gave us a wonderful tour of the wood shop and garden and breakfast the next morning. Super grateful for the generosity of ‘strangers’ who are now ‘friends’.

From there we travelled more narrow roads (now with the camper) through the Delaware River Gap Recreation Area (PA side) down to our friends’ house a little outside Philadelphia. It was wonderful to see Ryan and Claudia and their girls and their dogs. Their property (including their garden, treehouse, and fabulous Halloween decorations – of course) is amazing, and we’re so grateful that we get to spend some time with them and they let us crash and leave the camper there.

We did end up having to leave the next day to travel to the Pittsburgh area where Matt has several days of work. I’m writing this from a hotel room on a rainy day near Pittsburgh. Don’t worry, we’ll go back to Ryan and Claudia’s and see them more and even get to camp with them!

The new element of leaving the camper is freeing, but packing and unpacking adds to the mental load. Learning new things!

Still enjoying the road and making it work! Matt has several work jobs lined up, so that’s great!

(Once again – pictures coming eventually. After I catch up on all the others! )