Day Eight: Walton's Mountain, W. Virginia, and Washington D.C.

We started off in Lovingston, Virginia. The town doesn't have much, so we picked up 'waxy donuts' at the grocery store. Drove a little north to Schuyler (pronounced skyler), the home of Earl Hamner, author of The Walton's series. I grew up watching The Walton's, and both girls have watched the entire series.

The town had a population of over 7,000 at one point thanks to a soapstone quarry, but has diminished to next to nothing. Currently there is a Walton's Museum and 'Ikes Store' that keeps the town alive at this point. The museum had a lot in it, and was housed in an old school. It was fun to see the exhibits. Here we are in front of the home that Earl grew up in.

We drove into Shenandoah National Park. Most of the park is closed, due to snow and ice, but we were able to drive 30 miles of the Skyline Drive. The mountains are beautiful.

We drove West into West Virginia, our 40th state! That is just simply amazing to me.

We turned around to catch the Virginia sign we missed the day before.

We ended the night driving into Washington D.C. around 8:30pm. We were in awe when we saw the Washington Monument all lite up. Beautiful. We are staying at the International House Hostel just a few blocks from all the happenings. We have stayed at Hostels before, in Europe many, many times, and with the girls once in San Diego. We consider them part of the ‘traveling experience’ we love to share with the girls. Tonight the three of us girls have a room by ourselves, and Scott is in a mixed dorm with five other beds. Tomorrow night, the three of us girls will share a room with another man, not Scott … such is the hostel life!

Here are a couple of photos to help you see how we travel. The first is of Paradis making sandwiches while in the McDonald’s parking lot. We try to eat at least two meals ‘in’ each day. The girls are in charge of making all the meals in the back of the van; they usually do it while we are driving down the road but we had to stop to get my 'fix' (AKA McDonald's Unsweetened tea with light ice). 

We tell the girls this next photo is what you get when traveling with ‘older’ parents. The girls absolutely hate the chain Scott keeps on his glasses, and I’m sure you can imagine how they feel about my ‘dual glasses’ set-up. But it works for both of us, and so we roll with it!

I’ll leave you with a photo I took before going to bed. This is the luggage we ‘collected’ from the van before returning it to Union Station (we will take public transportation or walk the next three days). It was another good day on the road. 

P.S. No stats tonight. I’m behind on the blog, and I need some rest!

Day Seven: Snow, Ferry, Delaware, Flag House, and Virginia Mountains

We started the day early in order to board the ferry from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes, Delaware. We woke up to a van full of snow that Scott had to brush off. I was hoping the ferry ride would give us a view of the coast. Didn't happen ... However, the ride was uneventful and the ferry ride was entertaining.

We entered our 38th state, Delaware. 

Quickly we traveled into our 39th state, Maryland. It was so windy, my tripod blew over while taking the photo. Not good. 

We drove into Baltimore, and stopped at the Flag House. This is the house that Mary Pickersgill lived in when she was commissioned to sew the enormous flag that flew over Ft. McHenry. The flag that gave Francis Scott Key the inspiration to write the poem 'Star-Spangled Banner'. The flag that Scott and I are standing in front of below is the exact size of the flag that Mary sewed. By hand. In 1813. Yikes ... my fingertips hurt just thinking about it. 

From Baltimore we drove south into our 40th state, Virginia. We missed the sign, but are hoping to hit it on the way out tomorrow. We ended up in Lovingston, Virginia at the base of Walton's Mountain. OK, I know Walton's Mountain is just fictional. Just go with it people ... we spent the evening watching old Walton's shows, and we visit the museum tomorrow. I"m getting in the mood.

Good night John-Boy!

Day Seven: 318 miles (2,374 total); $46.78 on gas ($253.09 total); 4 states (9 total); $66.16 Lodging  ($679.01 total); $6.38 Souvenirs ($188.28 total); $28 Tourist Traps ($170.70 total); $3 Redbox ($3 total); 1 fights (1 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day Six: Philadelphia, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, and Cape May

Today was filled with history. We started out an hour from Philly, and parked at Independence Visitor Center. We secured tickets to an early tour of Independence Hall, and visited the Liberty Bell. I was surprised to see how close we got. I could have touched it if I wanted someone to yell at me. I didn't. 

While waiting for our tour, the girls worked on their Junior Ranger badge. I say 'their' because Paradis does a lot of the work, Annelies says the oath. 

The tour of Independence Hall was fabulous. Annelies is learning about this in school right now, so she was fascinated with the information. When Scott and I said, "I learned a lot today." She proudly said, "I didn't. I knew it all."

We walked a couple blocks to Carpenter's Hall, where 12 of the 13 colonies originally met to discuss breaking away from England. This building is still owned by the Carpenter's Guild, and therefore not as famous as 'Independence Hall'. 

We walked to the home that is believed to be where Betsy Ross sewed the first American Flag.  Sewing the flag had to be kept secret, because anyone found betraying England would be hung. We got to meet Betsy herself ...

We went on a tour of the Philadelphia Mint. Couldn't take pictures inside. Ugh. 

Annelies finished her umpteenth Junior Ranger Badge ...

And Scott said hi to Rocky ... (you're humming the theme song, aren't you?).

Paradis wanted to see Love Park, in downtown Philly. We missed a turn and had to pay a $5 toll to get back to the city again. We don't have tolls in Minnesota. I've always supported the "Use it-Pay It" philosophy, but after paying over $27 in tolls today I'm rethinking my opinion!

Per the suggestion of Sue Gann, we went to Geno's and bought a Philly Cheesesteak. Although we were freezing by this point, and there was no inside seating, it was a good sandwich! Our picky eater (Annelies) ate the fries.

We left Philly, and drove into our 37th state, New Jersey. The border is on top of a river, and Scott refused to pull over on the highway without a shoulder. 

We drove to Atlantic City to check out the sites. We were planning to stay in Atlantic City for the night, but decided to drive all the way to Cape May in preparation for the ferry to Delaware tomorrow morning. It worked out well, since we drove in a snow storm, and it was nice to get the weather behind us! We just can't escape the snow. 

We ended the night in Cape May, at Congress Hall. An absolutely beautiful hotel on the coast. I got a killer rate, since this place is dead in the winter. Paradis wants to come here on her honeymoon; I'll be joining her (hope her husband doesn't mind)!

Day Six: 163 miles (2,056 total); $50.00 on gas ($206.31 total); 2 state (6 total); $92.58 Lodging  ($612.85 total); $59.10 Souvenirs ($181.90 total); $20.00 Tourist Traps ($142.70 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 1 fights (1 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day Five: Hershey, Utz, and Wilbur

Today was not a day to count calories! We began at Hershey's Chocolate World. I love chocolate; rarely does a day go by that I don't include it in my diet. We all went on a 'factory tour', which was more like Disney World's 'It's a Small World' ride. Scott and Annelies went to a 4D movie experience, while Paradis and I attended a Chocolate Tasting Experience. I could have taught the course.

The girls were most excited to make their own chocolate bar. 

While the girls were creating, I chatted with a local and learned about the Utz Potato Chip factory. So we took a little detour south of Hershey to Hanover, Pennsylvania where we watched potato chips being made. Very cool, and free (my favorite kind of tour). At the outlet the girls were excited to walk out with 19 bags of snack-size chips. I told you this wasn't a day to count calories! 

From Hanover we drove northeast to Lititz Pennsylvania to visit Wilbur Chocolate. I just love their chocolate buds, and they are owned by Cargill. 

We put a few more miles behind us and ended up in Quakertown Pennsylvania in preparation to see the Liberty Bell tomorrow. I'm excited. The girls wanted Chinese for dinner; guess where we ended up ... an all-you-can-eat buffet! Oh man, I'm going to need to go on a diet tomorrow!

The girls had a lot of fun - it was a good day.

Day Five: 187 miles (1,893 total); $50.00 on gas ($206.31 total); 1 state (5 total); $118.81 Lodging  ($520.27 total); $59.10 Souvenirs ($125.55 total); $61.70 Tourist Traps ($122.70 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 1 fights (1 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day Four: Cuyahoga Park, Flight 93, and some Laundry

I spoke too soon in yesterday's blog post when I said "Note the 0 fights" in the stats. Last night Scott and I stayed up to watch a documentary including interviews of spouses that died on Flight 93. It probably got a little late for everyone, but there was a little tension in the hotel room before we went to sleep. Needless to say, the day started off with a moratorium on electronics. The girls were pumped, as you can tell. Not!

After our free breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express (love them!) we went to Cuyahoga National Park near Akron, Ohio. It was interesting to hear about the 300+ miles of canals that were hand dug and flooded to move goods up and down Ohio. Our family will travel over 2,300 miles in just 11 days with such ease; it makes me think how easy we have everything now. The movies are one of our favorite things at National Park sites.

We continued east, and crossed our 36th state, Pennsylvania. I couldn't get the sign into focus because of the angle. They really need to create a pull-off section for crazy people like me!

Scott and the girls get a little silly waiting for me to set up the tripod and get the settings right.

Further east, we stopped at the Memorial site for United Flight 93. We let the girls take a 59 minute break from their electronic moratorium on the drive, to watch the same documentary we had the night before. The Memorial is not yet done, but it was interesting to see the sight. So sad.

I stopped to pick some leaves from the memorial trees that were planted, for our collection jars. They were all dead - no destroying National Park property my friends. 

After driving through the Allegheny Mountains, we made our way to Hershey Pennsylvania in preparation for ... you guessed it! Our visit to the Hershey Chocolate Factory tomorrow. 

We did some laundry, ordered some pizza, and had a couple hours to relax. It was another good day on the road. And yes, on the last lag we allowed the girls to watch a movie. Oh how we enjoy that sisterly-love!

Note: No Redbox rentals yet this trip. They were added to the statistical summary a few trips ago, because we would rent so many. However, our friend Rachel gave the girls a huge stack of DVDs before we left, and they haven't finished them yet.  

Day Four: 394 miles (1,706 total); $56.01 on gas ($156.31 total); 2 states (5 total); $109.99 Lodging  ($401.46 total); $12.67 Souvenirs ($66.45 total); $56 Tourist Traps ($61.00 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 1 fights (1 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day Three: Mackinac, Ford Plant Tour, and Chipotle

Today we drove through Michigan into Ohio. We stopped in Dearborn, just outside Detroit, at the Ford Rouge Factory. This is apparantly the only automotive plant tour in the United States. I'll tell you, Ford has made tourism part of their income stream. They have a large museum, plant tour, several gift shops, and an IMAX theatre. 

We just did the Plant Tour. It was really cool. We walked on 'cat walks' above the actual plant where they assemble Ford F150 trucks. It was amazing. I've always been intriqued with factories; as a little girl I was engrossed with the factories that Mr. Rogers would visit on his show. I should have went into engineering like my dad. Oh well ...

Note: No pictures were allowed. The girls collected a couple Pressed Pennies for our collection. Paradis and Scott are going to get one of these trucks when we get home ... not!

After leaving Detroit, we feverishly searched for a Chipotle (times like this I wish Subway was our favorite fast food joint, as they are everywhere - Chipotle isn't) and found one in Toledo. On our way we crossed into Ohio. This photo is a little far away from the actual sign, but we were standing alongside a four-lane freeway with a speed limit of 70mph. Don't judge us please.

We ended the day in Akron, Ohio at another Holiday Inn Express. It was a good day. Note the 0 fights, and 0 injuries. We are Drivin' the Dream!

Day Three: 492 miles (1,179 total); $51.05 on gas ($100.30 total); 2 states (4 total); $104.32 Lodging  ($291.37 total); $23.35 Souvenirs ($53.78 total); $56 Tourist Traps ($56 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 0 fights (0 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day Two: Apostle Island, Madeline Island, Pictured Rock

Day two started early. We picked up homemade donuts at The Egg Toss, and went to the Apostle Island National Lakeshore Visitor Center. We watched a short movie about the Apostle Islands, Annelies got a Junior Ranger Badge, and the girls bought some pins.

This is why I love these trips ...

The girls were excited to take the Ice Road over to Madeline Island. Yes, you are right - the sign says 'local traffic only'. We don't always follow the rules. 

Madeline Island is nearly abandoned during the winter months, but we drove to Bay Point State Park to see the Ice Caves and gorgeous blue ice. Because we didn't pack boots, or mittens (I used socks for gloves), the hike was short. But we giggled a lot along the way. The pictures don't do it justice, but the ice was beautiful. 

We got back on the road again, and passed through our 34th state - Michigan. 

Our goal was to make it to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before they closed, but realized along our route that we drove through a time change and missed it. If you've followed my blog before you know I'm an organized traveler, but for some reason I can't remember to account for different time zones! I called the Visitor Center, and the Park Ranger gathered some things for us, and left them on the front door. Oh how I love the National Park system!

I had never traveled through the upper peninsula of Michigan; Scott and I agreed it was desolate with mostly summer tourism. It reminded me of my youth growing up on the North Shore. We ended the night in Mackinaw City, just beside the bridge. We ate at Audies Restaurant where we had poutine (I've always wanted to try it), and smelt. It brought back some good memories of smelting as a youth.

We checked in at a Holiday Inn Express, the kids went swimming, and we hit the pillow. The day was mostly driving, but it was a good one. 

Day Two: 384 miles (687 total); $49.25 on gas ($49.25 total); 2 states (3 total); $85.00 Lodging  ($187.15 total); $30.43 Souvenirs ($30.43 total); $0 Tourist Traps ($0 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 0 fights (0 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Day One: On the Road | Bayfield

Our first day was a good one, although not without a couple bumps. Our friend Lesley drove us to the airport to pick up our rental van. When we arrived, no vans were on the lot; we prefer vans over SUVs for the open space it gives us inside. In my panic, I forgot to look inside Lesley's van before she went home, and left my bag in her van! So back home we drove.

We got on the road (again) at 3:30, and the girls were in 'road trip mode' within seconds. 

After being on the road for a couple hours, Lesley texted me "I just found an iPad in the back seat". Really? 

We opted to drive through Wisconsin, instead of taking 35 through Minnesota, so we could see some new territory. We drove through many little towns along the way. I wish we would have counted the bars, but I don't think I could have kept track of them all!

We arrived in Bayfield, Wisconsin around 8:30pm where we stayed for the night. Although our brains weren't completely 'in the game' our first day, the trip was simple and short. 

By the way ... we ended up with our favorite Road Trip rental van after having a little conversation with the manager. A Chrysler Town & Country. Feels good to be back on the road ...

Day One: 303 miles (303 total); $0.00 on gas ($0.00 total); 2 states (2 total); $102.15 Lodging  ($102.15 total); $0.00 Souvenirs ($0.00 total); $0 Tourist Traps ($0 total); $0 Redbox ($0 total); 0 fights (0 total); 0 injuries (0 total)

Spring Break 2014

Greetings friends! We are busy packing for our seventh Drivin' the Dream trip. We leave today for a ten day tour that will take us into Wisconsin, through the upper peninsula of Michigan, south through Ohio, and east into Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. From there we will head south into Virginia, and back up through West Virginia where we will end up spending three days in Washington D.C. We will travel through 10 states, 8 of them being new to the girls. View our map. After nearly 2,200 miles we will fly back home.

We are looking forward to seeing some great sites including the Apostle Islands, the Ford F150 plant, Cuyahoga National Park, the Flight 93 Memorial, Hersey Pennsylvania (I'm drooling), Wilbur Chocolates (drooling again), the Liberty Bell, Atlantic City, the Star Spangled House, Walton's Mountain ("Good night John-boy"), Shenandoah National Park, a Potato Chip Factory tour, and many sites in Washington D.C.

I'm looking forward to yet another adventure with my traveling partners. If you haven't done so yet, sign up for email notifications in the 'Follow us by Email' box; I usually post once per day. Thanks for joining us as we continue Drivin' the Dream!

P.S. If you are curious about how a person with OCD prepares for a trip like this, I'll begin by saying I spent over 15 hours researching, calculating, and plotting out our course. I have a spreadsheet I use to track distances, and the hours places are open that we plan to visit. As for packing ... I have lists that reference lists, that reference lists.

Final Day: Back to Minneapolis

This will be my final blog post of the trip. I am sitting at the Denver Airport, waiting for our return flight to Minneapolis.

Final Statistics:

• 5 States
• 5 National Parks
• 1,593 Miles
• Gas: $268.11 (24 miles/gal)
• Lodging: $1,471.88
• Souvenirs: $832.93
• Tourist Traps: $253.53
• Redbox: $12.00
• Fights: 0
• Injuries: 2

When is our next trip? I travel to New Hampshire this June for a Squam Retreat. Scott will make his annual Baseball Trip with friends in May. No other family trips are planned this year. We have 17 states to finish, in four years (see MasterPlan).

I leave you with a video. I think it speaks volumes to how I feel about my traveling team. We don’t vacation like ‘normal people’. Our schedule is packed. We learn. We explore. We meet new people. We try new things. We seek adventure. And yet, we laugh a lot. We have a ton of fun. And more importantly, we get to know one another in ways that wouldn't be possible during our normal lives.

This video was taken while driving out of Sand Dunes National Park (make sure to have your volume on). All of a sudden, Scott pulled the van over to the side of the road, and walked outside. He said, “I had an urge to do an interpretive dance.” Oh how I love this man, and am so thankful he is my partner while Driving the Dream.

Thanks for following us during this adventure. Happy travels!