Day Nine: Wisconsin in Virginia

Our Virginia Beach campsite was a lot of fun. We stayed up late dancing to music by the pool and playing in the arcade. In the morning, after the kids played on the playground, we drove to the U.S.S. Wisconsin.

This battleship was built in 1943 and was used in WWII, the Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm. The ship is still part of the inactive fleet which means it could be called into action if needed. In the museum we were able to see photos of the ship during war time, one of which showed the entire lower bow of the ship completely missing due to a collision. On board the ship, we spoke with a retired serviceman who served on the ship in the Pacific during WWII. We learned that ships have an interesting plumbing system with different colored valves to indicate different fluids, from fuels to water to hydraulic fluid. There were over a dozen different colors/fluids.

Eli's head in a cannon.

Lucy in a re-creation of an old ship

On our drive to Myrtle Beach, we stopped off at a place in North Carolina called Belhaven Memorial Museum. This was held in the top floor of the Town Hall of a tiny little town. It consists of the collection of oddities that a local woman collected. She began with a button collection that grew to 30,000 and her collection now holds a wide array of things that include a whale skull, 19th century clothing, fleas in clothing, and a jarred two-headed pig. It was….an experience.

We drove onto Myrtle Beach where our tentsite was within steps from the ocean. While Mike set up the tent and Eli and Lucy snoozed in the car, Charlotte and I sat in the sand and watched fireworks being set off on the beach right near our campgrounds.

Day Eight: "Now THIS is what I call fun!"

This update is about Saturday. There is another update below this for Friday.
We woke up and hit the road for Virginia Beach. Along the way we drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. This bridge crosses the ocean for 17.5 miles! Along the way, it tunnels under the water twice. The kids thought this was the coolest thing ever. Lucy kept shouting, “Our car is not wet! My seat is not wet!” She couldn’t quite understand how we were under water but not IN the water.

Here's a view from the end of one tunnel to it's beginning.

Afterwards, we set up our tent site and hit the beach. The waves here were gigantic, most likely due to Hurricane Danny. They bowled us right over, again and again. Charlotte said it best: “Now THIS is what I call fun.” We played in the sand and the water for hours before heading out to eat. We went to a buffet because it’s Eli’s favorite. He loves them because we always seem to have the best time. The food might not be that great but for some reason, we always laugh through the meal. Mostly because we get Mike to eat the grossest things we can find.

Day Seven: Sic Semper Tyrannis

This update is about Friday. :)

We headed off towards DC yesterday morning. This was one of our favorite spots to visit last year. This time around, we stopped off at the Natural History museum. Lucy loved this place. She bounced around, pointing at things and singing about them. We also went inside Ford’s Theater to see where Lincoln was shot. A Park Ranger did an amazing job telling the story. Charlotte was completely enthralled by it and hasn’t stopped talking about it since. We saw the suit Lincoln was wearing when he was shot and the bed that he was laying in when he died. It was interesting to hear about the timeline of both Wilkes-Booth and Lincoln on that particular day. Wilkes-Booth put a lot of planning into the assassination. And interestingly enough, Lincoln’s body guard was there but had stepped out to have a drink at a nearby pub.

Lincoln's box at the theater

The house where Lincoln laid until he died

Lucy the Scientist

It was Mike’s birthday yesterday and we celebrated with dinner out and some ice cream. Vacation is his favorite time of year so he couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate.

Thanks, Kris!

Our friend Kris let us know that the creature we found on the shore was a horseshoe crab which is not actually a crab but an arachnid. It can live 20 years and has 4 eyes and blue blood. This species has been around for more than 400 million years without changing much at all so it's called a "living fossil."

So cool. Thanks, Kris!

Day Six: Nobody's board here

The girls were so excited to feed the ducks when they woke up. They had a box full of Cheerios and it made for at least an hour full of fun. Once everyone was ready to go, we headed out towards Six Flags in New Jersey. We all enjoyed a few rides and games but the main goal was for Mike to go on the Kingda Ka. This rollercoaster is a 30 second ride that goes over 400 feet in the air and 128 miles an hour down a sheer drop. Mike said it was pretty anti-climatic but he’s glad he had the experience, especially since he has such a big fear of heights.

Afterwards, we drove on to WildWoods, NJ to visit the boardwalk. This place was so much fun. It’s like the best of a fair, all the time. The shops, restaurants, rides, games, and people-watching kept us busy for hours. In the evening, we took a walk on the gigantic sandy beach and splashed in the ocean. From there, we could see all of Wildwoods lit up in all it’s bright lights. We found some neat sand creations including a big hole with built in sand “furniture.” We found a creature washed up on shore but we’re not sure what it is. If you know, please let us know!

Built in beach living room:

What is this???

We arrived at our campsite really late in the night and did not have a map to our tent sight. We drove around in the dark for 20 minutes on barely visible gravel “roads” until we found it only to discover the following morning that it was only feet from where we had checked in. We had a good laugh about that one.

Day Five: Food in Philly

We did laundry for a few hours this morning! Very exciting stuff.

With clean clothes, we headed off towards Philadelphia. We saw the Liberty bell and learned that it was first called that by the Abolitionists to point out the discrepancy between those who were free and those who weren’t. Next, we headed off to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. It was surreal to think of being in the same room where George Washington and Ben Franklin once stood. For the first time, I really thought about the impact of these events. I read about them in school and discussed them with my kids but had really only focused on timelines and facts. I hadn’t stopped to consider the fear and excitement the men must have felt as well as how difficult it must have been to come to a consensus on so many of the issues they faced. In fact, they had even discussed abolishing slavery at that time but were unable to come to an agreement.

Once we were done our sightseeing, we headed off to Mike’s favorite destination: Jim’s Steaks. This is considered one of the best places to get a cheese steak in Philly. They were excellent. The staff left much to be desired but Mike said that’s probably part of the charm…..? Sure. Our last stop was a cool frozen yogurt place where you served yourself your own flavor, choosing from over a dozen. Then you added whatever you wanted from a bar of toppings that included fresh fruit, syrup, nuts and candy. Then they weighed it and you paid by the ounce. It was a really neat place and the kids had a blast. We drove on towards NJ and set up our camp site surrounded by dozens and dozens of ducks and wild turkeys.

Today, we’re off to explore Jersey.

Indepence Hall

Where George Washington sat during the signing of the Consitution.

Day Four: Sting at the beach

Not the performer.

Yesterday morning, Mike figured out after he got in the shower that he probably should have worn his bathing suit since everyone who came into the room could see his bare behind. I’m glad he showered first and was able to share that with me.

We went to Mystic Seaport which depicts a colonial seaport village in the 1800’s. The recreated shops and houses were a big hit with everyone. We all really loved one particular house that had a full fruit and vegetable garden. The woman inside told us what a typical day was like all while baking a pie over her hearth. We went aboard a schooner ship and the only surviving wooden whaling ship. That was an interesting experience, seeing the living quarters aboard a ship from that era. Looking over the edge of the ship, we were able to see a dozen or more jelly fish including some tiny little babies.

The kids’ favorite area of the Seaport was the Map It building. Charlotte built a 3D map of her room and Eli used a large model of an island to map points using a grid. Lucy loved rolling cars on a giant rug of the United States.

Tying knots in the Discovery Barn:

Yet another bathroom incident. Lucy caught Eli in the outhouse with his pants down (just pretend):

Playing kitchen in the Children's Museum at the Seaport:

Putting the kids to work:

Driving simulator in the Map It! building:

On our trip, every time we enter a new state, we read about it on it's Wiki page. We've learned some very interesting things.Did you know that some people in Connecticut refer to themselves as Connecticuties? We were all surprised to learn that Connecticut, while the 48 largest state, is the 29th most populated state. It's also the one with the highest per capita income.

We came back to our tent site which is within walking distance to another beach. We played in the sand and swam and had a great time….until we got stung by a jelly fish. Poor Lucy got the brunt of it. It feels like shards of glass in your skin. When we left the beach, we headed towards New Haven which is said to have some of the best pizza in the country. It was pretty darn good but honestly? I don’t think it rivaled the pizzeria we go to back home. I think most people just like what they’re used to.

This is after the jelly fish so she's a pretty tough cookie:

If we could learn one thing from Charlotte, it would be how to make friends no matter where you are:

Day Three: Child's Play

Yesterday we started our morning playing on the beach again. We left mid-morning to head back towards Boston where we spent the day at the Children’s Museum. It’s one of the best in the nation and the kids definitely agreed. They had recreations of scenes from the Arthur book series, a real Japanese home rebuilt inside the museum, and an international space station replica built with help from NASA. Charlotte loved the “Tools” section where she was able to use a real saw, drill, and screw driver. Lucy loved the toddler area where she spent hours playing with a huge train set and going up and down the slides. Eli loved the “Raceway” where the kids rolled golf balls down intricate metal pathways and through rolling mazes

In the Kid Power exhibit:

Building a giant bubble around themselves:

Afterwards, we headed towards Rhode Island. Did you know that Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation yet has the highest number of donut shops (342)? We drove right through since we had spent so much time at the museum. We drove to Connecticut and after a stop to eat, we ended up at our campsite where everyone fell fast asleep.

Barbies by camplight.

Day Two: Trapped in a Toilet

We had an odd campsite last night. It was smack in the middle of Wells Beach, ME. It’s weird to camp in an urban area like that! Today we hit Boston. We started out in Boston Common with a walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Our tour guide was dressed in colonial clothing and was totally entertaining. We learned a lot of new things and he challenged a lot of the stories we’ve been taught. Eli was completely caught up in it

After the tour, we took a walk through Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. We watched some street performers including a group of break dancers and a mime. Charlotte had a balloon hat made for her by the clown Rami Salami.

We attempted to use a pay toilet but apparently we’re too “backwoods” because Charlotte got locked inside. I meant to follow her in but the door closed too quickly. She was frantic in there and couldn’t find the button to open the door despite us shouting instructions from outside. Picture it: a busy Boston street, a large toilet structure, and us shouting, “PUSH THE BUTTON! It says O - P - E - N!” She ended up calling the “toilet police” using the 911 button. Eventually we got her out without having to wait for the 25 minute allowance to be up. 25 minutes! Keep that in mind, Dad, because pants or not, the door slides open when the time is up. Poor Charlotte. She was scared and furious. She wants me to call the Toilet Owners to have them make more obvious “Open Door” buttons.

We left in mid afternoon and headed towards our campsite at Horseneck Beach, MA. Our tent is set up less than 50 feet from the ocean. The car was barely stopped before we were out of the van and running towards the water. Hurricane Bill has escaped us enough to leave us with beautiful weather but humongous waves. The children and I have never swam in the ocean before and it was unbelievably fun. I have never seen Mike and the kids that happy. Poor Lucy loved the sand and the water until she got some in her face and then she was D.O.N.E. done. I have more photos that include Eli but they're on the water-proof camera and they need to be developed.

Back to Boston tomorrow to visit the Children’s Museum and then we’re on our way to Rhode Island!

Now this? This is pure joy.

Day One

We headed out yesterday morning and drove straight to New Hampshire. It was only about a two hour drive to our first destination: Clark’s Trading Post. This spot was much different than we had all anticipated. Thinking it was a big, touristy souvenir shop, we were surprised to watch a trained bear show, ride on a steam engine train, meet the “Wolf Man,” go inside Merlin’s mansion, ride on segways, and steer bumper boats. The kids had a great time. Charlotte loved Merlin’s optical/physical illusion where it appears that you’re rocking back and forth until you’re hanging upside down when, in reality, you never move! Mike and Eli loved riding on the segways, personal scooters that self-balance. My favorite part of the Post was the rustic cabin, decked out just as it would have been in the 1800’s. Lucy had a blast on the train, yelling out when we went under the covered bridge.

We left mid afternoon to head off on the Kancamagus highway which is considered one of the most scenic drives in the country, with hair pin curves, high elevations and gorgeous views of the White Mountains. A few hours later, we arrived at Fort Williams in Portland, ME. This beach has a lighthouse and beautiful rocky cliffs. We played in the waves until we were soaked then headed back to the car to change clothes. We headed straight to eat and then we set up a tent for some much needed sleep. The kids were full of energy but Mike and I were zapped!

We're off to Boston today!