Just got back from driving 2500 miles over the last 2 weeks. We did our first of many road trips and we went all the way to Maine. We camped, we hiked, we swam, we ate, we sailed and most importantly, we had FUN! Before, I go into the details, I must first thank my friend Ryan for giving us a place to crash and for setting us up with so many fun things to do. It was amazing. Let me just say that our trip had no itenarary just a hope to get to Maine at some point and to get home by August 14th. We planned everything as we went with a google and road atlas. It was so fun and everyday was really fun to unravel. The boys loved not knowing where we were going and when we would be back. In fact, when we finally made it home on Saturday, they asked where we were going next. They were shocked and offended when I said, "No where, we're home". Wander lust runs deep in their veins and I am glad of that.
Now, back to Maine. Maine in August produces a lump in the back of my throat because it IS that gorgeous . It is the muse of many a poet, artist and musician. I really fell in love and if I thought for one minute, that I could handle a rugged Maine winter, I would pack up my sweet family forever and make it my home. I've had many friends live in Maine and I could kick myself for not visiting them all every summer. But alas, our first family road trip to Maine was a huge success and we are still swooning over the memories.
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| Good bye flower garden. |
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| Good bye cousins... |
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| Good bye to the sun flowers for which we waited so patiently. |
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| Hello Presque Isle on Lake Erie. |
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| Off to Niagara Falls... |
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| The Maid of the Mist, sailing without us, as we forgot our passports. This was the whole reason we came to Niagara, Keith always wanted to ride on this boat as a kid. It just isn't meant to be. |
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| By nightfall we made it to Lake Oneida outside Syracuse, NY. A very unexpected surprise. Such a wonderful lake and swimming beach. The water made our skin feel great. |
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| Camping in divine comfort with giant air mattresses. I am getting very spoiled. |
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| I think Keith made pancakes EVERY morning of this trip. My stomach can prove it. |
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| We finally got to see the Hudson River outside of Albany and I gotta say it was beautiful but probably our most boring stop. |
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| Hudson by the Hudson |
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| There is a Hudson, NY and it was all I could do not to stop and take a thousand pictures Hudson inspired business names from which to make a collage[Like I would do later in Palmer, MA. (My niece is named Palmer) ]. It was 19 miles off the Interstate and just had to be cut out. |
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| OMG, we made it!!! |
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| We hit the ocean in Wells, Maine first. |
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| Keith enjoying the, shall we say, refreshing water (yes, those are my sunglasses). |
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| Off to dinner and ice cream in Portland. |
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| The sky as we drove towards Rockland. |
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| Lucia Beach in Owls Head about 10 minutes from Rockland. |
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| Hudson looking for crabs in the tide pools. |
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| This water is friggin' cold |
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| Day 2 we headed for the warmer waters of Megunticook Lake in Camden. Beautiful and much warmer. |
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| Mt. Battie overlooks Megunticook Lake |
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| Ryan's quadracycle. Oh what fun. (Especially when Ryan is driving.) |
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| Rockland Parade. I'm guessing for Lobster Fest, which we managed to miss. |
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| Off to the fortress at Mt. Battie to take advantage of the habour views in Camden. |
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| Back to Rockland for an afternoon of sailing with Joe and Takama, Ryan's neighbor and his 4 year old son. |
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| Hudson and Eli's new bestfriend Takama doing a little swimming before sailing while Joe and Keith take the dingy out to get the boat. |
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| Keith and all the boys on the bow. I am holding on for dear life in the rear drugged up on dramamine and praying for our safe return. |
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| The boat I wished I was on. It looked a lot bigger and possibly more upright than ours on the 45 degree angle. |
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| Home just in time for an unreasonable amount of Lobster and crab claws. Ryan's uncle is a lobsterman and brought in the bounty that afternoon. I've never eaten so much lobster in my life! |
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| Crab claws |
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| Yes, we ate 10 whole lobsters! |
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| Ryan, the tour guide through Beech Hill aka. The land of wild (and cultivated) blueberries... |
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| Eli getting started and not ever wanting to stop! |
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| Eli straight up frenzied! |
Ryan trying to use my camera...
We left out the next morning and spent a week returning home. We headed straight back to Lake Oneida and spent several days. Then we went to Pennsylvania to see my g-ma. It was the first anniversary of my grandpa's passing a sad time but we worked on the cabin that was built in my grandfather's honor. We ate flap jacks and beans (a Thomas family tradition), shed a few tears, watched the pirates, and spent our coldest night yet out of doors. (It got down to 43 degrees).
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| View from the campsite at Lake Oneida. |
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| Seriously, the clouds are so much cooler up in New York. We drove to Ithaca one day and all around the Finger Lakes area. Abosolutely amazing. Grapevines, wineries, and sailboats... Beautiful |
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| Boys with their Great Grammie |
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| Keith, My Dad and my dad's friend from elementary school digging post holes. |
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| The cabin that my husband built the structure for last September. |
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| Making flap jacks and beans. Yes, we fry the bread dough and we don't even feel guilty about it. |
In conclusion, I highly recommend driving small children 2500 miles in a 2 week period. Its a lot of fun.
