Heading East

After Wisconsin, we headed East to spend a week in the Adirondacks before wrapping up our vacation. At this point, we have a little bit of road burnout so we're not really stopping at attractions along the way. We made a quick stop at Niagara Falls, (photos above) followed by a nice afternoon in Seneca Falls at the Women's Rights National Historic Park. Seneca Falls and the Finger Lakes make a nice stopover anyway, but it was especially nice to come here this week, which marks the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. (Above is photo of the girls at the Center. The statuary group in the picture are of the conveners of the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848).

Beginning tomorrow, we'll be camping at Paradox Lake, near Schroon Lake, until September 1. We've been vacationing at Paradox Lake for many years; while it has been great seeing so many new places this Summer, it will be nice to top it off with a visit to someplace well-loved and familiar.

New Glarus and Old World Wisconsin

After our visit to the Dells, we headed back south in Wisconsin, where we spent the night in a town called New Glarus. New Glarus, or Little Switzerland, prides itself on its Swiss heritage. All of the buildings are in Swiss style, there are lots of Swiss crafts shops and the town has some kind of Swiss festival literally every other weekend. Most of the tourists there seemed to be older people, it was a pretty sedate place, but a nice spot to spend the night. One big plus, we were having a huge craving for fondue, which we were more than able to satisfy in New Glarus!

After New Glarus, on our way out of Wisconsin, we spent the day at Old World Wisconsin, a living history museum celebrating the different cultures that settled Wisconsin in the 1800s. Old World Wisconsin was just great; it was like a little like a low key Williamsburg; the girls had a terrific time there.

Wisconsin Dells & Baraboo

We drove down to southwestern Wisconsin, the Driftless Region, to canoe a couple of days on the Kickapoo River. This is a really beautiful part of the state, with hills and ravines and streams and rivers all over the place. To add to the picturesqueness, it also has an Amish community. It gets its name from the fact that when the glaciers moved over Wisconsin, bulldozing it and leaving deposits, or "drift", the glaciers moved around this area, surrounding it, but skipping over it, hence no "drift" or "Driftless". It is a geographic oddity, and a really beautiful place.

Unfortunately, for us, when we arrived, we learned the Kickapoo River had flooded, breaching its banks all over the place. So, while we had a really beautiful drive, we did have to make other arrangements.

We drove to Wisconsin Dells instead. We had no idea what was waiting for us there. Think Jersey Shore on steroids. Several people from Wisconsin told us no one from Wisconsin visits the Dells, it's all folks from Illinois; I don't think that's exactly true, but it gives you an idea of the image it has within the state.

The Dells has been a tourist destination for 100 years. The Dells themselves, a gorge or narrows of the Wisconsin river, is actually quite beautiful; we took a duck boat tour through the Dells. Most people who visit the town of Wisconsin Dells don't actually visit the Dells, however. The Dells has become the "Waterpark Capital of America" which is why tourists flock there. So, if you like waterparks, this is the place for you; if not, skip it! There are also tons of restaurants, attractions, a casino and bars in the Dells, adding to the fun (or the madness, depending on your perspective).

We spent two days in the Dells, taking the girls to a waterpark and a couple of other attractions like Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory, kind of a low-rent Franklin Institute. Snarkiness aside, the girls had an absolutely fabulous time in the Dells, they just loved it. Above is a picture of Grace playing on the gyrotron at Tommy Bartlett's.

Just a mile or two outside the Dells, it becomes gorgeous Wisconsin countryside again. We camped three nights in a state park, Mirror Lake State Park, just to chill out a little after our Dell days. A really nice town just ten miles south of the Dells is Baraboo, Wisconsin. Besides being a pretty town along a beautiful river, it has two really wonderful attractions.

The first is the International Crane Foundation, a preserve which house examples of all 15 species of crane. This preserve is just fabulous. Locals say it is a hidden gem that, despite all of the tons of tourists to the Dells, receives few visitors. Except for the people who visit the area only to see the Crane Foundation. It was set up by two young men in the 70s to save some of the world's endangered crane species, including our own Whooping Crane. It has a captive breeding program for whooping cranes and some other cranes, it also has an educational mission. The preserve has beautiful trails and walking paths where visitors can see the various crane species. A docent provide free two hour guided tours of the preserve, which are really enjoyable (and one can drop in and out of the tour if it gets too much). While not particularly crane enthusiasts, we spent a really enjoyable afternoon at the crane foundation. Above is a photo of one of the residents of the preserve.

The second great attraction in Baraboo is the Circus World Museum. Circus World was once the winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus. (The Ringling Brothers were from Baraboo.) We meant to just spend a couple of hours at Circus World, but ended up spending the entire day! It was just great. The campus is bisected by the Baraboo River; on one side of the river are the historic buildings from the Ringling Circus. These house amazing exhibits of old circus wagons, costumes and posters.

On the other side of the river are buildings and tents where the shows are: An hour long circus show with human and animal acts, a magic show, elephant and pony rides and a tiger act. The venues are small, so everyone is really up close to the acts, making it a different kind of experience. Above are some photos from circus world: the girls with an acrobat, the girls riding an elephant, and some of the antique circus wagons. This was just an all around great place to visit!

Hayward, Wisconsin

The bad weather is following us! Wicked thunderstorm last night, and, as we head south, we're supposed to get them again this evening!

We stayed two nights in a camping cabin at a KOA in Hayward, Wisconsin. Hayward is near the Namekagon River, part of the St Croix National Scenic Waterway. Mike took the girls tubing on the river yesterday; they all had a fabulous time.

While not a huge fan of KOAs, they work well in a pinch, and some of them are just a kid's paradise. My girls love this particular one, we were here last year when we came through: it has mini-golf, a good pool, a jumping pillow, a waterslide, movies, structured activities and river tubing. Hayward itself is a nice Northwoods vacation village with good bars/restaurant, shopping and a Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. (picture above)

The KOA is much more crowded (and pricier) than when we were here this time last year. The national parks were also very crowded- Yellowstone broke attendance records again this year. It's good to see Americans are still taking vacations;I guess domestic travel is more appealing in this economy.

Lake of the Woods & International Falls, MN

I must say, this part of Minnesota was something of a bust for us. We had been looking forward to spending about a week in Minnesota; after Lake Itasca, we had booked two nights in what is supposed to be a beautiful state campground on Lake of The Woods. As we headed up that way, though, the weather was just miserable: high 80s with 80% humidity, overcast with thunderstorms expected. And the weather was not supposed to break for several days. Rather than suffer through that, we just passed through Lake of the Woods and headed to International Falls. It was not our day, however; the road connecting the two border communities was closed so we had to drive through about 30 miles of gravel roads through a national forest and, I think, an Indian Reservation. The road was completely deserted the entire route, making us feel just a little bit nervous, waiting for that huge thunderstorm.

We eventually made it to International Falls, where we booked a room in what we thought was a budget motor lodge. Turned out ot be budget in amenities, less so in price. That was no big deal, but we were a little put off at check-in when the owner gave my husband a kind of long lecture about how we were responsible for our children and accountable for any damage they might cause (????). Just wasn't a great day.

We got out of International Falls quickly and headed to Voyageurs National Park where we spent part of the day. Voyageurs is beautiful and, if the weather were better, we would have spent a few days in the area. Most of Voyageurs is on the water; it covers four islands and 50 plus miles of of river portage (tracing part of the route of the old French Canadian fur traders, the voyageurs. You really need to be on the water to enjoy Voyageurs. We had also meant to head towards Ely, the gateway to the Boundary Waters, but with the weather being so totally suck-o, we passed on that and headed right towards Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is also hot right now, but drier and sunnier, giving us some welcome relief. We're in Hayward Lakes in Northern Wisconsin, a place we visited last year and enjoyed very much.

We're seeing a ton of Minnesota plates here, so everyone in Minnesota must have had the same idea we did: get out of Minnesota and go to Wisconsin!

Lake Itasca, Minnesota

We camped two nights at Itasca State Park in Minnesota. Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi River. Here in the park, you can walk across the Mississippi at it leaves the lake a little stream. (Above are a couple of pictures of us doing exactly that). The park is just a great place to stay; it has an historic lodge- CCC built, of course-cabins and two campgrounds. The lake is just gorgeous and there's a swimming beach and boating. This is Minnesota's first and oldest state park and they are very proud of it.

Minot, North Dakota

We broke our trip in Minot, North Dakota, where we checked into a Sleep Inn. We needed a night in a hotel after more than 3 weeks tent camping. The hotel was perfect for that purpose; it has a water park to entertain the kids and is attached to a mall that lets us stock up on needed odds and ends. (camera batteries, air mattresses, etc). We liked it so much, we stayed a second night.

Minot's biggest roadside attraction is a park celebrating its Scandinavian roots. The park has all kinds of buildings, replicas and originals, from the five Scandinavian countries. It also has some statues honoring notable people from that part o f the world (There is a statue of Sondre Norheim, father of modern skiing, with an eternal flame). Above is a picture of a replica stave church, a storehouse, and a Dala Horse, symbol of Denmark.

Bighorn Battlefield

We're staying in a campground in Hardin, Montana (once again surrounded by corn/wheat/sugar beet fields!) as a base to visit the Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Battlefields are usually very poignant places and this one- despite huge crowds- is no exception. I love the plains/prairie; some people see it as just a great empty space, but I think it's just beautiful with the grasses and wildflowers covering everything as far as you can see. At the battlefield, across the plains you can see the mountains in the distance (I think it's the Bighorn Mountains). It's a very lonely place, too, especially when you think of what happened here.

As most people know, this was the site of a fierce battle between the US 7th Cavalry (led by Lt Colonel George A. Custer) and the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians (led by Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull). It was an overwhelming victory for the native Americans, though they ultimately lost the war. One Park Ranger explained, that to him, both sides in this conflict were true patriots who loved their country and their way of life.

Until the 1990s this was called the Custer Battlefield Monument. The name was changed to Little Bighorn Battlefield after President Bush senior instructed that the monument also reflect the losses of the Native Americans. Until that time, the monument focused entirely on the sacrifice of the US Army; memorials and markers covered the battlefield where US soldiers fell; there was no recognition at all of the fallen Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. While the first President Bush ordered the creation of a memorial to the Native war dead, it wasn't until the second President Bush that funds were appropriated to actually build the monument.

Above is a photo of the memorial to the 7th cavalry on Last Stand Hill as well as the newer memorial to the Indians erected nearby.

Cody, Wyoming

After a week in Yellowstone, we spent the night in Cody, Wyoming. Cody is one of the most popular gateway towns to Yellowstone. It was founded by Buffalo Bill Cody, the ultimate entrepreneur, about 100 years ago or so, and has been a tourist haven ever since. There's lot of Old West-y things to do in Cody, but we were only there for a day, so opted to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center instead. Despite the name, the Center is actually a world-class museum that takes at least a couple of days to enjoy. It is actually five museums in one; the Buffalo Bill museum, of course, with all kinds of memorabilia about his life and adventures, a Firearms Museum, a Natural History Museum, a Museum of the Plains Indian and the Whitney Museum of Western Art. The latter two (Western Art and Plains Indian) were really extraordinary; if anyone is ever in Cody, they should make a point of visiting this museum!

While not a particular fan of Buffalo Bill, visiting Cody and the museum really hammered home what a super-rock-star Buffalo Bill was during his lifetime. He created the pop vision of the American West that the rest of America and the world embraced and that still lingers a bit today.

PS. Grace was really enthralled by the Western Art Museum, and one particular bronze really caught her fancy: a statue of two deer intertwined titled "Shadow", she took a picture of it (above)

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Grand Teton again lived up to its expectations. We stayed here 3 days last Summer and wanted to come back and spend a little more time here this year. This park is Irene's favorite national park; she loves the Teton mountain range and thinks there is nothing else like it. We stayed a week in the Colter Bay tent cabins where we were joined mid-week by Irene's sister Betsy and her family.

Even though it is peak season, this park is much more laid-back than its sister park, Yellowstone up the road. It really feels like wilderness.

Wilderness definitely bit back this season, though: while we were here two hikers were lost in separate groups and a fisherman drowned. With all the amenities and conveniences today, it's easy to forget this is still wilderness until you get these very sad reminders.

While at the park we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including several moose, which we never seem to see in any other park but this one! Also some bald eagle, elks and various smaller wildlife. (Not to mention some cuttthroat trout Gracie caught while learning to flyfish. She put them all back).

Dubois,Wyoming

We really lucked out on this pitstop. Dubois is one of the gateway towns to Yellowstone/Grand Teton. It is one of the smaller ones- only 1,000 people live here- and it has a small town feel; not a tourist mecca like Jackson Hole or Cody. We booked three nights at a KOA here sight unseen. We started to have tiny doubts when, five miles out of Dubois, we were still surrounded by really dry, badland-y hill country. (Not the best place to tent camp in mid-Summer!). But, the KOA is green and tree-lined, and right on the Wind River! Mike and the girls can fish right from the campsite. KOAs can be hit-or-miss; the kids really like them because of the pools and playgrounds, but usually the sites are small, close together and not tent-friendly. This campground lived up to its advertising, though. Better than average KOA, with really nice owners and workers, great sites along he river and nice activities for the kids: in addition to a great indoor pool, the girls went on a little horseride (free) the first night and on our second night, attended a chuckwagon cookout with cowboy music.

Dubois is a really neat little town, with a two block downtown with wooden sidewalks, plenty of restaurants and little Western shops. Despite, the Old West theme (done with less kitsch than usual), Dubois is actually authentic cowboy country, surrounded by hills and ranches.

There are plenty of things to do here: trail rides, fishing, a town museum and the National Bighorn Sheep Center.

Weather is great, too. Hot and sunny during the day, cool at night. I think the elevation is about 6500 feet.

Thermopolis, Wyoming

We spent two nights in Thermopolis, on the Bighorn River in Wyoming. Thermopolis has one of the largest mineral hotsprings in the United States; these mineral baths are free to the public thanks to the Wind River Indians. The land where the hot springs are located were originally owned by the Shoshone & Arapaho Indians of the area. About 100 years ago, the tribes sold the land to the US government, but conditioned the sale on the requirement that the hot springs always be free and available to all the people. Above is a picture of the girls in front of one of the mineral fountains (the rocky-looking material is the mineral build up over the years). Mike soaked in the therapeutic baths each day while we were there and we also took the girls to a privately operated splash pool that had water slides and multiple pools, vapor caves, steam rooms, etc.

We also visited the Wyoming Dinosaur Center where we saw tons of dinosaur bones and visited a dig site out in the hills.

Local notables have included Butch Cassidy & the Hole in the Wall Gang (the town museum has the original bar from the saloon where they hung out). Also, Sacajawea is supposedly buried nearby on the Wind River Indian reservation next to the town.

A high point for us, though, was the A&W Root beer restaurant and bowling alley in town. In addition to greta root beer floats and burgers (that you order via telephone at your table0, they also have 3 statues of the A&W family out front. Photo above.

But the big news of our stay here is that Mike caught the biggest trout of his life right in the Bighorn River. He caught it using worms, and is very excited about this.

Thanks to Steven Flax for recommending we visit Thermopolis.

Fort Collins, Colorado & Douglas, Wyoming

After a terrific week in Rocky Mountain National Park, we're taking our time meandering up to Grand Teton & Yellowstone. On our trip last Summer, we tried to see as much as possible; while we fit in a lot of sights, the pace was a little breakneck; this Summer is a bit slower.

Fort Collins is a college town East of the Rockies. I'm not very good at geography, but I think it is on the high plains (same as Douglas). Because of the altitude, and the fact that it is close to the mountains, the weather can be a little dramatic. In both towns, we saw afternoon thunderstorms that were short but fierce, and it can be very windy and a little hot. Nice and cool at night and in the morning, though.

We stopped in Douglas for one night last year; we thought there might be a little more to it than a quick drive-through would show, so we stayed two nights this Summer. Douglas was voted one of the best small towns in America, but it still feels cowboy-like. It was along the Oregon and a couple of other pioneer trails, so there is a lot of history around that. It also had a POW camp during World War II. We didn't check out the museum, but apparently it has memorabilia related to Butch Cassidy and Sundance as well as props from Dances With Wolves.

There are a lot of jobs in energy around here: wind, gas and oil. There is not enough housing to accomodate the energy workers; quite a few seem to be living in trailers thrown up around the area. (Including some in the campground where we stayed).

Above is a picture of a playground in state park outside Douglas. (Isn't the bottom of a redrock canyon a nice place for a swingset?) The real draw to the park is a natural stone bridge and a stone wall with names etched on it of people who passed there through the decades. We saw names going back to the 1920s, but I believe there were even older names, going back to pioneer days.

A little bit of kitsch: Douglas is also the birthplace of the Jackalope, first sighted in the 1890s and then patented in the 1930s. There are statues all around town.

More on Rocky Mountain: The People

One of the best things about camping is that you meet the nicest people! Grace & Lucy met two little girls from Boulder, Colorado, (Delaney & Teagan) who they quickly became firm friends with. Here's a photo of the girls together.

While hiking early on in our trip, Grace lost her camera (she left it on a rock after taking some pictures of some ducks). We filled out a lost and found form at the ranger station, where we were told to keep checking in each day; it might be returned. We seriously doubted that, but on our last day in the park, our camera was brought in! The men who found it left their photo on the camera (see above). What a great way to end our camping trip; thank you, fellows.

When talking abut the nice people of the park, we can't forget the people who work there; the volunteers and the park rangers. Grace and Lucy became junior rangers and attended a ranger program at least once a day while we were there. The rangers give talks and guided walks, and their enthusiasm really shines through. They also work really hard on their various presentations; our campsite was next to the campground amphitheatre; the rangers always arrived an hour to an hour-and-a-half early to prepare for their nightly presentations.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Where to Start? Mike says his favorite national park is the one he happens to be in when asked the question. This is true for us right now about Rocky Mountain National Park; after camping there for a week, it's definitely one of our favorite parks at this point.

We camped for a week at Moraine Park campground on the East side of the Park. Above is a picture of the view from our campsite. The weather was terrific: sunny and in the 60s and 70s most days; cool at night (down to the low 40s, high 30s). Wildflowers were blooming all over the place and we saw lots of wildlife: elk, coyote, marmots and mule deer.

What struck us most about the park is how accessible it is. The Park Service takes its mandate very seriously to both preserve our wild and historic places and to make them accessible to the people and to the generations that come after us This is almost an impossible charge when you think about it: to preserve and to make accessible! The Park Service does a good job of it, though. We were in Rocky Mountain 4th of July weekend; the park was packed with people, but we were able to get to places that still felt like wilderness.

In addition to plenty of back country hikes, there are also a number of nature trails in the Park for people who are mobility impaired. We took our girls for a walk on a handicap accessible trail around a beautiful mountain lake. A couple of hundred yards off the lake, was a handicap accessible back country campsite! Photo above.

Kearney, Nebraska

After a night in Hastings, Nebraska, the birthplace of Kool Aid, we visited a major Nebraska Roadside attraction: The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney. (Though it's technically not roadside, since it is built over I-80.) This interactive exhibit is a tribute to westward mobility: starting with the pioneers along the various trails that converge at the Platte River (Mormon, Oregon, California), on to the transcontinental railroad, followed by the Lincoln Highway, and culminating in the current day I-80. It sounds hokey, but it works; we all really enjoyed it. This attraction is mentioned, usually with affection, in Roadside America, Roadtrip USA and other guidebooks. If that's not enough to reel you in, a scene from "About Schmidt" starring Jack Nicholson was filmed here.

We then headed on to Colorado, where we're spending the night in Brush. Brush is in the Eastern Plains, not too far from Yuma, the town which served as the inspiration for Plainsong by Kent Haruf. (If you haven't alreadyread the book, do! Or rent the movie by the same name). The weather here is pretty brutal: hot (97 today) with high winds and often fierce storms: tornadoes, hailstorms, you name it. It will be good to go into the mountain tomorrow.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, West Branch, Iowa

Tonight we're staying near West Liberty, Iowa, in a very affordable Econolodge surrounded by nothing but cornfields. This afternoon, we visited the Herbert Hoover National Historic site, in West Branch,Iowa, the town where President Hoover was born and where he lived until he was 9. Above is the two room cottage where Hoover was born and lived with his parents and his brother and sister. President Hoover and his wife are also buried there; above is a photo of the gravesite. In addition to the Hoover cottage, there are also a collection of historic homes, the schoolhouse Hoover attended and the Friends Meetinghouse where he worshiped, along with a reconstruction of his father's blacksmith shop. Also on site is the presidential library and museum.

I think it is really interesting where Presidents' choose to be buried and where they build their libraries. Hoover left here when he was 9 and never lived here again, but chose this spot for his library and burial site. He must have had great affection for his hometown; the town, in turn, is very proud of its President.

Indiana Amish Country

We're taking I-80 out to Colorado and trying to find interesting places to stay along the route. Yesterday, we spent the morning in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. (Photo Above) This is one of the 10 most visited national parks in the U.S and a lovely place to spend a few hours or a couple of days. There are a number of trails and walking paths, including a towpath along the Cuyahoga River, once part of the Ohio-Erie Canal System. There is also a scenic railroad, some historic sites, and a really pretty small town nearby, Peninsula, Ohio. If we have time, we'll spend a couple of days here on the way home.

We stayed the night in Indiana Amish Country, in a town called Shipshewana. Like Lancaster County, this is a big tourist area, for the same reasons Lancaster is popular. We had a very nice Amish-style dinner at the Blue Gate restaurant, which was a welcome break from road food.

Camp Tweedale, Oxford, PA

We dropped off Grace & Lucy yesterday for five nights at Girl Scout Camp Tweedale. This is Lucy's first year at sleepaway camp! (Grace's 5th). With the girls enjoying themselves at camp, it gives us a few days to pack up and prepare for our trip.

Spring Break 2010: St Augustine, Florida

As a dry run for this Summer's roadtrip, we drove down to Florida where we spent a week at Mike's sister's house outside of Jacksonville. We took it easy driving, spending two nights along the road each way, which still gave us five nights in Florida.

Saint Augustine is a fabulous vacation spot. It really emphasizes its Spanish colonial roots, with a lot of tourist attractions with that theme. We visited the Castillo de San Marcos, a large fort (and national monument) in town, went to a living history museum, toured some historic sites (everything is a first here: first schoolhouse, first church, etc). We went to some roadside attractions for Irene ( Alligator Farm, Ponce De Leon Fountain of Youth), went to the original Ripley's Believe It or Not for Grace & Lucy (and took the Ghost Tour later) and, for Mike, hit some beautiful beaches and state parks.

Overall, it was a very satisfying family vacation.

Above is a picture of Grace & Lucy at the Fountain of Youth, Grace at the Castillo, and Lucy wrestling an alligator (stuffed).

Christmas Vacation

Our first trip of the year was to Lake Placid, New York. The Adirondacks is a family favorite of ours; we weren't able to get there last Summer because of our big road trip, so we came up for Christmas week to get our Adirondack "fix". We rented a cabin at another old favorite, the Wilderness Inn II, which is a cabin cluster and fun restaurant/bar in Wilmington, NY. This family-owned resort is headed by a former NYC Rockette who, though now in her 90s, still greets guests in the restaurant.

We had perfect weather, lots of snow, though not too cold, and the kids were able to go tubing, sledding (and dogsledding), make snowmen, and go cross country skiing.