Wow! Have I really
not written since Michigan? I knew our
trip was a whirlwind but I had no idea the extent ;o) Well we are back in Wyoming…but we did make
it to the east coast! Yippy! And let me tell you how good it feels to be
out of that rat race and back home!
Although it was beautiful and eventful, it was busy and exhausting. From the lower peninsula of Michigan we
headed through Ohio where we were able to bike in Cuyahoga National Park on
Labor day weekend. From there we headed
up towards Niagara Falls where Ethan celebrated his 5th birthday…in
CANADA ;o) Awesome! Although we enjoyed Adirondack park in New
York, they weren’t the Rockies ;o)
However we did love Vermont and the Green Mountains. I got my romantic wish of going to a sugar
shack to try pure maple syrup…yum!
Although our (or should I say our kids) lobster experience in Maine was
quite the opposite. They were a bit
shocked that we were going to eat something we had just seen swimming in a
tank! However, Acadia was
wonderful! We loved the ocean and the
history of the park. Boston was a bit
more challenging. Especially trying to
find parking with a canoe on our roof ;o)
But the freedom trail was fascinating and the city itself was my
favorite. Nonetheless it still left me
exhausted and leaning toward home. That
is until an angel paid us a visit in what we thought was a quaint elementary
school park. After telling this man we
were on our way home, he said “we’d be crazy not to take the train to New York
City!”, as the train station was just a couple miles from there. My thought: we don’t have to find
parking? Okay I’m in! And we did!
The statue of Liberty and all (Addalynn’s dream come true!). We also managed to cram in Plymouth Rock,
Cape Cod National Seashore, and Gettysburg.
All before taking another train from Harpers Ferry to Union Station in
Washington, D.C. Loved the memorials and
walking the mall. Although I would love
to go back and see the museums when our kiddos are older. Shenandoah was a breath of fresh air. Although the rat race whirlwind of a trip had
us ahead of schedule and the heat had us yet again longing for the cool
mountains of home instead. After an
indescribable detour to see Noah’s Ark in Kentucky, less than a week after
seeing New York city, we kissed the cold refreshing ground of Wyoming. As you can see it is by the Grace of God we
made it!
I can’t
say that I loved every minute of our trip.
As I have said, there were moments when I wanted to go home, moments
when I wanted monotony, and moments when I wanted my momma! But the blessing of being able to explore and
discover much of our country has left me marveling and with memories I will
never forget (in fact I hope I don’t, because I’m sure I will have to remind
our 3 small children someday). But I
think our goal in spending more quality time as a family, dabbling in
activities and places around the U.S., and finding our next place to put down
roots has been met. We’ve bonded while
biking, canoeing, hiking, and picnicking all over the country…but there’s no
place like home! We’ve yet to adventure
to the deep south, the west coast, and my (still) dream: Alaska, but Wyoming is
by far the most extraordinary to us. So here
we are! Until next time ;o)
