Author: Tammy

What??? How did we get to Georgia already? I can’t believe this is Day 8. We had another long day of driving but we broke it up a bit. Here is what our day looked like.

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Tavis and I got up just after 7:00 this morning. I got some work done before getting the kids up at 8:30. We had breakfast (leftover bananas and pop tarts). While Tavis made sandwiches and the kids got ready, I stripped the beds, put all the linens in the tub, emptied the garbage, and turned on the dishwasher. We locked the doors at 9:30am and our 6 hour drive had begun.

At 11:00am we drove through Myrtle Beach. I understand why it is a destination for many vacationers. We passed several amusement parks, resorts, and malls. We didn’t have time to stop but I imagine the beaches were just as nice as Outer Banks and Wilmington. As we crossed the border into South Carolina we all got a kick out of the sign that informed drivers, “No handheld devices starting Sep 1”.

At 11:30am we stopped at an Exxon to stretch our legs and pee. We also topped up the vehicle since gas was 2.69/gal. The car only took 6 gallons. I also got my computer out to respond to an email and get a bit of work done that needed to be done today.

We arrived in Charleston, Georgia just before 1:15pm. Grok suggested we park at the Cumberland Street Parking Garage. It was $1 for every 30 minutes which was nice because most lots were by the hour and we had no idea how long we would be. It was also nice to park in the cool, shaded parking garage with facilities.

What an old city! We took in the history as we walked down the historic district, past Rainbow Row and to a very narrow alley. Along the way, we walked into an old hotel that was converted to a theatre. The guy at the door was very nice and invited us in to have a look while it was under renovation.

We walked passed several houses and buildings that had ties back to the 1800s with plaques that told their story. We walked for over an hour and really enjoyed the walk and reading the interesting historical plaques around Charleston. What stood out to me besides the architecture of the buildings were the true cobblestone roads, gas lanterns, and arbutus trees that lined the streets.

We also had an alternative motive… we are also nearing the end of our road trip and the kids are determined to find license plates from every state in the US. Along our walk in Charleston I think we found over 10 that we were missing!

Just after 2:30pm we were on our way again. It was a fairly uneventful drive. We arrived at our next Airbnb just after 4:30pm. The house was cute and we had quite the welcome party😂.

We parked just outside and it was hot and humid so we all fell into our regular routine of getting bags into the front entrance, then bring everything to the bedrooms. Well… not sure who did it but someone managed to set their bag on the hugest cockroach ever and smooshed it into the floor. The kids didn’t believe me when I started laughing and blamed them for killing the welcome wagon. Their reaction once they saw it was quite humorous. After everyone brought their bags up I swept up the remanence of the little critter (which was still quite fresh) along with a buddy of his which was belly up and looked like he went some time earlier.

So first impressions are unfortunate because the house itself was quite impressive. It was located in the historic district and had a cobblestone road out front. We were in the upper unit so as soon as we entered we went up the stairs. The ceilings were 10-12 ft. There were 2 large bedrooms with king beds, a large room with a queen, and the last room was an average size with a queen bed. It also had a living groom with 2 couches and a tv, a well stocked kitchen, and 2 full bathrooms (with a huge washer and dryer). It really was a nice historic house with wooden floors throughout and fireplaces in each room. I loved the character!

As soon as we arrived, everyone picked their rooms and had an hour of downtime to relax.

At 5:30pm we tried to get everyone out to explore. It took 20 minutes to get out of the house. We began our walk through the historic district toward the river. Our house was just off Whitaker Street, which Tavis and I found interesting.

After 5 minutes we arrived at Forsyth Park which was a huge green space with a playground, basketball courts, monuments, paths, and a fountain that wasn’t working. This is where Forrest Gump sat when he completed how life is like a box of chocolates. We were there!! I almost wanted to sit on every bench so I could say I sat where Tom Hanks sat but I figure that might have been a bit over the top so I will settle with the fact that we were in the same park and walked past the same bench.😝

After the park, there was a square commemorating someone at each block all the way to the river. We took photos of Madison square which also had art buildings across the street. There was also Lafayette Square and Chippewa Square.

We were getting hungry so Tavis spotted B & D Burgers which looked decent so we went in. The hostess and server were both very nice and they brought us an entire jug of ice cold water. Addison ordered gator sliders, Tavis got the Savannah Fire burger, and the rest of us ordered regular menu items. Our food came quick and it was quite good. Addison said that gator tasted like meat… whatever that means🤷‍♀️.

It was 7:30pm by the time we finished dinner. We walked along River Street. It was very historic. To get down we had to go down a very narrow historic staircase with short steps. I have determined after extensive research (2 staircases) that people of historic Savannah had small feet.

The road along River Street was large cobblestone with railroad tracks. There was even a tunnel. We walked through quaint touristy shops and watched some large ships come under the bridge and along the river. We also kept a lookout for license plates. After our walk, we only 8 left to find!

We discovered there was a free trolley that runs from River Street almost to our Airbnb. Unfortunately it only runs between 10am-7pm so we had to walk the 30 minutes back. It was a beautiful walk through. By the time we started back it was dark but we passed some ghost tour ground and there weren’t any areas that felt all that unsafe.

We arrived back at the house around 8:45pm. We took turns showering. I was impressed with the water pressure in the showers. Also the fridge had a water and ice dispenser which aren’t bad. After my shower I worked on my blog post while everyone relaxed and got ready for bed.

We were all quite tired from another very long day. We had walked nearly 13 km and drove over 300 miles. We turned off the lights at 10:30pm. Good night 🥱

Wow, how are we already a week into our vacation?!? In some ways it feels like we just started and in others it seems like we’ve been gone all summer because we have experienced so much. Here is how today went.

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I woke up at 7:30am and did some work before everyone was up. I also posted yesterday’s blog. When Tavis got up we went to check out breakfast. Today is highs of 89 in the area which is a nice change.

At 8:15 we got the kids out of bed and everyone started packing. We also each went to get food as we finished were ready. It seemed like everyone just did their own thing. In the end we left with 4 bananas and a blueberry muffins.

We left the hotel just after 9:30. As we were approaching the town of Duck, we noticed signs along the side of a large stretch of the road that read, “Danger No Trespassing”. I was quite intrigued at what could possibly be so dangerous that they don’t want people entering. A quick search on Grok informed us that the area was once used as military bomb testing ground and there may be unexploded bombs in the area. The area is currently used as Military tidal research.

As we drove through Duck we noticed a huge Super Wings which is a store that has touristy items including shirts. We decided to stop in because the kids wanted souvenirs. Over 30 minutes later we left with 4 t-shirts and a magnet.

Just before 11:00am we were still on the island. We entered Nags Head. We all loved the island vibe. The buildings were all so colourful and unique. It was also very family friendly. I think the tiny island had over 4 mini golf courses!

We decided that Outer Banks was actually a very cool place and we totally get the draw. We would be happy to spend an entire week in this touristy beach area.

About five minutes later we took the bridge to Roane Island and we were officially leaving Outer Banks. Beside the bridge were huge row homes that had enormous yachts parks in slips infront of each one. These were no longer tourists 😝.

Just after noon, we stopped at a restaurant area in Plymouth, Washington County. Apparently this is home to the biggest black bears. We had a quick stop to stretch our legs and use the facilities. We were only there less than 10 minutes.

At 1:30pm we hit traffic before arriving into New Bern. There was construction on the bridge and it was down to 1 lane alternating traffic. We were stopped infront of Weyerhaeuser!

At 2:00 we arrived in Jacksonville. We stopped 20 minutes later at a Shell for fuel at 2.69/gal. Ari asked if they had water but all they had was free hot water. We were less than an hour from our next house so we decided to wait. The weather is still nice. I was in the front for the past 3 hours. I switched with Ari. The sky roof is a nice feature in our vehicle. The sky was beautiful with some clouds.

We arrived in Wilmington just after 3:00pm. We stopped at Aldi, a local grocery store, to get groceries for dinner. They had a lot of empty shelves and the meat didn’t look great. We decided to go across the street to Walmart.

At Walmart we bought buns, meat and cheese, and more peanuts for the drive tomorrow. We also bought 2 roasted chickens and 3 potatoes, butter, and potato chips for dinner. Altogether, we spent just under $50.00. We discovered that steaks here are as expensive as at home so no steaks for us until the cruise. We were back in the car by 3:45.

We arrived at the Airbnb just after 4:00pm and quickly took all of our luggage into the house.It was cute little house with 3 bedrooms. This place has everything and really did have the feel of coming home. They had all the conveniences that we have at home, including tv.

As Addison cut up our pineapple and Tavis prepared the baked potatoes, I sorted through the laundry. Lucky for us they had a huge washer and dryer! We were able to get by with 2 loads of laundry. While waiting for the first load to finish, we enjoyed our chicken dinner.

When we finished dinner, we put the second load of laundry in and everyone relaxed. Tavis and I had a work meeting at 6:00pm so we couldn’t leave until then anyways. After our meeting we were disappointed to discover the clothes were nowhere near being dry. I guess the load was too big 🤷‍♀️

After our 6:00 meeting and getting the kids out of bed and laundry changed, we drove to Wrightsville Beach to watch the sunset. Unfortunately the sun was setting on the opposite side of the island but there was blue sky above us and grey clouds toward the sunset so we didn’t miss much. We parked at a public parking entrance. It is paid parking until 7:00pm so we didn’t have to pay. We took the sandy trail to the beach and started walking down the beach towards the large pier in the distance.

We learned that there are several entrances and they all look the same. You are supposed to take note of the entrance number. Ooops. Oh well, we figured that was a problem for future us.

The beach was very similar to Outer Banks. The waves were huge and lots of surfers were taking advantage. We weren’t sure if the waves were always large or if it was because of the coming hurricane.

We took lots of photos and took in the scenery. We followed a bird for quite a ways whom Ari named Eugene. He was so funny running in and out of the waves and eating crabs. Eventually he flew away.

We walked past the pier and decided to turn around after the sun went down, with the thought that it would be easier to find our car in the light. As it turned out, we found it no problem. We were at entrance 24. We were a bit sandy when we got in the car. That is the one problem with the beach.

We decided to go home and check on our laundry. We were all too sandy to enter the house so we rinsed off with the hose in the back. There were frogs jumping around! If we didn’t have plans to check out the boardwalk we would have enjoyed catching frogs.

Our laundry still wasn’t dry so we put it in for another hour and we decided to check out the river walk which supposedly was lit and open 24/7.

We didn’t really think much about the safety of our plan… going out after dark to walk in an unknown city along a public boardwalk downtown. What could possibly go wrong? 🤷‍♀️ As we drove through the city, Addison and Tavis both thought it was a lot like Kelowna with a Main Street and lots of large businesses around.

As we got closer to downtown and the river walk, the town of Wilmington had a definite New Orleans vibe with the narrow streets and character of the buildings. It was just after 9:00pm by the time we found parking, which is free after 6pm. There were some homeless people but overall, we didn’t feel too unsafe. It was quite lit up and there were others out walking. We walked about 15 minutes up toward the battleship. I quite enjoyed the walk and closed my rings. After 15 minutes we decided to turn around as it was getting late and we all needed to shower.

We got home just after 10:00pm. Our clothes were dry and we took turns showering. We all decided that if we plan a beach trip, Wilmington should be on the list. Unlike the tourist attraction of Outer Banks, Wilmington is more affordable and the beaches are just as nice. The water is quite warm as well.

Tomorrow we will make our way to Savannah. It is a 5 hr drive so we don’t have to get up early. Yay!

We had an early start today. Tavis was up at 6:00 to relax and have a coffee. I was up at 6:30 and we got the kids up at 6:45. We had pop tarts and watermelon for breakfast. It took a bit of time to get everyone packed up, the house tidied, and water bottles full. The car was packed and we were on the road by 7:30. We really enjoyed our stay and we all agreed this was the most comfortable accommodations we’ve had, other than no full kitchen or laundry. The beds were super comfy. We also discovered they had no garbage or recycling pick up which might be why they had no kitchen.

At 9:00, we stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. it was well maintained and there were paved trails through the trees to a picnic area. It was very peaceful. By 9:20 we were back on the road again. We have all been taking turns sitting in the front and we have had very little arguing over seats so far.

At 10:35am we had another scary incident on the highway. All of a sudden a huge semi truck decided to pass us but he was very close. Luckily Tavis realized he was coming into our lane and locked up the breaks because there was a car on the other side of us and we had no where to go. The collision was avoided and no one hit us from behind 😮‍💨. Tavis’ hands were shaking and the rest of us were on high alert, except Ayva who was sleeping. She briefly opened her eyes and drifted back to sleep. We continued on through Richmond.

Around 11:15, we stopped at Walmart in Chesapeake to stretch our legs and eat our sandwiches. We looked for a loofa and Ayva wanted candy. We noticed a dollar tree across the street so we walked over and spent $6 on our items, while Tavis got fuel which was 2.79/gal. We had a bathroom break and were on our way again before 11:45.

At 12:15 our cell phones started buzzing. Apparently an evacuation warning was released for Outer Banks because Hurricane Erin is coming. We had a bad feeling that we would be turned away from our hotel because visitors were being evacuated today and residents are being g evacuated tomorrow. We decided to drive the last 45 minutes to the hotel and see what they said.

Driving over the bridge and up the island was so cool. It felt like it was a small beach resort town that you see on tv. We drove through a small town called Duck. 😝. Just after 1:00pm we arrived at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Outer Banks. Tavis ran in to see if we could check in.

The receptionist informed Tavis that we were totally safe where we were. However our room was not ready yet so she invited us in to enjoy the pools and facilities. We decided to eat more sandwiches and check out the beach.

After seeing the crowded beach and feeling the heat, we decided to take this opportunity to check out Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill, about 35 minutes south.

During the drive Tavis got quite tired so we stopped at a public beach parking lot for 15 minutes while everyone closed their eyes. At 2:30 we continued on the the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

We arrived around 2:45 we pulled up to the booth expecting to pay $10/person. We were excited to see that the booth was empty and there was a sign saying we could enjoy the loop drive at no charge. We ended up spending an hour at the Memorial. We walked up Kill Devil Hill where they spent hundreds of hours testing the wings be before the first flight. We walked around and into the memorial that was built in the 1930s to commemorate them.

Next we stopped at a statue that depicted the scene of an early flight. I liked how they had statues of the brothers along with locals and a photographer. We also took lots of photos. Then we carried on to see their sleeping quarters and shop and where the actual first flights took place. They had markers to show how far each one went. It was cool to see actual photos of the events.

At 3;45pm we started making our way back to our hotel in Corolla. Just after leaving we got a call saying our room was ready so it was good timing. We arrived back to the hotel just after 4pm.

We quickly checked in and took our bags to the room. We got a suite on the first floor facing one of the pools. Tavis and the kids had a nap while I got some work done. As soon as I finished I put on my bathing suit and went to the pools. After floating in the lazy river on a tube I relaxed on a hammock. There were clouds in the sky and it wasn’t terribly hot. Ari woke me about 10 minute later and we went for a family walk on the beach.

We walked out to the beach around 6:30 and it was empty. The sand was incredibly soft as we walked down the beach chasing crabs and waves. It was so peaceful and felt so good on our bare feet.

We stayed on the beach until almost 7:00pm while the kids did their own photo shoot. Then we rinsed our feet and set out in the car about 10 minutes north to find some food.

We found a place called Bernie’s Brother that had a line up out the door. We figured it must be good so we put our name in. We were told it was an hour wait so we walked through the touristy stores and watched the sun set behind the clouds. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as lastnight, but still beautiful.

We started walking to the restaurant at 8:15 and just as we arrived back at the parking lot we got a text that our table was ready. We got seated right away. The place was emptying out a bit but not too many people came after we did. I ordered a pizza, Tavis got a burger, Ari got a crab cake, Ayva got chicken salad, and Addison ordered the Texas Beast burger which was unique to this restaurant and the menu offered a challenge to finish it. It was a 1/2 patty between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches… and yes he did finish the burger, but he needed help with the fries!😳

By the time we finished eating and got back to the hotel it was 9:30 so we all went swimming. By that time the pools were almost empty. We started in the lazy river. Then I went back to the room to shower first. When I finished, Tavis was back to shower. The kids moved to the pool just outside our room. We both worked but by 10:15 we asked the kids to come back and start showering.

By the time we got to bed it was after 11:00. We had another great day and I fell asleep almost instantly. I love how each day seems to be amazing and completely different. The cities were much different from the national park, which was completely different from the small touristy beach area of Outer Banks. All so amazing in their own way.

Tomorrow we make our way to Wilmington which will be our laundry day. Hurricane Erin has changed course and seems to be heading there as well but she has changed course a few times so we will carry on and see what happens. It could be interesting, but we have a backup plan because Tavis has a friend in Raleigh who invited us to stay if needed and it is only 2 hours from Wilmington. So no need to worry.

This morning we got off to a late start. I blame the super comfy beds. Tavis and I slept in until after 8:00 and we waited until 9:00 to get the kids out of bed. We all had raspberry filled donuts. Tavis had a coffee and I made myself a tea. Then we discussed which hikes we planned to do. In the end, Addison and Tavis came up with a plan, and Ayva helped make sandwiches for lunch.

At 10:45, we finally left the house. We took a drive outside the national park and entered at a halfway point. Then we carried on down the drive that was in the dark lastnight.

Our first stop was Doyle Upper and Lower Falls. We arrived at the parking lot just after 12:30. Everyone ate their sandwich before we began the hike down. We met a family with a tiny dog that was even smaller than echo and he was full grown. It was a large family hiking down. We continued at a much faster pace.

The trail was actually quite steep. We reached the lower waterfalls after about 35 minutes of hiking. It was cool by the water so we hung around for over 10 minutes. The falls were quite underwhelming but we took photos and headed toward the car. The boys stopped at the upper falls but it didn’t look all that impressive and it was super hot and humid. Ayva and I carried on to get a 5-10 minute head start on the climb toward the car. Along the way we passed the family with the tiny dog. We also passed 2 other groups. About 20 minutes later Addison caught up and passed us. We saw a deer on the path who seemed quite tame so we took a break and admired him. About 5 minutes before the parking lot Tavis and Ari caught up to us.

When we got back to the car we were dripping wet and exhausted. It was under an hour and a half including our stops. The sign indicated it was over a 2 hour hike but our pace was a bit faster than average. We were so happy to be in the air conditioned car. We were not as happy 5 minutes later when Addison announced we were at the next hike.

At 2:15 we got out and were surprised at how much cooler it was. It could have been because we hadn’t started hiking yet. The hike itself was about 10 minutes each way but we spent over 30 minutes climbing on the black boulders and taking in the scenery. The kids enjoyed the photo opp. We left Addison and Ayva on the rocks to finish photos as we started back to the car. It was getting g very hot in the open sun.

We passed some locals on the way. Apparently they saw the kids who asked about wildlife in the area. They said that the copperhead snakes and poisonous spiders live in the rocks and it isn’t a good idea to climb on them. That would have been much more helpful about 40 minutes earlier 🤦‍♀️. It a good thing we didn’t think to ask anyone before. Luckily none of us were bitten but we will be sticking to the trails for the remainder of our time in Virginia.

Our next stop was back to Walmart for groceries. We bought chicken, spices, potatoes, and a watermelon for dinner. We also got sandwich meat, cheese, 24 buns, a pineapple, and some twizzlers for lunch tomorrow. We spent under $45 which was much more budget friendly than fast food.

From there we went to Shell to get more water because it was so cold and tasted so good. While the kids were in the store filling up all the water bottles, Tavis topped up the car for our drive tomorrow but it only took $10.

We arrived back at the house just after 5:15pm. Tavis and Addison prepared dinner while I cut up the watermelon. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and got a bit of reset before venturing out to our hike.

We left the house around 6:30pm and made our way to to Humpback rocks. We arrived to the parking lot at 7:00. We were happy that it was much cooler. There were two girls who were starting the same time but within minutes they were gone and Addison was on their heels. The rest of us took our time climbing the steep, windy, rocky trail. it was a really fun hike but the steepest one we’ve done.

35 minutes later we arrived at the summit. It was breathtaking. We came out onto a huge rocky bluff that dropped straight down. The sun was still above the clouds and we thought we’d miss the sunset because of the rainstorm sweeping in below the sun. It was crazy to watch the storm move across the sky. As the sun set, the clouds were just perfect for an amazing show. We chatted with a couple and their dog who were on a date night without the kids. They took our photo for us.

Soon the thunder and lightening began. The sun hadn’t quite set but we knew it would get dark and storm was getting close. It took us 35 minutes to hike up and 25 minutes to get down. Addison took off ahead of us but we caught him 10 minutes later. He had taken a wrong turn and luckily realized it and found the right one just as we were approaching. We didn’t see him again until we got down to the car. By the time we reached the bottom, it was raining and quite dark but the sun was still putting on a nice deep pink show.

We stopped at a lookout about 7 minutes toward home so Ayva could take some photos but we just rolled down the window. The rain had stopped so we are pretty sure it had just skirted us. As we headed home it was now pitch black and there was lightening in the distance.

Tavis missed our turn, but Google rerouted us and it only added 10 minutes. We thought it would be a good idea to go a different route. What we didn’t realize is that it rerouted us onto a tiny little road that had no lines and was wide enough for only 1 car. It was lined with trees and super windy. It reminded me of the road to Hanna in Maui, but it was dark and we had no idea what was around us. All 5 of us were on high alert just taking it all in and watching g the lightening. At one point there was almost a 360 degree turn! It was amazing from the backseat, but I’m sure Tavis was quite a bit more stressed than we were. He did say it kept him alert.

We got home around 9:10. I finished cutting up the watermelon, washed the remaining I g dishes, then started working on my blog while the kids and Tavis showered. We all had an amazing day and decided we need to come back to the area and finish driving the Blue Ridge parkway.

We decided to have an early night because our plan is to leave the house by 7:00am tomorrow as we make our way back to the coast.

Wow, another amazing day! I can’t believe we started in Washington, DC, drove through Shenandoah National Park, and ended in Roseland. It feels like today was a week long! Below is what happened today.

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Lastnight, we had the air conditioner blowing directly on our bed. I discovered this morning that Tavis barely slept because he was hot and cold all night long.

We got up at 7:00am and with a little bit of persistence, we got the kids out of bed. We went down for our included breakfast at 7:30. They had a decent selection of fruit, cereal, eggs, sausages, and much more. Although none of us are breakfast people, we filled our stomachs for the well needed energy.

We were back up at the room by 8:15 and packed our bags while we waited for 8:30 when we could book same day tickets to the Smithsonian museum. The more I g was sold out so this was our only opportunity. Surprisingly, we were able to get 5 tickets for the 10:00am entrance!

By 9:00am, with our bags packed, we left them in the room and started walking toward the Lincoln Memorial. We made our way past the White House to the Reflection Pool. The Lincoln Memorial was all the way at the end of it. It was so hot already and we all had sweat dripping off us. We finally arrived by 9:30 and it was way more impressive than I imagined. Photos don’t do it justice. We stayed and admired the view for 15 minutes.

Next, we made our way to the Korean War Memorial which was extremely impressive in a completely different way. The names of those lost was sad. Over a million UN soldiers lost their lives.

From there we made our way to a round about to call an uber to take us to the Museum. Just before Tavis called it, Addison saw a statue that he wanted to walk to. We ended up all the way back behind the Lincoln Memorial and the statue wasn’t even worthy of a photo. We ended up walking all the way back to the spot to call the Uber and it was now 10:15 and I may have been a little panicked.

Our Uber came quick and we made it to the Air and Space Museum by 10:30am. It was neat walking past all the people in line and having them scan our passes and and we walked right in. I can’t believe there was no fee for the tickets! It was incredible!!!

When we walked in the museum was huge. We were in awe of the planes in the sky and the number of rooms in the building. We agreed that if we got split up we would meet at the front entrance at 12:30. Naturally we all dispersed. Tavis, Ayva, and I sort of stuck together but the boys we didn’t see at all. I have no idea how but at noon all 5 of us just ran I to each other at the Need for Speed display. It was crazy!!!!

We all went to the gift shop together and the boys all got a shirt before we started back to the hotel at 12:30. After 10 minutes of walking it became clear that we were not going to make it back in time for our 1:00pm checkout. Tavis called another Uber and we were at the hotel by 12;45. By the time we collected our bags from the room, went the bathroom and filled our water bottles it was exactly 1:00pm.

We all walked to the car together and I was so relieved to see the car untouched exactly as we left it. Not going to lie, I was nervous! In the end, Washington DC was amazing. We did not feel unsafe at any point during our visit (other than the scared lady as we arrived). This was definitely a place we could have spent more time. It really was like a modern day Ancient Greece. The buildings are huge and have a very similar feel.

Once we loaded everything in the car we started driving toward Front Station Entrance which was the gateway to the skyline drive through Shenandoah National Park. We made a quick stop at Walmart north of Gainesville. It was just off the highway and easy to navigate to and from. We bought sandwich meat, cheeses, buns, crackers, apples, Oreos, and discounted raspberry donuts. Ayva also got a cool shirt, I got shorts, and Tavis got some sun screen.

We drove through the town of Front Royal before going to the entrance. I commented on the cheap gas prices a few times but our driver thought we had lots of fuel. We arrived at the park entrance just before 3;45pm and paid $30 for a pass which is good for 7 days. We stopped at the Visitor Centre. We met Grayson who gave us tons of information. I told him we had 120 miles of fuel and he didn’t think we would make it through since the park is 105 miles and then you have to drive to a station. He suggested we take a detour part way through.

We left equipped with a map, booklet, and about 7 pages of hikes to check out. They were super nice and had some great conversations about bear experiences.

It was after 4:00pm before we started our journey through the National Park. At first we stopped at every pullout. The views were beautiful! We spent some time arguing over where to stop but in the end we decided to do a 90 minute hike at mile 50 to a waterfall. We made lots of stops before then and have a ridiculous amount of photos.

At 5:20 we stopped at a pullout with huge boulders. Naturally Addison was at the top before I even got out of the car! We got some photos and carried on.

We stopped at one pullout with some guys and some huge equipment that we thought might have been cameras. Ari discovered they were actually in a ham radio competition. Even Canadians were participating in it. They were really nice but we had to carry on.

When we got to the half way mark our car still said we had 110 miles to employ so an executive decision was made to power on and not stop for fuel. I was not totally comfortable with the decision but I kept quiet.

By 6:15 we arrived at our hike to Dark Hollow Falls. We saw lots of people just coming up. They were out of breathe and said it was steep, but beautiful and about 75 minutes. We were excited for the challenge as we headed on our way.

Only 19 minutes later we arrived at a tiny waterfall with lots of people around. We couldn’t believe this was “the waterfall”. I put down my water bottle and I heard people gasping. When I looked up Addison was on top of a huge boulder about the size of the waterfall🤦‍♀️. Ari also went up but stumbled and skinned his leg part way up. Addison had climbed down and the next time I looked he was standing above the waterfall. He walked all the way around and met us back on the other side. We were there a total of 10 minutes before we made our way back to the car.

We arrived back to car just 39 minutes after leaving the parking lot. We discovered (or maybe remembered) that most people don’t hike at the same speed we do. It was close to 7:00 though and we still had 2 hours ahead of us.

A few minutes down the road we stopped at another lookout to make sandwiches. The view was spectacular. We ate our sandwiches and Ari went to have a chat with a guy who was also eating his dinner. We had a minivan and lots of gear. It turns out he had driven from Vancouver. Yep, he even pulled the door down and showed us his BC license plate. Apparently he is from Melbourne and flew to Vancouver 3 months ago, bought the van and has been touring the US ever since going from one music festival to the next. He has been everywhere from Louisiana, California, Yellowstone, and is aiming for New York by August 19. He plays the mandolin and even took it out and played some Eddie Veddar songs for us. His name is Noah James and we exchanged numbers. We told him he could reach out if he plans to go back to Vancouver. We had such an amazing conversation with him.

Done we were back in the car and we stopped a bit later to watch the sunset. We got some amazing photos. Then we stopped at the next o e for more photos. We repeated that until the sun was down at 8:30pm.

At 9:00pm we were all sad to be leaving the park. It was an amazing drive that we all loved and we are so glad we did it. It was pitch black when we left and we saw a few deer on the road but no bears.

When we left the park we made our way to Waynesboro for fuel. When we pulled into the gas station we had 130miles left on the tank… so maybe it might not be accurate 🤔. I didn’t have to stress.

After leaving the gas station we made our way to the Airbnb. The road was very windy and dark and Tavis wasn’t even doing the speed limit. It was a lot of fun though and we were all on high alert for wildlife. We didn’t see anything g other than a few dead squirrels. Our eta was 9:51pm.

It was a bit difficult to find the house in the dark. After going to the wrong house we eventually found where we were supposed to be. It was super cute but when we got in… 😳😳😳 The rooms were huge and the place was impressive the kids have the upstairs suite with their own bathroom, a kind bed and a queen. Tavis and I are on the bottom suite with a king bed, couch, 2 dressers, huge ensuite, huge walk in closet and enough room to dance!

Addison immediately found the record player and put on some music. We started the showering routine and everyone was excited to settle in for their 2 night stay. There is no full kitchen or laundry but the cute farm house guest suites on 10 acres make up for that! what a beautiful place to call our temporary home.

Tomorrow we plan to do some hiking but we have yet to determine where.

Today was day 1 of our road trip. We were sad to say goodbye to New York but excited to start a new adventure! Here is how our day went…

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I woke up at 6:30 and everyone was still sleeping so I wrote my blog post for yesterday. After finishing, I went back to bed until 8:30. At that point Tavis and I got up and woke up the kids who were not at all interested in getting out of bed. I feel like they may have stayed up much later than we did.

Tavis and I ventured out to find breakfast. Across the street we found a street car with breakfast sandwiches. We bought 3 sausage and 1 bacon sandwich for $6 each and I got a donut for $2. We brought it back to the hotel room to find the kids still waking up. Everyone ate and then finished packing their bags while I filled all the water bottles, eager to get going.

It seemed to take forever to get out of the room. We were hoping to be out by 9:30 but it was 10:20 by the time we made it out of the hotel. Luckily it was less than a 10 minute walk and Tavis navigated us straight to Budget a few blocks away.

When we arrived, we were quite surprised to see the looooong line out the door. It was super hot in the parking garage so the kids stayed out on the road while we were inside. We didn’t realize it would be a 45 minute wait. Tavis had signed up for the quick pass and received an email saying the car was ready and to just pick up keys. Apparently that feature doesn’t exist at the Times Square location. The problem was that there were two people from Europe who had very complicated requirements and their rentals were much greater than they had expected. We finally got the papers and were ready to meet our new car when we joined the kids on the street. There we waited for it to be brought down the elevator which was pretty cool to watch.

We were expecting to have a RAV4, but to our surprise, we were given a silver 2025 Volvo XC40! Although it is much smaller than the XC90 we know and love, it was such a relief to have a vehicle that we are familiar with. We discovered that you can actually fit 5 carry-on suitcases below the little cover, and 4 backpacks on top without even really trying to piece it together. Or maybe we are just that good from all our previous experience. I brought my backpack up front with me because it had snacks and charge cables.

There was another car coming down the elevator so we quickly piled in and parked in a no parking area while we stuck our e-pass to the windshield, entered our license plate on our e-pass app, set our navigation in car play, and our road trip had officially began. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to travel! The odometer was at 9.297 when we left. Let the miles begin.

Driving in New York wasn’t that bad. Apparently, 11:30am is a good time to leave the city. Google took us through Lincoln tunnel and eventually past Newark airport. We realized while passing through the first toll booth that there was an e-toll in the car that was already open 🤦‍♀️. I swung it shut but who knows if it registered instead of ours. I guess we will find out later.

After leaving the city we were on the interstate. Our ETA was 4:30pm so we updated our parking to begin at 5:00pm. Tavis said it was low stress driving and the roads were not busy at all.

Of course, shortly after, a car drifted into our lane. Tavis was very defensive and slammed on the breaks to avoid a collision. Apparently the car behind did not like what happened because he quickly passed us, rolled down his window, stuck his hand out and fingered the driver in front of us, then proceeded to cut them off. This was impressive because it was 35 degrees out so no one had their windows open! I think that was a little excessive, but it’s nice to know we had a witness if anything did happen. That moment in time was more effective than a double espresso and Tavis was wide awake and on high alert after that.

We stopped around 2:00pm in Wilmington for gas. I navigated us to Costco with the intention of cheap fuel for both the car and it’s people. Unfortunately, the lines were long and Tavis did not have the patience so he navigated us to a nearby gas station 7 minutes away. There was a Wendy’s next door so the boys and I walked over and Tavis met us there. Gas was only 2.99 per gallon! We all had a quick bite, then rearranged our luggage. We figured out the puzzle and fit all 5 suitcases and backpacks in the back of the vehicle! We were on our way again with an updated ETA of 5:00. It was a little disheartening as we drove past a Chick-fil-a only a few minutes down the road. It is our mission to eat there at least once on our vacation, and it won’t be on a Sunday.

Coming over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was so cool. We were all amazed by it… well, everyone except Ayva who was zonked out. About 30 minutes later we arrived into Washington, DC. It was sort of anti-climatic. What was truly impressive was that our reserved parking was only 4 miles away… and it was still an estimated 30 minutes!!!! Yes, traffic was so crazy it actually took 30 minutes to get to the hotel. We did manage to find our parking spot quite easily. We followed the instructions and parked within the specified lines of spot 30. We emptied the vehicle and everyone lined up with their bags. As we were leaving the parking area, a lady stopped me in her car and warned me of the neighbourhood and explained that not too long ago she was robbed at knife point and not to walk alone in the parking lot alone. Wow, what a great first impression of Washington!

Anyways, we thanked the nice lady for the warning and promised we we travel together in a group the entire time we were in Washington. Then, we carried on our way and noticed the kids had already walked around the corner toward the hotel. 🤦‍♀️ While Tavis was checking in, I had a family chat with the kids about the advice we received. Within minutes, Tavis had the key and we were on our way to room 825 in the Homewood Suites, Washington, DC.

Although it was still a 1 bedroom suite, our room was much smaller than the previous accommodations. We had a room with 2 double beds, a tiny bathroom with a bath and toilet, the sink was in the room. The living room/kitchen had enough space for the couch/bed, and a tiny table with 2 chairs. It had a dishwasher though so that was cool. We were in the room for less than 20 minutes before we made our way out to see the sites around 5:30pm.

Washington DC seems to have monuments on every corner. It looked like they all rode the same horse! There was only one horse that wanted his rider off, but the kids informed me that the monuments were for the men, not the horses.

It only took about a 10 minute walk to get to the White House. There were a few demonstrations and protestors, but there were more police than protesters and everything seemed to be quite civil. It was nice to see freedom of speech being practiced. After taking several photos, and surprisingly not getting yelled at when Tavis and Ayva climbed up on a barrier to take a photo, we walked toward the back. There, we took several more photos of the White House and the Washington Monument. The kids were taking artistic photos of the area, and I told photos of them.

From there we walked up to the Washington Monument and that is when we got to see how large it actually was. I took a photo of Ari next to it and he was just a tiny ant. I was also amazed at how much grass there was. It reminded me of the Eiffel Tower, but with less people. There was also a nice view of a lake that I think was some Reflecting Pool, whatever that is???

As the sun was getting low in the sky we walked toward the Capitol Building. We got as far as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where the lighting was just right for photos. Addison had taken some cool photos along the way with Madison’s polaroid camera. Ari asked a girl near by to take our family photo and I think it was our first real family photo on our trip.

Around 7:15pm we decided it was time to eat. Tavis found a Chick-Fil-A only 20 minutes from our location so we started walking in that direction. We stopped at a huge building that had impressive stairs. Ari and Ayva ran to the top of the stairs so I could get a better perspective on how large the building was. If you zoom in really far, you can see them 😛 It reminded me of being in Greece, but modern day with the buildings still in tact.

By 7:45pm we were all sitting around the tables with our meals, filling our stomachs with the most delicious fast food from Chick-Fil-A. It brought back memories of living in Texas. It was a cheap dinner and when we left, our tummies were full. We saw more monuments and neat building along the walk home. We finally made our way back to the hotel around 8:30pm. We only walked 11km today but we were hot and sweating from the 30 degree weather so we decided to call it a night.

We began the long process of showers and by 10:30, everyone was showered and ready for bed. I worked on this blog post while waiting for my turn.

We had another amazing day. Not counting the scare as we arrived, there wasn’t a single time that we felt unsafe here in Washington, DC. We decided to stay a bit longer tomorrow and see if we could get tickets to a Smithsonian museum. We have parking until 4:00pm tomorrow, and Tavis was able to get us a late checkout at 1:00pm. At this point, we have no idea what tomorrow will bring but we will be getting up early to make sure we have time to eat before starting tomorrow’s adventure. Our next accommodation is only 3.5 hours away so we don’t have to leave too early.

Wow, another amazing day! I think we walked another 15km and biked several km aswell. Here is a recap of what our day looked like.

I was soo tired lastnight that I passed out before 9:30pm. However, my 4:30am I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. That is when I decided to start up my blog. By 7:30, I everyone was still sleeping so I I started drying out our shoes from our rainy adventures. We had piled them all up on the air conditioner which helped but I spent 90 minutes in our bathroom with the hair dryer trying to get 10 shoes less damp. My efforts were somewhat successful because by 9:00 they were all at the very least just a little damp but not soaking wet. And I can tell you, it did not smell pretty. I think we will be bringing home a hint of the New York street smells with us :P.

By 9:00, Tavis had woken up and made himself some coffee. He also got some work done. We decided to venture out into the streets to find some breakfast while the kids could get themselves up. We found a grocery store a few blocks away and bought some plums and nectarines. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a street vendor and purchased 3 donuts. When we got back to the room the boys were up and we had to get Ayva kick out of bed. I just told her that we only bought 3 donuts so if she wanted one she had to come get it… that seemed to do the trick.

By the time everyone had eaten and was ready to go, it was almost 11:00am. We set out to find Unlimited Biking to start our next adventure. Almost 3 months ago I purchased a groupon for a 4 hour bike rental for the 5 of us. It was $39 which I found weird. When we got there I discovered that they charge an additional $1 to your card to make sure your credit card works incase there is damage to the bike… Now it is an even $40 which is a great deal. We opted out of the insurance which was a little concerning because every single person before us had paid it. I also had to leave my drivers license with them. We quickly collected our helmets and bike locks and picked up the bikes they had waiting for us. The website says they have the best bikes in town but I think it was just marketing because the brakes where very squeaky and my seat was at the lowest position and could be raised. It is a good thing we are all excellent bike riders though. We finally rode off at 11:15am.

Anyone why knows our family is probably already aware of our biggest challenge that we faced… How did you keep up with Addison? I can honestly tell you, it wasn’t easy! While on the streets to get to the park, everyone rode in a line and it was going great. We all stopped at the lights and stayed together quite well. However, once we got into the park, the boys took off leaving Tavis, Ayva, and I in the dust. When they were nowhere in sight I realized maybe it would have been a good idea set ground rules. Luckily we found them resting at the top of a hill and I reminded the boys that we were in New York and we needed to stay together. I thought I did a great job at remaining calm and collected, but according the boys I simply freaked out at them. Either way, It helped slow them down a bit.

About 20 minutes later we had a repeat of the previous incident. This time, I reminded the boys this wasn’t a race and the idea was to explore the park. That is when I took off down a trail to view The Pool. It was a beautiful little area near a (not so beautiful) green lake that reminded me of Quamichan. However, across the trail there was a little area with a bridge, trees, and a meandering stream that looked quite peaceful. Everyone begrudgingly got off their bikes so we could enjoy the scenery and take some photos. Before I knew it we were off again chasing the boys.

Our next stop was at The Lake. We decided to lock up the 5 bikes next to a tree along the side of the road as we walked around the lake to the Bay Bridge. I am not going to lie, I was a nervous wreck because we didn’t pay for the insurance and I had visions of people in a truck coming and throwing all ur bikes in an unmarked truck and driving off with them. We were told the bikes were worth $650 each but after driving themI seriously doubted that. Anyways, after leaving the bridge, those fears lessened and when we walked to my favourite tunnel, I was actually enjoying myself. There was vendor playing the Titanic song on a cool blowing pipe thingy which sounded so peaceful. We were probably gone about 15 minutes and on the way back there was a neat little structure on the lake that Ayva wanted to take photos at so us girls went down there for a photo shoot while the boys went to get our bikes ready.

Next we set out on mission to locate Strawberry Fields which was actually across the road from where we locked up our bikes :P. We did make it back though. Our last stop was above the tunnel where there was another monument. Tavis and Addison went to check it out while the rest of us we mesmerized by a guy blowing the largest bubbles I’d ever seen. I took some very cool photos as inspiration for Nicholas and Zachary.

From there we decided to venture out of the park. While in the park none of us wore helmets because it was about 35 degrees out. But at this point it was no longer optional. I mean, it is totally safe to ride on the busy street of New York with crazy honling and bumpr to bumper traffic as long as you are wearing a helmet, right?

It was interesting because the boys were way up ahead and several times we got caught at lights that they made it through. For the most part they stopped and waited when they realized we were no longer behind them. We first made our way to the Empire State Building. Wow, it is huge! We got some photos and continued heading the same direction. We eventually made our way to Madison Square. As everyone got off the bikes for a short rest and to figure out where to go next, Ayva and I went to get some photos. We spotted a Shake Shack and decided it would be a good idea to cool down with a snack. I hindsight, this was a bad idea. I asked the cashier how long it would take and she informed me about 5 minutes. They had a water station so we filled the water bottles and looked around a bit while Tavis stayed with the bikes. I went to bring him water.

After 35 minutes of waiting, and after Ari already asked once, I finally lost my patience and demanded that they give me a refund or my milkshakes. The guy apologized and grabbed the 2 milkshakes from the counter that had been sitting for after 20 minutes. I told them this was warm milk and not what I had paied for. Within 2 mites, they handed us 2 shakes that were not the flavours we ordered but were close enough. This was most definitely not the best first experience of a Shake Shack… but the milkshakes were cheap and very tasty.

At thins point it was time to make our way back to the bike rental place. We arrived about 5 minutes before our 4 hours was up, which was a good thing because if you are late, they charge you $1 for every minute your late. As we arrived there was a kid arguing with his mom because I think she was worried about the late fee policy. Overall, it really was an amazing experience and I am so glad we did it! You cover a lot of ground on bikes and there are bike lanes all over so it really isn’t that bad. tavis only had a few instances where he was very close to cars turning left but he never actually got hit so it was all good! 😀

After dropping off our bikes we needed a place to cool down. We couldn’t think of a better place than the Apple store so we headed that direction. That is when I spotted my favourite building in the city. There is was on teh same block as Apple, a huge stack of luggage!!!! I took some photos but you really have to see it to believe it. The detail was incredible!

As we made our way down the spiral staircase into Apple, you could feel the cold air blasting you. Wow, this store was huge! It made our stores look like tiny little mall venders. Wer also got to clean up in the washroom and fill our water bottles again. They had a guy giving a free tutorial on the new iphone which I found very informative. Ayva and I learned how to use our phones while the boys went and explored. After a while the guy giving the speach asked if anyone in the audience had pets. Someone on the other side of the store said he had 2 dogs, I put. up my hand and said we had 2 dogs. They guy thought it was crazy we were the only 2 people willing to share and we both had 2 dogs… Then I realized Ari was the other guy and we all had a good laugh when we both realized at the same time. At that point we decided to leave. Ari had made an appointment to demo the ViionPro at 9:00pm so we were prepared to come back.

Next we made our way toward the tram to Roosavelt Island. We were close to where Tavis and I stayed so we decided to take the kids to the diner under that apartment. To our surprise, we recognized it right away, Ritz Diner. The owner and staff were all sooo nice. The kids were beside themselves because they were in a “real live diner”. The food was excellend and prices were good. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but that could have also been because it was after 4:00 and all we had eaten was fruit, a piece of donut, and a few sips of a milkshake.

From there we used our credit cards to pay for the tram. It was $2.90 each and it worked the same as the airport tram. We could tap up to 4 people on a card. The tram was a neat experience as it took us over the bridge of cars and you got a great view of the city. It was totally packed but there seemed to be AC once it started moving which was nice. On the little island we walked through the university campus and took the kids to the park. We passed a cat sanctuary and the old dilapidated Smallpox hospital which looked really cool with all the vines growing around it. Then we made our way up teh stared and past the lines of trees to the tip of the island where there was a huge Roosavelt head and a famous quote that talks about how above all else is the freedom of speech. What happened to our society that that is no longer our freedom?

At this point I was a little nervous because my cell phone was dying so we made our way back to the hotel for a well deserved rest, a water refill, and the opportunity to charge our devices. Tavis and I also caught up on some work.

We ventured back out at 8:00. We first made our way to Grand Central Station which never fails to amaze me. The detail of everythign is so vivid. It looked exactly how I remembered it. Next we found a monument of PanAm which was very important to Ari. So much infact that he asked a security guard where we could find it. After taking photos, we then started making our way to the Apple store. Addison and Ayva wanted to check out Times Square again so we gave them my phone and Tavis’ credit card so they could buy some souvenirs. I know… this could have gone horribly wrong but have a lot of trust in the kids and to this point we have always felt very safe in the city.

At the Apple store, we checked in and Ari asked if Tavis could also do the demo even though he didn’t have an appointment. They were super great and make it happen. This was probably one of the coolest experiences we had in New York. They took tavis’ glasses and scanned them to get his prescription. Then they measured they heads and we waited a few moments while someone from the back took all the measurements and created the sets to personally fit Ari and Tavis. They also had them sync to an ipad so the salesperson and I could see everything they see and he was able to guide them through the demo as they explored what the funny looking headset could do. They were told to navigate by using their eyes, not their hands… CRAZY! I wasn’t even wearing them and I was impressed. Just watching them and listening to them was exciting. This is an experience that Ari will never forget. In the end, although the technology is amazing, it is still in its infancy and it will be exciting to see what this will transform into over the next 5-10 years. It is quite possible that computers will be a thing of the past.

It was after 10:00 by the time we left the store. We phoned the kids who informed us that they were at Times Square so we made our way there. Along the way, a cockroach ran infront of us and scared Ari. He justed and started dancing. It was so funny, although he didn’t find t nearly as humorous.

As we got close, Find My was not that useful so Tavis phoned again and eventually found them in a 3 level store called Grand Slam. Ayve had purchased a baseball cap and they were looking for a shirt for Madison. We were ready for bed so Ari, Tavis and I made our way back to the hotel. We stopped in another store along the way and Ari found a t-shirt which was nice for him to have a souvenir, and a shirt without holes.

When we got back everyone took turns showering which I caught up on a bit more work. Ayva and Ari messaged asking if they could buy a milkshake at Hersheys which we told they they could. By the time I showered and got ready for bed it was 12:30am. I passed out almost immediately.

In summary, New York was a great experience. The vendors we encountered we all so friendly. We had a full New Ork experience from taking in the sites, the sun, the storm, the bikes, and even the bugs. We experienced more in the last 2 days than we could have imagined. We are going to miss New York but we are ready for the next adventure. Tomorrow, we are on our way to Washington, DC.

It is 4:30am on Thursday as I am writing this post. I apologize for the spelling and grammar errors you may encounter but I will go back and edit these posts after our trip when I have more time :P.

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Our flight actually touched down on time! But then we proceeded to wait on the tarmac for 35 minutes because the plane currently at our gate was delayed. It was no big deal though because it meant we had a few more minutes of rest before the chaos began.

Ari had asked during the flight if he could see the cockpit and he was told to come to the front after we landed. We decided to let others off before us until the leaners arrived but as we made our way up we were informed that the pilots had already left. It makes sense since we were already so delayed. So we made our way out of the airport.

Tavis checked the price of an UberX… $160!!! Nope! So we decided to follow the signs to the Air Tram which took us to Jamaica Station. It was very well marked, and there was no fee to get on. It is actually really well done because you way when you leave the Air Tram at Jamaica Station. The cost is $4.25/person and you just tap your card. After talking the helpful worker, I tapped myself through and Tavis tapped each of the kids and himself. It was super easy! Then we made our way to the subway and took the E line. We talked to customer service to see if we could do the same thing and she assured us we could. Tavis tapped one of the boys through, then it wouldn’t allow him to get anyone else. I tapped Ayva through and I was denied. As they waited on the other side, Tavis and I went back to customer service. She explained that the metro uses a different system and you can only tap 1 person for each card. She was super nice though and gave the rest of us complimentary passes through the gate! In all, I believe it cost us just over $25 to get to Times Square!!!

We were surprised that the subway car we went in wasn’t crowded at al! We soon discovered why. The AC wasn’t working and it was very warm. We were all sweating hot but as we looked at the other cars we realized that they were quite packed so we stuck it out for the 35 minute ride to 50th where we happily got off. When we went up we were just half a block from our hotel which we easily found.

We arrived at The Manhatten at Times Square just after 9:00am. We planned to leave our bags and explore town. We were extremely happy to discover that our room was already cleaned and waiting for us. I am not sure if was because no one slept in it the night before, or because I had called the night before with our reservation info and let them know we were flying in at 7:00am. Either way, we were all very excited. And the receptionist was super nice! She gave us some ideas on how to spend our day… even though we didn’t end up doing any of it. Maybe tomorrow.

We made our way up to the suite at 1631 and we were pleasantly surprised at the size. Thank you Expedia for finding this place at half the cost of the other places! The hotel itself os nothing special with no fills, but it is clean and spacious. We have a huge bedroom with a king size bed, tv, desk, large bathroom and large closet. This room iteself is bigger than any hotel room we stayed at in Europe! It also had a kitchenette, large dinning room table, and large living room with 2 large couches that are also pull out beds. Granted the beds aren’t the most comfortable, it was perfect for us!

We took a few minutes to rest, enjoy the air conditioned room, and get settled. By 11:00 we decided to venture out and see what there was to see. We began walking toward Times Square. The kids were amazed at the size of everything and all the bright screens everywhere. It really is quite a site. There were food trucks and seemed like the only stores around were gift shops and fast food shops. We decided we definitely have to come back in teh evening!

We continued toward Penn Stadium and walked around it. We also took the kids down below to the metro area. It was a lot like Switzerland with the shops and everything below the streets in the air conditioning. A whole new world! We made our way back up to the street and decided to walk toward the World Trade Centre.

Around 12:00 everyone was starting to get hungry but we noticed we were in a completely different area and there weren’t many places to eat in our price range. We also didn’t feel like going to a sit down restaurant so we kept walking. We made our way through Washington Square park and eventually spotted a sandwich shop. Tavis and the kids got huge $12 sandwiches while I held out. We walked down the streel looking for a place to sit and eat and to my surprise, half a block down was a pizza place! I got a slice of cheese pizza for $1.50 and I was in heaven. The place was air conditioned and we decided to eat there. The guy at the till was also super nice and gave us lots of napkins.

By 1:00pm we had walked all the way to the World Trade Center and we were all amazed at the sheer size of the building . We also stopped at the 911 memorial which is really quite a site with the waterfalls. Ayva commented that the waterfalls were such a great way to commemorate the fallen towers.

Next we found a police officer and asked for directions to the nearest washroom to clean up after a fairly messy lunch. Quite close by down at the metro were nice washrooms and we all cleaned up and refilled the water bottles. It was about 32 degrees and sunny so we were going through our water quickly. Addison packed his bag and had brought Madison’s polaroid. He actually got some neat photos.

Once hydrated and clean, we decided to check out the free ferry to Staten Island. Our timing was perfect and with a bit of help from a traffic person, we easily found it. Again, we refilled the water bottles and water was nice and cold. When we got on, we were surprised at how busy the ferry was. We weren’t able to get seating outside with a good view of the Statue of Liberty but we rested our legs in the air conditioned seats inside with the intent to stay on the ferry and grab the seats when we arrived.

To our surprise, the ferry was not leaving right away and everyone had to get off and catch the other ferry already waiting at the other side. It seems like they have 3 ferries running the route and it leaves every 30 minutes. We got off and made our way back in like to the next ferry. We all got separated as we were boarding but we planned to meet at the top by the good seats. The kids got their first, then Tavis. I spotted some people going downstairs so I followed them. To my surprise, there were actually 3 levels! The locals stay at the bottom and it wasn’t crowded at all. The front of the ship was open and breezy. I went up to find the kids but only Tavis and Ari followed me back down. Eventually I went back up and convinced Ayva and Ari to come down to disembark from the bottom with the locals. It was a lot less crowded.

Next, Addison wanted to get a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge so we walked there. We got a good photo but Addison also wanted to check out a famous Instagram spot on the other side. I like walking over the bridge so we made our way up to it. It actually took almost 20 minutes just to get back far enough from the water front to enter the bridge. Once on the bridge, Addison and Ari stayed ahead. It was hot and there wasn’t a lot of wind, but it is so cool being above the cars and looking down. I also like the wooden slats that you walk on.

When we reached the other side we looked for the spot. We were mistaken though because it is not the Brooklyn bridge that you see, it is another bridge with the EMpire State building perfectly centered under it. We took a few photos and carried on. We had run out of water and Ari got impatiens so he grabbed the bottles and popped into a diner. How luckily that there was a water station right there and we filled everything up. We when made our way back to the Instagram spot for more photos after we determined that was in fact the spot.

From there, we made our way back to the metro to catch the C line back to Times Square. We decided to purchase a metro card but with our luck, the machine was out of order and we could not purchase one. Instead, we got creative. Tavis scanned the boys through on his phone. I scanned Ayva through on my watch, and Tavis and I went through on my phone. Not what we planned, but it got us home.

We reached our hotel just after 4:30. We had walked over 20 km. As we arrived back, the clouds started to roll in and there were a few rain drops. It was a nice change after such a hot day. Everyone passed out for a little bit before we went back out for dinner.

At 6:30 we started Googling where to eat. We finally agreed we would try out a place called Schnipper’s which had healthy options, burger, and milkshakes. We also checked the weather and saw that the rain was supposed to get quite heave by 7:30. The only problem is that Addison was sleeping and did not want to get up. We finally got him out of the room by 7:20.

The sky was dark and ominous and by that tine it was lightly raining. We had a 20 minute walk ahead of us. We got about 4 blocked before the sky opened and the heavy rain began. It was like walking through a waterfall. Everyone was huddled at store openings. At this point we were already wet. We checked out Applebees because that is where we were when the rain really started but none of us liked the menu and it was expensive. We decided to stick to our plan. That is when we started running. We ran across streets when cars were stopped, and got honked at a few times. Not the best parenting moment, but the streets were flooded, cars were backed up everywhere, and we had to keep up with Addison. I think that was the closest I felt to being a local.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were all soaked to the core. We looked like drowned rats and we asked if they would take us. The cashier laughed and gave us lots of paper town to help dry our hands and faces. In the end, it was a decent meal. I don’t know if it was worth the adventure as there were several fast food places a long the way that would have been just as good, but everyone enjoyed their meal. I did not like my chicken strips but I most definitely enjoyed the milkshake!

By the time we left the restaurant the rain had stopped. When we got back to the place we all took turns showering and everyone had to peel off their clothes. We also attempted to dry out our shoes on the air conditioner. We had an early night. I had my turn in the shower at 8:45 and I was fast asleep by 9:30pm.

Our first day in New York was quite an adventure. We covered a lot of ground and had an amazing adventure… And this was just Day 1. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Wow, after al the planning it was hard to believe that this day had finally arrived. What is even more remarkable is that we were actually able to plan another family vacation with all the kids. Addison just finished his second year at UBC in the Physics Engineering program, Ayva graduated high school and starts her pre-nursing program at Douglas College in September, and Ari is already going into grade 10… yet here we are, ready to embark on another Crazy Craik Adventure.

This adventure actually began a few days early when we dropped the dogs off on Vancouver Island. I won’t go into the details but we had some 30 degree whether so we spent two days out at Lake Cowichan. The reason I am bringing it up is because I booked our ferry home on Monday, August 11, on the 10:40pm ferry. Of course the ferry was 40 minutes late which means we didn’t actually get home until after 1:00am on Tuesday August 12. Tavis had stayed home to get work done and ended up battling a bit of a stomach bug while we were away so he too was still a bit unsettled on Tuesday, but he was already on the mend. I think it was something he ate.

Our first travel day began for me at 7:00am. I woke up early to finish up loose ends at work. We also started our first load of laundry. By noon, both loads of laundry were done, Ari had mowed the lawn, and Ayva and Addison were almost finished washing the Jetta. I finally turned off the computer and began to pack my bag. Anyone that knows us knows that the rule is we each have a carry on suitcase and a backpack… Nothing else. This is usually more than enough room but the only person who ALWAYS seems to struggle with packing is Ayva. I think we all have something of Ayva’s in our bags 🙂

We had planned on leaving the house between 2-3pm. We actually left the house at 2:10pm so yay for us for being on time! We made our way to the border which was our first wildcard. We had no idea how long it would take so we wanted to leave lots of time. As it turns out, 3:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon was a good time to cross because in the Nexus lane there was only 1 vehicle ahead of us. The person was really nice as well and after less than 5 minutes, we were on our way again.

We drove straight to the Premium Outlets in Tulaliip. They had a Tesla charger so we decided to charge the car a bit while we shopped. Tavis and the kids went in to the shops in search of shoes for Ari while I stayed with the car. It took about 7 minutes to get the car charged up to 80% and only about $5.00. Then I parked and used Find My to locate Tavis. They had already purchased Ari a new pair of shoes and were making their way out. However, I wanted to have a look to see if I could find a lighter pair for our vacation. I think it took me twice as long but only because I had to battle in my mind the idea of spending money on something I already had. In the end, it was a good choice because the shoes were breathable and light which was good for the hot weather.

Next we made our way to The Olive Garden for an early 5:00 dinner. We knew we would have a long travel day and we weren’t sure when our next meal would be so we made sure to get something filling to start our adventure. The restaurant was nice and super quick! I think our meals came within 30 minutes and we were out of there in about an hour because we had so much time! The meals were really good as well! Poor Tavis didn’t eat much because he still wasn’t feeling 100%, but atleast he ate a good portion of it.

From there, we made our way to the airport parking lot. Seattle traffic wasn’t really that bad. We had reserved parking at Park n Jet for 7:30pm but we actually arrived just after 7:00. We had no idea how much charge to leave the car, but after discussing the issue with Grok, we were comfortable with our 64% battery. We turned off the Cabin Overheat and auto sentry mode. Whether we left the car with enough charge is yet to be determined but we will monitor the car and worse case we will know before leaving Miami if we need to make arrangements. Having an all electric vehicle is still new to us so we learn as we go.

Next we took a shuttle to the airport. We went through security surprisingly quick. We were TSA approved which meant everything stayed in our bags. Ayva, with her damaged finger (yet another story for another time) was the only one flagged so she got to go into the machine and then got padded down. Note to self… don’t wear baggy jogging pants when flying :P. Even with that delay, we were still through security and ready to catch our plane by 7:35 which left 180 minutes to kill while waiting for our boarding time.

We went straight to the gate and the kids sat with the luggage while Tavis and I went for a walk. We discovered that our gate had changed from D2 to N14 which was in a different building. We had so much time that this wasn’t a big deal at all. We all made our way over the updated gate but we still had over 2 hours to wait. Everyone sat with the luggage while I set out to get my monthly challenge goal of 12.86km of walking a day. Yes Mom, I did it! By the time we boarded, I had walked 13km, brushed my teeth, and ensured everyone went to the bathroom and remembered to fill their water bottles. By 10:15 we were boarded and our luggage was safely stowed. Thank you Alaska Visa for giving Tavis priority boarding, and thank you to the gate agents who let the rest of us board with him 🙂

By 11:10pm , we had taken off and we were on our way to New York. The flight attendants were super nice and very patient with everyone. They made the flight quite enjoyable and even brought Tavis a free can of wine even though it wasn’t included with our seats! Yes, he must be feeling better.

Funny how a simple gesture can make such a huge impact. All in all it was a perfect day and an uneventful flight.