Road Trip part 2: Southern cities/hospitality

The second half of our trip had us touring and exploring some new cities and visiting friends and family along the way.  After leaving Jake and Kelsey's, we headed west and enjoyed Roanoke, Bristol, Nashville, Louisville, Muncie, Chicago, and Racine.  We got to see friends from China, Fitz family, and the Berlands.  We only needed to replace one tire along the way, before any problems arose, and we were happy to avoid any serious issues on our 3400 miles.  We made it through all of Harry Potter book five on audiobook and the girls did a good job entertaining themselves otherwise.

Day 8: Stopped in Roanoke to eat lunch, wandered their downtown, hit up a museum and got stuck in a downpour.  Then made our way to Bristol where we got to visit Courtney, Michael, and Hadley.  We met Courtney while working in China and had a great time reminiscing with her and getting to meet her growing family.  Some southern barbecue hit the spot.

Day 9:  Raced west before the tornado warnings canceled school in eastern Tennessee.  We stopped at the world's largest gas station, Buc-ees, and then went to Nashville.  The downtown was busy - full of music, people, food, and cowboy attire.  We then saw some other neighborhoods which included yummy doughnuts, cute shops, and a bookstore Kara had wanted to visit.  We ended the night laughing with Arthur, Nikki and Clay. 

Day 10:  Checked out Louisville and were sad that Ben's old whiskey club wasn't there to take on the Bourbon trail.  We had fun seeing the Louisville slugger spot and walking the Ohio river border with Indiana.  We then made our way up to Muncie where Ben's old roommate and his family hosted us.  Seeing Adam, Megan, Owen, and Simon was a treat and we had a fantastic stay here for Day 11 as well.  We got to tour Ball State, go mini-golfing, and swimming.  The girls learned a new game called "Can't Stop" and want to bring it into our rotation.

Day 12:  Visited Chicago and hung out downtown.  Fought traffic and then made our way up to our last campsite near Racine.  We've almost made it!

Day 13:  Got home!  We finished our journey and then Pip was thrilled to finally buy a new hamster.  What a trip and quite the finish.  Happy to be home with great memories.

Road Trip part 1 - Lakes and Jake's

Our road trip started in late July and we had a wonderful, fairly smooth time.  We finally checked a lot of places off our list and, most importantly, got to meet Paige and Jack in Richmond.  On the first half of the trip we kind of saw all 5 of the Great Lakes, visited the U.P., Canada, Niagara, and Pennsylvania. 

Day 1:  We went though Wisconsin and around Green Bay to make our way to the Upper Peninsula.  We stopped in Marinette and camped in Munising, MI.  It was a gorgeous spot on the south shore of Lake Superior.

Day 2: Explored Munising where we did some hiking, swimming, and did a boat tour of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We ate some of the local pasties and then made our way to Sault Ste. Marie.  Here we ate on a rooftop that overlooks the Saint Mary's River bordering Canada. We switched up our usual dessert and had some top-notch fudge.

Day 3:  Checked out the docks famous for their 1000 foot ships coming through, and near where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.  We then made our way into Canada and drove to Sudbury where we ate at Cara's Deli and wandered Ramsey Lake and their science museum.  We ended the night camping near Parry Sound and the girls had a swim in their pretty lake.

Day 4:  We left early to make it to Toronto and see what the city had to offer.  Some shopping, Chinatown, more port stuff, and good ice cream.  The city streets were very busy and walking was fun, but driving was a nightmare.  We had a good time, but we're not in a rush to go back.  

Day 5:  We made our way to Niagara and had an outstanding time hiking the Canadian side to see all the falls and to be blown away by the immense amount of water.  It truly was remarkable and we got an up-close look on the American side when we took a ferry into the falls.  We drove through NY to stay in Pennsylvania that night.

Day 6:  We started the day going to a museum in Monterey Pass, PA where they have artifacts showcasing the contributions of Hetty Zeilinger who aided the Union army following the Battle of Gettysburg when the Confederates regrouped in the area.  The largest geographic battle was fought here and Kara's grandpa's aunt helped the Union find and ambush the confederates.  There are homes, graves, and other points of interest still standing.  

After this we made our way to Richmond where we were able to see Jake and Kelsey's family after 5 years.  Henry, Paige, and Jack were all welcoming from the beginning and we had an enjoyable night eating and playing at the arcade. 

Day 7:  An excellent day hanging out with cousins.  Trampoline park, another tasty local restaurant, swimming, bowling, and more games.  We had so much fun and really cherished our time together! We look forward to the next visit.