Tri-Generational Road Trip

I've definitely been out of the blog world for over a month now. Moving took a great deal of my energy and after all of that was done, I left for a two week road trip with my mom, sister, and grandma. We had a great time and I was able to see a part of the country where I've never been before. Most of all, three generations of family were able to spend time together as we explored New England.

Wednesday, July 8th: I drove to MN to pick up my grandma.

Thursday, July 9th: We arrived back in Cedarburg

Friday, July 10th: Mom came to Cedarburg and we met Julie in Kenosha at 7pm; we drove to Kalamazoo, MI and got in pretty late.

Mom with her military stripes since she was the sarge for our trip!

All four of us ready to head out-Whoo Hoo!

Saturday, July 11th: Woke up with a little birthday party for grandma, who turned 80 a few weeks earlier. Julie gave her the quilt she made for her. We drove on through Canada to Niagra Falls with stops at the Ingersoll Cheese Factory (a bust but we were stir crazy and had to get out of the car) and the Folk Festival. We stopped for a delicious Italian restaurant and got to Niagra Falls in time to see it in daylight and then at night.

Happy 80th Birthday Grams!

She obviously loved the quilt!

Niagra was beautiful, but also pretty commercialized just a street away from the falls (think the main road of Wisconsin Dells). Parking was crazy so Julie and I dropped off mom and grams and parked a ways away and hiked down this huge cliff to meet them at the falls-good time

PPedicures at night!

Sunday, July 12th: We went back to the Falls and did the Maid of the Mist tour and the journey behind the falls. It was awe-inspiring to see God's creation and the power of water! Later we drove back into the United States and ended up upstate New York near Saratoga Springs.

Monday, July 13th: We spent the day in Saratoga Springs checking out the natural mineral Springs as well as the race tracks, historic mansions, shopping district, and summer home of the New York City Ballet. The trolley was a unique way to see the city. We left in the late afternoon and drove into Vermont towards Shelbourne.

Tuesday, July 14th: We arrived in Shelbourne and went to see Historic Shelbourne museum, which is a compilation of about 30 buildings each filled with different types of folk artificats. Some highlights were the Ticonderoga boat, the train car, the Tiffany exhibit, Electra Webb's home with 5 Monet's, the circus exhibit, and the modern home made from shipping crates. I was a bit skeptical of this planned stop, but was pleasantly surprised and could have stayed another day to look around.

Wednesday, July 15th: We traveled from Shelbourne through Vermont with a quick stop at a maple syrup plant and on towards Maine. We stopped at a few antique stores where our car was hit in the parking lot. After waiting for the police, we landed in Bar Harbor late at night and enjoyed a delicious Lobster dinner at the local lobster pound-yummmmm.

Thursday, July 16th: Julie and I got up at 4:15am to drive to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. We saw the sun rise at 5:03 am at the farthest eastern point in the USA, which was stunning-absolutely gorgeous! It was neat to be one of the first people in the USA to see the sun. We drove back to the hotel, slept for a bit and then went out with our mom on a whale watching tour. We went out about 25 miles from the coast and saw puffins, 4 humpback whales, 8+ finback whales, a few minke whales, and some seals. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me and though the pictures do not do this justice, seeing the whales was spectacular. It was worth the 40 degree weather and the sea sickness.

Whale baleen

two finbacks

a humpback tale and the splash from the other's tale

Friday, July 17th: We spent some time in Acadia National Park and saw some beautiful sights such as Thunde Hole and deer. We then drove down the coast of Maine and stopped along the way at a winery and a few more shops. We ended the day in Montpelier, NH and had dinner at the New England Culinary Institute's restaurant, which was as you can imagine very tasty.

Saturday, July 18th: Driving, driving, and more driving towards Harrisburg, PA.

We were a little packed in to the car towards the end of the trip-not a lot of room to move around.

Sunday, July 19th: We drove more and then made a quick stop at an outlet mall before dropping Julie off at the airport so she could get home to see her husband and children. We drove further on towards Jamestown, VA.

Monday, July 20th: We spent the day at Jamestown and had a great tour guide who shared unknown and interesting facts about America's first settlement. Glassblowing was really neat to see!

Tuesday, July 21st: Drive, drive, drive! We drove all day long and went from Jamestown to South Bend, Indiana.

Wednesday, July 22nd: We left early in the morning and were back in Cedarburg by 1:00, even after a lunch break at Oakland Gyros in Milwaukee. It was a great trip, but it was nice to be back home.