Spontaneous Trip 2 -- Surprise... one more this year! October 30th

Well, I thought we were done for the year.  Dad told the kids we were done for the year.  They cleaned the black water tank extra good... Dad even put antifreeze in the lines.  But they decided that they would go one more time to Cedar Point for Halloween Weekends since they had passes and well the kids wanted to see the haunted stuff one more time.  You can't even reserve many of the normally reservable spots at East Harbor.  There is not even anyone at the gate when you come in.  You have to "self register".  On Friday nights in October Cedar Point does not open until 6p so they had time to park the camper and get things set up before heading out.  Again, they did not even bother with water and sewer (couldn't really since the winterization was done...).  It was another "cheap hotel" trip.  It was only one night... shortest trip the family ever took.  

The family went to the park and rode many of their favorite rides one last time.  The sad part is that some of the kid's absolute favorite rides were not open Friday nights in October and they were not coming back Saturday.  The kids were so sad... :(  After riding what they could and braving the cold they headed back a little early and had a nice night together in the camper.  They said good-bye to me for the season... (apparently I get the privilege of "guarding" the camper from mice over the winter...  Mom knows I will not do anything to protect the camper but she told me I am safer in storage than being moved around the house by the kids all winter...) they said good-bye to camping for the season.  I heard them talking about next year... it sounds like there could be some great adventures for me to write about next year!  Look forward to, Lord willing, telling you all about it next year....

Halloween Weekend at East Harbor 2015

East Harbor State Park has the first two weekends in October set aside for their Halloween weekends.  They have hay rides, a haunted forest, a haunted tunnel, a prison where you can have a family or friend "arrested" and put in there for $1 every 15 minutes (which serves as a fund raiser for the park) and a bone fire.  Not to mention the trick-or-treating frenzy. If you think trick-or-treating in a community with row houses produces a lot of candy, you should go to a camp ground with super small lots and see how much  you can do in that time.  Apparently, my new family tries to go to one of these weekends when they can.  The kids were looking forward to it and talking about it for quite some time before we went.  They planned costumes and who they would arrest for a while.

The one draw back for this particular trip is that the weather plays a big part in it.  Some years the weather is like an extension of summer.  Other years it is cold.  And then there are the years it is cold and RAINY!  This year was one of those.  The family intended to go to Cedar Point one more time while they were up that way but the weather forecast did not make it sound like they would be able to do both Cedar Point and the campground activities and they would have to choose. Since they had already gotten plenty of use from the yearly pass at this point, they chose to stay in the park for the weekend.  Hay rides, etc happen both Friday and Saturday night.  Dad was watching the forecast like a hawk and determined that if they wanted to be able to do those things they better plan on Friday night.  So, that is what they did.  They did the hay ride and the haunted walks.  Unfortunately, high winds cancelled the bone fire for the night but, they did had a great time.  They also made their usual trek around the park to see the decorations that everyone put up.  Mom was so surprised -- a vast portion of the campground was EMPTY -- this NEVER happens on Halloween weekends.  Assuming the impending weather had a part to play in that they headed in for the night. 

The next day started out ok. The kids gathered some other kids up from neighboring campsites and they played a giant game of sharks and minnows.  They even got Mom and Dad to join in.  Time for trick-or-treating arrived and they got ready.  Despite the emptiness of the campground the kids still filled their buckets.  They did not offer me any!  I saw Mom and Dad sneak some from their buckets... But at the very end of trick-or treating time... it rained.  And it rained.  And it rained.  It rained enough that the park canceled the hay rides.  They canceled the haunted walks.  They cancelled the prison.  And, between the wind and the rain they canceled the bonfire.  Dad had been right.  If they were going to do those things Friday was indeed the night to do them.  Mom was thankful for his constant checking of the weather since they got to do the fun things while they could.

As they were packing up to go home, my previous family's Dad found Mom.  They said "Hello" and had a nice chat with each other.  As always, it was sad to pack up and go home.  It was super sad since they said this was the last trip of the year.  Everyone hates it when it is the last trip of the year.  The family really seems to hate to see it go... :(

Spontaneous Trip 1 -- September 25 - 27

As Jane's actual birthday approached the family was honoring their usual tradition.  The birthday child gets to decide where to spend their birthday.  In years past, places like Chuck E. Cheese and skyzone were frequented.  This year, knowing that they had season passes to Cedar Point (it was a Christmas gift in 2014), Jane chose to spend her special day with the family at Cedar Point.  They had already gone a month earlier with her friend (they went early since the park would be decorated for Halloween on her birthday and in case her friend's family was not ok with that they went before prime decorating happened) but she wanted to spend the time with her family at the park.  They got there in the dark and Dad was not happy.  Apparently, from the sounds of things, backing the camper in a spot in the dark is not easy!  He was able to do it but it took longer than he likes.  No one made a big deal about setting up the camper this time.  I am not sure I even got to emerge from storage on this trip.  They plugged in power but did not bother hooking up sewer and water.  The whole point of these nights at East Harbor State Park were a "cheap hotel" as mom calls it.  A way to be closer to Cedar Point to get there near opening hours and a safe place to drive when it closes late rather than driving all the way home.  

The morning of Jane's birthday they all got up and headed to the Point.  They spent the entire day there.  They must have had fun because they came home late and went straight to bed again.  When they got up in the morning they packed up and headed home.  Another short trip but they seem to be having a great time together.  Aidan did NOT like the fact that this trip did not include any playground time or board games or other "family" things.  Dad reassured him the next trip would be different and this one was just a birthday celebration.  Wait, did Dad say, "next trip"??  It is almost October and these people are not done yet!  I wonder where they will take me next...

Birthday Trip -- August 28th - 30th

Apparently my sister, Jane, has a birthday coming up next month.   I know this because my family took the family along with a friend of hers on a camping trip to East Harbor State Park.  According to Aidan, it is the first time they have ever taken a friend camping with them that has staying the camper with them.  He was pretty excited about that and it was not even his birthday trip!

Jane wanted to take a friend to Cedar Point in lieu of a party.  So, my family reserved a spot and took her and a friend up there.  They had a blast.  Jane had had such a hard time choosing just the right friend for the trip.  She did not want to pick some one with an adventure level above her own.  They might be bored with her lack of thrill seeking.  She spent a couple weeks dropping "hints" to friends about rides at Cedar Point until she was sure she picked the perfect one.  Well, it turned out that she underestimated her friend's willingness to try new things.  Mom ended up riding some rides with the friend so she could say that she rode some things.  Being from a larger family, the friend did not always have the opportunity to got to Cedar Point and she was going to make the most of it! :D

They stayed until the park was closing.  It was a great and LONG day.  No one bothered to say, "Hello" to me on the way in the camper that evening.  They all just crashed in bed and were asleep  the moment their heads hit the pillow.

The next morning we all hung around the camp ground.  The girls had fun on scooters.  The boys enjoyed tormenting the girls by following them around and playing on the playground.  Board games were played and general fun was had.  They took Jane's friend on a trip to their favorite ice cream shop in the area, Toft's. If you are in the Sandusky area you should try it out.  Just beware, a small is like 3 scoops!!

It was a short trip and there is not much else to report but it was fun.  Aidan wanted to stay longer... actually we all did!

Smokey Mountians -- Day 8

Today was a sad day indeed.  It was time to head back home.  Mom and Dad slept in longer than they wanted but thought it was more important to get some sleep than to leave early.  Because they had packed a lot last night, finishing up and pulling out was not hard. 

The family has been listening to the Percy Jackson books on audio.  Mom was so engrossed in the book that it was not until she saw signs that said “Virginia” that she realized Dad was not going home the same way they came.  He decided he wanted to drive the more “scenic” path through West Virginia.  It is more scenic but he also wanted to test towing the camper through the mountains.  He knew how the old camper did but he wanted to see how this one did.  As we drove through the mountains, from my perch in the back of the truck, I could see that the foliage was starting to change as we went farther north.  Mom and Dad would have loved to have been in the Smokies during the foliage peak but between traffic and the need to have the camper ready for winter storage, it did not work out this year.  Maybe, Lord willing, another year they will be able to do it.

Smokey Mountains -- Day 7

Another day of a relaxing start to the day.  Once everyone was moving, the family headed out to the parks again.  Mom wanted to take the hike up to Laurel Falls.  She just loves water falls.  This set has a bridge and seating area at the top.  It is so pretty.  The trail up to these falls is paved but again goes up!  On the way up, some hikers coming down said that a bear crossed the path right in front of them.  But, once again, they did not see the bear as they went up the trail. Aidan was sad to not see a bear again.  While they did not see a bear, they saw a small snake and a super cool salamander. Once at the top, they took their time sitting and resting and letting the kids play in a small pool of shallow water near the bridge.  It was such a pretty and peaceful place.

On the way back to the camper, Mom realized that she had not gotten her shirt that she really wanted to get this time.  It says “I don’t have to outrun a bear, I just have to outrun YOU!”.  This was the last day they would be in Gatlinburg.  Mom dropped Dad, Riley, and Jane off on the side of the road so they could go into the shop to get the shirt for her and she drove a big loop to pick them back up when they were done.

Everyone headed back to the camper then.  Mom and Dad did a little packing to make leaving the next day a little smoother.  As Mom was doing the dishes she kept reflecting on the beauty of this place.  You can see God’s handiwork anywhere you look but in the National Parks like this is seems as if He is so much closer.

Smokey Mountains -- Day 6

Today we decided to go back to Pigeon Forge.  This was a mistake.  Mom had seen that there was a hot rod show the weekend we arrived so today should have been easier in Pigeon Forge than last weekend.  What Mom did not know, and what the flyer she read did not say was that this was a two weekend event.  Traveling fractions of miles took 20 to 30 minutes.  They went to the Lodge outlet store.  Dad bought himself a new wok in the second hand section.  He got a great deal on it but boy that thing is heavy!  I tried to use it for a hammock since I fit but it was not terribly comfortable. 

Mom wanted some boots.  She found a store that said buy 1 pair get two free.  As suspected, the prices were at least $200 each.  She wanted to check out another store she had seen but with traffic as heavy as it was, when she realized they had not gone as far as they needed to down one way before they turned back, there was no way to return back without it literally taking an hour.

Jane, Riley and Aidan had hoped to go for a second round of free black light mini-golf.  But, the traffic was so heavy they were not able to get there in time before the coupon expired.  They did get to go pick their yearly Christmas ornaments.  It seems that this family lets the kids pick an ornament to remember the year by.  It could be a favorite character they were into or something they learned to do that year.  Jane got one of a girl on a horse and had it personalized with her name and the year and on the back had “my first show” written on it.  Aidan picked one with a bear and a tree to remember that he had seen a bear in a tree this year.  Riley’s was the best.  He found one of a boy on an inner tube.  He had it personalized to say “Worst rafting trip ever 2015” to commemorate the Mohican trip.  Jane wanted to have it say “We will never forget or forgive”. 

Jane also picked her souvenir for the trip.  She had a hat airbrushed with “Great Smoky Mountains”.  After this, they were done with the congestion in Pigeon Forge and they wanted to head out of that area.  It took nearly FOREVER to get out of the area.  While Mom and Dad loved seeing some of the really cool old cars, the traffic was so heavy they could not take it.  After making it out of the area they were again in Gatlinburg.  They decided that the weather was perfect for walking that area again.

After parking, they started walking.  They went to a couple shops before finding a glass shop.  Now, this lady must be nuts.  Mom took all three of those red-headed children into the glass shop.  Apparently, Mom started a collection of tiny glass animals (each time she goes to Cedar Point, she gets an animal from the glass shop there).  They were looking for one for her collection.  Since they said that souvenirs needed to be something that reminded them of the trip, Mom stuck to her own rules and picked out a little glass bear.  Aidan, who is taking a hermit crab class in his homeschool group, found a shell with a glass hermit crab on it that he really wanted.  Mom bought it without him knowing as a Christmas gift. J  Mom also found a gift for a friend of hers.

Next, they went to “The Village” portion of Gatlinburg.  It is a little more “quaint” and cute.  There is a fudge/chocolate/candy shop there.  Dad wanted to try out some of the chocolates.  He also let the kiddos get some “dare” jellybeans.  After purchasing these jellybeans the kids went outside to taste test them.  The premise of this box is that each color can be one of two choices.  For example, the black is either licorice or skunk (yes, SKUNK).  Some of them smelled so bad I think Mom was going to be sick just from smelling them.  There was stinky sock, skunk, baby wipe, vomit, and many others.  Mom did eat half a baby wipe one but that was all she could do.  I don’t think Dad had any.  But, Dad got some hilarious video of the kids breaking the beans in half, smelling them, sticking them on their tongue and running to spit them out in a garbage can.  The laughter and giggles was well worth the $2 spent on the box of jelly beans.  The kids also gave some to the owners of the campground. It made for great fun.  Now the kids want to get boxes of these for their friends for birthday gifts – look out kids!

After all this excitement it was time to head back to the truck and then go back to the camper.  They wanted to eat and get some sleep and I can’t blame them!  It was a long hot day!