Category: Travel

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Homeschool New York Philadelphia

Breakdown of our Road School Revolutionary War Unit Study

My biggest goal for school last yaer was to tackle both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars with the kids. Fairly ambitious, but since we were going to be on the east coast for a few months, I really wanted history to come alive for us. About halfway through our trip, I realized that there was no way we were going to cover both wars. Wrapping our heads around just one was an impressive feat, but I loved the deep dive on the Revolutionary War we were able to accomplish. Even as an adult I learned SO much right alongside our kids. That was the most magical outcome of all.

Below I’ll outline what resources we used, what sites we visited, and how I feel like they fit in to our unit study. Some worked better than others, but mostly we reinforced concepts, events, and ideas over and over in different ways. It was incredible.

I’ll start with our physical resources and then move on to the actual places we visited.

Physical Resources

“Time Travel with Exceptional Americans” Audio Books by Rush Limbaugh

We’ve always listened to audio books as we drive, and when I learned about this Rush Revere Audible series I knew I wanted to try it out. We started with the Pilgrims and listened through Rush Revere and the Presidency. The audio books expound the events leading up to the Revolutionary War plus the Battles of Concord and Lexington. I wish Mr. Limbaugh had included the Battle of New York or even the end of the war in Yorktown to finish up, but we also learned the Revolutionary War was complicated, long, and world wide. So, we’ll take what we can get.

These books are written and narrated by Rush Limbaugh. We are not listeners of his radio show, nor do I know much about him as a person so I can’t comment on that, but we did enjoy the narration. I do love that he included that the first Patriots absolutely believed they had a divine mandate to free this country from Great Britain and were inspired by God. Being Christian, I felt that was super important to our studies.

“Brave Pilgrims” – Covers the early moments of our nation as the Pilgrims come over to Plymouth from England. Introduces William Bradford, Myles Standish, and Samoset.

“First Patriots” – Covers the Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, King George III, and the Boston Tea party.

“American Revolution” – Covers the year 1775 including the Boston Massacre, lanterns in the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s Ride, and the battles of Lexington and Concord.

“First Presidency” – This was my least favorite only because it involves less time travel than the other books. We do get a look at the first three presidencies of the United States but we could have not listened and I would have been fine.

“Seeds of America” Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson

I read the “Seeds of America” trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson a few years ago and loved them. I’ve mentioned them to my older two kids who tried to read them on their own and just couldn’t get into it. Since we were already listening to Rush Revere, listening to these as audio books didn’t make sense, and we just don’t have the time or energy to read aloud together (although I know there are incredible benefits to that!).

My solution? We started a book club. We assigned a certain number of chapters to be read in a day and then talked about them over dinner. We all loved it!

The series follows three young slaves, Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth through the course of the Revolutionary War and their fight for freedom alongside the Patriots. “Chains” begins in New York when the British invade (so picks up kind of where Rush leaves off) and are more focused on the characters rather than events. The characters remark on events, “I heard Washington escaped through the fog” but its a more localized tale about the hardships and the struggles of the people.

“Forge” takes place during the winter encampment of Valley Forge and is the story of Curzon and his fight as a soldier as well as being captured and returned to slavery.

“Ashes” follows the end of the war near Yorktown. I *wish* we had had time to visit southern Virginia to close up the unit study, but either way we definitely needed to finish the series to find out what happens to the characters!

The biggest takeaway of this series for us was the fact that while the Patriots were fighting for freedom they still kept thousands of African Americans in slavery.  The hypocrisy of this situation was not lost on any us, and spurred some really important discussions with our children. You can buy the trilogy on Amazon here.

Smash Journaling the American Revolution Timeline

One of the additions for school this trip as been our “Smash Journals”. Inspired by our friends over at KidProject.org I decided to help the kids keep a record of our travels while exercising their creative muscles. We bought $5 dot graph journals from Michael’s and the kids have journaled, sketched, printed photos,  and included stickers, National Park stamps, and ticket stubs.

When we began talk of the Revolutionary War I knew we needed a timeline so my kids could understand the events as they played out.

One afternoon in Acadia NP, Alyssa and I gathered all our crafty materials and spent a few hours with all the kids on a picnic table but by the bay helping put their timelines together. Originally we made space through the Civil War and we did end up adding dates for Lincoln’s assassination but most of our dates are between the Pilgrims and the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

“Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook”

We randomly picked up a copy of this book at Costco on our way to the East Coast. Thinking that my kids would just sit down and read it (which they do sometimes), Sam and I both felt it was a good resource to have on hand. While not a complete study of the Revolutionary War, the short section did help us fill in our timeline and reinforce events. You can also buy it on Amazon.

Places We Visited

I realize not everyone has the chance to visit, in person, the Revolutionary War sites in the eastern United States. However, most of these parks are run by the National Park Service and they have incredible information on their websites. So, you could still study the locations and the sites even if its from home.

Fort Stanwix National Monument – Rome, New York

This visit was a happy accident. We just happened to be in the area and were able to visit the fort. While the timeline was confusing (the fort was used in multiple wars) it did introduce the concept of the French and Indian Wars. We learned later that the Stamp and Intolerable Acts were direct results of King George III trying to pay off the war which made it relevant to the kids. See more about our visit here.

Plimouth Plantation – Plymouth, Massachusetts

I debated between this and the Boston Tea Party Museum due to the cost. It was fairly expensive, but I knew we could easily spend most of day exploring here. Plus, our friends wanted to go so that sealed it. My favorite part was sitting in the Native American village and listening to stories about the Wampanoeg culture. Unfortunately the Mayflower is under renovation and wasn’t there but we did also get to wander through the 17th Century English Village.

Overall I think I’d give the park a B-. It didn’t help that it was hot and humid walking through the English village and the kids were tired. Overall I’m glad we went though!

Boston National Historical Park- Boston, Massachusetts

I was SO excited for Boston. I was ready for the history, and to just feel the city. I’m not sure what went wrong but it really didn’t do it for me. We walked most of the Freedom Trail and saw the site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s House (pay to go in), the Old North Church (also pay to go in), and the Battle of Bunker Hill (climb to the top for free).

It was a lot of walking and kind of cool to see where things were but Boston has changed so much I didn’t get the history magic goosebumps I was looking for.

Minute Man National Historical Park – Concord, Massachusetts

I liked Minute Man NHP SO much more than Boston. Located between the cities of Concord and Lexington everything was slower paced and I could imagine what it would have been like in 1775.

The multi-media presentation a the visitor center is not to be missed. It was an INCREDIBLE detailing of the events that led up to the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s Ride & Capture, and the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Federal Hall National Memorial – New York, New York

We only happened by Federal Hall because of the Rush Revere series. We were listening to the “First Presidency” as we drove into NYC and he talked about the fact that Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States of America on the steps of Federal Hall. Huh. We should go there. So we stopped by. Unfortunately it was closed but since I’ve learned that the visitor center there is actually quite good. So, maybe check to make sure its open before you happen by!

Independence National Historic Park – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We visited Philadelphia 5 years ago just after purchasing the Airstream. It was one of our first moochdocking experiences and we loved hanging out with our friends. We didn’t plan super far in advance (yes, that’s usually how it goes) so we were unable to get tickets for Independence Hall. Consequently, touring Independence Hall was the ONE thing I wanted to do this time around. Sam had to work, so the kids and I drove in early and were able to acquire tickets for the late afternoon which gave us time to explore the Museum of the American Revolution.

The tour itself was actually kind of uninspiring (after ALL those years of waiting, lol!) but I can now check it off my bucket list.

Museum of the American Revolution – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This was AMAZING. The Museum of the American Revolution is Philly’s newest, state of the art museum and they did an incredible job. They had lots of multi-media presentations, videos, artifacts, and summaries of the events. The museum is laid out chronoligcally so we journeyed from the ascension of King George III to the throne of Great Britain, to the early events and conflict of the American Revoluation, the battles, and finally the aftermath and how it affected both the United States and the world as an example of a democracy.

I loved that we had studied so much of this that my kids were like, “Yes! We talked about this!” They recognized many of the events, stories, and battles which took place so this was kind of an overview/review type experience. At one point, Andrew excitedly ran up to me and said, “They have a piece of Kind George’s Statue!” Yep. The one the patriots tore down after hearing the Declaration of Independence and melted into bullets (thanks Rush!).

We did learn more about the Native American struggle with choosing sides, the battle at Saratoga, the invasion of Philadelphia, and the Battle of Brandywine. Andrew also spent quite a bit of time aboard the privateering ship talking to a docent about the role they played in the war.

My FAVORITE part was the presentation of George Washington’s actual war tent. You guys! They have HIS TENT. It was a beautiful video presentation and reveal, I just wish they had given us a chance to stare at it a little longer. If I’ve learned nothing else through this study, its to complete respect this man who did so many amazing things for our country.

Valley Forge National Historical Park – Pennsylvania

Because we had been reading the “Seeds of America” series, I was equally excited to visit Valley Forge and explore the area with our kids. Valley Forge was a turning point in the Revolutionary War as we finally received foreign aid and Baron Von Steuben helped discipline and train our troops over the long winter. Totally fascinating.

Equally amazing was visiting George Washington’s headquarters and realizing the original banister was still in place. Totally geek out moment. We thoroughly enjoyed riding our bikes through the park and imagining what it must have looked with like all those troops nestled in for the winter!

While I we didn’t cover ALL the available sites, by the time we turned back west I felt we had done a pretty good job of studying the Revolutionary War. My only twinge of sadness was that we didn’t make it down to Yorktown to really round things out!

Have you studied the Revolutionary War with your kids? What are your favorite resources?

Categories
New Brunswick WanderLog

Learning about Tides in Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

Travel Dates: August 31-Sept 2, 2018

Our last stop in the Maritime provinces was Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. We should have timed things better but by the time we drove over from Halifax, grocery shopped and made it to Hopewell Rocks, the tide was in. And we wanted to see the park when the tide was OUT. Too late we learned that our ticket would have been good for TWO days, but instead we just parked at the campground and drove back the next day.

Sometimes things aren’t perfect and that’s okay.

Bay of Fundy, National Park

We settled into our campsite at Fundy National park and then took the short walk down to the town of Alma and the beach. We walked along the shore for about 15 minutes and marveled at how fast the tide was going out. Then we came back after dinner and were just completely blown away!

Sam and I managed a date night and loved sitting right on the bay at Tipsy Tails. Poor kids weren’t invited, but we definitely needed a night out!

“Tides are fascinating. We’ve learned a few things just in the last 24 hours or so of being on the Bay of Fundy! Over breakfast we watched a video that described gravitational forces between the Earth, sun and moon that create both low and high tides every day.

Then we wanted to know why the Bay of Fundy was so extreme. Turns out it’s the perfect length and shape to match the tidal rhythm of the Atlantic Ocean (yep! They have rhythms!) This resonance between the two amplifies the tidal range and creates a larger sloshing effect. So, basically the Bay of Fundy is the world’s largest bathtub. 😂

Also, lobster poutine is one of Canada’s great gifts to mankind.” – @currentlywandering

“When in Canada, eat Poutine. When in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, eat Lobster Poutine.” – @telegramsam

Sunday was a bit of a down day. We had a morning devotional as a family and then drove over to Herring Cove where we spent an hour turning over rocks looking for crab. It was hilarious and seriously so much fun! We also did a short walk/hike to Dickson Falls. It wasn’t anything spectacular but we did stretch our legs. Finished off the day by swimming together in the salt water pool. Seriously. A national park with a swimming pool. Canada is awesome.

“Benevolent: well meaning and kindly.

Too far to attend regular church services today we had a family devotional and council instead. While I’ve long felt that full time travel has brought our family closer together, lately we’ve had a lot of discord. Perhaps because the kids are older, or we know we have a house to go back to, or maybe it’s just regular family life. Regardless of the reason, constant fighting, accusing tones, and bickering has forced away the peace usually found in our little space.

So today we talked about being kind. We believe in being honest, true, chaste and benevolent – but it’s hard to be something when you don’t know the meaning of the word. We talked about using soft answers, being unselfish, and giving service to one another.

We ended with a quote from one of our general authorities – “I promise that if you will extend yourself beyond what is easy to do, you will feel so good inside that kindness will start to become a part of your everyday life. You’ll see that benevolence can bring joy and unity to your home, your class, your ward, and your school. ‘Remember this: kindness begins with me.'” Something I think we could all do a little better at, yes?

Also, wild blackberry picking today. And then we made crumble. Both definitively approved Sabbath activities.” – @currentlywandering

 

Hopewell Rocks

This is one of the best places to see the dramatic effect of the tides. The water has carved incredible formations among these rocks and it was pretty fun to walk around and underneath them. Its definitely muddy so come prepared with the right footwear!

After wandering around on the beach we headed up to the little cafe and ordered probably the BEST lobster roll we ate in all of our travels.

We totally had mixed feelings about leaving Canada. On the one hand we were excited to head to Maine but we loved the Maritimes and the people so much!

Categories
Fitness & Recipes General Information Outdoor Adventures

Favorite Snacks for Outdoor Family Adventure

We have one rule in this house. Okay, we have more than one rule, but the MAIN rule for family adventuring is: ALWAYS pack snacks. It doesn’t even matter that we don’t have toddlers anymore, even older kids get hangry when their tummies are empty. And hangry kids are no fun to hike with. Or bike. Or anything really.

Over the years we’ve kind of gravitated to our favorite snacks, and while we do try to add new ones, these seem to be our tried and true! We do mix in fresh fruits and veggies (carrots, cherry tomatoes, apples, clementines), and fruit snacks but these are the more exciting ones- at least in my opinion. Note that most of these links are affiliates cause that’s how we keep the lights on around here. Thanks for helping us out!

Perky Jerky

We’ve been ambassadors for at least 2 years now and I have no plans to stop proclaiming the amazingness of Perky Jerky. I feel like protein is one of the hardest trail snacks to get (unless you go with a bar – but then that’s a lot of carbs too) but this is SO easy. And delicious. All of their meats are super tender, easy to chew and full of flavor. Have I mentioned they taste amazing?

Just this year Perky Jerky added pork to their line up and just thinking about the Coconut Curry flavor has me getting hungry. We eat these in the car on long drives, on the ski hill, on the way back from the ski hill, hiking, biking, and and the beach. Pretty much anywhere.

You can find Perky Jerky at most grocery stores, Whole Foods, sometimes Costco or subscribe on their website.

 

Mission Meats

We were sent a sample pack from Mission Meats this year and were excited to give them a try! The kids liked their beef sticks, but what really interested me were their Graze Bars. All their products are made from 100% grass fed beef and are pretty tasty!

Vermont Smoke & Cure

Apparently it was jerky month, because we were also contacted by Vermont Smoke & Cure – a US based company that makes meat snacks. We tried both the Maple Teriyaki & the Jalapeno Lime grass-fed beef sticks and were fans! They had lots of flavor and the jalapeno flavor had a good kick to it!

Blue Ridge Granola

Blue Ridge is a small company based out of North Carolina in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. They were a 365 Mile Challenge Kids’ Week sponsor and while their cookies are delicious, their home made granola is even better! I love to just toss back a handful while on the trail or pair it with Greek yogurt at home.

 

Just the Cheese

We were recently introduced to Just the Cheese on Instagram and when I indicated I was writing a post about snacks they agreed to send us a few samples to try out. I loved them!

They are basically baked cheese. That’s it. Gluten free, and Keto friendly, they are simple and delicious. They also have different flavors and come in bars or minis. I’m super excited to try out the rest of the flavors!

Bare Snacks Baked & Naturally Crunchy

It’s all about the coconut. I know I have a photo of apples and those are more common, but trust me on this. Their coconut chips are amazing and I HATE coconut. It looks like they’ve also come out with sweet potato, beets, and carrots in addition to the fruit. Time to go order some on Amazon.

Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars

We pick these up by the box at Costco and love them. Well, most of us do. They usually have three flavors: fig, blueberry, and raspberry. When we buy just one flavor at a time the kids prefer Double Chocolate Brownie.

Unsurprising, right? I feel like these a good alternative to plain old granola bars.

Nature Nate’s Honey

Sometimes we get approached by companies and I think “I don’t want to write a post about that” but then we actually TRY it and fall in LOVE and I think, “Write the post!” That’s kind of how I felt about Nature Nate when I first heard about it. Honey? As a snack? But its seriously like an organic sugar kick. Let’s be honest too – their little honey packets are freaking adorable and so easy to toss in a bag and go!

Justin’s Almond Butter & Back to Nature Crackers

This was a staple for us in Hawaii. I could order them both off Amazon (it might take awhile to get there) but easy to throw in the beach bag, and super filling.  I also like that the almond butter packets are smaller and easy to size portion. And they are delicious on banana pancakes.

Half Pops

We randomly picked up a bag of these at REI one day and totally loved them! Okay, Cara totally loves them which is a HUGE perk since she’s our picky eater. Our favorite is definitely cheddar – we tried the caramel sea salt and it was just weird. We recently ordered some Butter & Sea Salt and they were a hit with Rachel as well!

Honey Stinger Waffles & Chews

My kids BEG for Honey Stinger Waffles. They are kind of expensive, but we buy them at REI in bulk and get a small discount when we do. We save these for BIG adventures. And eat sparingly but dang. My kids will practically do anything for one.

The chews are also good – kind of like a hefty fruit snack. If we are doing something serious we’ll buy the caffeinated versions and give them each one or two for a pick me up.

Pretzel Thins, Hummus, & Cucumber

We buy the Pretzel thins at Costco in the BIG bags and then usually grab a small tupperware to pack them in so they don’t get smooshed. I remember one time in Wisconsin we let Cara put them in her bag and I’m heard them bouncing down the trail with her. We ended up with pretzel dust- so keep them somewhere a little more smooth than with the 5 year old.

Pair it with single serve hummus cups, slice up a cucumber with a pocket knife and even add in some Perky Jerky and you practically have lunch.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

I asked on Instagram once about people’s favorite snacks and someone mentioned these. We tried them and totally got addicted! Its basically crescent rolls layed out with some marinara, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Roll it up, bake them about 12 minutes and you are good to go!

They store pretty easily and we’ve packed them for lunch or snacks depending on how long we’ll be out.

Gatorade

This is a new addition to the “get kids down the trail” arsenal. Our friends started bringing small Gatorade bottles for each of the kids on hikes, and this last trip to Acadia they gave some to our kids as well. Cara told me that she had all the energy in the world and she could hike forever! I’m sold.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Cookies

These breakfast “cookies” are ridiculously delicious. They’ve turned into one of our go-to hiking snacks as they are easy to stash in a small tupperwear and toss into our pack. They are loaded with Peanut Butter energy goodness, apples, oats, and bananas! Full recipe here on the blog.

Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These are also a backpacking favorite. They are pretty dense so they pack well, and taste pretty good 4-5 miles into a trail. Okay, they taste good all the time. We made them once for Andrew’s birthday on the Apostle Islands and added campfire roasted marshmallows and chocolate. Yup. It was good. Full recipe here on the blog.

Homemade Trail Mix

This is a big one for us when we go backpacking. My kids don’t really like nuts (unless you count toffee covered peanuts) so I came up with my own nut-less version of a trail mix. We use square pretzels, M&M’s, craisins, peanuts, & mini marshmallows. Mix together and store tightly covered.

The second option my kids like is a mix of toffee covered peanuts (I’ve literally only found them at the built section of Winco grocery stores) and skittles.

There you have it! We try and pack at least 2-3 snacks per person when on a medium length adventure. Usually some kind of bar, a fruity thing, and something fresh & crunchy. If its a long adventure we’ll also pack candy or gummies – lovingly called “trail bait” that help keep the kids going when they get tired.

What about you? What are your favorite snacks to pack on outdoor adventures?

Categories
Canada Holidays & Bdays Nova Scotia On the Water WanderLog

Falling in love with Nova Scotia and some Canoe Camping

Travel Dates: August 22-30, 2018

Awhile ago we bought the Canadian National Parks guide and as soon as I realized Kejimkujik National Park was known for its back country camping I was sold. That meant after Cape Breton we needed to make our way southeast. True to form we decided to take the back roads down to a small family run RV park on the eastern shore. Since then we’ve also decided that taking the back roads in Nova Scotia is not generally a good idea. Sometimes we did to avoid toll roads, and other times it just seemed more scenic. More often than not it just meant bad pavement. Live and learn I suppose? The road was bumpy, it was rainy, foggy and not altogether scenic. The bright spot, however, was that we learned most gas stations have hard scoop ice cream. Score!

Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean

We pulled into Murphy’s and I was immediately not impressed. Our site was supposed to have 30amp but it was broken, so we had an extension cord that ran 20amp. It was raining. We were exhausted. It was also not cool enough plus the humidity was high so we were all kind of sticky. I went to bed wondering if we could get a refund and leave early.

But then…. the next day dawned bright and sunny. We had a crisp breeze off the ocean and the kids discovered the crab trap down by the docks. They spent HOURS playing catch and release with the small sea creatures, Alyssa and I went for a mid morning canoe paddle, and later that evening we all sat around the campfire and ate complimentary boiled mussels.

Kind of a quirky place but one that could definitely grow on you. 

“As moms, sometimes we just need our own adventures. @alyssakerickson spied a lonely canoe just sitting on the dock at Murphy’s and asked about renting it. $10 later we were paddling among all these cute little islands for an hour and just enjoying a morning of quiet. And no kids. And adventure. Thanks friend for getting out there with me!”

Friday morning the 24th dawned beautiful, sunny, and just like that Andrew turned 11 years old. Since we had already fulfilled their birthday dreams at Cedar Point last month, the presents were sparse. We did manage to drum up some candy corn for him, and Cara wrapped everything beautifully in home made paper. He requested eggs on toast for breakfast (don’t mind if we do) and then we hitched up and towed the house to the beach for an afternoon in the sun!

Martinique Beach Provincial Park

Alyssa had heard from the locals that Martinique Beach Provincial Park was one of the best beaches on the east shore. From looking at satellite view we figured if we got there early and took up an entire parking lot with our two Airstreams we’d be fine.

Right?

Somehow we managed to miss the fact that it is also a popular surf beach and everyone was there early. Near the end of the narrow road we did manage to back in both our trailers & trucks and settle in for the day. Mostly we just crossed our fingers we’d be able to get out again!

“One of our biggest concerns on this trip was how Rachel would do. She loves Driggs, having her own room and hanging out with girls her age. While traveling is still magical to the younger two, she’s kind of over it. Showing up every week to a new group of teenage girls at church can also be intimidating and full of anxiety. The other week, however, she told us, “I’ve conquered church” while acknowledging that her prayers had been answered. 💕

I’m so proud of her and her attitude. Sure, she’d go home tomorrow if she could but in the meantime I love watching her grow and learn along with the rest of us.
Beach days certainly help too. We don’t have those in Driggs. 😂” – @currentlywandering

One thing I really love about Canada? Everyone is SO nice. We followed the Erickson’s out of the parking lot and everyone moved over, backed up, or gave us space. Seriously could have been bad, but really? It wasn’t a problem. Now, I probably wouldn’t recommend a repeat adventure, but I’m grateful we didn’t get stuck in there all night!

The town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

We ran into the weekend problem where everything was full, but managed to snack a couple of spots down in Lunenburg, NS for Friday & Saturday nights. We celebrated that evening with hamburgers & cupcakes and the kids were able to watch a movie. Birthdays can sometimes be hard on the road, but I think we pretty much nailed this one!

Lunenburge is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which I think means its pretty old. 🙂 We stayed in the lower loop of the Board of Trade campground and only *barely* fit. I’m not sure we’d do that again. It was within walking distance to town, however, which we took advantage of.

Sunday morning we hitched up and drove to church towing the Airstream. We don’t do this often, but sometimes its just logistically easier when we are trying to get from point A to B. We found the ward in the small town of Bridgewater to be incredibly kind and welcoming. If we ever go back to Nova Scotia we’d definitely love to spend more time in this region!

Kejimkujik National Park

We tend to fly by the seat of our pants – even when planning back country adventures. After talking with locals and getting a feel for the area I’ve realized we were VERY lucky to be able to back country camp in this park last minute. I’m so grateful it worked out, however, because this canoe circuit was one of  the hardest and most rewarding trips we’ve had.

“When I found out that Kejimkujik was primarily a back country park my planning wheels started churning. We packed all our gear but haven’t had a chance to use it!

I talked with the rangers, with the outfitters, did a bunch of research online and we finally settled on the Big Dam – Frozen Ocean Lake loop. It involves 26km of paddling/hiking, 6 portages, 4 lakes, and 2 rivers. Definitely the most complicated trip we’ve ever undertaken!

We also found out this park is extremely popular with the locals and am incredibly grateful we were able to book any sites at all with such short notice.

One of my favorite moments? Rachel and Andrew successfully navigating this lake and pulling into the portage like pros.” – @currentlywandering

“That time we were on our way to the National park and I thought, “Hey! I wonder if we should take the paddle board along with our rental canoes?” Yes. Yes we should.” -@currentlywandering

“Sometimes we visit places with a stay in an RV site. Sometimes we jump in a little deeper. We just spent 3 days on a 16 mile canoe circuit in Kejimkujik National Park, in the middle of Southern Nova Scotia.
We started with a portage to and paddle across Big Dam Lake. #allthedamjokes” – @telegramsam

“All three of my kids are strong paddlers, and it makes canoe trips fun. We switched up boat arrangements quite often, and it was great to spend time with each. We had two canoes and also a paddle board/kayak, so there were no passengers for th first time on a trip like this. Everybody had a nice round of paddling.” – @telegramsam

I plan to do a full write up of our trip as soon as I get time to go through ALL  the video. Stay tuned for that.

City of Halifax & Enlisting as Soldiers

After our canoe camping trip in Keji, we towed back to Halifax, Nova Scotia and met up with the Erickson’s again. Mostly we just needed to recover, get some work done, and get Rachel to the LDS temple. The kids and I also managed a visit to the Citadel for a road schooling field trip. I wish it hadn’t been as hot and humid that day because the fort was AMAZING. I loved watching the soldiers in uniform march, play the bagpipes, and shoot their weapons. We could dress up, enlist in the army, and even attend of day of school.

If we had had longer (and looking back we should have just done it!) I would have explored more of the southern coast of Nova Scotia. Its rumored to have some of the best beaches anywhere. However, it was time to turn and head back towards the US.

Categories
Canada National Parks Nova Scotia WanderLog

Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the Cabot Trail

I didn’t realize how BIG Nova Scotia was. It really does take hours to get across, but that didn’t deter us from heading to the northernmost part – Cape Breton. Specifically we wanted to visit the National Park because I had heard such good things!

When We Visited: August 19-21, 2018

Ages of Kids: 12, 10, & 8

Where we stayed: We camped in Cheticamp on the west side of the park. While our friends snagged a site for the whole time, we actually had to move in the middle but it wasn’t crazy. Both sites were unserviced (dry) but the temps were manageable and we did okay. Next time I’d be tempted to stay there for a few days and then tow around and over to Ignogish and park closer to the beach!

The main attraction for this park is driving the Cabot Trail – a beautifully scenic highway that runs the length of the park. We were told we really needed to drive it on a motorcycle, but realistically that just wasn’t going to happen!

Instead of seeing the park piece by piece we determined it would be better to just take off a day of work and spend the whole day exploring! We hadn’t this in a LONG time and although it was a long day we had a blast.

Driving the Cabot Trail

I think most people drive the trail counter-clockwise but since we were already camped on the west side we went the opposite direction. We told the kids we were doing a “10 Hike Challenge” along the way and for the most part everyone stayed enthusiastic. We felt like it was a great way to stop along the way and see various highlights of the park.

“When planning our adventures in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, we decided to take work off and spend the entire day driving & hiking footpaths along the Cabot Trail with our friends @alyssakerickson & @cperickson.

The road winds along the seashore, through the trees and then back to the opposite seashore for 108 km of pretty spectacular scenery.

We haven’t taken an entire day for intense exploring in a long time and it was fabulous. By the end we were exhausted but our adventurous souls were satisfied.” – @currentlywandering

“The shores of Nova Scotia have completely taken me by surprise. This section in particular reminded me of Lake Superior with it’s craggy rocks and blue water. I loved it!

About halfway into our 10 hike challenge, the kids found a burst of energy to scramble up and down to the water and back. Hanging with friends on this trip has been awesome. Outdoor activities always seem to go smoother when the kids (okay adults too) have someone to hang with!” – @currentlywandering

“When we originally planned our route to include Nova Scotia, ‘beach’ was the furthest word from my mind.

Now we can’t get enough.

First we thought we’d just dip our toes in. Then up to our ankles, then a wave came and splashed up to our knees. Before we knew it we were ducking waves and laughing in the salt spray.

Maybe it was a full day of hiking, or maybe the light was just right, or we got lucky with an unseasonably warm summer. Whatever the reason, our evening on Ingonish Beach will forever be a favorite.” – @currentlywandering

By the time we were finished with our dip in the ocean and our last hike, we were pretty starving! The restaurants in town were pretty busy so we found a burger place that was basically fast food. We gobbled them down and then blasted music on the hour and 45 minute drive back to camp. Everyone slept pretty well that night!

Hiking Skyline Trail

We only had one more day in the park, and we knew we wanted to hit the Skyline Trail at sunset. Since the signal in the park wasn’t very good, both dads drove out to town hunting for better coverage. They found it right outside the bakery. Darn.

Alyssa and I managed the kids – we did some smashbooking, passed off their Xplorer books and just basically hung around until dinner time. Then we were off!

It is advised to start the trail about 2 hours before sunset so for us that was 6:30pm. The trail is fairly flat along the top of the ridge but then it opens up into this:

It literally took my breath away. Even though it was an easy 4.5 mile round trip, the Skyline Trail definitely hit my list of all time favorite hikes. Sunset was totally a bonus!

“As we walked past the last line of trees and into the open I involuntarily caught my breath. It really did feel like we could touch the sky.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park turned out to be one of our favorite national parks on either side of the border. There’s just something about those seaside hills rolling down into the ocean that spark my imagination.

I can’t think of a better place @telegramsam and I could have celebrated 15 years of marriage. It’s hard, and it’s work, and sometimes in 188 square feet it gets a little crazy. But as I think back over the last four years of travel and how much we’ve been able to truly start to understand and appreciate each other I wouldn’t change a second of it. Love you babe! 😘” – @currentlywandering

While I’m sure we could have spent much long in the park, not having good signal for work is fairly stressful. I’m so grateful we had as long a we did though – Cape Breton Highlands has turned into one of our favorite National Parks!

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

Since signal was not amazing in Cavendish, we left early and drove to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, NS. While Alyssa and I spent time with kids attending a kite making class and completing their Xplorer books, both dads did a quick perusal of the visitor center and headed back out to the Airstreams to get some long overdue work in.

I thoroughly enjoyed the museum. I knew about the invention of the telephone (kind of ) but Alec (as he was nicknamed) also had an interest in kites, flying airplanes, and hydrofoils. Apparently they vacationed enough in Cape Breton, that eventually the family just bought property in Baddeck and moved up there.

I love when we visit and place and that encourages us to want to know MORE.