For some reason, Nova Scotia is the area that excited me the most about the Maritime Provinces. We originally had reservations at Cavendish campground in Prince Edward Island National Park. When most people talk about the Maritimes I hear a lot of “PEI” mentioned. Fictional home of the literary hero Anne of Green Gables its a popular spot for many.
Only we haven’t read the books.
We also found out there’s a $50 fee to cross back across the island to the mainland, plus everything out there is fairly tourist oriented and expensive.
As we planned out driving time (it was a lot), and how much time we had before our Acadia reservations (not enough) we ultimately made the decision to skip it. GASP! I know there are some who would call that lamentable, but we are pretty much okay with it.
The drive from Kouchibouguac to Cape Breton was longer than we liked, so we picked a halfway point in Pictou, NS that served as a logistical stop, easy access to church, AND we got to meet back up with our friends the Erickson’s. Hooray!
“New Brunswick was fabulous (and we’ll be back to visit Bay of Fundy on our way out) but we transitioned into Nova Scotia late Friday evening. Out of all our plans for this trip for some reason this province is the one I’ve been looking forward to most.
So far the rolling farmland reminds me of Idahome only bordered by the sea instead of mountains. I can already tell it’s gonna be good.” -@currentlywandering
Bonus points for finding a fish & chips food truck on the way.
As soon as we pulled into the site right next to our friends, the kids were out and immediately begged for some pool time before it closed for the night.
The following morning we were inspired to join them for a quick walk on the beach “before” the rain started but our timing was a little off. We spent the rest of the day working, getting chores done, and generally enjoying the cooler weather.
We even managed an adult date night dinner at the Korean restaurant AT the campground. How often does that happen?
Sunday afternoon post church, we started the long drive up to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Our time in upstate New York ended up being one of our favorites. We finally caught up with our friends, the Erickson’s, at Delta Lake State Park outside of Rome (not Italy). Mostly we just needed a place that wasn’t too far of a drive where we could all hang out for a few days. This totally qualified.
We arrived late in the evening and all the kids were incredibly excited to see each other! Even Kai, the dog, got in on the action. Once we were parked and leveled (and this was the hardest level I think we’d EVER done in the last 4 years) we stayed up way too late talking and catching up.
The next morning, the dads needed to work so Alyssa and I dodged rain storms and scrammed with the kids to the nearby Fort Stanwix for a little road schooling field trip.
We managed to make it back to camp just before it started a downpour. Luckily games are much more fun with friends and no one got too bored. It was actually nice to have a down day and an excuse to stay inside and relax.
We recently purchased Splendor, which is a super fun 4 player game. I think Anibel and Rachel have now played it over and over and they are ready for the expansion!
The following day, the skies cleared, the sun came out and we spent the day at the beach. Sam and I were finally able to pull out the new Needle Nose SUP board that Sea Eagle boats sent us to test out. Unfortunately the beach wasn’t very launch friendly so it wasn’t an amazing test but felt good to be back on the water!
Lake Placid, New York
After a few days, it was time to move on. After debating back and forth about whether or not to visit Lake Placid we decided to go for it. Mostly we were concerned about cell signal (have to work) and whether or not we could find an electric site (the humidity has been nuts). Turns out the weather was perfect, we found a great little RV park to stay at and Lake Placid is now one of my favorite places.
“We paid for one night. And then another. And then three more after that. We almost skipped Lake Placid but I’m so grateful we didn’t. The cool night temperatures, mountain air, and relaxing friend time has been exactly what we all needed. Running around barefoot on the grass creating obstacle courses doesn’t hurt too much either.”
Our first order of business was to take a short walk on the Peninsula Trails and jump in Lake Placid. The trails were fairly flat, the humidity bearable, and lake swimming is awesome. Perfect combination.
Swimming in Lake Placid
“There are some days where I look around and think, “What decisions did we make in our lives to land us here at this exact moment? Cause it’s pretty awesome.” Swimming in Lake Placid today was one of those.” – @currentlywandering
Hiking Cascade Mountain
One of our primary goals for the Lake Placid area was to HIKE. It’d been way too long and the Erickson’s, especially, were totally hankering for a good summit. After a bunch of research (mostly done by Alyssa) we settled on Cascade Mountain.
“Trees, rocks, more trees, lots of rocks. Sweat. A lot of sweat. Stair climb for hours and then an audible sigh of relief as the trail opens up near the top.
The kids give a whoop and are off like rockets scrambling their way to the summit.
It feels so good to be back in the mountains. The temperature has cooled down, the humidity is less, we don’t run the a/c all the time and have pulled out hoodies and long pants for the evenings.
We could definitely stay here for a bit.” – @currentlywandering
Starting our hike with a talk on Leave No Trace by the trail volunteers.
“There’s something incredibly disappointing about reaching a summit and having it be tree covered. @alyssakerickson worked hard to find us a rocky summit with a view and this one was pretty spectacular. The tallest peak here is only about 5,000 feet (so less than the town we live in) but what they lack for in height they make up for with vertical feet per mile on the trail. This one was STEEP. Which is killer on the way up AND on the way down.
Our kids were troopers and totally rocked it (literally) with only a few minor meltdowns along the way.” – @currentlywandering
Almost there! Short snack break with a teaser view.Summit looking towards Mt. MarcyOverlooking the town of Lake Placid
Mountain Biking and ALL the Swimming
Once again it was the mom’s turn to take the kids out while dads got work done. We do this often, mostly so Sam can have peace and quiet and everyone else is entertained but its way more fun with friends! We had kind of an epic afternoon.
Mirror Lake has a FANTASTIC public beach. The water is clear, the sand is good, there’s docks for the older kids to jump off and the boat launch is steps from the beach. All good things when two moms are trying to wrestle six kids.
Everyone liked it so much that the unanimous vote the following day was to return to the beach. Alyssa and I were able to sneak in a trail ride first thing (ALL the roots!) and then we took our paddle boards and played at the beach again for a few hours. We couldn’t have asked for better weather!
“Mirror Lake is a beautiful paddling location. It’s not overly large, and while it would take effort you could paddle across the entire thing. Sure the area is touristy, but not overly so. The weather yesterday was perfect and the water was like glass.
I had my first chance to really take our new @seaeagleboats Needle Nose SUP for a spin and this thing can really MOVE. I felt like it cut through the water with ease, its super stable, and easy to paddle. So excited to keep testing it out as we travel further east!
Thanks @alyssakerickson for standing on the shore and grabbing this shot of me. I love it!”
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We spent some time in downtown Lake Placid (touristy but there are some fun shops. Its super cute!), the adults made it down to Keene for a pie date and then it was time to move on!
Every time we head east from Colorado it gives me chills. There’s something about being past the Rocky Mountains that really makes it feel like we are going somewhere new, exciting, and different. I love it.
Until we get to the humidity. Dun, dun, dun.
The midwest was HOT and ridiculously humid and mostly we just all wanted to die. 🙂 Okay, it wasn’t that bad but having electric hookups every night to run the a/c and our new dehumidifier was pretty much a necessity.
“Mornings in the Airstream are my favorite. Sam is amazing at getting up early to work, but the rest of us usually sleep in. Cara will come snuggle me in bed and at some point breakfast makes it on the table.
Maybe this is our last big trip in the Airstream. Maybe we’ll continue to travel for a few more years. Either way I’m going to just enjoy it while it lasts.” – @currentlywandering
“Our surprisingly pleasant stop last night was a city run RV campground in Gothenburg. Not only was our brief stay wonderful, but we managed a quick visit to the town’s Pony Express museum. The original building was relocated to a city park, and there is another nearby on it’s original site. Such an audacious slice of history. #currensdriveeast” – @telegramsam
“Just an hour into today’s drive, we stopped at the Archway Meseum in Kearney. The exhibits and audio tour presented the history of travel in America, starting with wagons and ending with motor cars. It was awesome, and just the bit of adventure we needed before driving into the evening. #currensdriveeast” – @telegramsam
We’ve made it habit get work and some school done in the morning and then drive 4-6 hours in the afternoon and sometimes late into the evening.
Rinse and repeat. Sometimes I feel like a total wimp for not being able to knock out a gazillion miles in a few days but there’s that pesky thing called work. Someone has to pay the bills I guess.
We found a lakeside campground in Omaha that was near the LDS temple we wanted to visit, along with the Winter Quarters church history site. Staying put for 2 days felt awesome.
Then… more driving.
Amazon lockers are a great way to get packages on the road. We needed a few things so shipped ahead to a small town in Indiana. Kind of a pain to drive through with the Airstream to pick it up but also nice!
“On our drive yesterday, we stumbled into the third-largest Amish community in the country. The mix of old and new was fascinating. In this picture there are two buggies parked in front of a skate park, while the adults were talking at picnic tables (out of frame to the left) and the kids were playing on the playground to the right.
I have a huge amount of respect for the Amish and Mennonite communities. Making lifestyle choices to improve your family relationships is something I totally understand.” – @telegramsam
“There’s something to be said for driving the back roads. Twice now we’ve opted to skip the toll roads and instead drive through the country. I love the sleepy farm houses and imagining what life would be like in the towns that whiz by in a blur past our windows.
For people who normally cap driving time at 150 miles/3 hours every 4-5 days this week was pretty epic. Turns out we really can move if provided the right motivation.
In the last 7 days we drove from Rocky Mountain NP, CO to Sandusky Ohio for a grand total of 1321 miles, and over 20+ hours of Google drive time (which always grossly underestimates time while towing). Plus Sam was working 6+ hours a day and we attempted to get some school done. That’s the biggest difference. I realize families on road trips easily do 15+ hour stretches but when you are living on the road vacation time isn’t always a possibility and there are only so many hours in a day.
Next time we drive the Midwest let’s not do it in the middle of summer mmkay? 98 degrees and 900% humidity make me cranky. 😂” -@currentlywandering
Cedar Point Amusement Park hit our radar when our friends, KidProject, picked it as a birthday stop for their oldest. Rachel and Andrew ganged up on us and requested it for BOTH their birthdays (one in August, one in Sept).
It was a blast. It also felt like our first “real” stop on this trip and that we could finally get this party started!
“Today was an epic coaster day, including massive acceleration, incredible speed, and even a VR experience whilst on a coaster. Cedar Point is a pile of fun and then some. #andimtired” – @telegramsam
“ALL the rollercoasters. I don’t remember the last time our kids were this excited. Apparently we don’t do theme parks enough, er… Like ever. Happy birthday Rachel and Andrew! I just hope I don’t puke. 🤢😂” – @currentlywandering
“We survived!! Okay, okay, it was a blast. A little bit sunburnt, a whole lot exhausted, and we desperately need groceries and a laundromat. A couple of things we realized in this trip:
⭐ Rachel is a rollercoaster nut – we are exhausted and yet she says she could ride them all day everyday.
⭐The park felt safe enough for Rachel & Andrew to wander by themselves for a few hours and ride the coatsers we didn’t want to.
⭐We used talk about radios to keep track of each other. They worked great since we were constantly splitting into two groups.
⭐Cara has a fear of heights, going upside down, and long drops so she didn’t ride anything big, but we got her on some of the small coasters so we’ll call that a win. And wait a few years before doing another theme park.
⭐Use the child swap if you have smaller kids. It’s a great way to all get on the bigger rides without waiting twice. Worked great.
⭐ Staying at the park campground was totally worth it. We had early entry (only way we were able to ride Steel Vengeance), plus we could come back for meals which saved a ton of money.
⭐Our second day we slept in and then spent 4 hours at the water park. They have an amazing kid area, tons of slides and we practically fell asleep on the lazy river it was so relaxing.
⭐Then we were able to hit the park again from 5-11pm and do all our favorites. Lines are definitely shorter at night!
⭐The all you can drink wristbands are a great value and cheapt if you buy them online rather than in the park.
⭐ Dramamine works great. ✔️✔️
⭐That said I prefer the coasters that just go fast vs always flipping upside down and corkscrewing.
Thanks @alyssakerickson for scoping this out and clueing my kids into it! They said it was the BEST birthday present ever. 😂🎂” -@currentlywandering
We made it out of Idaho! We had quite a few family adventures planned so it almost felt like we hadn’t started our “big” trip yet, but we enjoyed it along the way.
We had reservations to meet family in Rocky Mountain National Park over the weekend which gave us time to slowly move through Colorado.
Southern Utah is one of my favorite places. Like ever. The red rocks are unreal and there are piles out of outdoor activities that could keep an sane person busy for a lifetime. Mountain biking runs a close competition to skiing as my favorite sport, so naturally as snow season wound down we started planning a spring trip to warmer, dryer climates.
To make re-entry in full travel a little easier, we decided to head right back to where we left off last spring: Hurricane, Utah. The camping is free, the trails are incredible, and if we get bored Zion National Park is a quick 30 minute drive. Not too shabby, right?
JEM Mountain Bike Trails
We were able to camp right along Sheep Bridge road (Campendium Link) in the middle of the JEM trail system. It was perfect for intermediate enthusiasts that we are. Enough uphill to give our lungs a work out, and some sweet rolling downhill to bring on the fun. Our oldest two kids had a blast, and we would switch up who rode with who. Andrew and I did a loop together up Dead Ringer to the top of the Mesa, Sam & Rachel took a spin, and Cara & and I had some one on one time on the easiest trail we could find. At one point Andrew said to me, “Mom, if we came here every year then I could see how much better I’m getting by the trails I ride.” Wise words, my boy, wise words.
For deets on the trails, we love the Trail Forks app (Apple, Google). I love the GPS dot that shows my location and its easy to plan a ride that loops back the way we want. My favorite loop was up Dead Ringer to More Cowbell, down JEM, down Goosebumps, and then back up Dead Ringer. Pretty sweet ride. Cara loved the little green loop we did on JEM from the Gould South parking lot.
Cool off in the Virgin River
Since the temps were flirting with the high 90’s (a little too hot for us actually!) we spent a great deal of time cooling off in the Virgin River. Our Airstream friends, the Ericksons, were camped inside Zion so one afternoon we drove in for a potluck and a swim.
Another evening we met up with Arika from Zion Adventure Photography (she took our photos back in December of 2016 and we LOVE them) and Shanti from Hike it Baby and their families for pizza and a dip in the secret spot with the swing. Totally fun meeting up with these ladies and the kids all had a blast swimming in the river. We ate at River Rock Roasting Company and I wish I could eat there everyday. We had an assortment of pizza, sandwiches, and salad and it was all delicious. Also ordered a cinnamon roll to go and secretly ate it with Sam after the kids were in bed so I didn’t have to share. 🙂
Hike the Narrows
We hiked a small portion of the Narrows back in 2015 when our kids were super little. Although we knew we didn’t have the gear (or the desire) to hike the entire thing this year either, we decided to hike up as far as we wanted and then turn around. We jumped on the shuttle around 3pm at the main Visitor Center and started hiking about 45 minutes later.
The water was cold, but not completely freezing, and we managed okay in just our Chaco sandals & swimsuits. The trail in from the shuttle stop is about a mile along a paved path, and then we hiked for about another mile through the water until we came to a swimming hole. The kids were brave and took turns jumping in, then we found a quiet spot to eat our picnic dinner and headed back.
Someday I think we’ll hike the distance (and rent dry suits!) but for now we just needed to cool off and this totally did the trick!
Relax
Most importantly we dove right back in to traveling life. There’s been some adjusting, but mostly I feel like we picked up right where we left off. The weather was a tad windy, but we did manage to have some good outside relax time while we were at it!
