Our Holiday Road

Shake Down Cruise!!

2011-03-23T20:37:00.000-05:00

The OHR gang is back in the saddle! We took the new Outback on its maiden voyage this weekend, traveling to Chattanooga. The van pulled the trailer over Monteagle with no problems, and we arrived at the Best Holiday Trav-L Park in East Ridge, GA by mid afternoon Friday.

We drove into downtown Chattanooga on Saturday, and walked around the north shore a bit. Rode the carousel...

Walked around the fountains...

And we enjoyed some snow cones too.

We also enjoyed hanging around the campsite. Here are a couple of pics of our new addition....Foofee!

On Sunday, we drove the van down to Atlanta to Ikea to get some things for the girls' rooms, and a couple things to prepare for the arrival of Anna. All in all, it was successful first trip with the trailer. We found a couple things to fix, but nothing major. And we hit the Walmart to stock the cupboards. Life doesn't get much better!

Our Holiday Road Is Back On The Road!

2011-02-08T19:03:00.000-06:00

After an 8 month hiatus, the Holiday Road is back on track. Bud and Shirley visited the Nashville RV Show last weekend, and purchased a Keystone Outback 301BQ travel trailer! And so...the journey continues.

We hope to pick up the new trailer on Friday. Since we used to call our motorhome The Holiday Road, and our towed vehicle The Holiday Toad...we are thinking a different name for the trailer. Maybe "The Laughing Place". But, our journey is still Our Holiday Road. We hope to bring Anna home this spring (see Our Fifth Girl), and start our camping adventures again with her.

Stay tuned!

Treasure Fest 2010

2010-08-22T16:04:00.008-05:00

The OHR gang traveled recently up to New York for 2 family reunions. The first was the Smith reunion, and then on Sunday was the Christy family reunion, held at Midway Park on Chautauqua Lake.

It was a beautiful day to get together with Shirley's family of treasures....her Mom and 6 of her siblings and families.

The kids enjoyed the rides.

Stella used her muscles.

Everyone had a great time!

R.I.P. Holiday Road

2010-08-19T15:26:00.003-05:00

We sold the Holiday Road a few weeks ago. The motorhome, that is. It was very sad to see it driving away with someone else behind the wheel. We made a lot of great memories over the 3 1/2 years we owned it, many of them documented on this blog. But our adoption has taken up our time, thoughts and money in 2010, and it was time to move on.

I know I haven't updated this blog in a while. Have been updating our adoption blog throughout the year at ourfifthgirl.blogspot.com, and this one has slipped. But I will try to keep sharing our life adventures from time to time here, even if only for my own benefit of putting memories down in print. If any of you happen to stumble over here now and then I'd like to have something to share. Even though the motorhome is gone, we are still traveling down Our Holiday Road. Life moves forward. Today was the first day of school for Emma, Gwen and Isabel. Life is good! And, maybe next year we will be purchasing another RV to start traveling the highways again with all 5 girls!

Thanks for reading...and stay tuned!

Goodbye Holiday Road

Birthday Parties!!!

2010-02-09T19:13:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Stella’s AND Emma’s birthdays last week. On Sunday we had a joint family party, postponed one day due to the snow. On Thursday, we had a surprise dinner for Emma at the Franklin Chop House! Fun all around.

Snow Storm!!

2010-01-31T11:25:00.001-06:00

It’s been a while since our last post….been pretty busy with holidays and all. But, it’s a new year, with lots of new adventures for the Holiday Road gang ahead. And the adventure started this weekend….with a Snow Storm!

We had a good old fashioned winter storm warning on Friday, so we built a fire, made some soup and hunkered down. And now that the sun is back up, it was time to get out and enjoy!

Tonight, we celebrate Stella’s 4th birthday!

Townsend, Tuckaleechee, Lager and Dogs

2009-11-10T20:45:00.001-06:00

The OHR Gang headed east to the Smokies again this past weekend, enjoying a beautiful weekend of fall weather with OHR Gang in Training.....Chris, Jim, Mandy and Adam!

We stayed at the KOA in Townsend, self proclaimed "Quiet Side of the Smokies". Townsend is definitely quieter than nearby Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Not much going on in this town! Our campsite was right along the Little River about 2/10 of a mile from the border of the GSMNP. Awesome!

We spent Saturday afternoon at nearby Tuckaleechee Caverns, becoming spelunkers! Well, sort of.

We saw some cool cave formations and underground waterfalls.

One of the neatest things about the tour was the underground river which flows at a minimum rate of 900 gallons per minute....and usually much more! And this is Spring Water! 99% pure in fact...and really tasty!

After caving, we headed back to the campsite and sat on our riverfront deck. We enjoyed beer, had a fire, and grilled Sahlens hotdogs and chicken.

I wish everyone could have joined us...we had such a nice time! And like any good camping day, we ended it with smores around the campfire. Sorry...no pics of that. We were too busy eatin'!

Halloween....Boo!

2009-11-02T20:43:00.001-06:00

Well, Halloween 2009 ended up being one of the best yet for the OHR gang. We stayed home and enjoyed the company of Chris and Jim, Dave, Dawn and Luke, and Dave and Kay. We had a fire, ate chili, enjoyed Leroy's Ghetto Guac, and put down a few beers and chocolates.

Halloween at Berry's Apples

2009-10-29T14:50:00.001-05:00

Gwen’s Birthday!!

2009-10-28T19:38:00.001-05:00

Everyone came over the OHR Base Camp on Saturday to celebrate Gwen’s 12th birthday. It was a BEAUTIFUL day in Middle TN, so we celebrated camping style, with a campfire, beer and lots of food. After enjoying a dinner of pizza, grilled wings, stuffed peppers, and sausage sandwich, we moved the party indoors for Shirley’s gorgeous homemade and hand decorated cake. Just look at those flowers!

We all serenaded Gwen, and she then blew out (or attempted to blow out) her “trick” candles. Those never get old!

We all had a great time!

Great Smokey Jellystone

2009-10-19T21:16:00.001-05:00

Well, fall is here and the OHR gang is back into the camping swing of things. In late September, we headed to Rock Island State Park in TN for a weekend of rain filled fun. It was SO wet that we didn’t even get any pics. We enjoyed a peaceful weekend of playing Uno, the Blizzard of ‘77 board game, and sleeping to the sound of rain hitting the roof, but not much outdoor activity.

Well, a couple weeks later, the weekend of October 9-12th, we headed east to the Great Smokey Jellystone Park, just east of Gatlinburg. And guess what? It rained again! But we did get enough breaks in the weather to get outside, have some nice campfires, go on a Hey Hey Hay Ride with Yogi Bear, and walk around Gatlinburg.

The girls enjoyed craft time at the Jellystone pavilion. They made scarecrow picture frames magnets:

At night we enjoyed a concert by this guy:

Our site was right next to a beautiful creek, with a nice fire ring creekside:

Whitestone Inn

2009-08-31T21:09:00.001-05:00

Well, the Holiday Road has been on summer hiatus other than one weekend at Defeated Creek in July, but Shirley and I did get away for a weekend without the motorhome recently. And it was AWESOME! We went to the Whitestone Inn in Kingston, TN. This was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed at. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…

What a great place! The food is incredible…breakfast and dinner in the “farmhouse” and they packed us a nice picnic lunch. We walked, we fed the horses, we canoed, and we napped during a great afternoon rain storm. The perfect weekend!

Stay tuned for more posts now that the fall camping season is upon us. We have upcoming trips planned to Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Rock Island State Park, Jellystone in the Smoky Mountains, Land Between the Lakes, Cades Cove and Thanksgiving at Disney. It’s gonna be an active autumn!!!

Last Day

2009-05-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

Well, we've reached the end of our journey. We leave first thing in the morning for home. Today was a day to bum around Williamsburg a bit and do some things we wanted to do before heading home. We started the day at Mama Steve's pancake house. Shirley and I both enjoyed the pecan pancakes. I can share some pics later.

We then returned to the Yankee Candle store to see Santa. We purchased a handmade German Christmas pyramid. This will become a treasured tradition on our mantle each Christmas going forward.

While Stella napped this afternoon, I took the other girls to play mini golf at Pirate Cove. We had a nice time. Then we went back to the motorhome for dinner, then headed out again for ice cream. Found a great place called Handel's. I couldn't decide between Cherry Vanilla, Coconut Creme Pie, Coffee Chocolate Chip, or Spouse as Big as a House. Fortunately, they offer a 4 scoop sampler...so I got to try all 4! And they were all very tasty, but my favorite was the Coconut Creme Pie. It had chunks of pie crust in it!

We finished the day with a fire back at the campsite before turning in to get some rest. We'll need it for the long journey home...700 miles.

Candles, Snowballs and Wenches

2009-05-21T21:28:00.002-05:00

It was a full day here in Colonial Williamsburg. We headed into the historic district this morning to walk around and check out some of the sights we really enjoyed when we visited here in 2007. Our first stop was Ye Olde Peanut Shop in Market Square, where they have samples of many of their products out for the taking. So we took. And took. And took some more. I got a stomach ache, but the chocolate covered peanut brittle was worth it.

Next, we walked the length of Duke of Gloucester Street, the main thoroughfare in Colonial Williamsburg. Here is a sampling of what we saw.

We stopped into the King's Arms Tavern for lunch. I had the fried chicken, which came with mashed potatoes, country ham and a biscuit. Yum! Shirley had a roast beef sandwich that was quite good, and the girls all had authentic, colonial era chicken fingers. Just like Jefferson would have eaten!

I'd like to tell you our meal was served by a colonial tavern wench, but actually our waiter was a nice gentleman working his very first day at Colonial Williamsburg. Maybe next time we'll get a wench. Actually, I just like saying "wench".

I had forgotten my wallet and couldn't pay for lunch. Big mistake.

I have to make a note not to pose for any more pictures with my head down. The glare isn't good for picture quality.

The gardens in Williamsburg are breathtaking.

After leaving the historic part of town, we stopped in the shopping part of town. One of our favorite stores in Williamsburg is Yankee Candle. This isn't like the Yankee Candle in the mall. This place is a destination in itself.

Before heading back to the Holiday Road, we stopped off at Sno To Go, a Williamsburg institution. They are famous for their snowcones, which they call a Snowball. The ice is shaved to an almost powdery consistency, and they "stuff" them with soft ice cream. And they have dozens of flavors for the ice. I had cherry ice stuffed with vanilla ice cream. Shirley had Strawberry Cheesecake. Emma got Strawberry, and the others had Cotton Candy. Awesome stuff, and very refreshing. Except for the brain freeze.

We headed back to the campground to take a swim, and we also played some mini golf. After relaxing with a beer by the fire, we were hungry for pizza, so we headed back to Sal's by Victor for pizza and salad. Then, back to the Holiday Road to restoke the fire and make smores. What a day! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY of our trip! We head for home starting Saturday, so tomorrow will be the last post of this trip before the wrap up come Sunday. We're not sure what tomorrow will bring, but whatever we do I will post on tomorrow night.

The Holiday Road Returns to Williamsburg

2009-05-20T20:47:00.001-05:00

Two years after our first trip to Williamsburg, we arrived back here today after leaving DC around 10am. Fairly quick 2 1/2 hr drive, which seemed like a quick trip compared to the lengthy drives on this trip so far. We had spent a week at American Heritage RV Park here on our last trip so we booked our 3 night stay here again. As much as we enjoyed this park 2 years ago, it is even better now. They have made some nice improvements to the park and the sites, including new concrete pads and new landscaping at the sites. Here is our home for the last 3 nights of our trip.

After arriving and setting up camp, we headed to the Prime Outlets to shop and walk around. Found a few nice items. We then headed to an early dinner at our favorite restaurant from our last trip...Sal's by Victor! Awesome Italian food.

After dinner, we headed back to camp. Stella and I enjoyed a stroll around the campground while Shirley worked on laundry. This was after a very chilly dip in the pool.

Here is our location for the next 3 nights:

Tomorrow, we head into Colonial Williamsburg to walk around and have lunch at one of the historic taverns. Check back tomorrow night for that report!

National Zoo

2009-05-20T19:54:00.007-05:00

We spent our last day in DC on Tuesday visiting the National Zoo. Like most attractions in the Capitol, this was free! It is a Smithsonian facility, so it didn't cost anything to get in and it was top notch.

Our prime objective of this visit was catching a glimpse of the pandas. The panda house is currently closed as the female may be pregnant, so only the male and the 3 year old are out at times. Well, it was our lucky day! The male adult panda was outside munching on bamboo, and we had a great view of him!

We also saw the Orangutans, who were moving across ropes right above our heads!

It was great day. Sunny and in the mid 70's. Couldn't ask for better weather for DC. Stella was in her groove. She took this of herself.

A Visit with Family and a Capitol Tour

2009-05-18T20:50:00.001-05:00

The OHR gang had a pair of great treats today. After spending the morning at the campground catching up on grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry, we headed to the Metro station to catch the Green line downtown around lunch time. We met Shirley's Aunt Ellen and her husband Rich for a picnic lunch. After meeting up with them at Ellen's office, we walked over to Lafayette Park, which is across the street from the White House, and spread a blanket to enjoy sandwiches that Rich had made. Very tasty! Here's a shot of Ellen with the girls.

After we bid farewell to Ellen and Rich, we headed back underground to take the Metro to the Capitol for an afternoon tour. Even though we see pictures of the Capitol all the time on TV, it is still quite impressive as you walk up the hill toward the building.

All visitors to the Capitol must now enter through the new underground Visitors Center. The new center cost $600 million and took 8 years to build, but it does provide a convenient, secure way for visitors to enter the building. The new Visitors Center also contains a nice exhibit on the history of the Capitol building.

Our tour began with a movie titled "Out of Many, One". We then were assigned a group with a tour guide to show us the Rotunda, Statuary Room and Crypt. We didn't obtain gallery passes so could not access the House or Senate Chambers, but I did visit my favorite Speaker's office.

My eyes are closed because I was afraid she would show up and that vision would be burned into my retinas for eternity.

Below is a photo of our tour guide. He was a pain in the ass.

Even though the tour guide stunk, the building is beautiful. This is the rotunda ceiling.

Wouldn't be a Holiday Road post without a cute pic of Stella...

After the tour, it was already 4:00 and time for us to head back to the Metro for our ride home. Gwen snapped this shot of the L' Enfant Plaza station, which is pretty typical of most of the Metro stations. Thought I'd include it in case you haven't ridden the DC metro system before. It's an awesome transit system...clean, safe and convenient.

Tomorrow is our last day in DC before we head for the final leg of our journey in Williamsburg. We plan on spending the day at the National Zoo. Hopefully I'll have Panda pictures to share tomorrow night!

DC Continued...

2009-05-17T21:30:00.001-05:00

We returned to DC today for additional touring via Tourmobile, starting at Arlington National Cemetery. We viewed the JFK gravesite including the eternal flame.

We also stopped at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and witnessed the Changing of the Guard. This was my first time seeing this, and it was incredibly moving. We had researched facts about the Tomb beforehand, but seeing this in person was an honor.

The Sentinel's Creed says it all.

We also saw the gravesites of Supreme Court Justices, the memorials to the astronauts lost in the Challenger and Columbia accidents, President Taft, and many many others.

After we left Arlington, we rode over to the mall and viewed the Vietnam Wall. The girls were amazed at the scope of the wall, including the 58,000 names etched into the stone. From there we walked to the new WWII memorial. None of us had seen it since it opened on the mall in 2004, and it was much grander and more impressive than we anticipated. They did a very nice job incorporating the memorial into the mall between the Lincoln and Washington Monuments.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This was a particular hit with Emma, who is interested in bones and skeletons, and Gwen, who loves all types of fish, bugs and animals. They took off together with the camera and captured some great pictures.

This was our last stop for the day, so we hit the Tourmobile to head back over the river to Arlington where the Holiday Toad awaited. I had to snap a couple of pictures of the Tourmobile, which looks exactly as it did back in the 70's. Quite a blast from the past!

One final shot of the Jefferson Memorial before we headed over the Potomac.

Tomorrow, it's off to the Capitol building for our 3pm tour!

Museums and Memorials

2009-05-16T18:54:00.001-05:00

The forecast for this weekend called for hot and humid conditions today, followed by cooler weather on Sunday, so we decided it was best to do some of the air conditioned Smithsonian museums today and then hit the monuments and Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow. So that's what we did.

We started the day by parking at Union Station and boarding a Tourmobile to navigate the distances around the mall. We first hit the National Air and Space Museum. Shirley had been here before and really like it, so we spent a couple of hours exploring this fascinating museum of the history of flight and space. We all really enjoyed our time here.

After leaving the Air and Space Museum, we walked across the mall to the National Archives. I really wanted to see the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Several years ago these documents were restored and a new display area within the rotunda of the building was constructed to display them in a manner which protects them from light, dust and other damaging elements. There was a long line of people waiting to enter the rotunda, which indicated to me that there is still great respect and hope for the promise of America that these documents embody. I have to say that it was pretty emotional to me to actually view these items firsthand, knowing that our Founding Fathers had physically prepared, written, signed and handled these very papers that I was now looking at. Pretty awesome!

Our next stop was the Museum of American History. By the time we arrived here, it was about 2:00pm...prime museum time. So, the place was packed and pretty difficult to get around. We rested and had a snack in the cafeteria, then maneuvered our way through a couple of exhibits. We wanted to see the exhibit on the First Ladies, but the line was incredibly long, so we decided to skip it and leave this museum. We reboarded the Tourmobile to make our way to the Lincoln Memorial, long a favorite of Bud and Shirley. We climbed the steps and took in the view up the mall, and then entered the chamber where the massive statue of Lincoln looks out over the city. This is always an emotional and somber place.

We ended our day in DC with some nice views of the White House, Washington Monument and Capital on our way back to Union Station.

Tomorrow, we go back into DC to visit Arlington, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Vietnam and WWII Memorials, and whatever else strikes us if we have any energy left. Good night!

The White House

2009-05-15T20:16:00.001-05:00

As planned, we toured the White House at 7:30 this morning. Had to be there by 7, which meant we had to catch a 6:00 train from the Greenbelt Metro station, which meant we had to get up at 5. So...we are tired. But we really enjoyed the tour. It is a short tour, but we saw many of the rooms that you would see on TV, such as the East Room, the Green, Red and Blue rooms, and the State Dining Room. We saw many of the portraits of past Presidents and First Ladies that line the walls, including the famous portrait of George Washington that Dolly Madison ensured was saved when the British burned the White House in 1814. It was a good tour.

You aren't allowed to bring anything with you on the tour other than a wallet, car keys and cell phone, and no photos are allowed inside the house, so unfortunately I don't have any pics to share tonight. Tomorrow, however, we begin our 4 day blitz of DC touring, to include the Smithsonian, Capital, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Arlington National Cemetary, the Zoo, and other sites. I'll probably have more pictures of the OHR gang to post over the next week than you would ever care to see, so consider tonight's break a blessing. Until tomorrow...

The Holiday Road Hits DC

2009-05-13T19:21:00.001-05:00

We arrived at Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD around dinner time today, after a harrowing 9 hour drive from Boston. My final mistake in New England was listening to some locals tell me the best way to get to DC is straight down I-95, rather than my planned route down 84 and 81 through PA, avoiding NYC, NJ and Baltimore. Wrong! The Cross-Bronx Expressway is not a very nice road for a 35' motorhome pulling a car. It is not a nice road for a vehicle of any size. And the George Washington Bridge was a barrel of laughs too. But, we made it safely here without a scratch on the fiberglass, so the Lord was looking over us once again, and we are very thankful.

Our home for the next 7 nights is not as nice a park as Normandy Farms in Boston, but will suit our needs nicely. It does have similar amenities, just not as nice. The office staff is very helpful, they have two pools, a nice cafe, and the DC Metro comes right on site to take you to the subway station. So, this will work fine.

Here is our location. Click on the pushpin for a link to the park website:

We're not sure what tomorrow will bring yet, besides sleeping in, but I'll probably have some pics to post tomorrow night of whatever we decide upon. Until then...

Joe Biden is a Moron...

2009-05-13T19:03:00.001-05:00

...and other ruminations on Delaware math. Ok, so this post really isn't about our VP, but I did want to share my thoughts on Delaware and their road system. We drove the Holiday Road from Boston to DC today, and in that entire stretch the largest tolls we paid were for the short dismal stretch through Delaware. Not only were the tolls astronomical, the roads in Delaware S*CK! And for that, I blame their long time Senator and our current VP, Joe "Stand up Chuck" Biden. I blame him mainly because, with the possible exception of the Dupont family, I don't know anyone else from Delaware.

One example that made Shirley and I chuckle. At the Delaware Water Gap Bridge over the Delaware River, entering Delaware, we approached a toll barrier with signs reading "Cars $3.00". Naturally, I assumed the toll for the Holiday Road would be more, but imagine my surprise when the toll collector stated it would be $16! I asked her how much the toll would have been for just the motorhome, without the Toad. She said it would be $8. Let's see, that's $8 for the RV, and $3 for the car. 8 + 3 = 16 in Biden World. Now I understand how the Stimulus package makes sense.

Breakers! Boulders! Fribbles!!!

2009-05-12T21:39:00.001-05:00

Today was our last day in New England, and we had some loose ends to tie up before our long trek south to DC tomorrow. First on the agenda...a drive down to Newport, Rhode Island to tour The Breakers, the summer "cottage" of the Vanderbilt family. Some cottage. The home has 33 bedrooms...for the servants! Lord knows how many bedrooms for the actual family, along with 20 bathrooms (a lot for the late 1800's). The interior spaces were absolutely unbelievable in their opulence. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside the house, so I only have exterior shots to show you, but you get an idea of the grandeur of the home.

Every person touring the home received a pair of headphones that presented a very well done audio tour describing each room as you moved through the house, as well as some background information on the family and the era. One interesting tidbit regarding the "gilded age" of the late 19th/early 20th centuries pertained to what brought about the end of this era. Newport's golden age effectively ended in 1913, the year the Federal income tax was established. The wealthy industrialists that build most of the Newport mansions no longer had the means or the wherewithal for such displays of conspicuous consumption, and many of the families abandoned or sold the homes. Anyone that knows me well knows how I feel about taxes, in particular Federal taxes relative to the Constitution. When those homes ceased to be used as they were intended, not only did the wealthy owners suffer...hundreds of house staff lost their jobs. Let it trickle down! Ok, off my soap box and back to the report.

After we left Newport, we had to make a detour to Flagg RV to pick up our new wiper motor so I could get the wipers on the Holiday Road operating again. Uh...no. Winnebago failed to ship the motor when they were supposed to, so it will arrive after we have already left for DC. The folks at Flagg are going to ship it to us at our DC campground though, so as long as we don't hit rain on Wednesday for the drive we'll be ok.

After returning to the campground from Rhode Island, Shirley did some laundry while the girls and I checked out some HUGE boulders that are strewn around the campground, presumably left by glaciers long ago. Check these out.

For our last evening in Massachusetts, we decided to hit Friendly's for some dinner and ice cream. I had the clam basket...something I hadn't had in years. It was pretty tasty. We all had ice cream for desert. I had a Fribble! Man, I wish we had a Friendly's near us!

Aunt Chris - I told Stella that you wanted her to get the clown head sundae. She started crying and saying "I don't want the head sundae, I don't want the head sundae". Thanks a lot for traumatizing my daughter. But here is a pic of the Clown Head Sundae from the menu. Pretty creepy if you ask me.

Well, that's it from New England. We leave first thing in the morning for Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD, for a full week of touring in and around DC. Talk to you all from there...

Lexington and Concord

2009-05-11T17:54:00.001-05:00

The OHR gang enjoyed a relatively low key day today. We slept in after our LATE night at the ghost tour last night, and left camp after breakfast for the 45 minute drive north to Concord and Lexington, the birthplace of the Revolution.

We started by stopping in Concord to walk around downtown and check out the shops and cafe's. What a beautiful New England town! We enjoyed some fine chowda at a local cafe, and then headed over to the Minuteman National Historical Park visitors center to begin our touring. From there we walked to the North Bridge, the site where colonists first fired against the King's troops, igniting the fight for independence.

At this site also stands the famous Minuteman statue, with the inscription by local poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The girls had some fun climbing a few of the giant trees near the bridge.

Stella loved climbing trees! Check out the look of joy on that face.

We then drove down the Battle Road, where colonial militia fired upon the retreating British soldiers as they tried to return to Boston. Being here brings alive those days in 1775 when brave men and women began the struggle to free themselves from British tyranny. After seeing the Old North Church where the two lanterns were hung, seeing Charlestown where Revere began his midnight ride, and now seeing where the events of that night and day culminated in the first shots of the war being fired, the famous "shot heard round the world", we have a better appreciation for the events leading to the Revolution.

After returning to the campsite, Bud and Shirley started a fire and carried on with an intellectual and spirited discussion of our favorite patriot son...

Martha, Ducks and Ghosts....Oh My!

2009-05-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Between some spotty Wifi in the campground and a couple of late nights out and about, I haven't been able to update the blog until now. So, this post will be a bit long as I attempt to bring us up to date. It was quite a weekend out here on the Holiday Road...so here we go!

Saturday was a crazy day. If you've ever seen the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles you'll follow along here just fine. We decided we wanted to see Martha's Vineyard. After all, we had come this far, and Bud is a big Martha Stewart fan, so we did some Googling on how to get to her place and off we went. We left the Holiday Road in the Toad at around 9:30 am for the 70 mile drive to Woods Hole to catch the ferry. Had to stop for gas along the way, and in typical Massachusetts fashion there was no way back onto the highway from where we exited. The detour set us back just a bit, but we were back on our way. And hungry. So we pulled off again. Our choices were Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds. Not what I had in mind. Wait, what's that up ahead? Could it be?? YES!

Awesome breakfast, and cheap! The griddled blueberry bread was the best. And with full tummies we continued on to Wood's Hole, MA on the south side of Cape Cod, where you catch the ferry. I imagined that you would find parking, walk to the dock and get on a boat. No. We parked in the ferry parking lot, which is about a 15 minute bus ride from the dock. And we waited 30 minutes for the bus. And we missed the ferry. Not to worry, there was another ferry in 60 minutes. So we waited for that one. And it was big!

The girls enjoyed watching the cars and motorcycles unload.

And the ride over was pretty cool.

Finally, we approached the island. It just popped out of the fog like something in a movie.

We walked around Vineyard Haven, the town the ferry left us at, and stopped for a bite to eat at a little bagel and soup shop. The NE clam chowder was pretty good. In fact, I think I bought that brand at Publix once. I even saw the girl heat it up in the microwave behind the counter. Now that's service! We then hopped on ANOTHER BUS, to take the ride to Edgartown, the island's largest town, where we walked around, ate a piece of candy, were almost accosted by an evil swan, and waited for another bus.

That bus took us back to the ferry, which took us back to the mainland, where we caught another bus to take us back to our car, where we drove 70 miles with one break for dinner and ice cream...back to the Holiday Road. We arrived home at about 11:00pm. It sounds like a difficult and exhausting day just to eat bad soup and a piece of candy, which it was, but like every day on the Holiday Road, it was an adventure. And it beats going to work! But I never did get a glimpse of Martha.

So that was Saturday. After that adventure, we figured we'd just relax around the campsite on Mother's Day. Which we did until 3pm. But, other than a chilly wind, it was a beautiful sunny day, so we decided to do something. And as if we weren't exhausted enough, we decided "let's head back into Boston for some relaxing city fun!". Oh, that's right, "relaxing" and "Boston" don't go together. But we did have fun!

First stop was the famous Boston Duck Tour. These are those World War II contraptions that drive on land and then go into the water and turn into boats. Our's was blue.

The tour started near the Prudential Center in Boston. The Duck drove around Boston where the driver points out a ton of interesting things, some historical and some just interesting. He then drove us down to the Charles River, where we splashed in and toured the city from a completely different viewpoint. And, both Isabel and Stella got to take turns driving the duck!

If you're ever in Boston, I highly recommend this tour. After the Duck Tour, we headed over to the Boston Common Cemetery to meet our tour guide for a Ghost Tour! This was a lantern lit tour of some of the haunted spots in Boston, but wasn't a scary tour as we didn't want to frighten Bud into an early grave. The guide told us some interesting stories, some creepy, some weird, and some just gross. And we had a good time! Check out this creepy shot of the girls with a statue of Mary Dyer, a Quaker woman who was hanged in Boston Common just because she was not a Puritan. She now haunts the area.

There was an annoying strange bluish blur shaped like a woman in the shot standing next to Gwen. It took away from the picture, so I photoshopped it out. Now it looks nice, don't you think?

We arrived back at the Holiday Road around midnight, after sitting in a traffic jam on I-93 at 11pm on a Sunday night! Gotta love Boston. Anyways, we'll have another quiet morning to rest up today, and then who knows what the afternoon will bring. Thanks for all the comments everyone...it helps us to not feel disconnected out here. We are having a blast, and running our kids through the mill, but so far I think things are going well on the trip. Till next time....

The Freedom Trail and Boston's North End

2009-05-08T20:22:00.001-05:00

The OHR gang spent much of today exploring the Freedom Trail in Boston, including many of the sites crucial to our nation's fight for independence. We walked about 3 1/2 miles, starting at Boston Common, winding our way past the Old Granary Burial Ground (where we saw the graves of Sam Adams, John Hancock, the victims of the Boston Massacre and Mother Goose), the Kings Chapel, Old South Meeting House, Old North Church, and John Hancock's house. Many of these sites came alive for us, as we had studied this period of American History this year in the girls' schooling.

This is the famous steeple of Old North Church, where two lanterns were hung on the night of April 18, 1775 as a signal to Paul Revere and William Dawes that the British were moving by sea to Charlestown and Lexington, beginning Paul Revere's famous midnight ride. We plan on visiting Lexington and Concord, where the first shots of the war were fired, over the next few days.

We also visited the North End, Boston's old Italian neighborhood, where we enjoyed a stop at Mike's Pastries for some cookies and cannolis, as well as viewing the incredible marzipan. If you ever get to Boston be sure to pay Mike's a visit. Like everything in Boston, if you can get by the rude behavior of the locals, the city has a lot to offer!

After getting back to the Holiday Road, I hit the grocery store for some needed essentials, and we enjoyed dinner in the RV. We explored the campground a bit, then had a nice fire outside and roasted some marshmallows. The weather couldn't be much better right now.

Normandy Farms Campground

2009-05-07T21:31:00.002-05:00

After a fine breakfast at Tim Hortons and a trip to Walmart, we reluctantly left Maine this morning to travel the two and a half hours south to Foxboro, Mass and Normandy Farms Campground. This place is unbelievable...a rival to Disney's Fort Wilderness in our books. Ginormous playground, huge recreation center, FOUR pools (one of which is indoors), and the place is immaculate. After getting camp set up for our weeklong stay, we fixed a nice dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with salad, and then we went for a family swim. Bud and Shirley were also able to fit in a workout and got some laundry done this evening. All in all it was a good day to shift gears and prepare for all of the activities we have planned for our week in Boston, beginning with the Boston Freedom Trail tomorrow morning.

Here is our current location. Click on the red pushpin for a larger map and a link to the website of the campground if you'd like to check it out:

Freeport, Maine

2009-05-06T19:29:00.001-05:00

We had a good time today strolling around Freeport, including the LL Bean factory stores. We found some good deals among all the merchandise, and brought a few items back to the Holiday Road with us. Check out the boot!

After finishing our shopping, we drove over to the South Freeport harbor and had lunch at a lobster shack. It was right on the water next to the pier, and you could pick out your own lobster and sit at picnic tables watching the fishing boats while they boiled it up for you. We enjoyed a lobster, and lobster roll, some lobster bisque, fried haddock, and onion rings. Emma and Gwen loved the lobster! Uh oh...

After relaxing for a couple hours at the campsite and enjoying dinner at home, we headed over to Old Orchard Beach this evening to check out this seaside resort town. OOB looks to be a happening place in the summer, but it was pretty deserted tonight. And no wonder...it was freezing at the beach! Stella, Isabel and Gwen did enjoy looking for shells though, and we closed out the evening with homemade ice cream from Martel's in Saco. I had the Grape-Nut ice cream, which was just like we used to make in Family Fellowship back at First United Presbyterian in Silver Creek. Awesome!

I Hate NY

2009-05-06T19:28:00.001-05:00

One final thought on our time in New York. We had a great time in Buffalo, but this is one reason that state is messed up. We exited the New York State Thruway at the Canaan (Mass) exit, 3B...check out the toll:

The Rain in Maine Falls Mainly on the Winnebago

2009-05-06T06:11:00.001-05:00

We arrived in Saco, Maine last night after a very difficult travel day. But, we are here safe and sound. And wet. Unfortunately we will have to see southern Maine through the rain, but it won't stop us from visiting Freeport and Portland today, and hopefully Old Orchard Beach this evening. Today is Bud and Shirley's anniversary after all, so we need to get out and celebrate. And that means shopping! Better get out that LL Bean credit card.

Here is our current location:

Chef's Restaurant

2009-05-04T19:35:00.001-05:00

We dined at Chef's Restaurant in Buffalo tonight. The place is an institution in Buffalo, having been in business for about 80 years. They serve all the Italian specialties, but are best known for their signature dish...Spaghetti Parm. This isn't your average plate of spaghetti covered with melted cheese. At Chef's, they make it an art form, finished by broiling at 500 degrees. Put a dish of their awesome sauce on the side, and you have a meal to die for.

We also drove by the demolition site of the old Aud...Buffalo War Memorial Auditorium. Both Shirley and I attended many Sabres games and concerts there when we were younger, but it has sat vacant since the new arena opened 13 years ago. It is being demolished to make way for a Bass Pro, or so they say. It looks pretty spooky all opened up to the elements right now.

Niagara Falls

2009-05-04T15:10:00.001-05:00

It's a beautiful spring day here in Buffalo. The OHR gang hit Niagara Falls, riding the Maid of the Mist and eating some yummy treats from DiCamillo Bakery in the Village of Lewiston. The boat ride was more fun and wetter than I remember as a kid. We all loved it. And the bakery! We sampled several different kinds of pizza, had some buttered hard rolls, and some donuts. Mangia!! But, we were sure to leave some room for tonight's trip to Chef's Restaurant in Buffalo...

The Anchor Bar!!

2009-05-03T20:52:00.001-05:00

After checking into the Grand Island KOA and relaxing for a bit, we unhooked the toad and headed into Buffalo for dinner. Our destination...the world famous Anchor Bar, home of the original chicken wings. We sampled a bit of several delicacies. Wings of course, plus a haddock fish fry and some fettuccini alfredo. The wings were delish, and Stella enjoyed the Alfredo.

Welcome to New York

2009-05-03T20:33:00.001-05:00

We crossed the border from Pennsylvania around 11:00 this morning, and this was our welcome gift. We only traveled the 25 miles from the state line to Dunkirk, and for that privilege we got to fork over $4.80. Ay carumba!

BUT, the toll was worth every penny since it brought us to Dunkirk and our very enjoyable lunch date with Aunt Barb, and with Don, Jennifer and her family. We all met at Bob Evans and had a nice meal together, and then we headed on to Orchard Park to have a look around, and then on to check into our campground on Grand Island. This is our home for the next 2 nights.

There's a Smile on Every Aisle.....

2009-05-02T20:12:00.004-05:00

Of the walmart parking lot. We made it safely to Ashland, Ohio tonight, just south of Cleveland. No wifi, so I'm posting this via email from the BB. Hopefully I can post a full report tomorrow night from Buffalo.

On edit: here is the view from our Walmart "campsite" this morning. We overlooked a pretty wetlands area, and this goose paid us a visit.

The Holiday Road is in the Driveway!

2009-04-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

We brought the motorhome home last night to load it and prep it for the trip. It's always nice to see it sitting out there, waiting to leave. Once it comes home it is hard for the kids and us to wait though. The excitement really builds. We hope to pull out early Saturday morning and beging the long trek north and east.

Also, we got some really exciting news this morning. I received an email from Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn's office in DC with news that we have been approved for a White House tour! I requested this tour back in the fall and really didn't expect to get it. We are so excited about that one! Unfortunately they don't allow any cameras, or even bags or purses, on the tour, so my blog entry that day won't include pics. So, you'll just have to take my word for it when I describe our breakfast with the President. Think they'll serve Obamlettes?

One Week Until The Holiday Road Takes Off!

2009-04-24T21:37:00.001-05:00

Well, as long as the economy doesn't nosedive further, swine flu doesn't prohibit interstate travel and the motorhome starts next Saturday morning, The Holiday Road gang will be taking off on the trip one week from tomorrow! Bud will be bringing the rig home on Wednesday to pack it up, perform last minute maintenance and do final prep. Then, we hope to wake early on Saturday morning and hit the road!

Be sure to keep updated right here! I hope to post often during our trip with updates on our whereabouts, what we've been up to, and most importantly, pictures from The Holiday Road.

Until then, we are still here at home in Franklin....but starting next Saturday the location will change dramatically...

Two Week Countdown to the Big Trip!

2009-04-20T19:32:00.004-05:00

Well, two weeks from now we will be on the road for our big 3 week trip. We leave on Saturday, May 2nd, and will likely return on Sunday, May 24th give or take a day. The planning has been a bit insane, but in all likelihood I am "overplanning" a bit, as I tend to do.

The main reason I started this blog is to keep friends and family updated while we are on the trip. My plan is to post updates and pictures throughout the trip so everyone can see what we are up to. We would love to get comments back from everyone too!

Our basic itinerary is as follows: Buffalo, Southern Maine, Boston, Washington DC, Williamsburg, Home. We will be spending the bulk of our time in Boston and DC...one week each. If we get homesick, we may lop Williamsburg off the end of the trip, as we were just there in 2007. We'll see! If you are interested in our basic route, here's a link: Holiday Road 2009 Trip

For those of you calculating in your head, we've budgeted about $1,000 for fuel to cover those 2,676 miles! Still cheaper than flying for a family of 6!

Fort Wilderness!

2009-04-05T20:20:00.002-05:00

The Holiday Road Gang just returned from Disney's Fort Wilderness campground, and as usual we had a great time. We stayed in the 500 loop once again, in site 517. Very nice site, right across from the walkway to the comfort station.

I worked in the Orlando area most of the week, but Shirley and the girls enjoyed the pool at the Wilderness Lodge while I worked. I enjoyed our evenings and a couple of days at the Fort, as well as some fun time at Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk. But the highlight of our trip was a Friday evening show at the Hoop De Doo Review. What a blast! We had a table right next to the stage. Check it out!

Dutch Pantry

2009-02-26T06:39:00.006-06:00

My love for the open road started as a kid, on our road trips from Silver Creek to Florida. We'd cram into our car (usually a Buick) and head out into the cold. Quite often our route would take us across Pennsylvania on the Turnpike to Breezewood, where you had to get off the turnpike onto US 30 before you could get onto I-70 to head south toward warmth. In any case, whenever our travels took us this route, we'd always stop for something to eat at Dutch Pantry. Ahh, the memories! The place was something like an early PA Dutch version of Cracker Barrel, with a more northern down home menu. Bean and ham soup, and those awesome Apple Fritters! I can still taste them! I wish I could take my kids there now, although I'm sure the place wasn't as good as I remember. Funny how as a kid there are certain things that develop lasting memories. They are probably not the things that parents think will be remembered. I'm sure Mom and Dad planned those trips with an itinerary that would be fun and build memories...things like the beach, Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens. Those places HAD to be fun, but I don't remember much about them. But I do remember the Dutch Pantry!

Bud's Birthday

2009-02-15T20:10:00.002-06:00

The OHR Gang headed over to Nana and Grampa's in Franklin Green this evening to celebrate your's truly's birthday!! Grampa grilled chicken, and Jim made some awesome sweet potatoes and salad. Then, the crowning moment was the unveiling of Shirley's world famous, never duplicated, most amazing and scrumptious....Carrot Cake!!! It's an annual tradition...

Slumber Party!!!

2009-02-15T19:52:00.004-06:00

The Holiday Road decided to stay put and cancel our weekend in the Smokies, and this gave us the opportunity to play host to a slumber party for Emma and her friends, to celebrate her 13th birthday!! After meeting up at OHR Base Camp, we loaded up Bud, Shirley and 9 girls and headed over to Costco for a pizza party. From there we went back to the house for chocolate chip cookie cake and ice cream. The girls then retired upstairs for whatever it is that 13 year old girls do. They did ask to use our phone to crank call a "boy"...but we put a stop to that!

The next morning they were all up by 7:00, and after downing 3 packages of cinnamon rolls they went out to the yard to play.

Emma has awesome friends!

Mobile Entry

2009-02-10T11:18:00.002-06:00

Hey. I'm playing around with publishing posts from my blackberry. We'll see how this goes!!

To Be 3....

2009-02-07T08:08:00.002-06:00

....and not care what you look like. Look up "bedhead" in the dictionary and this may be what you see.

2009 Camping Calendar

2009-02-05T10:27:00.008-06:00

We are putting together our calendar of trips for 2009, and this is going to be a busy and exciting year for Bud, Shirley and the gang. So far, this is what we have planned:
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April - possible weekend trip to Rock Island SP, or David Crockett SP
May - the BIG TRIP!! Three week trip to Buffalo/Niagara, Boston, Maine, Washington DC and Williamsburg
June - Defeated Creek COE for the annual bluegrass festival
July - Defeated Creek for a weekend
Sept - Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, plus a possible trip to Chattanooga/Lake Winnie
Oct - Smoky Mountain Jellystone for their chili cookoff/fall festival weekend
Nov - back to Little River Village in Townsend for a late-fall weekend
Nov/Dec - planning a trip to Fort Wilderness to close out the camping year, and to enjoy the Christmas season at the happiest place on earth!!
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It's going to be an exciting year on the Holiday Road!!

Stella's New Scooter

2009-02-02T20:08:00.013-06:00

Sunday was a GORGEOUS day here in Middle Tennessee. We took the opportunity to get outside on Stella's birthday and enjoy the weather. Stella got to use her new scooter too! As you can see, she just loves her scooter...

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She got to be a real pro...but in the process had a couple of spills. Check out one of her "incidents"...

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Isabel demonstrated her need for speed...

Happy Birthday Emma and Stella!!

2009-01-31T22:08:00.003-06:00

The whole family was over tonight to celebrate Emma's 13th and Stella's 3rd birthdays. We also celebrated Alex' 23rd b-day, which is actually today. Sahlen's hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, mac n'cheese....yum! And three awesome cakes, courtesy of Jim, Kekoa and Costco.

Being Stella's 3rd birthday, we let her blow the candles out first. Take a look at the video below to see a true professional in the making....and then check out Emma as she shows her little sister how it's done.

Bud and Shirley Hit the RV Show!

2009-01-21T15:05:00.005-06:00

Last weekend, we took 3 of the kids up to the 2009 Nashville RV Show. Despite the state of the industry and the economy in general, I thought they presented a really good show this year. There was a nice selection of RV's from the tiniest tent trailers for pulling behind motorcycles up to huge Class A Diesel Pushers.

Shirley likey Diesel!!

Anyways, we had a good time walking through all the rigs, and Stella had a blast checking out all the bunk beds. We also saw a couple of cool small trailers, such as the Tab and the Mojo.

While we enjoyed all the RV's, there was one travel trailer that I thought was pretty cool and unique...the Keystone Outback Loft. It's a Travel Trailer, it's a Toyhauler, it's got a Loft! Way too cool. Check out the video of it above.

New Year's Eve 2008

2009-01-02T08:01:00.003-06:00

We enjoyed New Year's Eve at Chris and Jim's house this year, including Mom and Dad, Alex and Kekoa, and Kekoa's parents. Kekoa's mom made Hawaiian pork and rice (yum!), and Stella enjoyed two plates of the "piggie". We played Cranium, which ended with a Bud and Shirley victory!

New Camcorder

2008-12-30T21:23:00.000-06:00

Well, after 11 years with our Sony Handicam 8mm, we finally bit the bullet and upgraded. We missed some important footage between Christmas and Alex's wedding, so we went ahead and got a new JVC HDD 60gb camera. Found it at Costco and got a great deal as the last one available was the display model. Cool for us! Now I can get lots of video of Shirley doing what she does!

Since we will now have easier access to digital video and pics, it only made sense to go on and start the blog we have talked about for some time. We wanted a place to post pics, video and stories of our travels as well as our homeschool adventures. Hope you find it remotely interesting!