Yellowstone

We drove all the way to Yellowstone, only to find out that the campsites were all full (we thought it would be pretty empty so late in the season).  So, we turned around and found the closest campsite in the National Forest near the east entrance.  They have a bad case of the grizzles and most camp sites weren't allowing tents or soft sided campers (luckily we got the hard-sided A-liner!).  I was still a little shaken with my close encounter with a bear earlier in the trip, so we were extra pre-cautious, leaving pretty much everything with a smell in our cars.  We ate dinner at a lodge that was nearby and it was delicious.  We also tried the local (and touristy) beers.

In the morning we realized we needed to get to the camp site early to actually get a site, so we drove from the east entrance to the north west.  We got a site, and then started to explore.  The figure 8 in the park took the WHOLE day.  It was crazy to think that during our "off" day we were still stuck in the car driving all day.  At least all the people were in the same car.  We stopped at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake (where Andy taught Anne to skip rocks), Old Faithful, Norris, and Mammoth.  It was a full day.  A large portion of the day was rainy, and right after we saw Old Faithful, it really started to pour.

I asked Anne what we were watching during the Old Faithful eruption, and she said smoke and there was a fire.  Clearly, I needed to explain better.  During the day, we let Anne run around on the boardwalk paths and she picked up three splinters in her hand.  We went to the clinic, but they said as long as they don't look infected, then you can leave them in.  Later that night we did take one of the splinters out, thinking that it looked a little too red.

While trying to fall asleep in the camper Anne asked "Are there any monsters outside"?  "No, there are no real monsters".  Anne thought for a bit, then asks "Are there any buffalo outside"?  She must think buffalo look a lot like monsters.

Andy got up before sunrise to try and beat all the crowds at the Mammoth Terraces.  He did, but not by much.  The amount of people and cars at Yellowstone really surprised us.  Tons of people and cars.  Parking was bad, and even finding tables to eat was hard.  I can't imagine how busy it is during the summer!

We decided to forgo Glacier National Park.  We are really disappointed, but we are short on time and I am bit tired of driving.  Another time, I'm sure!

Most of our time camping, we haven't been allowed to have fires because of fire ratings.  My favorite warning/order was at the lodge where we ate dinner.  "If you must smoke, smoke in your car.  Extreme Fire Danger."  We've been more than happy to abide by the order, the less our clothes smell of camp fires, the better!

Wind Caves, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, and Deadwood

We drove through a lot of South Dakota and arrived after dark at Wind Caves National Forest to camp.  It's a cool campground; we saw bison, elk (and we could hear their trumpeting in the middle of the night), plenty of deer, and quail (Anne has never seen one but it seems to be the go to "Q" word).  We woke up and did the first tour of the caves in the morning.  It was amazing!  We did the only tour that was offered, the Natural Entrance Tour.  We assumed that it meant we would just see a little bit into the cave, but we were very wrong.  We spent over an hour inside the cave and everything was amazing and beautiful.  Most of the tour was downhill (the floor is surprisingly concrete paths with stairs) and we ended up taking the elevator back.  It was awesome!

Next, we drove to Crazy Horse.  My research online told me that dogs were just not allowed in the buildings, but they could walk around.  Same at Mt. Rushmore.  My source was wrong.  Dogs were not allowed.  It was a hot day so we just did a quick tour of Crazy Horse.  We opted not to go on the bus ride to the base.  Anne had just as much fun, if not more playing on the stage where they do dance shows and playing in the tee-pees.

Then, on to Mt. Rushmore.  We did the Presidential Trail.  We had to leave Lady in the car, which we felt bad about, but my car was able to go in the covered parking garage (much cooler) so we moved her to my car.  We did the tour counter clockwise, which I saw recommended on some review and we had a view of all 4 presidents as opposed to two for the majority of the walk.  Anne was pretty tired on the walk and tried to fall asleep everywhere (except for when we got ice cream).

We ended our day at a place that I thought was going to be an wild-west town, Deadwood, but it turns out that it is a casino town.  Every store front (restaurant, store, even regular hotels) had a casino in it.  We ate at the only place that didn't have a casino.  On top of that, the scheduled staged shootouts that were late in the evening were cancelled.  Bummer.  At least dinner was good. We stayed the night at an independent campground with wifi and laundry.  

Badlands

Pretty much a full day of driving.  We did drive through Badlands National Park.  Beautiful!

Mall of America, more old home stuff

After what felt like forever driving, we made it to the Mall of America.  We had a list of items that we needed after a couple cold days.  Plus, we were excited to take Anne on a couple rides.  The mall wasn't really what Andy and I expected.  It was more like a mall and a small indoor theme park.  We thought you would be able to see the rides from stores, but there were walls around the theme park area.  Andy took Anne on three rides.  She choose the carousel, hot air balloon ride, and some Swiper car ride.  She had a blast on them all.  We ate lunch at American Girl.  They allow you to use one of their dolls if you don't bring your own, so she had fun picking one out and playing with it during lunch.  Andy and Anne also made some women engineer Lego people at the Lego store.  We did find most of what we needed too.

While we were at the mall, we got an email saying what we needed to do for the Power of Attorney paperwork for our home sale.  We tried stopping at a UPS store before we picked Lady up at the doggy day care, but they didn't have the notary, or a manager that would be able to print for at least an hour.  They did "think" that some bank might have a notary, but they wouldn't print for us. We were nervous about leaving the city without getting the paperwork done, but I tracked down a UPS store with a notary on our way out of Minnesota (thank God for smart phones!).  They were terrific at the UPS Store; the owners were both there working the desk, and they convinced another customer to be an additional witness for our paperwork.  It took us an hour, but it was nice having everything done.

We drove until late at night and camped at Blue Mounds State Park near the border between Minnesota and South Dakota.

(Water) Sliding through Wisconsin (by Andy)

When we woke up Monday morning I started to call welding shops to see if they could fix up (and improve!) the camping trailer's bumper.  Pretty lucky that I was an engineer on a ship in Northern Michigan so I had a few places in mind :)  We found a place in Cheboygan that could weld it up to my specifications.  (For my engineer friends:  the failure mechanism was ductle tearing of the old weld seam where the longitudinal frames meet the bumper.  In my opinion, the tearing was both from poor initial weld quality/corrosion at the weld and some overloading from the weight of the generator--I should have used a higher safety factor!  I added two brackets, a square tube "transverse," and a stringer in addition to having the old welds repaired.)  While the trailer work was completed, we ate and shopped in downtown Cheboygan.  Tracey was not impressed but I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and we found some good deals on used children's books to keep Anne occupied.   To sum it up, we got a late start away from Michigan on Monday and, after a long drive t'rough da U.P. we ended up camping near Appleton, Wisconsin that night.  Tracey thinks the term "pasties" is funny (it's a meat pie).  She thought the store name "Gram's Pasties" was especially hilarious.

After a couple hours drive on Tuesday,  we pulled into the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells where we enjoyed the indoor waterpark.  We picked it because it was the largest indoor waterpark in America and they had multiple sections for toddlers.  Anne especially liked the wave pool but there were lots of areas where a water-loving-two-year-old could have a great time.  Sorry, we don't have any pictures because we were using a waterproof disposable camera.  I like Wisconsin and all, but the drive can be summed up with the word "corn."  We camped in the suburbs of St Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Mackinac Island

Only in Michigan is Mackinaw and Mackinac pronounced the same way.  Either way we went to Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island today. The island doesn't have any cars and people can only commute on horse buggy, or bike.  It was out of our way but we thought Anne would like all the horses. Sure enough it was her favorite part!  We took the ferry over in the morning after we dropped our laundry off at a laundromat. We took a horse drawn carriage ride to the new butterfly conservatory, ate lunch at the Grand Hotel (my favorite part), explored, took the buggy through the state park and back to the main street.  We had just missed the ferry back, so we went to the playground outside the fort.  At the camp site, we watched the sunset and the lights come on the bridge.  

Canada and Michigan

I've never been to Canada and was excited to stop, so we stopped at Tim Horton's in Ontario, Canada. I was surprised by the non-American portions.  When we got back to the car, Andy noticed the back bumper on the trailer was about to come off. So Andy's awesome generator set up had to be moved....in the HEAVY rain.  Poor Andy (I stayed in the car with Anne while he got soaked).  We got into the northern part of Michigan with good timing, so we stopped for dinner on the water in Mackinaw City at Dixie Saloon. We got caramel popcorn for dessert. Our campsite is on the Upper Peninsula and has an awesome view of the Mackinaw Bridge from the water!

Niagara Falls

We try to camp at State or National Parks when we can.  The check in process is more flexible and they have more of a "camper" feel to us.  Andy found a site at Niagara-on-the-Lake at the New York State Park- Four Mile Creek.  We arrived at our site on the shore of Lake Ontario at dusk and looked to see Toronto but couldn't; as it got darker we could see the lights though! Plus, if you camp on any state park, you get free entrance/parking at any of their other parks.  Pretty neat, and not nearly advertised as much as it should be. 

We have a list of attractions that we would like to see, but they are prioritized.  We were satisfied after The Cave of the Winds and Maid of the Mist. At the Cave of the Winds you can walk right into the fall, and Andy and I had a lot of fun.  Anne was a little scared without her ear muffs.  We went back to the car before the Maid of the Mist just to get her ear muffs.  An added bonus of doing the caves first was that they give you sandals (that you have to wear for insurance purposes), so we wore those on the Maid of the Mist to keep our other shoes dry.  As we were leaving we ate at Twist of the Mist, it was recommended but was just okay.

We ate at the two restaurants we picked beforehand.  The Top of the Falls has an awesome view, right on the water, in the park.  We were the first people there so they let us sit anywhere, so we ate outside.  I would recommend eating inside, the view is actually nicer and Anne freaked out about the bees (not sure if it is just our timing or if they always have bees, but they seemed use to them).  For dinner we ate downtown at the Silo which was featured on Man vs Food.  Andy got the haystack (item featured on the show) and it was surprisingly good.  Overall, it was a fantastic day.

Adirondacks

We arrived at River Side Pines campground in Pottsville, NY at almost 10pm.  Andy called three other places and this was the first place that would take us this late.  We drove around three times to find our site and eventually found it.  It was definately different from state parks. There were a bunch of permeant trailers (with nice woden decks) on sites too.

After we quickly reorganized the car (put Anne's toys back where they are reachable) and put the camper up I went to the bathroom. Bathrooms are clean and have showers, check!
On my way back to the car I hear "don't walk this way" loudly. It was dark and I thought I was walking on someone else's site and they were indecent or something. After I changed direction and found the pavement, I started walking again. I heard "don't walk this way, he's here".  This time I asked, "where can I walk?"  I just stopped and the mysterious man with no light said "the bear is at the dumpster.  I'm trying to get a picture". Great, we arrived at night, I never saw the map and have no idea where the dumpster is. Hum, what do I do?  I walk backwards to the bathroom and wait maybe 10 minutes. I'm hoping the mysterious guy will say "coast is clear" but nothing. Eventually I text Andy and ask him what to do. He tried telling me an alternative route to our site but I didn't understand since I didn't ever see the map and was scared of the bear. So, I convinced Andy to drive my car with the spare key to pick me up. I had to sit on all Anne's toys but I made it back. I'm sure the mysterious man thought I was some crazy city girl.

In the morning I saw that when I made it to the pavement the night before, I was only 5 feet from the dumpster! There was a HUGE mess left behind by the bear within a foot from where I was standing.   I'm glad I didn't try to wait him out. He must have been there a while. Over breakfast at the campground, I met the mysterious man and thanked him. I overheard him say the bear was really big. I thought I heard him say the size of the door, but that seems too big. 

We explored the natural stone bridge and caves in Pottersville, NY. It was almost a little too touristy, but it was the perfect level for Anne's hiking ability and we were almost rushed to see everything in the .75 mile trail in 2 hours.  Anne was scared of the noisy cave, so we will make sure to bring head phones to Niagara Falls, just in case.

We took the scenic route through the Adirondacks and it was beautiful. I can see why people say you haven't seen them unless you've seen them by rail.

Ready, Set, Go?

Andy's parents left at 9:30am to get to the raceway for Grandpy's 1pm time slot. We never seem to get out the door on time when we leave as a group, plus we were leaving from New Hampshire so we would be triple checking everything, so we knew we were leaving later.  We finally get the cars packed and in them at 10:15ish. All ready to go, and Andy decides to check his lights.  Sure enough, break lights aren't working. After troubleshooting, and fixing the problem, we get on the road again. Maybe 10minutes on the road and Andy says he wants to check his tires and wheel bearings (since they were recently packed).  Okay, back on the road.  30 minutes on the road and Andy radios that he needs to get off to check again, this time he ends up having to tighten the spindle nut on the trailer's right wheel.  So, at 12:30, 30 minutes until his scheduled time slot we get on the road for the 2 hr drive.  Somehow, between Grandpy's stalling and luck we made it just in time!  He was originally going in the first car but the buckle wouldn't work, so they mived him to #21.  We were all impressed with his driving too--135mph!  He passed two cars in front of us and a couple cars on the turns!  They popped the hood of his car (only his) when he got back...they must have been concerned that the speed regulator needed adjusting because he had it maxed out for long! 

Grandpy driving one handed!

After our already long day, we decided to change plans and drive to Niagara Falls and find some place along the way instead of going back north to explore Montreal.  Maybe we can do that some other time with Andy's family.

Getting Ready

We all went out on the boat again, but this time Andy water skied while Anne was with us.  She did NOT like it.  She is afraid of loud noises, so I thought covering her ears would calm her down but it didn't. Poor Anne.  She later said she was upset because "Daddy fell".  Regardless, we made sure to go out and pick up some serious earmuffs for her.  She uses ear muffs at home when I vacuum, and they are quite the confidence booster.

We all got Andy's Dad a 12 car lap experience at New Hampshire Speedway for Christmas. His scheduled times have all been cancelled due to rain, we are hoping the third time is a charm so we can see him. There is a hurricane forecasted to come through, so we think it will probably get cancelled.  After his Tom Petty Driving Experience we plan on going to Montreal, Canada.   This will hopefully break up the drive to Niagara Falls. Originally we were going to go the day after the race cars, but we are ready to start!

I scoped out places to visit based on Disney's Go Families (http://family.go.com/travel/places-to-eat/minnesota/minneapolis/poi-346835-mall-america/) and the book 1,000 Places to see Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. 

Montreal, Canada:

Old Town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155253-Reviews-Old_Montreal_Vieux_Montreal-Montreal_Quebec.html
St-Antoine St south to the St Lawrence River | Bleury St east to St-Denis St, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 3B2, Canada

Underground city
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155252-Reviews-Underground_City-Montreal_Quebec.html

Norte-Dame Basilique
http://www.basiliquenddm.org/en/visits/discover.aspx
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
110 Notre-Dame Street West
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 1T2
Telephone : 514-842-2925
Fax : 514-842-3370
Email : info@basiliquenddm.org

Fountaine Riopelle
http://qimtl.qc.ca/en/projects/quartier-international-montreal/intervention/place-jean-paul-riopelle
Schedule of the fountain’s “performance”:
(Mid-May to Mid-October):
6:30 p.m. to 7:05 p.m.
7:30 p.m. to 8:05 p.m.
8:30 p.m. to 9:05 p.m.
9:30 p.m. to 10:05 p.m.
10:30 p.m. to 11:05 p.m.
Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal, Canada H3H1A
514-843-8240

Parc du Mont Royal
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155373-Reviews-Mont_Mount_Royal-Montreal_Quebec.html
1260, Chemin Remembrance,
Montreal, Quebec H3H 1A2, Canada
514 843 8240

Bio dome.
 http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/site.php?langue=en.
 4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin
Montréal, Québec
H1V 1B3
Telephone: (514) 868-3000



Andy and I also made onesies for particular sites from left over supplies I had from a baby sprinkle I threw for a good friend.

Loving the Lake