Day 17

It was a very chilly night for all of us and we all slept deep down in our sleeping bags. Little did I know until we got in them that our tent was set up on a slope. A slope that would mean Laney would end up in the side of the tent, I would end up smooshed next to her, and Ryan would be practically on top of me. By the looks of our tent when we woke up we could have all slept in a full sized bed.

Brayden kept asking if we were going to get up so we could eat which just made me want to stay in bed longer. I left the kids whe they started climbing head-first into their sleeping bags to see what it was like. Pretty smelly I would imagine!

After breakfast I declared we would be washing hair and feet at the bathroom. No showers since we've been on the parkway - about 12 days - has taken it's toll on my mood and nose! Fortunately this bathroom had a tall faucet so all our heads fit under just fine.  Our feet required a little more balance and coordination but we made it work. Once I was finished I walked out and made a mad emoji face when I saw the kids running around in the dirt again. Oh well, at least they had relatively clean feet for a few minutes!

We spent the day playing card games, reading, playing chess, and eating. It was so nice to be able to dry out and bask in the sunshine. Brayden and I went to the top of the meadow to throw the frisbee at one point then were eventually joined by everyone so we decided to play ultimate frisbee.















Teams ended up being Laney, Emily, and Brayden against me, Ryan, and Evey. We had to split up the most competitive and experienced ultimate frisbee players! Us girls scored right away answered quickly by the other team. Within a few minutes we were tied at 2-2, then 3-3 shortly thereafter. The other team took the lead 4-3 and we answered them to tie it 4-4. Emily and I agreed to play to 5 so this was the moment where the Clarke kids could explode or play gracefully. Thankfully Emily caught the winning goal and they chose grace this day.

We decided to get back into the shade for a little while and Laney ducked back into the hammock to read. Brayden decided to be in my lap and the other two picked up the water guns and decided to fire all around until deciding on eachother's mouths for targets. They were soaked by the end!

We were expecting a few hours of rain today so once I felt the temperature start to drop we packed up all our stuff and ducked into the tent. Evey joined us and entertained the kids with a game on her Kindle while I wrote. Laney started out in the hammock until the crazy thunder started and she raced over to climb back inside with us. She was very brave until then!

When there was a break in the rain we all ran to the bathroom and I pulled out cereal for dinner as it looked like we only had about 30 minutes until the next blob of rain. We ate pretty quickly then walked around the campground a little while until the drops started again.

Evey and Emily ducked into their tent for the night and we did the same. The kids taught me how to play Farkle and I almost beat Ryan. Unfortunately she was rolling three pair the whole game. We ended the night playing 3Up 3Down again - a definite favorite. Tempers started flaring after all that time in the tent so I decided it was time for bed.

Day 7

We ended up sleeping pretty well until about 7 this morning after our late night.  As each of the kids got up I escorted them to the playround behind our site and since they now had actual bats, they revived the game of camp ball from last year with the Cadenas girls.  After breakfast, Laney and I teamed up against Brayden and Ryan for a very exciting game.  In the bottom of the 3rd inning, we we down 3 with the bases loaded and full count on the batter.  Sneaky Ryan was pitching to me and she through a nasty curve ball the strike me out for the win.  If the weather was dry we were definitely going to have to have a rematch!

There was quite a bit of rain forecast for later in the day so after getting ready, we hopped in the car for a little exploring.  Our first stop was to the Historic Lincoln Cabin just down the road from our campsite.  This was a cabin and land bought by Abraham Lincoln for his father where he lived until he died.  The visitor's center wasn't open, but we explored around the grounds and walked through the farm.  The summer camp here looked like it would be a blast for Laney as they would learn to live as the frontier people did so many years ago.  I suspect there were no campers as so many kids in the area actually live on a farm that it really isn't that different from their life.

We were first met by this friendly guy in the parking lot and he proceeded to escort us through his area to the farm.  Our animal-loving Ryan was instantly smitten with these guys - especially the babies.  After a short walk, the wind shifted and got pretty strong so we headed back to the visitors center area so as not to get too soaked should it start raining again. All the kids wanted to ride in this wagon so bad!






Next we headed to the local library for some book, wi-fi and kid email time.  They are enjoying getting emails about as much as getting real mail at home!  I kept looking at the window for rain as forecast, but it never seemed to happen so the kids voted to go get some pizza and head to a huge park in the center of town.  I know the days when this will be an exciting stop are numbered for Brayden, so we take it now as often as we can.

All their shoes went flying and they screamed like they'd found a long lost friend when they saw the rolling log thing.  Guess we might need to keep an eye out for a lumberjack show?

With still no rain, we headed back to our site for the anticipated camp ball rematch.  Laney and I were teamed up again and took an early 4-1 lead in the first inning.  In the second inning we scored 3 more to match their 3 and could already taste the win.





But in the third inning, Brayden knocked out 2 homeruns to bring to tip the score to 8-7. Brayden wanted Ryan to pitch but she was getting tired so he nervously took the mound.  As if it were a replay we had 2 runners on with full count on the batter.  Brayden through the heat and I grounded out for the loss.  This isn't over.

After showers and dinner we took to the picnic table to work on the kids' trip journals. This is one of the most anticipated parts of the trip as the kids get to see pictures of just a few days ago and they laugh, draw, and write about it all.  It's fun to relive the exciting things with them now as well as months after we get home when the journals are pulled back off their bookshelves.

As we were finishing up, the rain started so we headed into the tent to escape and go to sleep.  Not before a few chapters of our new book though!  We are now reading "Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me".  We all said goodnight and crossed our fingers, toes, and eyes for a quiet night of rain.

Day 31

We had quite a drive today, so we attempted to get out of town early.  We packed up and said our goodbyes to the Cadenas family and left in search of a Cracker Barrel.  I'm not sure if it's the store or the checkers or the food but my kids love that place!  The kids had a feast so maybe it's the food?  It was crazy crowded and busy so by the time we got back into the car it was already 11am - I guess we just ate lunch!

After an hour or so we were in Delaware with no hint of a state line sign.  The kids were watching Star Wars and I was lost in music, so it is quite possible I maybe probably missed it.  No worries though, we found the sign at the Maryland state line!

You will notice a special visitor in these pictures - the kids were talking to Dave on the phone as we stopped, so they told him to say "Cheese" at the right time!

After a long drive down the coast and almost emptying my wallet with tolls, we approached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and another hefty toll.  Brayden had been so excited about going over this bridge he asked every time he noticed we were on a bridge if this was the one.  Apparently there are people you can pay to drive you across it as it can be a little nerve-wracking.  I was up for the challenge though and it turned about to be pretty normal except for the whole tunnels part.  It's just weird to be driving a long a bridge and then you see up ahead it just stops for about 300 yards and picks back up and does it all over again a couple miles later.  I think Ryan might have thought we were going to have to jump it!  We didn't stop, but I'm sure there are "I survived crossing the bridge" t-shirts in the gift shop.

Shortly after crossing the bridge we made it to our campground and did our unpacking & dinner routine. The kids were excited to go to the beach so we headed to the VA Beach Boardwalk.  Brayden spotted Posieden from blocks away so we had to get a picture.  He is pretty famous from the Percy Jackson books we've read.

As the kids raced to the playground, I headed to the water to test the temperature and watch the very edge of the sunset.

There was quite a line on the playground for the coveted monkey bars.  Apparently there was a competition to see who could make it all the way across and land on the wobbly step at the end, a la Wipeout.  Brayden made it and if Ryan had been about 3 inches taller she would have been able to reach the step at the end.  Laney giggled so much she could barely make it to the second ring!

We searched for some homemade ice cream, but had to settle for a serve yourself yogurt and toppings place.  We got home too late for a fire but we did get to start a new book - The Island of the Blue Dolphins.  We're hoping to be able to finish this one before we meet up with Dave in a few days especially since we have a few ferry rides to pass time on.