Day 49

It's always easier to pack up when we only stay in one tent and helps with the cold weather too.  If the kids could cool their attitudes during pack up and set up I'm positive it could be even easier!

We were packed up and parking at Rebel Donuts in Albuquerque for a couple birthday donuts each before 9. Having a birthday on the road and away from friends is hard so I thought this might hit the spot! Brayden picked triple chocolate and chocolate mint, Ryan picked chocolate mint and caramel green apple, Laney picked Boston cream and raised yeast, and I picked maple cream and blueberry pineapple pancakes flavors. My pineapple was one of the best donuts I've ever had! The chocolate mint bite Brayden shared was surprisingly great too.

This is what 15 looks like!

We made it to Santa Fe more than an hour early than expected so we went ahead and did a Walmart resupply for birthday meals and few other things we needed. We ate our lunch in the car on the way to Meow Wolf.  Dave found this spot in his research for when he was with us but the timing didn't work out for him to be with us. Meow Wolf is an interactive art installation in a 22,000 foot space. There was supposed to be a mystery to solve but we were there just to explore and have fun.

Everything about this place was amazing! The art was fun and very interesting to look at and try to figure out. We were able to climb into tree houses, walk into a refrigerator, climb in and slide down a clothes dryer. We climbed inside an ice machine and walked through a fireplace to take us to some surprising paths. There was even a cleverly disguised bookcase that opened into another room like Scooby Doo. We were able to interact with the art in surprising ways. We were even able to chill out on some of the most comfortable furniture, take it all in, and have fun talking. We had a blast! It's no City Museum, but it was super fun!


After all that excitement we stopped by the art center also in the building and took a few minutes to create something. It's always hard to bring creations home on a summer trip but with only a few days back I was hoping they would last!


We had more than a 4 hour drive left so the kids watched movies and I cranked up the music to help it be a little more enjoyable. It always helps to break up the drives with a little fun and smiles on a birthday are always the best. Brayden requested veggie tacos for his birthday dinner but by the time we would get to the campground it would be getting late.  I don't like cooking and cleaning in the dark and I definitely don't like cooking in the heat! He'd been wanting to try the new Impossible Burger at Burger King so we stopped there instead to grab dinner and keep going. They were messy but delicious!

It was 103 when we arrived at Palo Duro Canyon. The view was like a small grand canyon with colorful rock formations and deep slices in the rocks. As we drove down into the canyon I would have normally stopped about 5 times for pictures but tonight I was grumpy.

When we picked up the map Laney noticed there was a posting about no fires of any kind in the canyon. Brayden was disappointed because he'd picked a dutch oven dump cake for his birthday dessert. The best I could do was a couple of marshmallows out of the bag and a birthday song. This birthday was going to be memorable for sure!

Once we got to our site the kids were fussing at each other when we set up the tent so we all took a 10-minute mental break from away. This was day 49 of constant interactions and we were all miserably hot so it was definitely time for a break.

Brayden picked a few card games for us to play and we enjoyed the warm night back together. Once it was dark and all the weird Texas bugs were swarming the lanterns and dropping on us from the trees above we slipped into the tent for the night.

The girls and I opted not to bring in our sleeping bags but Brayden wanted a quilt to sleep with. I thought he was crazy with how hot the night was. I grabbed our Frog Togg cooling towels in hopes it would help us get to sleep.  It was supposed to be in the 60s overnight but I wasn't sure that was going to happen!

Lessons

So yeah, this year's lessons are a little late. We seriously hit the ground running when we got home and have barely stopped to breathe! I miss being on the road exploring all the little towns and big towns. I miss learning something each and every day, sometimes every few minutes! I miss connecting with my kids and laughing so hard with them that my belly hurt.

I don't miss fighting kids. I don't miss the long miles on the road. I don't miss packing up camp. I don't miss hours in laundromats.  And I definitely don't miss days on end with only part of our family together.  And now on to the lessons....

• A child listening to their new music smiles wide and sings loudly.
• Listening to a headphone-wearing child belt out wacky lyrics to songs is guaranteed to make me laugh.
• Seeing a sign for an area of town called "Butt's Corner" is guaranteed to make all of us laugh.
• New music can keep a child entertained for hours.
• River otters have coverings for their eyes, noses, and ears for swimming.
• River otters can hold their breath for 8 minutes.
• River otters are known to be lazy by targeting the slower fish, taking over beaver dens instead of building their own, and playing most of the day.
• River otters do not know how to swim when they are born.
• The only building that was locked on a mountain farm was the smokehouse, which contained a families most prized possessions and precious food.
• A 60 degree night is a welcome end to a 95 degree day!
• Sitting in the middle of a beautiful park with 50-ft trees, it's hard to believe this area was once clear cut for lumber with no habitats for native animals.
• The Oconoluftee River is exceptionally cold.
• The woosh of the river at night is a much better lullaby than the cicadas and frogs.
• The best gas prices I found were in Georgia - $1.74 - I almost filled up again just on principle!
• A mink can hold it's breath underwater for up to 16 minutes!
• Moths are relentless trying to dive bomb a tent when they see light inside.
• Crawfish aren't only in Louisiana!
• My kids are obsessed with camp ball.
• The wildflowers in West Virginia are just beautiful along the roadside.
• Sometimes the air of Pennsylvania country roads smells like there is a cow in my passenger seat.
• Don't let Brayden be in charge of cleaning up snacks on the ground of our campsite.
• When the kids can try anything on a pretzel, I will be surprised what the end up liking.
• In the 1830s, coffee pots did not have filters. Eggshells and codfish scales were used to settle the coffee grounds to the bottom of the pot.
• A porcupine has 30,000 quills.
• There are 28 hospitals in Boston.
• I was surprised several times by the amount of information my kids actually remembered from history stories we'd read together!
• Hollyhocks used to be planted to discreetly guide visitors to the outhouse.
• The mosquitoes in Rhode Island are as big as house flies!
• When you had a kid a camera for a few minutes, there's no telling what crazy pictures you'll find they've taken.
• Boston's subway system is so much easier to understand and find than New York's.
• There is an unreal number of Dunkin Donuts in Boston. Seriously, on a map you are never more than 2 blocks from one!
• We need to learn more about Teddy Roosevelt. Some of his quotes are so inspirational!
• The Liberty Bell weighs 2,080 pounds.
• The only person to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was Ben Franklin.
• I need to stop complaining about having to find $1 to go over the Pensacola Beach bridge as the Ben Franklin bridge into Pennsylvania costs $5!
• A ton of all kinds of math goes into animation.
• Amish children only go to school until 8th grade.
• Amish boys usually receive their own horse and buggy at 16 years old.
• A married Amish man starts growing a beard once he is married and does not trim or shave it.  He does not keep a mustache.
• You have to be born into the Amish culture. You cannot just choose to be Amish.
• The Washington Monument is 555 feet 5 inches tall.
• The Washington Monument sat unfinished for 20 years when the project ran out of money.
• The World War II Memorial has a few secret "Kilroy was here" cartoons on it.
• The Kennedys had another son that died when he was one.
• Abraham Lincoln is the only president to hold a patent.
• There are no direct living descendants of Abraham Lincoln.
• Robert Lincoln was eerily present at the assassinations of Presidents Garfield and McKinley.
• Americans throw away 300 million tons of plastic every year, much of it ending up in the oceans.
• An elephants height  at the shoulder is about twice the distance around its front footprint.
• We miss Michigan ice cream.
• There is quite possibly a Mattress Firm in every suburban city. And I thought there were a lot of Dollar Generals!
• While I miss communicating with my kids and listening to their audio books, there is something to be said for NPR undisturbed for hours.
• Every year as dusk comes and we see the first lightning bugs, we all point and run around like we've never seen them before. It's easy to forget about those little guys when we only see them a little each year.
• This year for some reason I was terrified of losing my keys so I used a lanyard. Best. Purchase. Ever. 
• Leaving the quiet woods for the city was startling each day.
• Rhode Island has the shortest stop lights on the planet.

While we learned SO much and enjoyed time in the cool museum buildings on our travels, I sincerely missed being in the woods this year. I think we only participated in a handful of programs and hikes which is usually the foundation of our trips.  

We will see you again here next year! Our plans are in the works....

Day 41

As I slipped out of the tent this morning I was excited to be able to catch a little sunrise from behind our campsite. The boats were already out fishing and the sun was fully up shortly after.

So I admit it's a little nutty. I was excited about breakfast this morning. When Dave and I traveled to England about five years ago I became slightly addicted to crumpets. When we first arrived back home I tried to find them but couldn't. I tried to make them and they flopped. So I actually squealed a little when I found them a Trader Joe's the day before. I was going to initiate my children in the wonderful work of crumpets for breakfast today.

I toasted them just so on the camp stove and slathered with butter and jelly. I added fruit to everyone's plate and waited patiently for their reactions. And that's where I usually go wrong with my kids. I have these expectations and they completely defy what I *think* they are going to do or say. I got nothing. I have to say they were a bit dry and not as chewy as I remember, but they were still good. Well, if you want to make me anything for my birthday, just make me some crumpets. Forget the kids.

We headed first to Jamestown Settlement today. As we were driving into town the day before I saw a sign for Yorktown as well so we made sure to buy the combo ticket for both places this day.  Yes they were about 150 years apart, but we were there so we might as well go see more history.

The docents had some furs for the kids to look at when we first walked in. They loved it when he told them to tell everyone at home they'd "caught a skunk" when he threw it to them.

After we took some time to watch the movie, we went upstairs to learn about bartering.  Once the kids earned the peace medal to show they understood everything, we headed to the Powhatan Village to begin their trading.  When the Powhatan saw their medals he gave them some corn to take to the colonial village for trading.

We stayed in the village for  a little while trying the different activities set up. The kids ground some corn and practiced hitting some targets. They also scraped some deer hide and tied some knots for a fishing net. We'd already done much of this at home or at other pioneer days so the kids were old pros showing other kids how to do things.

  

Our next stop was a quick tour of a recreation of one of the three ships that brought colonists over to Virginia in 1607, the Susan Constant. We couldn't believe how small the bunks were for all the sailors!

All the kids enjoyed trying their hands at steering the ship with the whipstaff.

After chatting with one of the guides we headed over to the colonial settlement for more exploring and a chance to trade. They all offered their corn for trade to the merchant and she gave them each a small bracelet in return. 

We also watched a musket demonstration as well as asked bunches of questions about the practice of medicine in the 1600s to the settlement doctor. He showed many of the tools they used and pretty much grossed all of us out to the point we were no longer hungry fr lunch. It was very interesting though!

We walked through most of the houses arranged like the settlers may have lived.  We had a hard time imagining a large family living in rooms the size of our living room for their entire house.

The kids had a ball trying on all the armor and finding the chickens too. It was blazing hot but there was enough shade, water, and shelter to keep us going.

I would have loved to spend a little more time inside as there were tons of exhibits set up in chronological order of Jamestown as well as what was happening in England at the time. The kids were way more interested in dressing up so I'll save that for another day. Ryan was having a bit of trouble keeping up her pants!

They had a great little display with some swords from the Revolutionary, British, and French armies. The difference in the weight of all of them was amazing! The French sword was unbelievably light.

We made our way through the gift shop and hopped in the car for sandwiches on the way to Yorktown. This museum was undergoing some big changes so much of the inside portion was closed and there was considerable construction going on outside in their transition to the American Revolution Museum. The plans for this place look awesome and we'll definitely have to make a trip there again.

 

They had a bunch of stations set up for the kids to experience life in the revolutionary times. The kids enjoyed carrying water (heavy!), ironing (annoying!), and washing dishes (takes too long!) among other things. 

We learned how they made linen thread, handled medical issues, and toured the military encampment.  Again we were amazed six soldiers shared these tents. No wonder these camps were rampant with disease!!

This was the size of George Washington's tent - much bigger!

To Ryan's dismay there were musket and canon demonstrations next. As long as I held her ears she was ok with the musket demonstration. This guide did a fantastic talk about the weapons as well as a detailed demonstration of what it took to fire the gun. It must have been at least ten instructions they followed from the commander to fire!

Next up was the cannon demonstration and there was no way Ryan was going near it so I handed off my camera to Laney and we hung out by the stockade. Ryan got in trouble in the few minutes we were there! The other two enjoyed the talk and we still held our ears as far away as we were!

And that's where our fun day ended. The kids decided to fight for the 4,278th time over silly stuff and I wasn't interested in hearing it anymore so we left without a visit to the gift shop, ice cream, and a trip to the pool. We headed to Barnes and Noble for some wifi time for me and they were left to read. It was the quietest they'd been in a month. I guess they figured out I was over it.

When we were getting in the parking lot Brayden spotted some planes flying over us. They were the Blue Angels!! It was awesome to see our guys up in the air again!

Once we made it back home it was time for us to read and go to bed. The next day was going to be Williamsburg and I knew we'd be spending the majority of the day there for sure!

Day 28

Today we slept in until 7:30 and had a hotel breakfast. It's the little things I appreciate when we've been on the road for so long! Now that Grammie's gone I'm back on my own for a week until Dave meets up with us so this is wonderful!  Have I mentioned my kids eat like horses? I think they all ate three separate breakfasts while we were sitting there. They love the ability to pick whatever they want for a change. They have such a tough life!

We got on the road to Valley Forge pretty early in order to make the first park ranger talk. It is usually a hike but with the heat everything outdoors was canceled for the day. We had to have a family meeting in the parking lot because of the tone and attitude the kids were giving each other as well as me. It seems we have reached the years where arguing is the first form of conflict resolution.

We walked in just as the talk was starting so the kids got an excellent introduction to the history and purpose of the park. We talked with another ranger afterward to get a map of the park as well as junior ranger books.  A favorite at most visitors centers is the movie about the park and this one did not disappoint. It gave more background about the park especially detailing the struggles of the soldiers residing in the encampment.

When the movie was finished the kids got to work on their junior ranger books. The excitement of completing all the activities is stressful for me as the only helper but the kids have learned a little bit of patience and a lot of teamwork can go a long way. They learned a lot about the life of the soldiers as well as the reasons why George Washington made the decisions he did.

They all were excited to see actual "pieces of eight" from several of the field trips we'd been on. Many of the colonists used these coins for currency before the country had established its own monetary system.

             


Once the kids completed the activities related to the displays we got on the road to the sites on the driving tour to learn a bunch more. Laney was my navigator once Brayden became completely oblivious to where we were. Not only did she do a fabulous job, she also read us the history about each stop!

The brigade huts were our first stop. These were reproductions of the original huts built in mere days on this same sight. Apparently, George Washington had offered a reward for the fastest hut built to standard when they arrived in December 1777. These huts housed up to 12 men through the entire winter. The kids couldn't even imagine living in that small space with just the four of us!




Not only were the living conditions very close, the encampment was rampant with disease and had serious problems with supply. Many of the soldiers were inadequately clothed and most were lacking sufficient nutrition. Even with all that, they marched out of Valley Forge in June and ended up occupying Philadelphia again and marching on to Yorktown.



Our next big stop was the National Memorial Arch to honoring then General Washington's arrival at Valley Forge. It was completed 100 years ago and is enormous!  See my little people down there?





















Our last and longest stop was George Washington's headquarters. A train station had been converted into a museum with great displays on the history of the headquarters since it was built in 1773. We were able to walk through the stable and the house to see replicas of the furnishings of the time period. The kids all agreed it was pretty cool to walk around the same house and up the same stairs that George Washington did more than 200 years ago.

We finished up our trip by stopping back by the visitor's center to turn in junior ranger books and take the pledge they almost have memorized!

On the way home we were treated to some major traffic issues. It took quite a bit longer than we expected to get home as I couldn't even go anywhere close to the speed limit!  About 5 miles and an hour later traffic started moving like normal with no reason for the delay.

We jumped in the pool when we got home to cool off.  The kids have been inspired by Michael Phelps to race each night. It's been so nice not to have to settle for tidbits and highlights this year!