The trip home and other interesting facts

Saturday July 11, 2015

We awoke at 4:22 AM.  I don't think I even needed to set my alarm.  I know it was 4:22 because Jon has a cool 'projection clock' the beams the numbers to the ceiling.  I thought it was wild as I woke up, to see the time on the ceiling, instead of on the clock, glowing in my face.  I need to get one.  Sheba likes to make fun of Jon's toys, but this was useful and a life enhancer!  Of course, after I saw the time on the ceiling, I laid awake trying to figure where the clock was so I wasn't able to fall back asleep anyway.

We were able to be on the road by 4:42 AM as we packed the car the night before.  It was easily the longest ride of the trip, clocking in at a little over 15 hours in the car.  By  the time I got to Birmingham, I kept the throttle at 83 mph, even a little bit on the back roads and rural roads close to home.  I really wanted to get home by this point.  Luckily, not too many cops were lurking and we got in what I like to call a good 'pocket of traffic' to get home by 7:15PM. The ride was nice, as I think Avery and GT slept about 10 hours!  I'm sure they were both tired from yesterdays events but Jen and I did not mind!  The day went by quickly, and by the time we arrived, I was pretty tired but fought it until we went to bed at 10PM.

Some chronological facts I picked up along the way.

• A 2.4L 4 cylinder engine in a smaller SUV is not mpg friendly when loaded down.
• Rooftop cargo bags act as a sail, and not a good one.
• Minivans with strong V6 engines are dreamy.
• It's relatively hard to find a hotel room in Kentucky on a weekend between Bowling Green and Mammoth cave.  If you do, it'll be expensive, even in shoddy motels
• Kids like to jump on motel beds
• You need multiple days in National parks, especially when you notice the bike trails
• Mammoth Cave has been discovered very little by humans.  It goes on for hundreds of miles
• Mammoth Cave is quite creepy when the lights go out, but it's a quiet like you've never heard.
• As evidenced by "stop it" every three miles, Avery does not like to be pointed at for multiple minutes, especially by her younger brother.
• Kentucky has hills.
• Kentucky has diary farms, but they don't open until too late.
• The basilica of Notre Dame is an incredible sight to behold, but the campus can be a little hard to enter. 
• Indiana has "campground dogs"
• Lake Michigan has riptide warnings, and Green, Yellow, and Red flags like we do.  "no salt, no sharks, no worries" is their slogan  but I kept thinking for us it's "no winter"--they can keep their 'typical Michigan Winters"
• Lake Michigan has large rocks in some of it's waters and it's hard to hit a buoy with said rocks.
• "mom-shart" has become a famous word in Lutz Mad-libs lore. 
• Garretts laugh after using "mom-shart" in Madlibs can be infectious, even at 11pm.
• Avery likes to write about the macabre as far as subject matter goes
• Guards do NOT ask if you have colored tobacco.  If they ask where are you from, don't answer 'hows it going?' you'll be the butt of jokes for a week or longer. 
• Mackinac Island is.  It just is.
• Michigan was my favorite bike state. No other state even comes close, but I'll try them all if I can.
• Tall bridges can bring on anxiety, unbeknownst to one until actually driving on top of a tall bridge.  Thanks Mackinac Bridge and Sault Ste Marie International Bridges.  
• It can get knit-cap requiring cold in Michigan. In the middle of summer.  
• Lighthouses and waterfalls make for cool pics
• I love my Founders brewery knit cap
• We transported about 30 different varieties of spider to Canada from our tent bag.  Hope that was allowed. I'd ask the border patrol guard but....
• Hell, we love breweries--even kiddos because they know they're getting cokes.
• Instant campfire coffee is the absolute best coffee in 49 degree weather
• Northport coffee shop coffee is absolute best coffee w/scones in 50 degree weather
• Transverse Bay Cherry Pie company has the best cherry pie. Period. Oh yeah. it was 53 degrees
• Thrift stores come in handy.
• You meet neat people in laundromats--no seriously, you do-and you get your clothes washed.
• I have become an expert in changing clothes in Laundromat restrooms
• Flannels are still cool, especially ones with snaps.
• I can wear a cool plaid shirt that I paid 3 bucks for with long sleeves, for three straight days. 
• Canada is warmer than Michigan. 
• We have come to like Minnesota and northern Michigan accents
• Mosquitoes in Canada might just carry your child away.
• You cannot pick up grounded wood in Canada. It's illegal. 
• Fallen Canadian wood might burn better than Yangtze river wood, but I have no way to verify--or do I? 
• Canada water is COLD to swim in, but delicious in a glass.
• Canada beer sucks. How can they screw that up? YOUR IPA is NOT IPA, my northern friends.
• Niagara businesses steer you away from what you went there for.  Falls viewing.
• You'll lose money in Canada, a lot of it, if you don't exchange your currency. Sometimes you'll even lose your camera
• The highways in Canada are basically litter-free.
• The streets on the Ontario side of the falls are not litter-free.
• International roaming fees for cellphones can be very expensive.  ATT still sucks. 
• Canada hikes are amazing.  
• Some Canadian towns are 'sketchy' but we will no longer talk about that in public Canadian parking lots. 
• Pickerel is a Canadian staple, especially with chips--errr, fries.
• I love malt vinegar. Avery does not.
• Avery likes Canadian Fruit Loops and 2% milk. Avery does not like Pickerel and chips.
• Canadian public libraries are AWESOME, especially the ones that have wi-fi and 7-9 PM hours on Friday nights!
• Eat your Canadian fruit before coming back to the states.  You'll have plenty of time, at least 45 minutes as you wait in line on the Rainbow Bridge, but get rid of all colored tobacco.
• I pick the long wait line out of 15 lines to get back into the states. 
• Anchor bar in Buffalo, NY was very cool, but bbq 'kid wings' are also spicy. Avery still likes fruit loops.
• Genny Cream Ale is better than Molson. At 15 bucks a 30 pack, it'd be a staple in our house if we lived in PA.
• Basement bars are the COOLEST, whether they are in cousin's homes or from 1776.
• Detours on car rides can be incredible stops. Especially when you make a command decision on the cuff to visit a glass museum.
• This detour would have been made better if we'd added another 20 miles to the Seneca Valley Wineries, and Watkins Glen but we didn't. 
• GT is still scared by ghost stories. 
• GT finds solace by unknowingly stroking Avery's hair when they share a tent or bed.
• Avery's teeth grinding sounds like someone crunching a plastic bottle. And it goes on for 15 minutes at a time.
• Prepare to pay money for good New York finger lakes region wines
• Be sure to leave schedules open on certain days, in case change is needed and car rides aren't wanted on certain days late in the trip.
• I-99 is the best scenic interstate in the U.S.
• Google maps likes to take you on roller coaster rides, but I really loathe that bitch's voice when it feels like we're going in circles.
• Google maps is usually right, I on the other hand am not.
• NY and PA have HUGE windmills and wind farms. Noticeable by passing them 5-10 times utilizing Google maps.
• Big dogs and golf carts are AWESOME
• My family is AWESOME, as are those AWESOME FRIENDS that put us up when we stayed. 
• Short people are WAY AWESOME.
• GT likes a 4 year old's naming convention of "red boy". That kind of 'racism' can be funny.
• We all LOVE SUBS and Middleswarth chips.
• I wish we had more lightning bugs down south.  Most kids here probably got Dave's memo on war paint, though.
• Bikes still rule, especially on country roads and 12% grades when a few climbs are all you need to wake up--kinda nixes the need for coffee but, i'm an addict.
• 4000 miles. 72+ hours in a car. 11 states. 2 countries. My family.  I hope this is remembered forever by all of us.  That is the reason I created this blog.

A quick shout and major THANKS to everyone who helped us by lodging or feeding us during this trip.  It was EPIC.

Now, as a bonus, I'm going to leave you with an OLDER tale, one Jen didn't want me to include because this is a family blog but I figured it would fit with our travels.  It's before kids, and impossible to make up.  These memories must live on. 

Wellsboro and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon re-visited

I remember this place.  I remember everything about this place.  The beautiful PA Grand canyon, with is billion steps to the river that gorged the rock over a kajillion years.  But that’s not how I remember this beautiful little town, situated at the north end of the Pine Creek Rail trail.  I have a rather interesting connection with this place from the past.

It was 1995 (or sometime in the mid 90’s I can’t really recollect) and Jen and I were in Williamsport for our fall vacation and to watch a good friend of mine get married. I was a pinnacle of health back then—pack a day smoker; drinker, bar hopper, weighed all of about 140 lbs soaking wet, etc.  But physically, I was in good shape.  Hardly ever got sick, still could run, wrestle, had plenty of energy—ya know, a perfect example of youth.  I didn’t know our family motto was in place before our kids were born, but it was.

Now you have to remember in 1995 there were no cell phones, a very limited Internet with NO WI-FI (how did people exist) and a limited knowledge of the area I grew up in because when I lived there, I never drove anywhere. 

We used to always stay with my grandfather, Merrill every time we went on trips to PA.  Merrill was awesome, funny, stern, just a mover and shaker—always doing something after his retirement as an engineer from the railroad over multiple decades.  This year was no different. He told me that he was taking his lady friend to a Mummer’s Parade in Wellsboro on Saturday morning.  I knew the Grand Canyon was nearby and planned to go with Jen to hike the trail that morning and show her some of the beauty of Pennsylvania.  Only problem was, I didn’t know how to get there.  I know—I’ll just follow Merrill up in my car.  Got it figured out. No problem.

There was a pre-wedding party the night before at a bar in a hotel in town.  I was the pinnacle of youth and could drink a lot of Miller Lite.  I did drink a lot of Miller Lite that night, but not enough to inebriate myself to drunkenness—can Miller Lite actually do that anyway?  Needless to say, we were out late having a great time with our friends, got home at a decent hour and went to bed.  I set my alarm for the trip to the PA G.C. the next morning. 

Granddad had to wake us up. I guess my alarm was turned off or I set it for PM or whatever.  We had to rush a little bit.  I was a little slow to move that morning.  Got a hot shower and didn’t have time for my coffee ritual, as Merrill had thrown it all away.  Luckily there was leftover hot water and some Sanka—out of a can—Instant, that you grab some scoops and put in water for that kind of coffee taste with the dregs in the bottom.  Those who drink coffee know that sometimes it doesn’t have to taste right, it just has to WORK.  This was one of those mornings. 

I chugged down a good amount of coffee, dregs and all and we proceeded to leave because Merrill had some type function and didn’t want to be late.  Out the door we went.  The first thing we had to do was pick up his lady-friend nearby.  I was finally starting to wake up.  This Sanka was actually working—excellent!  The next thing we had to do was buy gasoline, which was a good thing because the granules of Sanka were hanging on my uvula like a sugar ant to a piece of candy.  We both stopped and grabbed fuel.  As I paid inside, I felt a little bit like I needed to go pee, but didn’t have time as we had to follow Merrill and didn’t want to get lost. I grabbed us each a 20 oz Diet Coke because we were both feeling a little run-down from the night of drinking the evening before and still needed to wake up a little bit.  Fluids are good and will wash away the remnants of the Sanka anyway, right? Pinnacle of health.

Pennsylvania State Highway 287 was the route to Wellsboro, if I recollect.  This road, like most older Pennsylvania roads are rutted switch back roads, with enough curves, drops, and climbs to make Mario Andretti a little queasy.  This road was no exception.  This road was approximately 38 to 40 miles long.  Merrill sometimes likes to drive like Mario Andretti.  Merrill also knows these roads like the back of his hand where I needed to be a little more cautious yet didn’t want to slow him down from his destination or appointment or place in line for the parade or whatever it was.

About fifteen miles into this trip, my bladder got a little mad at me for not relieving myself at the gas station. This anger would intensify and let me know it was there every rut, pothole, left turn, right turn, dip, drop and climb that occurred, which basically occurred every 500 feet. I was really hoping we’d make it to Wellsboro so I could use a bathroom on a tree, off a float, in the street—I didn’t care, I had to go in a bad way and did everything to keep the pressure off---unbuttoned my pants, adjusted my seat, whatever I could do.

Twenty miles to Wellsboro. Fifteen. Ten. Cruising along at about 60 miles an hour.  Four miles to Wellsboro—the town is getting a little busier.  I swear I’m just gonna grab a bottle and just piss in it while driving.  It’s impossible for me to do prior experience.  I’ve tried.  I don’t know why it’s impossible, it just IS. TWO MILES out of Wellsboro and a Tank truck pulls out in front of us. OMG. NO.  20 mph. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and made a command decision to find the closest place possible.  People were everywhere. Cars were everywhere.  Youd’ve thought this was the damn Macy’s parade on New Year’s day in New York.  Really people?  Find some other activities! After about five minutes I found a grocery store, a small one, maybe built in the 40s.  No place to park.  In front of this dumpster with the no parking sign looks good.  Nothing can stop me now.  I leave Jen in the car so it doesn’t get towed. I tell her I’ll be right back because I can see the “to the Grand Canyon” signs and know where to go.

The grocery store is a dull fluorescent lit yellow; concrete block walls.  It was small at the time, but may as well have been a Walmart Supercenter. I decided to check the perimeter in order to find the closest bathroom.  No signs, must have missed it.  Five minutes go by, my bladder was SCREAMING at me to just pee in the frozen section.  FINALLY, I see a store employee and ask them where the bathroom is. On the other side of the store through the double doors.  Of course that’s where it is.  I’m running now.  People are staring. I turn left and enter the Men’s room.  Thank you Lord Jesus for all that is good and proper in my life as I get to the urinal, next to the stall.

I used to be a tightie whitie brief wearer.  I wear boxers nowadays, but the decision to wear briefs was the greatest decision I could have ever made during this normal start gone very, very bad morning.

Apparently my bladder decided to get back at me.  As I stood next to the urinal, I released everything, it was the closest thing to complete solitude I’d ever experienced. May as well have been an orgasm.

Then my body relaxed. And when I say relaxed, I mean RELAXED.  This includes my rectum and anus. There was no warning. There was not a grunt, just a thought of stunned horror as I realized all that tenseness made me realize I guess I had to crap too.  And now I did—right in my tightie whities.  Luckily, tightie whities form a little basket to hold things.  This is why I was happy with my decision to wear tightie whities that day.  All was well, or was it?  I’m just glad it was the pinnacle of health solid poo, an not some diarrhea post PBR dump which usually occurs to me nowadays.  Pinnacle of Health. 

So now, as I stand in front of the urinal with a load of poo in my basket, I am trying to figure how to get to the stall.  Well there now, apparently the stall is occupied by a patron of the store.  Lovely. All humanity has left the building.  I’m hoping the guy in the stall is close to being done.  It’s a waiting game now, as it always is because you never want to be the guy that is seen as the one smelling up the bathroom (afterward if no one knows it’s you, it’s a lot of fun though).  So I just stood there, in the moment waiting for this guy to leave so I could take care of my present in privacy, praying that no one would walk in.  After what seemed like an hour, an older gent decided he was finally going to leave the stall and walk by me, toward the sink—I smiled and waved—ha.  He did give me an unpleasant old codger stare, like I’d ruined his morning time or something but my situation was a little more important and I didn’t care.  As he walked out to the store, I was able to do a granny two-step, with my present holding steady, the elastic of the leg holes of the tightie whities holding fast, and the ability to dump my present into the toilet.  It was an awful experience and I’m sorry it happened, but funny at the same time.  So, for you, person who had to empty the trash and found a brand new, yet horribly skidmarked pair of tightie whities, I’m morbidly sorry.

The PA Grand Canyon is the only trail I’ve ever hiked commando.  Pinnacle of youth. 

Washington D.C.

Friday July 10, 2015

We planned an early trip to the District and, after negotiating crappy D.C traffic were able to get a parking spot.  It was supposed to be a hot one, and we knew we were going to be putting on some miles.  Luckily Sheba offered to take us to D.C.  This was a godsend because I don’t know anything about the place as far as parking or where to go to be centrally located (if there is such a thing).

It was a beautiful morning when we hit the National Mall area.  Plenty of spunk in the old legs as we walked to the Washington Monument to start things off.

I was able to get a nice shot of the White House from the hill near the monument with my zoom lens.

The WWII fountains and memorial.  Yes, the travelling bikers on their surly LHT's were visiting too. Of course I got them in the shot! 

 Then on the way to the Lincoln Memorial it was a long walk down the reflecting pond and by the time we got there it was hot.  It was still early though and we were able to get all of our pictures taken of the War Memorials and Vietnam Wall before proceeding to the Smithsonian Institutes.  The Lincoln Memorial was crowded but an incredible sight to see.  Avery was rattling off facts about the ceiling and the stained glass tiles so as not to let sunlight erode the sculpture over many years. 

By the time we reached the Vietnam Memorial Wall, it was getting really hot--the beautiful black marble sculpture was compounding that fact.  This was a sad sight, especially for the kids as they realized how small the names were and how long the wall was.  A very sobering sight.  Also saddened by this patriot flower vase commemorating those who lost their lives. Made me thankful for the vets that made and continually keep our country free. 

The kids in front of the White House.  Maybe one will be inside it one day!

We chose to visit Natural History, American History, Art Museums and Air and Space museums, but by the time we knocked out three of the four Smithsonians, we were DEAD tired.  We saw some incredible exhibits though.

The first Smithsonian was the Museum of American History.  Would I turn down a pic of the first BREEZER Mountain bike from 1977?  Of course NOT!  The bike was incredible. What a work of art.

From there we checked out the 'other' transport methods.  Thought this old School bus was cool, as well as a full Locomotive Engine.  Whoa. or should I say WHOO, WHOO ChooChoo.

From there we were able to hit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Although we missed WHOLE WINGS of this place, we were able to see the breathtaking Hope Diamond and read up on it's history, including how big it used to be! It's only about 1/3 the size of the original through the years. I'd put it on Babbs' finger or around her neck but the curse tells me not to.  I left it alone and put my little hammer back in my pocket.  ha. Didn't want her to end up like the mummy below.

I then took a pic of Jen in front of her favorite amphibian species, the FROG.  Frog skeletons make her happy, as they cannot jump on her or suck the life out of her.  Her frog phobia dates to her childhood years. We like to work on 'desensitizing' her with props and continual pics of frogs.  My buddy also likes to leave them hidden all over our house--these little frog plastic thingies--I think we've found about 8 so far.  Every now and then we'll uncover another one. Keeps it real. 

Not long after we visited the Museum of Natural History, it was time to eat so we could try to garner some energy for the 'final push' to the Art Gallery and Air/Space Museum.  Found out they got ya by the cajones in DC as I think we paid close to $50 for 4 slices of pizza, a large water and two cookies. It wasn't even loaded pizza.  Cheese and Pepperoni.  I scream corruption in the food court.  Can't have a monopoly unless it's in D.C. where the only competition is a 5 mile walk and drive in traffic to a local city, where stuff is still expensive.  Go D.C. What happened to competitive markets?

After getting our 'fill', we headed to what ended up being our final destination.  The Smithsonian Art Gallery.  Wow was all I could say.  I was blown away by artwork by the Italian, Giotto from the 12th Century, as well as views of Matisse paintings. There was also one by some guy named Leonardo--I can't even remember what I used to study on that guy, and there was a crowd around the painting.  It was good but these paintings below moved me more.  The detail was astounding in the "asks the sun to wait' painting.  I was wowed.  I'd have taken more pics in the gallery, but these are things to see in person, and as usual, my battery in my phone was dying.  We already had the battery to the camera die, so that pretty much ended our pic session. I was also intrigued by some of the frames in certain periods, which I think may take more time to create to display the pieces.  Exquisite.  Still didn't get to see everything but was able to figure out the map and galleries and see what we definitely wanted to see.  Lots of sculptures in this place too.  Lots of nudes, which Garrett didn't really appreciate. He just kind of looked at the ground and sat on chairs in the sculpture galleries.  "Mom, I'm really not into art" was his response to this gallery or sculpture. 

  Everyone I’ve talked to is absolutely correct.  A single day in D.C. can suck and there is NO WAY to see everything or take in everything, so we were happy with our accomplishments this day.  My Achilles tendon was killing me and it got hot rather quickly. This coupled with Avery’s knees and a grumpy GT (“Mom, I’m really not into Art”) helped us make our decision to skip the Air/Space museum and get out of town. We were able to get back to the house around 4:30, which wasn’t bad considering DC traffic, and the rest of the evening was spent hanging out with our friends, telling stories, and getting some swimming in.

We bought bacon that had pizza in it.  I don’t’ think I’ve ever seen so much bacon on a pizza in my entire life, but it hit the spot after a long day.  Apparently Jon doesn't like frogs either as Sheba told stories of the ones that burrowed in their New Mexico yard, and how she had to be the one to throw them away.  Also learned about hiking and how they got 'off the trail path' and how they had to survive.  Ha.  There were some pretty funny stories that were told.  Between that and a couple older Seinfeld episodes, we were readying ourselves for bed. 

 Another early night after deciding we were going to leave by 5AM for the longest leg of the trip yet.  The fifteen hour ride home.

Williamsport to Annapolis

Thursday July 9, 2015

After getting the car packed for these final two legs it was off to Perkins Pancake house for a load of carbs before our 3.5 hour trip to Annapolis to see my good buddies Sheba and Jon Richter.  We planned on getting there midday and getting a tour of Annapolis, the Naval Academy and the old town taverns with some shopping in mind too. 

The trip was an easy one, with very little traffic on I-83 through Baltimore—got lucky and hit it right. It’s always great seeing Sheba and Jon.  Their house was beautiful surrounded by trees (although not fun to clean up after)—bonus, a pool for the kids to swim in with, yes, a SPRINGBOARD.  

We arrived around 3:30 and hit the taverns and downtown around 4:30.  Amazing buildings that all seemed to be at least 200 years old or older—row houses and other architecture that was amazing. 

We also checked out the area of the harbor where they originally dropped off slaves. The statue is of the director of the Roots series and teaching children of the historical past.

Kids today....

Sheba drove us around the Naval Academy, which was massive and amazing too.

 Checking the alleyway where the Capitol of MD building is located. I heard this is a good pic spot. 

We picked up a few tee shirts and stopped at two local taverns--one where Ben Franklin allegedly used to have snacks and another one that was on top of the hill.  Both were basement pubs that we all thought were very cool.  Jen had a Horny Goat vanilla IPA and I had a different brand Stout. Very good stuff at both bars. The bartender made a funny when I said Jen wanted a 'horny goat'--he told me not to talk about her that way. Har-de-har.

Jon met us at one bar and showed us around too as he grew up in Annapolis.  Then it was time to eat.  He got us into the prestigious Naval Fleet Reserve 

(view from the roof of the Fleet Reserve, right before the rain)

and we ate our fill of salad, and tasted the awesome crab soup and crab balls.  Crab is the Annapolis staple food but Jen and I were more interested in eating healthy for a change.  The views of the harbor were awesome as were the huge amounts of salad we consumed.  Both bodies needed that for sure.  Jon had to leave early because he had an early day tomorrow and took GT back with him so he could swim a little bit.  Both are car lovers so GT was happy when he saw all the magazines on sports cars.  We arrived home shortly after and went to bed early, knowing we had a long day in DC tomorrow. 

COFFEE RIDES, COUNTRY SIDE, and FAMILY TIME

Wednesday July 8, 2015

After a great easy day, it was time to get moving again.  I was able to update the blog, because if I don’t do an update daily I’m hounded by my mother on multiple social platforms.  Unfortunately we could not spend all day with Vicki and Dave due to working on weekdays but that’s OK because we had plenty to do.   Tonight’s plan was to eat at Vicki and Dave’s after they got home and meet up with their son and family, Ernie, Alicia and Taylor.  I like to call them the pretty people. 

First things first though, we needed to grab some coffee, and so as not to sponge off my cousin and her Keurig, we decided to ride 3 miles to the local Dunkin Donuts, which is another place we visit every time we go north.  Had to earn the garbage we’ve been putting in our systems lately, ha.  

The ride was definitely tough as Vicki and Dave live on top of a hill over- looking a beautiful vista of farmland and other very nice homes.

Had to stop and take this one.

"the favorite version of the past, found in a photograph, American Flags in Black and White"--John Moreland

None of us like riding on empty stomachs but the wind was calm.  The winding farm roads were beautiful albeit hard to ride as we’re used to flat-landing on our bikes, fighting only the wind. The coffee definitely tasted wonderful, as well as our donuts and bagels.  A little hard work always makes things taste better tenfold!  The ride back was harder, with thunderstorms building in the distance, and with that came the wind on the lengthy uphills to get back.  That was not fun either but we weren’t complaining. It was good to ride again after not hopping on bikes since Killarney and those were SHORT trips.

One of my main concerns on this trip was to upgrade my trailer hitch to fit my 1½ bike insert much better.  We were finally able to find one at a local U-haul. After we got that fixed the bikes didn’t tip at an almost 45 degree angle and it gave me piece of mind.  The older plastic one was worn down quite a bit, making the wheels to the bikes almost hit the ground.  They were up about 8 inches and every time a dip or bump was hit, they would come very close to scraping.  Just what I didn’t need. 

Once our errands were finished we were able to hit recommended Newberry Subs. As usual, they did not disappoint.  GT got the best one—a cheese steak. 

(avery showing off to Aunt Karen her bag of Middleswarth chips)

  Riverside Subs will always be my measuring stick though.

We got to Aunt Kates around 3:30 and didn’t have too much time to chat and catch up because of our dinner plans but it was great catching up.  My 94 years young grandmother is doing much better after breaking her hip and going through therapy over a year. Her vision is not the greatest as she called Avery “Karen” and GT “Kevin” but I’m guessing that’s an easy mistake to make if you’re 94, have trouble seeing and a little bit of dementia.  I enjoyed the time I got to spend with her.  She commented on Avery’s beauty and Garrett’s size at age 11.  We also got to see Uncle Chris and his wife Alisa.  A great visit to do some quick catching up.  

My positioning wasn't the best for this family photo--probably should've kneeled for it but was glad it was taken anyway.

Garrett did not 'break' Sadie this year by throwing too many tennis balls to fetch.  Aunt Kate will tell Sadie to "take a break" and she'll automatically lie down and rest a few minutes before bringing back tennis balls. 

Dinner at Vicki and Dave's was sausage from a local grocer and it was fab with onions and peppers. After dinner we caught up with the Mayers and Naugles and heard some very funny stories. We learned that people in Philly don’t understand 'Cosmo' (heated sub-which we thought was a PA term statewide) and Vicki told a story of asking for a Cosmo on a Kaiser Roll but it came out as Japanese and we couldn’t stop laughing.  Then the Vicki ‘Lucky Charms imitation’ came and we all about lost it.  I talked about shaving off my eyebrows before receiving an award from the sheriff (by accident of course-not the award, the eyebrows) and then all of a sudden Ernie went into stories about his youth and being just a wee tot and seeing certain female anatomy which I cannot describe here but it was a very funny evening. After peach popsicle dessert and hearing Taylor call GT "red boy" (the shirt he was wearing), the Naugles had to leave. Not long later, after catching our breath, we were able to wind down in front of one of our favorite movies, Napoleon Dynamite. GT called himself "gray boy" the next day as he was wearing his gray Michigan sweatshirt.  Pretty funny.   

 photo to scale...ha.

Mandi is an awesome dog too.  She fetches golf balls that Dave hits in the yard and brings them back to him.  The holes are approx 150 yards away.  I'd probably golf too if I had an assistant like that, but playing golf just sucks to me.

It’s always hard leaving the state where you grew up with awesome family but it was an early day to get to Annapolis the next day.  We said our goodbyes and closed this chapter.  The next morning GT, before we left, got in about 15 laps around the 5 acre property on the golf cart so we all left happy. I probably should have filled the gas can before we left!

Family Catch-ups and Mountain Hikes

July 7, 2015

We were able to wake up early to a cool, yet humid PA morning.  I had planned on getting up with family today if at all possible since we were only staying for about two and a half days here.  Since we’ve been go-go-go family, Dave told us about Ricketts Glen, which is a State Park about 30 min from where we were staying.  Very easy drive after the miles we’ve consumed lately.  This park has 22 waterfalls over approximately a ‘strenuous’ 7 mile hike up and down.  We got there not long after it rained.  I wasn’t sure my footing would be the greatest after I threw away my stinky older than dirt Nike tennis shoes in Canada. 

Because of this I had to wear my Reef flip-flop sandals on a slippery mountain trail.  The trail was muddy but the sandals did their job greatly as I didn’t slip at all, even on wet rocks and descents.  It was beautiful and cool on the park path.  We were able to hike about 2.1 miles to the where rivers meet falls before Avery’s knees started acting up, then we had to hike back, uphill.  Her knees were really acting up then but I gave her kudos for pushing on. The best way to strengthen her knees is by stair climbing per the PT’s at Andrew’s Institute.  No shortage of that today—four miles, eight waterfalls and plenty of pics.  I was happy and didn’t need to complete the Falls trail loop.  We were done hiking and ready to get back to Vicki and Dave’s house for showers before going to Williamsport to eat subs (of course) and see family.

We stopped at Riverside Subs, a family staple—every time we go to PA we stop at Riverside subs for a Cheese steak, or a Roast Beef Turkey sub, with all the fixins including the red pepper sauce they use to make them special.  I’m not sure what it is, whether it’s the bread or just the way it’s prepared but there is nothing like this place when it comes to this type food.  Of course, I’ll probably gain 10 pounds during a two day stay, but I’ll find ways to work it off!  Jen was telling me about the first time she ate w/me at Riverside. She looked at the sandwich and asked what was so special about it then took her first bite.  She’s been hooked ever since.

After filling up on sandwiches, we went to see my Aunt Kate and catch up a little bit. We hung out in the yard for a bit and snapped some pics on her birthday.  Kate looks great at 58.

 We also wanted to see my Uncle Jerbo, who didn’t get home until later, so to kill some time, we hit the Bullfrog Brewery downtown for a smoked IPA and a ‘Green Fuzzy IPA’.  They were both delicious samples of the local fare.  Aunt Kate told us about a new place downtown called Raven and the Moon for another local brew from Erie Brewing Co.  Of course we stopped. A quick stop at the package store and we were able to find some Great Lakes 12 packs—can’t get that in Florida!  We’re gonna share them with Vicki and Dave tonight as a thanks for putting us up in their beautiful home for the past two days.    My main reason for the stop in PA this year is of course to see what family I can in a small amount of time, but seeing my 94 year old grandmother is a priority.  She still goes to bingo at the Mohegan Sun on Wednesdays, so we plan on seeing her and my Uncle Chris for a quick visit before our departure tomorrow to Annapolis, MD.

We were able to meet up with my cousin Adam before leaving Kate’s house and made a quick trip to the Mountaineer Lounge for some salad and buffalo wings.  I haven’t been eating the best lately, so I figured I’d try to keep that streak alive.  It’s vacation but the kids win the eating bad competition for the day.  GT and Avery both had two nutty buddies at Kates house, then at Mountaineer, a virgin Shirley temple.  That was it.  Not much for dinner, so we feared GT would get sick.  I guess his salad canceled the bad stuff out.  The wings are always good there and it’s another local place, blocks away.  Talking to Adam, he said he may be travelling to Disney in Orlando and we told him to stop in for a stay if he feels up to it at our house on the way back for a visit. Hope he takes advantage of it and our beaches. 

On full bellies, we headed back to Vicki and Dave’s to hang out again on their beautiful deck and catch up.  GT and Avery each got to take the golf cart on a few ‘hot laps’ around the property as we hung out on the deck. Finally made it off to bed around midnight, and looking forward to another ‘relaxing’ day tomorrow.