Great Lakes Circumnavigation

Still playing catchup on blog posts… Our big getaway of the summer was a camping roadtrip that took us all around the great lakes region. We pulled a small trailer with a bed inside and a tent on the roof which allowed us to bring our gear, mountain bikes, and an inflatable boat. The route was: Maryland-to-Wisconsin-to-UP Michigan-to-Ontario-to-Maryland.

Wisconsin

Our first stop was a 2-night hotel stay in the town of Wisconsin Dells, which boasts the most waterparks per capita of anywhere in the world! We spent a full day at Noah’s Ark water park riding all the slides we could handle. Rory was the thrill-seeker of the family, and made me take her on all the big scary ones! Didn’t get any pictures here because electronics and water don’t mix!

Next we drove west to Bay City, WI and set up the camper at a city campground on the shore the mighty Mississippi River. This stop was coordinated with Cheri’s group of friends from college, who rented a big house a few miles up the road. The OU Alums enjoyed shopping, hiking, and a boat charter while me and the kids took in a county fair, fishing in Lake Pepin, and swimming at a pool in Red Wing, MN.

Driving the Boat on Lake Pepin

Graviton Ride at the County Fair

Bay City Campsite

From there we headed East, to Door County, WI on the western shore of Like Michigan. Here we were joined by my Mom and Dad and camped at Peninsula State Park for 4 days. We swam, boated and skipped rocks in Lake Michigan. The girls and I spent an afternoon horseback riding, and Cheri, Mom and kids spent a whole day making jewelry and paintings at the Art Barn studio.

Rory, Departing for G&G’s Campsite with her 2-way Radio

Rory and Her Horse, Saturn

Riding at Kurtz Corral

Tennison Bay MTB Selfie

Michigan

We then drove North to Copper Harbor, MI on Lake Superior, where we camped at Fort Wilkins State Park and enjoyed 8 days of mountain biking, beach combing, and swimming. This small town at the end of the road has built their economy around mountain bike tourism, with over 50 miles of miles of trails built especially for mountain biking. We were grateful to have my Mom and Dad with us to track the kids while Cheri and I rode our bikes. But we were also able to get the kids out on some good trail rides too. We spent an afternoon at a Nordic Spa with many saunas and frigid cold pools, Dad and I caught some fish in Lake Fanny Hooe, and we drove the 4×4 out to the High Rock Bay at the end of a long dirt road. Copper Harbor was the highlight of the trip for me.

Great Sand Bay

Grandma and Rory at Copper Harbor

Girls Ride on Brockway Mountain

Rory on a Big Rock at Horseshoe Harbor

Bunkbed Hammocks!

Fish Caught in Lake Fanny Hooe

Looking for Lake Superior Agates

Lake Superior Agates

Ontario

From Copper Harbor, it was a long stretch of driving (with overnight stops in Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury) to Killbear Provincial park on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Here we found a spacious campsite near the water and mostly swam in the lake and hiked for 3 days. There were lots of rocky cliffs along the shore and the kids really liked jumping off of them! The final leg of the trips a one-night stop in Niagara Falls and then straight back home to Maryland and the start of a new school year.

Touring a Great Lakes Freighter in Sault Ste. Marie

Everyone in the Tent for a One Night Stop!

Big Cliff Jump

Splashing in the Lake

Toastmaster!

Canadian Niagara

All in all it was 3 weeks and 3,059 miles of fun times!

Blog Catch Up

It has been brought to my attention that I have become a lazy blogger. I cannot argue this accusation. So as a ‘thank you’ for gently reminding me that our dear friends and family have been deprived, I will write to fill you in on what we have been up to this spring and summer.

After our spring break trip to Utah, we had an Easter visit from G&G Stader with quite warm weather and cute matching outfits!

In April, softball season started up and Cheri coached Elli’s team again. They knocked it out of the park and won the championships for the third year running. Must be the coaching!

Elliott and Rory both swam on the Barracudas team again in June/July and did very well, blowing their previous event times out of the water! Elliott also ran I triathlon and said she enjoys the swim-bike-run exercise.

In July we spent a long weekend in Bethany Beach, Delaware. We loved the company of G&G Stader and got to hang out with some old friends on the waterfront.

Finally, a photo from Elliott’s 11th birthday. Her side-hustle is neighborhood dog-sitting and we had Curly that week!

We were gone for most of August on a camping road trip. I will follow up shortly with a post all about that!

Utah Spring Break

Last week we travelled west to do some early-season National Park-ing. Southwest Airlines took us to Las Vagas, then we jumped in a car and drove 3 hours north to a nice cabin in Alton, Utah. This was our home base for 5 days, and less than one hour drive from many things to do and places to explore, and a dark site to set up our telescope.

The first day we visited Bryce Canyon NP, where we were able to drive to Rainbow Point at the end of the park road and hike around in the snow while taking in the long range views. Then we drove back near the park lodge and hiked a 3-mile loop down into the canyon in the Queens Garden area . That place was amazing with its eroded sandstone ‘hoodoo’ formations!

Hiking into the canyon from Sunrise Point

Looking into the Canyon from Bryce Point

Queens Garden

The next day we drove to Zion National Park. The road coming in from the East was incredible, with huge cliffs and many areas to explore right off the road, and a very long and dark tunnel to drive through. We moved somewhat quickly down the road to get to the visitors center and hop onto a shuttle bus, which took us into the main area of the park. The weather was nice, and a lot warmer (3000ft lower elevation) than Bryce. We hiked the Emerald Pools trail, which had beautiful views, somewhat underwhelming pools, and was very crowed with people. It seems most people want to do the “easy” hike, and with little legs along, we were also those people. After experiencing the crowded shuttle busses, our favorite area of Zion was the east road coming in, and we were able to come through on our drive back to Vegas and spend several more hours in this area, which was great!

Emerald Pools Trail

Upper Pool with Waterfall

East Zion Overlook Trail

East Zion Overlook

The third day we hired a guide to take us canyoneering into a slot canyon just east of the town of Orderville. We drove a UTV down a long bumpy trail, through a creek (the girls loved this!) and then hiked over the side of the slot canyon. Then we dropped down into the canyon and travelled through it to get back, doing several 10-40ft repels along the way. This was thrilling for everyone!

The following day we went skiing and snow tubing at Brian Head Resort. It was a small mountain, but 10,00ft high with lots of snow and kids ski free! Didn’t take many pictures, but it snowed about 4″ that day so the snow was fresh and the girls really like the snow tubing.

Skiing in the Desert

The day we departed the cabin we drove south to near Kanab, UT and hiked a trail on BLM land to find some petrified dinosaur tracks. They were pretty darn cool! By this time Elliott had had her fill of hiking for the week, which was good because we had a long drive back to the City of Sin. We were able to capture a few photos though the telescope under those dark Utah skies.

Dino Track!

Whirlpool Galaxy

Rosette Nebula

Back in Vegas, we spent a day exploring some sights on the strip. We walked through the Excalibur, Luxor, saw the aquarium at Mandalay Bay, visited Pinball Hall of Fame (awesome!), and saw the Cirque du Soleil “O” at the Bellagio that evening (really awesome!). Then, the next morning, an early flight home and two full days to get over the jet lag. A really memorable spring break!

1,000,000pt Font

Bellagio Fountains

Happy New Year!

Let’s round out 2023 with a blog post! Here are some highlights of the fall and holiday seasons:

Rory started 2nd grade and Elliott started 5th. They are doing very well in school and currently in photography club, DIY club, and lego robotics team.

First Day of School

Rory turned 7 in September and had her celebration at Kinetic Ninja Warrior gym with lots of friends. Brent also came to visit from Germany and we had a good time catching up with him.

We travelled to Cocoa Beach, Florida for Thanksgiving along with Grandma & Grandpa Stader. Rented beachfront condos and it was warm enough to swim and play in the sand. Cheri and Elli ran a turkey trot. We spent a day visiting the Kennedy Space Center, which the kids really loved.

At Christmas we travelled to Ohio and enjoyed some time with grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins. Many established traditions adhered to: cookie baking, matching jammies, Christmas light drives, etc. Lots of smiles!

Back home in Maryland we visited with the Withers side and enjoyed the last of our winter break. Now we are back to work and school and currently prepping for Lego League regional competition, guitar recital, and (hopefully, if it ever snows) some skiing!

Happy 2024!

Summertime

I’ve been meaning to drop a summer photo update. Today Cheri and the girls are driving home from Ohio, where they visited grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins for 5 days. I stayed in Maryland to work on finishing the basement and other projects. So I better get this uploaded while the house is still quiet!

In May we travelled to Murrell’s Inlet, SC to surprise uncle Bob on his 80th birthday. Extended family turnout was impressive and we all had fun doing beachy things.

In June and July, most of our free time was filled with softball and swim team events. Cheri coached both girl’s softball teams and I had a leadership job for the swim team. It was all fun and games!

The “Blue Goofballs”

The “Blue Marshmallows”

Elliott turned 10 years old in July! All grandparents were in attendance and she had her party at a trampoline park. She competed in her first triathlon, and enjoyed it. She also got a pet snake and spent a week at guitar camp.

In August we travelled to Vermont and camped out in the Green Mountains with our old friends the Krohn’s for 5 days. Activities included mountain biking, hiking, blueberry picking, fishing, and mosquito feeding. Then we drove straight from there to Bethany Beach, DE for a 2 day visit with our friends Jenny & Kris.

Now the summer stuff winds down and we will prepare for the start of the school year. This fall Cheri and I are leading a 5th grade Lego robotics competition team. I expect we will continue to keep busy and learn a lot!

Spring 2023

It’s been a little while since Christmas, eh?

Well, things have been both slow and busy around here.

Slow because I hurt my knee in December and my activities have been limited by consistent swelling, pain, and associated doctors appointments. I had a minor surgery a few weeks ago and seem to be recovering well, so hopefully can get back to normal soon. Also slow because I’ve been spending most free time for a few months finishing out our basement, which is just slow moving work, but framing/plumbing/electrical/drywall are done so that’s quite a bit of progress.

Busy because there were still lots of kid and family things to do! Cheri, Elli and Rory went skiing on 4 occasions, Elli and Rory both had school musical productions, we celebrated two birthdays, travelled to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos for two days over spring break, Elli played a guitar recital, and our informal neighborhood band got serious and performed at a local restaurant.

Softball season has started back up and Cheri is again coaching Rory’s team and assistant coaching Elli’s. Last weekend we had an Easter visit from G&G Stader and enjoyed some egg hunting, park visits, and good meals.

That’s it for now. Enjoy some pictures!

On the Ski Lift

Very little snow, but enough for fun!

1990’s Outfits

1st Grade Musical

Guitar Recital

Candy!

Buttermilk Falls

Arcade Jackpot

1st Gig

Egg Hunting

Blue Bells Hike

Christmas Season 2022

It has been nice and Christmasy around here for the last month. Our Christmas elves ensured that we completed many holiday activities, such as: choosing and decorating a tree, ice skating, visiting Santa at the fire station, decorating gingerbread houses, a Christmas lights driving tour, baking cookies, holiday music performances, reading Christmas books, and giving many gifts.

December 18th-22nd we travelled to Ohio to visit with G&G Stader, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. We visited the Columbus Zoo at night, built and launched model rockets, ate good meals, and baked more cookies. The cousins had a grand time playing together and we enjoyed catching up with family and some old college friends.

Back in Maryland, we were joined by G&G Withers for Christmas eve and gift giving. We roasted a turkey for dinner on Christmas day. Temperatures were low but we made it out on a post-christmas hike.

Thanks to all our hosts and visitors this season. Happy 2023 to all of you!

Autumn Catch Up

Lots of happenings since the summer blog updates.

Elliott started 4th grade and Rory 1st. They are doing very well in school and enjoying the return of field trips.

On September 19th, Rory turn 6 YEARS OLD! She invited many friends to party at the Ninja Warrior gym where they swinging and jumping and balancing on all the obstacles. Uncle Brenton came across the pond for a visit and it was great to see him again. While the girls were in school we took a day trip to Annapolis and saw some historic Maryland landmarks and the Naval Academy.

For Halloween, we had a Scuba Diver and a Black Cat. It rained a bit but no amount of puddles could keep these girls from trick-or-treating.

Moosalamoo

A campground in the Green Mountain National Forest with a funny name, and good mountain biking. The last hurrah of our summer break was a road trip to camp with our old friends the Krohn’s in Vermont. We stopped in Albany, NY for a quick overnight in a hotel to avoid having to set up camp after a long day of driving. The kids swam in the hotel pool and we have a good dinner at the City Beer Hall, then after a good sleep we made it up to the camp ground before lunch.

There were several recently built mountain bike trails in the forest and also a small pump track in the camp ground which the kids enjoyed. Elli and Rory were very happy to see their friends Abbott and Eleanor again (first time since last August). A mountain biking couple with an 8 month old baby from North Carolina moved in next to us and we became friends. With 6 adults and 5 kids we were able to take turns biking, babysitting, and cooking for a few days. The weather was beautiful.

We got ice cream in Rochester and took the kids fishing at Silver Lake. Elli caught a nice rainbow trout, Rory caught a sunfish and I caught a perch. Then the kids swam in the lake.

A very good trip to cap off a wonderful summer.

Today the girls had their first day of school. Rory in 1st grade and Elliott in 4th. They are ready to learn!

Covid in the Pacific Northwest

After Elliott’s birthday party, we promptly packed our bags and boarded a plane for Tacoma, WA for a long-planned visit to our old friends the Leedy’s. They moved from Maryland to Seattle years ago, then last fall moved to a new home on Fox Island, west of the Tacoma Narrows in the Puget Sound. Their place is right on the water, with a dock and boats and easy access to all the sound has to offer. We spent the first 3 days catching up, swimming, paddle-boarding, tubing, and boat cruising. Their 3 boys shared their toys and hobbies with Elli and Rory. We saw seals, orca whales, porpoises, and eagles. Collected oysters on the shore and ate them for dinner. We played laser tag and a game called ‘Throw Throw Burrito’ in the yard.

On the third day we took a day trip up to Paradise on Mt. Rainier, which was wonderful, but I had developed a runny nose and Cheri started to cough. Uh oh… We tested positive for Covid that day. Then Elli too. We tried to distance from our hosts but it was too late. One by one we all came down with it. Thankfully everyone had mostly mild symptoms, but our hosts were worse-off than us, which we felt terrible about! We ran down all the options (including renting a car and driving home!) and decided to push our return flight by a week and get out of their house so they could ride out their infections. They graciously loaned us their mini van and we got a last minute rental at the quiet pacific coast town of Long Beach.

We stayed at long Beach for 3 nights and it was very nice. Our symptoms stayed mild and we had a small condo which we could walk out the back door and over the dunes to a huge beach. There was nobody out there except the occasional car driving down the beach so it was a good place for a covid quarantine. We flew kites, hiked to a secluded cove at nearby Cape Disappointment State Park, and saw a few nice lighthouses. This was all just north of the mouth of the Columbia River.

From there we drove south, through Astoria, OR and spent an afternoon at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park. This beach was rocky and beautiful with surfers and an old lighthouse in the distance, and lots of tide pools with marine life. When the tide came back up and reclaimed the beach, we got back in the van and drove though Portland and about 30 miles up the Columbia River to a small cabin way back in the woods. Here we stayed two more nights and spent our days hiking and seeing some nice waterfalls. The cabin was a nordic zen decor and clearly a retreat for the Portland city-dwellers. There was a hi-fi with a turntable and vinyl record collection. Rory enjoyed DJing the selection of James Taylor, The Beatles, and Cat Stevens for us. There was a hot tub that the girls used as a heated pool and a barrel sauna that looked out into the huge red cedars.

Yes, about the best Covid quarantine you can imagine.

On the return trip to Fox Island we stopped and spent the day at Mount St. Helens. The girls earned their Junior Ranger badges at the visitors center and then we drove 55 miles toward the volcano to Johnston Ridge Observatory where you can get a good view into the crater. We arrived back to the Leedy’s house late. They were still on the tail of their covid symptoms but thankfully feeling better.

The next day it was good-byes and off to the airport for a smooth flight home.

For us, the fond memories of this trip outweighed the covid blues by a factor of 1000. Many thank-you’s (and also apologies) to our hosts!