3~Nash>NE/Canada>Nash | May-Nov 2017

This holds a special spot in Nathan's and my heart, as we actually camped here right when we were first talking about marriage. We didn't realize it at the time, but we came on a "1800s wedding re-enactment" weekend! It was so sweet and magical, we got swept up in the moment and Nathan unofficially proposed to me. He took it back because he wasn't fully ready, didn't have a ring, etc - but it was a beautiful moment lost in the wonder of the LBL events. ;-)

We went back planning on seeing so much of the area and taking part in events, and on day 2 we met another family and all of that went out the window. With four girls and an insanely artsy mama, we got lost in play with them, face-painting (she's an incredible artist), painting on canvas, playing with baby ducks and quails they brought, kayaking and paddleboarding, and just visiting and spending time together. We had a blast, yet didn't see that much of all LBL has to offer. We will definitely be back!

We had full hookups, so didn't go to the bathhouse much. This was a great campground, though, with plenty to do, and lots of areas to camp. When we go back, I'd like to camp in area C right on the lake - a ways away from the beach area, but a bit more secluded.

HIGHLIGHTS: Face-painting and canvas painting! Setting up hammocks and hanging on the beach as the girls played.

We wanted to get close to St. Louis without being in the city, and someone in our FTF group suggested Sundermeier. It was a bit of a concrete parking lot - that picture that shows up is NOT what it looks like. The office staff was super friendly, showers were wonderful and laundry was great, but it was expensive, especially to just be in a parking lot.

HIGHLIGHTS: It DID back up to a "rails to trails" path that was pretty awesome! It was great hopping on that and riding down the road to a park or just taking the path for a while.

This was a super sweet state park! It was a bit of a joke to get to, going down dirt roads and at one point being stuck - a farm truck was just parked in the middle of the road, surrounded by cornfields, no one in sight. We finally managed to skirt around it and continue our way on unmarked, unpaved roads to get to the park.

We didn't have sewer or even water here, but there were places to fill up and to dump, and we got a spot right next to the showerhouse and playground. It was a super sweet park with great bike trails. Not a bad 2-night stay at all.

HIGHLIGHTS: Some nice peace and quiet, not a lot of people, and taking the kayak out on the lake to play.

This was yet another little gem. This Christian campground is big on modesty (no bikinis in the pool) and has church services/events about every night. It's family run and the nine kids love the place and are so friendly and eager to serve. It stays pretty packed, but they cater to it with fun events and things for the kids to do. It boasts the "largest playground tunnel system in Indiana" and the girls were in heaven playing chase through it. There were many games created where daddies were the "monsters" chasing many children all over. Plus there was a pool and a lake as well as a low ropes course to play on.

HIGHLIGHTS: We stayed here for a week and it was so sweet and peaceful. Nathan took the girls in to Indianapolis for a date and to run errands, so it was great to be close and stock up. And by far the coolest thing we did was to visit Conner Prairie, a living history farm. It was incredible, and we spent a full day there - some of the first to arrive and the last ones to leave! It's well worth the money and is a unique experience. We all know the National parks and science museums are cool and educational, but walking into a living history farm and having people explain to you about the world then as they are completely in character was very cool. Plus we connected with friends and also had a great time meeting some new ones!

Ah, the place of so many memories! This camp was founded by my aunt and uncle over 40 years ago, and I grew up hanging at this camp - first as the "wannabe" camper as a little girl, then a camper, AAA (all around assistant), and finally a counselor. It was super cool to come back, actually park our trailer on the property, and have the girls go to day camp! It was their first experience at a camp, and it was perfect.

Being here was bittersweet, as my aunt and uncle were selling their farm (1 mile down the road) that they have lived at for 45 years. My whole family came for the big auction, and although it was sad to see it go, it's a new chapter in their lives and they are excited about being close to their daughters in VA.

As for the actual campground, Buckeye is not RV-focused. It's a campground where people can hold events or camps. There are four spots for RVs - they are super close to the bathhouse (which may not be the most pristine, but good showers and a pretty walk down a path to get there), and the major perk for me was, even in this rural area, their wifi is super fast and free to use. I was able to knock out a lot of work while kids were at camp.

HIGHLIGHTS: Of course, first and foremost it was connecting with the Ohio/VA Miller family! Plus my parents, brother and niece came up, which was a special added bonus!
Whenever we come to Holmes County, Ohio, it's our time to really address our heritage - my grandparents were Amish and many of my family members are still Amish or Mennonite! We toured Yoder's Amish Home, which is an excellent way to learn about the Amish way of life. There are many things that can be hokey or majorly touristy with some of the "Amish country" stuff - however, Yoder's is not that. It's a full farm and you get to walk through and learn all about their culture, religion, school and more. You see the house, learn about their lives in each room, walk through a farm (that always has tons of baby animals they invite people to pet and hold), sit in a schoolhouse and even get to ride in a buggy. It's all run by Amish and Mennonite families and they are so friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. It's the perfect field trip. (They actually have a website as well: http://www.yodersamishhome.com/)

Although we don't have the family to go back to here now, we would gladly come back and stay at Camp Buckeye - beautiful waterfalls to hike to, a swimming pool, fast internet, and all the Amish-focused beauty you could imagine - it's the largest population of Amish in the country (Holmes County, Ohio)!

Ah, Hershey! This was our first official "Thousand Trails" stay. We got the zone pass for the Northeast to try things out and see how we liked it. This campground was nice, however it had barely any service - limited AT&T and Verizon, so I had to run out to gas station parking lots to get work done. They did, however, have fun events going on for families all weekend long, and we enjoyed having some down days there!
Of course, it's Hershey. So we had to do the Hershey tour as well, which the girls loved.

HIGHLIGHTS: Meeting another full time family who is also traveling to the Canada Rally. A huge slip-n-slide event over the weekend (the girls loved it), and some amazing ice cream in huge waffle cones that was actually delicious AND cheap! Thank you Hershey ice cream. ;-)

This was a super sweet little campground, and a perfect place for us to hang while we went into DC. Although we didn't have water/sewer, we were camped right next to one of the main water lines where people can refill (they are all over the campground) so it wasn't really a big deal.

We stayed here long enough so I could have some work days and we could take in DC. There was plenty to do just at Little Bennett, though! Great places to ride and hike, and just a cozy little campground where the showers were steamy (always much appreciated).

HIGHLIGHTS: The had this huge inflatable bouncehouse/trampoline thing they had running every day - we had a blast bouncing on it. Also some bigwheel/cart sort of ride the kids could play on - both free for people to do.

Of course, going into DC was huge. We rode the Metro in 2 days in a row, and took in the Air & Space museum, Museums of American History and Natural History, the Hirshhorn, Smithsonian gardens and the castle. Plus, we saw the Reflection Pool, White House, Washington Monument, and most of the outdoor goodness. However, it was sweltering hot - so intensely hot and humid that by 9am it was almost too much to be outside.

We got a great overview and hit the highlights, thoroughly enjoyed it, and were ready to get out of the city. We are NOT city folk, and navigating the Metro and the busy-ness of it all was a bit intense! That being said, DC is a beautiful city with so much free stuff to do, if I had to choose a city, so far St. Louis and DC are my favorites!

It was so nice to get back to the beach after so long away from it! Of course, the Northeast beaches are a bit different than what we're used to in FL, and these waves and riptides were intense here. This was a great campground, though. It was a bit of a parking lot due to the lack of trees, but it was right on the beach and the bays, so we could walk over and play and scoot back for lunch. Again, internet was so-so - I've had a run with lame-o internet, which can be frustrating. But this was over the weekend and we just had fun playing around.

HIGHLIGHTS: We were on a quest for great crab - drove all over the place trying to find something, and finally got to what we thought was a restaurant. Come to find out, it was just a place to buy seafood. We met a lady in the parking lot who was loading up a huge box of ready-to-eat crab. She not only told us all about where to get more (her favorite place was sold out), but she GAVE us a dozen crab to eat! AND, she gave us all a full lesson on how to eat it! It was a great example of generosity and connection, and such a wonderful meeting! We went home to a feast of crab, and Clara and Ellie devoured it. The next night, Nathan did his own version of a low country boil with shrimp, crab, potatoes and corn that was incredible.

Also, we went to see the wild horses at Assateague Island National Seashore. THIS was the highlight for me. Wow - so awesome! The beach was gorgeous, and as soon as we arrived there, a mama and her baby horse just sauntered through the crowd to hang at the beach with us. Several other horses joined and it was the coolest thing! Crazy that you can just drive your car up to the beach and hang out. It was a $20 entry fee, but with our 4th grade pass it was yet again another free and awesome thing to check out.

Our second Thousand Trails adventure. Now this one was super packed, and it was neat to see all of the residential campsites - the ones where people really did stay there all season, and had their little homes and yards all set up. One lady had an awesome fairy village that the girls loved.

We scored, in my opinion, the best campsite of them all - in the very back. It was huge, surrounded by the woods, and out of the busyness of people. It was a great setup, and they had a little pool/splash pad plus a pond with its own beach. Plus, Lake & Shore Thousand Trails was down the road, and you could use their little waterpark for free as well.

There was no sewer, however they have a free honey pot service every other day, so it was no big deal. A transformer blew in our section, so we had a full day of no electricity, which was a pain, and the staff is not very helpful or accommodating. However, we kept to ourselves for the most part so whatever. The amenities were nice, but wow - trash was everywhere. Always overflowing.

Nathan got out more with the kids while I worked, and they checked out a beach or two, but it's pricey to park anywhere, beaches aren't free, and this was a touristy area that we didn't care for. Candy stores and tourist shops galore, and lots of scowling people. Ellie asked "why is everyone so unhappy here?" Of course, this is a broad generalization - and there were some kind people we met - but the overall energy of the place wasn't really our vibe. We were ready to roll from here!

HIGHLIGHTS: The kids loved the little water parks. That was nice to hang and do some free things. And we loved our pretty campsite!

This was Timothy Lake South RV - another TT site. We loved this place! Apparently our criteria is water, trees, and/or big rocks. This place had all three pretty close by. Our campsite backed up into fern-filled woods, and there was a big boulder right on our site. The girls loved playing on it, and we hung a little hammock village around it. Since we had full hookups, we just stayed in our little campsite and didn't use the showerhouses. The pool was nice and the kids enjoyed playing in it (although it wasn't the cleanest).

HIGHLIGHTS: This was in the Poconos Mountains area, and it was absolutely beautiful. Where we were was surrounded by waterfalls, so we took some gorgeous hikes to explore it all. The ferns, waterfalls, trees, moss...it was really gorgeous. We had a great time hiking around and exploring the area.

This was another beautiful area around the Catskill mountains. This campsite was nice - there was a great field for letting the dog run, lots of blackberry bushes for us to eat from, and we had a nice spot in the back of the campground.
We just did a four-night stay here - did a rails to trails bike ride over the Hudson River, and Nathan took the girls to a crystal clear lake that was pretty incredible - so high in iron that fish didn't live in it!
Showers were okay, but nothing great. Pool was having issues so we didn't use it. It was a pretty little campground, but not in the best shape...which has been the common theme with the Thousand Trails campgrounds so far. Fun events going on for kids/family, but not top notch campgrounds. There have been a few I would have been frustrated to pay top dollar for.

Connecticut was a sweet stay - I loved the beauty of the little town - everything seemed to be picture perfect. We toured William Gillette's castle/home... absolutely beautiful and so worth it. Wow- the intricate woodwork was incredible. We had no idea this was here, and didn't know who Gillette was until we went - he is the actor who played Sherlock Holmes, and he lived a fascinating life! So much coolness at this castle, and a great 30-minute free show to tell you about Gillette's history and how "Sherlock Holmes" was developed into a play.

We went to Bluff Point State Park and had a sweet bike ride and hike to the beach. Very different beaches up here, but they have their own beauty. Another beautiful and easy hike with the girls- explored Devil's Hopyard SP yesterday. Gorgeous 60-ft falls right off the road, a sweet covered bridge, and plenty of fun (including finding rocks that looked just like mini potatoes 🥔)

HIGHLIGHTS: Definitely Gillette's castle and grounds - it was such a wonderful find!

Campsite details: I don't know that we'd stay here again - it was fine, but nothing special. It was expensive and we couldn't find anything cheaper. Full hookups, reasonable Verizon wifi and AT&T. Didn't use laundromat, showers were okay.

We just hopped in here for an overnight stay - both to get our sticker for Rhode Island and break up the drive...although it's only an hour to hop out of this state! We didn't get to experience much of it - stayed at a rough little place but had great cheap laundry and a nice lake. What was super convenient is that the front of the campsite was literally a huge field - we just backed in to an area, hooked up water/electric and stayed hooked up, ready to roll out the next morning!

This was such an awesome place. I definitely have a love for Massachusetts, and we had so many great experiences there! So... we tried lobster. Lesson learned for Nathan: don't bring home love food, let your children play with and name them, and then eat it for dinner. 😉 ignorance is bliss- and sometimes education is a a reality check. Overall consensus... Nathan loved it (and is an amazing cook!), Clara, Ellie and I were okay but not as into it as crab, and Jules said no way!!

This week was an incredible whirlwind of fun with four other wonderful traveling families. With instant bonds between parents and kids, we so enjoyed our time together! We spent the day at Nauset Beach, playing in the (cold) ocean, watching seals and then evacuating because of sharks 😬😮! The kids played in the sand, using their imagination and sticks to create shadow art, and spent time just celebrating the beauty of childhood in all it's beachside glory!

We also crossed another thing off our bucket list - a whale watching tour! And boy was it ever an amazing event. Here is straight from their fan page about our adventure: This afternoon's whale watch offered a show passengers won't soon forget! We began by floating in the middle of a humpback whale feeding frenzy, where we saw whales dive and resurface right along the boat! We then sailed to a recently deceased minke whale, who had been entangled and succumbed to its injuries. We were joined on board by John and Megan from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, and together we observed a blue shark and two large great whites (14 and 16+ feet) feeding on the carcass! Scenarios like that are very rare to observe, making it a trip to remember! http://www.captjohn.com/whale-watch-plymouth/

These kids are living such a magical life - and, when my middle snuggled up to me and said "thank you, mama, for letting us travel like we do and see all the things people dream of seeing" - it reminded me again why we chose to not simply wait for "one day" to take in all the beauty in the world. It doesn't always have to be a grand - or expensive - adventure. But we opted to create a lifestyle that allows us to work location-independent so the money doesn't stop when our adventures begin. Life isn't always an either/or - look for "and" opportunities to make your dreams happen, and ACT!

HIGHLIGHTS: The Boston Freedom Trail, Captain John's Whale Watching tour, eating a lobster feast, and playing with the Howard/Carr/Lott/Long families.

Campsite details: Our spot was in the first section - A - and, although our campsite was super cool and the place to hang out, the site was so uneven we had to use 3 chocks just to level us out on one side! Full hookups, reasonable Verizon wifi and AT&T. Didn't use laundromat, showers were okay.

I had never experienced Boston before, or walked through the history of America. Nathan remembered the Freedom Trail from when he was a child, and we aimed to take in as much as we could. After a super early morning, navigating parking the big truck (aka "Mr. Shivers"), and riding the T in to downtown, we took on the Freedom Trail. I found a great website with bite-sized info and 1 minute videos to go through with the girls (http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/boston-tours/freedom-trail-map-guide/).

It was amazing. I didn't realize how much it would move me and allow for such powerful conversations with our girls. We were moved to tears sitting in The Boston Common, speaking about differences, violence, hate, and what we can do to be the change we wish to see in the world. We walked the whole thing. Even four-year-old Juliet walked every bit, with Ellie leading the way on the red bricks. We ate at a great Shawarma Falafel restaurant with super friendly staff (gave the girls a free mango nectar drink), and the weather was perfect!

And get this - 2 1/2 miles on the Freedom Trail, a late night the night before and super early 5:30 wake up...and at the end of the trail they begged to climb the Bunker Hill monument! 294 steps to the top...all three determined to complete it. It was one of those magical days all parents cherish, where all of their young children have great attitudes, walk on their own, and don't complain about anything. The weather was great with a gentle breeze, they were eager to learn at every site, and I was one emotional mama - us learning history through the eyes of love and compassion and what we can do even now to make a positive impact and continue the quest for equality in a peaceful way. Beautiful day where we crammed a lot in!

We spent several days at Acadia National Park - it was so gorgeous! We had a blast exploring all the places, and loved that is was so dog-friendly. We hopped on and off the shuttle (again, with the dog!), and spent one full day there as a family, Nathan took the girls for a day to get their Jr. Ranger badges, he escaped for an evening of mountain biking, and another half-day of just scoping it all out.

HIGHLIGHTS: At Acadia, the boardwalk around the pond...and Jordan Pond in general - was so fun. The girls hiked all the way up Bubble mountain and back down and all around the huge pond - we had a blast. Then sunset up at Cadillac Mountain with the girls all playing beautifully was the perfect ending to the perfect day.

Ah, Patten Pond! First note - when we go back, we want campsite 301! They wanted to charge us $100 more for this spot, which was their loss since they actually didn't book the spot for the whole week we were there. ;-) This was another Thousand Trails campground, and I'll have to be honest - our TT experience so far has been that it's a great deal and has saved us money...and, many of the campgrounds are a bit like a slightly trashy KOA. There are definite pros and cons to camping this way. So the way we're doing Thousand Trails is, instead of a big membership that cost thousands, we opted for a "zone pass" for $465. As we saw the savings with some of the pricy options up here in the northeast, we opted to add a second zone pass for $49. Then, a special just cropped up for a "Trails Collection" for $199...and that opened up a whole new sea of campgrounds all over the country where we can stay for free or $20/night! In the areas where there aren't many state parks, and others have been upwards of $35/night without sewer, this is definitely worth it for us. So worth it, in fact, because both Patten Pond and our next stay at Sandy Beach were Encore sites - I called TT and got $573.37 in refunds just from these two campsites!

So, moving on to Patten Pond. As soon as we set up camp in the afternoon, we took off to explore the campground. It was set around a beautiful lake and a forest of trees with a little creek through it. Clara immediately exclaimed that she was in love with Maine - it had everything she loved: trees, ferns, moss, clear water, big rocks...she was in heaven!

Thankfully I had great wifi here, which has been hit or miss here in the northeast. It's not that the signal is bad - Verizon hasn't been horrible with signal. The issue is not enough towers, so they get congested and it's super slow even with a great signal. There have been campsites where I've ended up only being able to knock out internet work in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep! But here it was the best it's been in a while.

While I plugged in two 12 hour days, Nathan and the girls went and played. They kayaked to this tiny island no more than 20ft in diameter a little ways from the beach at the campground. The whole island was covered in blueberries - they came back with over a gallon of incredible wild blueberries! I don't know that I'll be able to enjoy the regular store blueberries the same now that I've experienced wild Maine blueberries straight off the bushes. :-)

We also explored Machias during the annual blueberry festival - blueberry pie eating contests and all kinds of great craft vendors.

HIGHLIGHTS:
At the campsite, in our over ten months of travel, Patten Pond wins the award for best showers! Private closed in stalls, great water pressure, hot....ahhhhh. The laundry room left a lot to be desired, but the showers were incredible!

This was a sweet little campground in NH that had a little beach on a pond. We landed here during the big eclipse, so we were the awesome family that brought the only pair of eclipse glasses to the beach. ;-) Although this was nice and we stayed here for free with our Trails Collections pass through Thousand Trails, it was a bit of a pain because I had very slow internet (about 116 dBm) so had to run out for all my conference calls. This has become more and more of an issue - I'll probably need to break down and grab a booster.

HIGHLIGHT: We took a road trip to the White Mountains and it was beautiful! We didn't end up doing much hiking, but spent most of our time just playing in the river on the big smooth rocks. They made natural slides that were fun to slide down, the girls built an awesome lean-to fort, and just exploring the colors with the rocks was super cool.