3742 miles later

July 28, 2007 | Filed Under General | 2 Comments 

We are home and looking forward to sleeping in our own beds. Tomorrow we will face the piles of mail, the dirty clothes, the thousands of pictures, the travelogue, and the best part–picking up our dogs!

-R



Congrats Luke and Jen

July 22, 2007 | Filed Under General | 2 Comments 



Originally uploaded by regal_eagle.

Last night, we attended the nuptials of Luke and Jen, and we were thrilled to be there. The wedding was beautiful, and the bride and groom, so perfect. Ben called Jen “the princess” all night, and I think that sums it up. We wish you a lifetime of love. The rest of the pics are on flickr.
-R



Greetings from New Hampshire

July 20, 2007 | Filed Under Travel | 1 Comment 

The family truckster has landed in New Hampshire after a week that has taken us across 5 states and 2 countries. We arrived late last Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, MI for the funeral, which was Saturday. We decided to spend most of the week in the Soo, to spend more time with Grandpa and to spread out his goodbyes. After a few days, we moved from the hotel to an area campground. As you can imagine, Ben loved playing in the dirt. Will he ever come clean? He hasn’t yet. We spent most of our time in the Soo just being with Grandpa, though we did manage marshmellows over the campfire, and a quick trip to the locks.

Wednesday, we said good-bye, and off like a herd of racing turtles, our vacation began. The first order of business was crossing the “big, big bridge” into Canada where we stopped almost immediately to stock up at Paul’s Bakery in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. If you ever have a chance to go, I can’t recommend it enough. It is a Finnish bakery, and those Finns must know a thing or 2 about pastries. Y-U-M. My favorite treats were beef rolls. After taking 1 bite in the parking lot, I sent Jason back in for more. He didn’t question me at all.

Wednesday was spent uneventfully in the car. We made it to Pembroke, Ontario on the Ottawa River (about 400 miles) and camped for the night. We passed the time working on our Canadian accents and admiring the view. It is a beautiful drive, but you’ll have to take my word for it–no pictures.

Thursday, we awoke to grey skies, and it didn’t take long after breaking camp and hitting the road for the rain to begin. We talked about stopping in Montreal for the afternoon or for the night, but the rain discouraged us. We talked about heading to Vermont and camping, but again the rain made us decide no. Instead, we drove straight through Quebec (our first time) and only stopped in Vermont for dinner. Vermont is a beautiful state, but the Interstate is frustrating. It is obviously carefully designed to hide any development from the highway, making it difficult to find restaurants, hotels, etc. After driving in circles, we found dinner in Barre, VT.

We were all hungry, sick of the car, and crabby, but we randomly picked a restaurant and committed to it. Luckily, Del’s ended up being an “ishish” Italian restaurant, and Ben was well-behaved throughout the lengthy meal. Fortified with pasta, we decided to drive a little further and ended up making it all the way to Bow, NH, our home for the weekend and Luke’s wedding. Although we had every intention of saving some money and camping last night, I am so glad the rain urged us indoors. My bloated body was not liking sleeping on the ground, and the king-sized bed was so welcome last night. The room also has a big jetted tub, which I am hoping will work out the last of my aches and pains. The advantage of not having to pack up again until Sunday also sounds appealing. In Jason’s words, “our travelling road show is not without baggage.”

Ben and I just finished our complimentary hot breakfast, and we are waiting for Jason to return. He spent the night with the groom and groom’s brother. Although today calls for more rain, I am hoping we can find something fun and vacation-like to do…and I don’t mean another day in the car.

Speaking of Ben, what an awesome kid he has been. He was wonderful all day at the funeral and has been a real trooper in the car. We couldn’t be happier. We are really enjoying spending so much time with him, and our nights cramped into a 2-man backpacking tent, though restless, have been so emotionally satisfying. We are looking forward to having some fun now! Some Ben-isms from the trip, thus far:

-R



Life moves fast

July 12, 2007 | Filed Under General | 1 Comment 

and we are forced to get out of its way sometimes. Since receiving the news yesterday about Grandma Pat, we have been in a whirlwind of planning and decision-making. We’ve decided to take next week off to stay with Grandpa for a few days. This will lead directly into our vacation to the East coast. We’ll be gone for a while and pretty scattered. I hope to check in as Internet is available from the road. Thanks for all the warm thoughts. We appreciate it, and hope to have happier posts soon.
-Rachel



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