Hanging with the cousins!

Days on the road: 8
Miles driven: 2,283.7
Countries visited: U.S., Canada
States: VA, MD, PA, NY, NJ, MA, NH, ME, MI, IN, IL, WI

From Niagara Falls we drove across lower Ontario to Jackson, MI today. Pretty easy drive until the very end when lots of construction taffic slowed us down a bit. I love the traffic feature of the new Garmin nuvi series. It re-routed us around some back-ups and we saved at least 45min. This was awesome because it gave us more time to hang out at my sister’s house with my Mom, brother –in-law and twin nephews! It was so wonderful to see all of them again, and the kids had a fantastic time playing together. Even Sophie had a big smile on her face as she was able to run free around the back yard.
From Michigan we hit three more states as we swooped down through Indiana and around Chicago to our campground in Wisconsin. Wisconsin, you may know, is the birthplace of the RV and our camp this night is really nice. It is well manicured, has all the amenities, and even has a hot tub for the adults! This is the first place we have stayed that I did not have to put leveling blocks under the wheels to make sure the rig was level on our site, pretty impressive!
Tomorrow we will push on through Madison, WI and on into Minnesota. Talk to you all soon!

From Cate: The answer to the brain teaser is to let some air out of the tires!

Miles and Mishaps...

We’ve been on the road now for quite some time and the days are starting to blur together. The rig is getting easier to drive, although it is a bit hairy in high winds. We have our routine pretty much worked out for these past few days. We both get up around 0600 and I put on some water for coffee and take care of unplugging the water hose and electrical cord. I also take the dog for a short walk. Janelle meanwhile finishes making the coffee and tidys up a little inside to get ready to roll. Usually, we can be ready to head out within about 20 minutes of getting up. Not bad. With the kids still sleeping we can usually get in a few sold hours of driving before we stop for a quick potty break and some brekfast for the kids. After that we can make pretty good time until we stop for gas and lunch. Then another couple hours or so to our campground for the night. We have planned the whole trip out so that we are getting to our camps around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon so the kids have plenty of time to play, swim, fish, or whatever else they have at the particular place we are staying. This has been working well because it also gives Janelle and I plenty of time to clean up a little bit, do laundry, cook dinner, write this blog, or whatever else we might want to do.

Now this is not to say that the trip has been without hiccups. Just the other day in Niagara Falls we had a near catastrophe in fact. After dinner I took Lily and Meg over to the pool for a swim. Suddenly, Cate comes running up to me yelling “Daddy! Come quick, something is wrong with the RV!” Naturally, I figure she is being dramatic. “What’s wrong?” I say. “The shower is all backed up and Mommy said she needs you to come quick! I’m going swimming” she says. Gee, thanks for the help. So I run over to the rig with visions of Randy Quaid in National Lampoon’s Vacation in my head only to find Janelle calmly walking out of the RV smiling and giving me that “Don’t worry” look. Turns out that doing the dishes from dinner put the grey water drain tank over the edge. Since the shower is the lowest point in the plumbing system that drains into that tank, it began to fill up. Not that big a deal really, except that all our dirty laundry was in the shower. We were not planning on doing that for another day or so. Oh well, off to the laund-o-mat we go (most campgrounds have a luandry on site). Now why am I tellingyou all this you may ask? Well, every cloud has a silver lining: when we pulled our clothes out of the dryer we found our missing set of keys for the RV! WooHoo!

Oh!.....Canada

Greetings from the Great White North! I am not sure Canada is ready, but the Field road show has arrived. We had a wonderful night in Austerlitz, NY and got on the road in decent time this morning. From there we drove the entire length of the New York State Thruway to Buffalo and over the Peace Bridge into Canada. The $57 in tolls on the thruway nearly cleaned us out. Nothing like borrowing $3 from your kids so you can pay the toll into Canada!

We are staying at an RV park about 10 minutes from the falls. After pulling in and hooking everything up we loaded up in the car and drove over to see the sights. The girls thought the falls were spectacular, but the rest of the stuff in the immediate area was pretty cheesy. Canada is definitely the better side to see them from though. From the Niagara Parkway, you can see both American and Horseshoe Falls at the same time. On the U.S. side you would have to view first one then the other.

Here are some photos from our stay last night as well as our trip to Niagara. Next stop, Ann Arbor, MI and the Gronewold cousins!!!

Cate's Joke of the Day:(this one is really a brain teaser) One day a truck driver was driving along and his truck could not fit under the bridge so he struggled to get it out and then one day a little girl came up and made a suggestion. Answer to follow in tomorrow's post.

Lily's comment of the day: Going to see Niagara Falls was really cool!

Meg's quote of the day: I am really glad they have a playground here so I have something to do.

From Janelle: John failed to mention that he had success in checking and filling all the tires this morning when we stopped at a truck stop! Great way to start the day!! He also forgot to mention that we had to drive in pouring rain and had another wiper incident. We were able to stop under a bridge on the NY state thruway and remedy the situation. It was a bit hairy but made for more laughs!

Canada is lovely but I know that this area is not really seeing Canada. John and I look forward to really getting out their and seeing all the natural wonders - not just the tourist areas. I guess we can just chalk this up under "been there, done that."

Amazing Acadia!!

Days on the Road: 5
Miles traveled: 1,286.9
States visited: VA, MD, PA, NJ, NY, MA, NH, ME

We hit the road Friday morning as if our trip was just beginning. We are now all in one vehicle, having left our van at Granny & PopPop's for their upcoming journey. With my driving buddy back on board, I was full of renewed energy and ready for our next adventure.

Our first stop was Freeport, ME. We found the RV parking downtown without any trouble and walked around the town looking at all the shops. All the kids loved the special fish tank bubble at the L.L. Bean store, as well as the display with the moose whose antlers locked together. We grabbed a small treat for the kids and continued North up I-95.

We drove into Acadia National Park about 3:00 PM after a lovely drive thru down-east Maine. Absolutely beautiful is the only way to describe the scenery in this part of the country. After squeezing our big rig through the tiny streets of Bar Harbor we ran into a snag however. Seems a structure fire had closed the road about 0.2 mi from the entrance to our campground. Our only option was to drive back through the narrow streets of the town and go all way around the island to arrive from the other side. We did not want to do that, so we went back to the RV parking area just outside the village and walked around. We figured we might be able to get dinner and wait for the road to open. Our only worry was that we would not be able to find a place to eat since the dog was with us. Boy were we wrong! Bar Harbor is one of the most dog-friendly places I have ever been. We stopped at a shop called Walkin' The Dog and they had a list of pet friendly eateries in town. From there we had no trouble finding a nice place for the girls to have their first official Maine Lobster dinner!

By the time we finished dinner the road was open and we drove into our campsite. That night we went to a ranger program at the amphitheater all about the geology of the park. Cate and Janelle dug it the most. Meg fell asleep so she and I went back to camp for the night. The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast of a dutch baby pancake with fresh Maine strawberries and homemade Maine raspberry preserves. It was awesome. Next was a ranger led walk through the park and a talk all about the different habitats and animals that reside here. Once the ranger signed their workbooks, both Cate and Meg earned their Junior Ranger Badges! This is Cate's fourth and Meg's first badge and they are both excited to get more as we visit more parks out West. We took a nice drive on the way back to camp with wonderful views and we even came across some volunteers keeping tabs on a rare peregrine falcon nesting site. They had their scopes all set up and let us get a rare glimpse of these endangered birds.

After lunch was the highlight of the trip. We drove across the island to the Wonderland area to explore the tide pools. It was amazing! Even the dog was having a great time checking out all the crabs, mussels, urchins, seaweed, rocks, and seagulls. The kids spent hours exploring and I even got a nap!

We went back to camp and turned in early so we could be ready for sunrise the next morning. We got up at 4:00 AM and drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mtn. From there, you can be the first people in the U.S. to see the sun. It was pretty spectacular, but also cold and windy and Cate was the only one able to stick it out and actually watch the sun appear.

With that done our trip to Acadia was at an end. We packed up and after a quick stop at Wal-Mart for supplies we headed West. Here is our slide show for the past few days.

Tonight we are in Austerlitz, NY; right across the border from Massachusetts. Tomorrow it is on to Niagara Falls, Ontario! Get out your passports!

Granny and Dr. Pop Pop's House!!

Days on the road: 2
Miles Driven: 197 (582.2)
States visited: NY, MA

Pretty easy day today. A quick getaway from our digs in NY and back up the I-87 to Albany and then down the Mass Pike to Bedford. Not as quick as I would have liked, but we couldn't find our spare set of keys for the RV. I am hopeful they will turn up in the next day or two.

Our bed for the night is at the Family Camp at Hanscom Air Force Base. All the Air Force Bases in the USA have FamCamps for RVs. They are in some great locations and we will be trying to take advantage of them later in the trip as well. They are first come first serve, but this one had plenty of space so we pulled in with no trouble. Well, actually there was a little bit of trouble. The pad was in a tight spot and I got to practice my backing up technique a few times before I got it right. Didn't hit anything though, so no harm done.

With the rig parked we de-coupled the dinghy and headed down the road to Waban to visit my parents. The kids were sooo excited to see the Grandparents and we had a nice lunch and dinner with them. It was also a great chance to get some laundry done and re-stock on groceries.

Next stop, the L.L. Bean store in Freeport, ME and then on to Acadia National park tomorrow night!

From Cate:
Joke of the day: Where do ghosts go swimming? In the dead sea!

From Janelle: Very relieved to drop of the van with John's parents. Now we can finally all ride together! BTW, how does Meg sleep through me blasting Van Halen at full volume?? Looking forward to lobster dinner and exploring the tide pools in Maine!!

Each Journey Begins with a Single Step

Days on the Road: 1
Miles Driven: 385.2
States visited: VA, MD, PA, NJ, NY

From John: So the RV is full of gas and loaded with all our things. The house is empty and the keys are turned in. The dinghy is attached and the bikes are all on the rack. I guess we can't put it off any longer. It is finally time to leave.

We pulled out of our old digs at 5:56 AM (officially four minutes early) and hit the road. I was in a great mood, thinking we were going to beat the traffic. Everything went fine until we got into Maryland. A tractor trailer accident overnight had shut down I-270 in BOTH directions and we had to find our way around that. After getting lost and having to un-hook the dingy, turn around, and then re-hook the dinghy we successfully found a detour and made it up to the lovely Catskill mountains area of the Hudson River Valley in New York. Just off I-87 is our home for the evening, Rip Van Winkle Campground.

Oh by the way, the New York State Thruway has not caught up to the 21st century quite yet, so if you are planning on taking I-87 anytime soon make sure you have cash for the tolls; but I digress.

We pulled in to a nice little spot with full elec/water/sewer hookups and the girls immediately changed and headed over to the pool. I of course had to make a quick trip into town for some cash so we could pay the remaining tolls in NY.

Here's a quick slideshow of some of our activities on Day 1.

From Cate:
Joke of the day: Why are football stadiums always cold? Because its full of fans!

Today was fun. I was pretty bored while we were driving, although I did get to wave to some people in another RV. The campground was fun. We got to go swimming and we had spaghetti for dinner. After dinner we went fishing and I caught a baby bass. I counted 42 crayfish in the pond too.

Lily's Thoughts: The best part of today was when we got to go fishing after dinner. The campground had a pond with bass in it and I CAUGHT A FISH! It was sooooo much fun!

Today's Meg-ism: "Mommy, could you please help me do this by doing it for me please?" Gotta love Meg's view of the world!

From Janelle: It really does take a village to send off the Field Family! Thanks to all of you who helped us get going - you know who you are!! Dave for the bed and coffee, Barb for the farewell coffee cake, Heidi for letting me dump all the stuff at your house, Mom's group for taking all the stuff that the movers wouldn't pack, Brent for taking all the condiments, Kristen for the plastic wine glasses (yes I used them already!), Anne for the People magazines and scrapbooking kit for the girls, Dallas for leaving a farewell message on our rigs, Pascal Jam for playing at our road trip party, Rhonda for the travel games, and so many many more. And of course all of you who made the effort to come and send us off last Saturday. Times like these make you realize how many amazing people you meet.

A Blow Out Before We Roll Out

What a fantastic Party!

So the house is finally loaded up and all our worldly possessions are headed down I-40 Westbound at 75 mph. What better time to have a epic party? Behold, the Field's Farewell "Bring Your Own Chair Party!"

We invited all the friends and neighbors and even managed to have live music! It was a great time and I think all involved had fun. We will truly miss the wonderful community we have become a part of here in Burke.

Stay tuned for dates on our Field's Return to Northern Virginia "Bring Your Own Chair Party"!!

Coming up for Air

Arrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh! I am about ready to call this whole thing off! Who would ever have thought that it would be so difficult to check the air in the tires of a vehicle. Well, with this RV, it is a royal pain.

A little before our shakedown trip I decided to check all the air in the tires. Low and behold, the guage I have for my cars didn't work and I had to go to "the Depot" for a special truck tire gauge. (Tires inflated - 0; trips to the Depot - 1). This was only to discover that yes, the tires were in fact a little low. No problem, a quick trip to the local gas station and I would be right as rain. So off I go. The front tires were no problem, but then I came to the rear ones.

The rear wheels on this RV are "dualies". Normally the problem is how to get air into the inboard tires in this setup. Fortunately, the rig came with valve extenders installed on both rear wheels. (Tires inflated - 4 of 6; Trips - 2). The outboard tires are where my frustrations began. Valve extenders are not normally used for these tires, so none are installed. However, the valve is on the inboard side of the wheel. This means that in order to check the air or inflate the tire you have to have a gauge or hose that fits through one of the holes in the rim. These are about 1.5 inches in diameter and of course, neither my gauge nor my fat little fingers will fit through. Nor can my hands fit between the wheels to get at the valve from the other side. Hmmmmmmm......I know, I can put some valve extenders on the outboard wheels just like on the inboard! Not so fast. I got some extenders (Trips - 3, tires - still 4), but I could not get them through the holes either. So, back to the Depot for some different extenders (Trips - 4). These ones fit through the hole, but I could not fit my hand in there to tighten them onto the existing valve stems. Picture me laying on my back half under the rig with my head practically stuck under the wheel cursing loudly.

So finally, I give up and take the whole rig into the service center and have them look at it. Best part was the guy comes out and looks at the wheel and says, "You know, they make these valve extender thingys for just this sort of thing." "Gee," I say, "Really?"

Trips - 5, Tires - 6. Finally!