New Orleans

MWe pulled into New Orleans without a place to stay on a Saturday night which was also the Fourth of July. Using the app hotel tonight we got a great deal on a hotel right downtown for much cheaper than a motel 6 type place thirty minutes away. We were all exhausted and planned to go to bed early but we found out that the fireworks in NOLA are amazing so after the kids swam in the hotel pool out we went. James and I went through NOLA in 2004 and it seemed very different. Bourbon street did not have the spring break feel we remembered.

It was gross and we wanted the kids to see it but we quickly heard to quieter streets of the French quarter. We went to the bank of the Mississippi and found spots to watch right on the water. I ran and bought a pizza and brought it back to the kids. The fireworks were great and right on top of us. They had two barges set up, setting them off in sync. The girls were exhausted at the end and we carried julia and molly all the way back to the hotel. Julia fell asleep in my arms and I was sweating a ridiculous amount. We found our hotel and all crashed. Sunday morning we had breakfast and then set out again.

We went through the French quarter again, shopped in the French market, the girls enjoyed snow balls, and each bought a trinket.

We wanted to go check out the cemeteries but there was some dissension in the ranks. James ended up riding the street car up canal with molly and casey and looking at a cemetery.  

Julia hadn't quite decided on her trinket yet so she and I hung back and went through every store with a fine tooth comb. She and I sat in Jackson square and listened to a great group of musicians playing and singing jazz. It felt like a real New Orleans moment and I will never forget it. Afterwards we found Cafe Beignet and tasted our first beignets. They were delicious and the cafe was adorable.

We got an order for the rest of our family to go. We met up with them and then packed up the car and headed to a swamp tour. We had a reservation for a 4pm tour.  The boats were not fan boats but longer with benches facing outwards. Right away we saw really deep swamp scenery and a few huge alligators. The biggest was about 12 feet long with a monster head. The boat drivers toss a marshmellow into the water and the gators come get it. Then he puts a hotdog on a stick and the gator will bite it off.

They try to get the gators to jump out of the water a bit to show their size. A few times he put the hot dog on the side of a tree and the gator sort of climbed up the trunk to get it and you were blown away by the size.

The rest of the tour was more seeing blue herons and the homes on the water. After we got a hotel room and went to bed.

Monday we continued west and made a stop in Baton Rouge. We parked at the LSU athletics area and were surprised to see a live tiger in a pen right where we parked. He is the mascot and they keep him there. He was quite active when we were there which was cool.

He walked around a lot and swam a few times in his little pond. After that James took the kids exploring inside the football stadium. They walked around in the stands and then checked out all of the luxury boxes.

I went for a long run while they did that. The noon heat in BatonRouge is something! My run took me along a levee beside the Mississippi River. I saw a navy destroyer and the paddle wheel casino boats.  After a few hours in Baton Rouge we continued west to Lake Charles LA. Here we made a quick stop at a playground and splash pad to run the kids a bit and escape the heat. That afternoon we drove into Houston to sleep.

Mobile

We spent the Fourth of July in Mobile, Alabama. We went into the downtown which was pretty and old and also a ghost town. There was nobody around, it was strange. We ate lunch at Wentzell's and ate southern food. James and I shared gumbo and fried green tomatoes. Then I had a shrimp po boy and he had shrimp wrapped in bacon. It was all good, especially the gumbo. Then we headed to the USS Alabama to tour the battle ship and submarine.  We enjoyed it but it was hot and the kids were pooped from little sleep the night before. We still explored it for a few hours then drove to New Orleans. 

Alabama

We spent two amazing nights at my best friend's family ranch in Alabama. Galio Farms is a special place that I have been fortunate enough to visit several times. Now that my family gets to see it too is very cool. We had a very long car day Thursday from Asheville to Galio, about seven hours. The kids did pretty well all told. When we arrived it was about 4:30 and William, the property manager met us. Despite the heat the kids really wanted to try horseback riding. I wasn't sure what to expect given our lack of experience but after leading the kids around for a few minutes we all got on our own horses and went for a thirty minute ride together. The kids were SO HAPPY to be on their own horses and riding alone. Julia wore her cowgirl boots. Molly was adorable. Afterward we took a quick spin in the Polaris, and then showered up for dinner. Katie and Annie Belle cooked up delicious fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and of course ranger cookies for dessert. We took the kids out on another ride around the property after dinner in the quiter golf cart in the hopes of seeing some animals but the kids were laughing and talking so much I think they scared all the animals off. The kids thought driving the Polaris is the greatest thing ever. 

Friday morning I woke up and went for a run very early. The humidity was already through the roof. We enjoyed a big breakfast and went back down to the barn for another ride.  We each got on our horses. James rode Boss, I rode Cheif, Caey rode smoky, Julia rode Dale and molly rode Little Gal.  We rode for about two hours including a water break at the tea house. The kids enjoyed it so much and it made me very happy to see them having so much fun.  After our ride we went to the train tracks and put pennies on the tracks. Then we met up with Mike, who works for the timber company and he took us on a visit to a logging site. Mike took us into the woods and we saw the operation up close. We were able to see the cutter cut down rows of trees so quickly and pile them up.  Then another rig comes and scoops up the pile and drags it to the loader. The loader then picks up the pile and strips it off all the branches and loads it into a logging truck.

The kids were pretty exhausted so we went back to Galio and had some lunch and naps. After naps we tried our hand at fishing but with the heat nothing was biting and we did not have the patience to wait it out. The kids wanted to swim in lake Bob so we did. We all had a ball jumping off of the dock over and over until it was time for dinner. We ate fried catfish, hush puppies and stewed okra. A powerful storm blew through and knocked the power out but Galio has a generator so we were not effected. At dark we took another Polaris ride and went to get our smooshed pennies from the train tracks. Then william called to say it was time for a firework show at lake bob. He shot off a bunch and the kids did little ones too. It was a great night and lots of fun. 

Saturday morning we got everyone up at 5am and met william and his two daughters to go pig hunting. Unfortunately we didn't get a pig but that's how it goes. We had o ur last big breakfast, cleaned up, said our goodbyes and hit the road. It was an amazing stay at Galio. 

Asheville

We spent two nights with great friends in Asheville NC. Heather and Jimmy graciously welcomed us despite the chaos of home renovations going on. We didn't do many touristy things and that was just perfect. The kids all played, biked, did performances and had fun. We ate pizza and drank beers on their deck high on a hill looking over Asheville. Wednesday we worked around the house spreading wood chips and trying to set up their zip line. We went downtown to Farm Burger where we ate outside. It is a very cool city with a lot of expansion going on. The kids played around and then we hit up,a great play ground and then the pool. We came back home and ate out on the deck again, this time enjoying beers around the fire pit. Thursday am we had a quick breakfast and headed out. It was great to relax in a cool city and hang with good friends. 

Family Visit in Raleigh

Monday we left VA and drove to Raleigh to visit James's family Barbara and Bob and his cousins Tim and Becky.

They have a dog, Caribou, that the girls loved. We took Caribou to a nearby pond to throw the ball and let her swim. The kids couldn't stand to watch Caribou swim and not get wet themselves. What started as dipping toes in ended in cannonballs off the end of the dock. The kids loved it. We went back to the house and had a bbq feast. Molly and Barbara ran to the store together so molly could pick out a birthday cake. We all sang and topped off the feast with cake. Tuesday morning we went to a few playgrounds and then Barbara and Bob brought us to a park where the kids could ride a very old carousle, a small train and little boats. The kids had a ball.

It was a great visit with family members that we don't get to see often enough. Off to Ashville.

Eastern Shore MD and VA

On Saturday we left Baltimore and headed to the Eastern shore of MD. We explored some sleepy fishing towns like Oxford and Cambridge. In Cambridge we saw another light house, and James bought steamed crabs from a placed called Kool Ice. We took the crabs to a playground and started to eat them but we didn't really know how to so we googled it like total rookies.

A storm started coming in so we took off. We arrived at our friends house in Salisbury, MD in the early evening. Kate and Chris have three kids our guys age and they all hit it off right away. They were running around playing war with nerf darts all night. We had some delicious pizza and beers and caught up. The kids all slept in the same room. Sunday morning the kids were at it again and had water balloon fights. We took off after breakfast and headed to Chincateague island in Virginia. The kids know about this island from the book Misty of Chincateague. We were able to spot a pack of the wild ponies but they were far off. The kids looked through the binoculars to see them. Then we parked and did another bike and jog out to the beach. It was pretty gorgeous. James finished his crabs on the beach while kids swam. There have been a lot of shark attacks recently so I was stressed. After a few hours we biked back to the car and headed out. We have not had a bike ride yet on this trip without molly crashing. This time she and julia tried to race and crossed tires and molly went down hard. She's got quite a few band aids on her. We made a stop at a great ice cream place where everyone had ice cream for lunch.

Everyone snoozed and we headed south to Virginia Beach. We drove over and under the 16 mile bridge/tunnel. We went to the First Landing State Park in Norfolk, VA to camp for the night. We set up our tent and then went to the beach for a late swim. The beach was at the opening of the Chesapeake Bay and we saw a number of huge container ships go by.

The swim helped cool us down before climbing into the tent for the night. The kids were pretty wired and took a long time to fall asleep. They played games and made shadow puppets. Monday we woke up and drove into Virginia Beach. We got Dunkin for breakfast at Molly's request since it was her birthday! Molly wanted to bike to the playground so she and James went and we drove the car down. The kids goofed around for a bit then we got suits on and swam at the beach for an hour and a half. It was a great day. We could hear and see the military jets going overhead constantly. We wanted to see if we could tour a base but it was no open to the public. We parked the car at the end of the runways and watched a lot of planes land right over our heads and saw some take off as well.

It was very cool to see them so close and it was so loud. Molly wanted pizza and French fries for lunch so we drove around and found a spot with both. The people were so nice and put candles in her pizza. After our lunch we drove out to Raleigh. 

Baltimore

We took off for our annual summer road trip on Friday, June 26th. An easy four hour drive, and we arrived at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The battle that took place here in 1814 against the British was the inspiration for our National Anthem. We enjoyed checking it out and seeing the huge cannons and ducking in and out of all the tunnels and nooks. 

It was pretty hot out so we didn't stay for too long. We drove into the Inner Harbor and checked into our hotel. The kids seem to go bananas anytime we are in a hotel room. Always jumping from bed to bed and wreaking havoc. We let them get some energy out before hopping into the car and heading to Camden Yards. This was the first time James or I had ever been to Baltimore. Through a connection we were set up with a VIP tour of Camden Yards and had the best seats in the house. 

Our kids saw their first professional sporting event from the front row and will forever be spoiled!! We got to go onto the field for batting practice and were allowed to hang out in the dug out. 

James and I were stunned and loving it. The kids were given gift bags and had no clue how special it was. They liked getting cups of Gatorade from the coolers on the bench. We met two players including their star, Manny Machado. After BP we got some food and sat in our seats right behind the on deck circle. We didn't expect the kids to last very long but they did so well.

We got them snacks every two innings which helped! Molly flirted with the 10 year old boy in the seat behind her and drew a picture for him. It was hysterical. We saw a great game in which the O's came from behind to win it late in the game. It was also lucky that once a month they do fireworks during the summer and that night we stayed in our seats and saw a great firework show.  We went home late and Everyone crashed at the hotel.

Saturday morning we went out in the rain and explored the harbor. The kids were on their bikes and we jogged. The harbor area is very cool and reminded us of Boston a little bit. There were old ships, submarines, lighthouses, and fountains to explore with a nice path for biking and running. We were out early and combined with the rain it was not crowded.  Molly rode her bike through the water fountains that spurt up. We went up and down all the piers and checked everything out. All told the kids rode about 6 miles. We went back to the hotel and the kids got into the pool for a quick dip before checking out. It was the worlds smallest pool! We got a traveling lunch (2 baguettes and some cheese) and hit the road for the Eastern shore of MD. 

San Francisco

June 24, 2014: We just spent the last four nights of our vacation in San Francisco and now it is time to head home. We drove from Tahoe to Mill Valley on Friday the 20th. About an hour outside of the city we stopped in Fairfield, CA at the Jelly Belly factory. We had to wait in a pretty long line to go on the factory tour but it was free and the kids were excited. James took them through the candy store while I waited in line. Everyone has to wear funny paper hats on their heads for the tour. It started out with several iconic pieces of art work that have been recreated using jelly beans. Then we walked around the entire factory from elevated hallways looking down on the workers. I find factories very interesting with all of the machinery and conveyor belts getting the work done. Afterwards we continued the last hour on to Jordan's house in Mill Valley. The kids started playing immediately and were so happy for buddies and toys. James and I worked quickly to unpack the camper and clean it. We left all the kids and fought the Friday traffic to return the camper and pick up a small rental for our remaining days. We used an awesome company called FlightCar that I highly recommend to anyone for a cheap rental. When we finally made it back to Jordan's we rushed into our running clothes, kissed the kids goodnight and left them with Jordan's sitter. We met up at the running store and went for a beautiful 10k summer solstice fun run. James and I were the only ones to do the 10k and not the 5k, the views were fantastic from the hills. The running store had a big party afterwards with local beers, a taco truck and they showed a movie about a local ultra runner doing her first 100 miler at the Western States. There was a skate ramp in the back that James had fun on. Later a bunch of my oldest friends all went back to Jordan's and sat around the chimenea. Saturday June 21, we left the kids with a sitter again and went to wine country for the day. We all met up with Robin and Clark and piled into their mini van for the drive to Healdsburg. Our first stop was the Donelan's where Trip met us and gave us the grand tour. With champagne on the way up and Trip pouring heavy glasses, we were well on our way to a fun day. We went to three other vineyards in Healdsburg and had a delicious lunch at the general store there. On the way home the car died and we were stranded on the highway waiting for a taxi. We made it home and everyone we knew came over to Jordan's for a big bbq. It is so fun to get to see so many old friends in one place. Sunday June 22 James and I took the kids into San Francisco for some sight seeing. We walked along the waterfront, watched street performers, rode a double decker carousel which the kids thought was very exciting,and we tried to go to Alcatraz but it was sold out until mid-July! We walked through Chinatown and the kids thought it was so interesting looking into the fish places with weird looking fish, frogs, turtles, and shrimp for sale. We had pizza on the street, rode on the trolley, where we got to hang out of the side for part of the ride, we walked down Lombard Street because it is now closed to car traffic, stopped in Sausilito for ice cream and then headed home. Monday June 23 I went for a long run in the morning and James took the kids to walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Afterwards we met Wes in Sausilito and went for a boat ride. It turned out to be very windy and we went behind Angel Island and went out to look at Alcatraz but turned around because it was very cold and choppy. We had lunch on the water and checked out the seals. Afterwards we took the kids to Golden Gate Park to ride the old carousel there. Then we headed home for packing and dinner.