Late in August we headed out for a 3200 mile Road Trip, traveling from NC to Michigan, across Canada to Maine and Massachusetts and then home to NC. We visited friends, saw new places and enjoyed our time in the car. One thing we did while stacking up the miles was listen to a book by Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist who was once a foreign correspondent. It was a memoir his youth and his time as a correspondent. The audio book, Chasing Hope, was 17 hours long, so we didn't hear it all in the car, but it's definitely worth the read (or the listen).
Our first stop on this journey was to see our niece Evelyn and her family, including almost 1 year old, Paul. He might be the cutest baby in the whole state of Michigan, and we had a great time playing with him, going for walks and babysitting when Brian and Evelyn were busy. It was a wonderful weekend!
Our next stop was to visit with friends Marcy and Bill in Midland, then on together to Mackinac Island. If you have never been there, it is a great place to spend some time. Marcy and Bill have been going in early September for many years and we were privileged to be able to join them and one other couple, Steve and Karen Martin (not THAT Steve Martin). We rode bikes, hiked, swam in the cold water and just had a great time!
Since we were already so close, we headed over to the Upper Peninsula after our time on Mackinac. It was a foggy, drizzly day while we were there, but we still saw some beautiful sights and caught a glimpse or two of Lake Superior. Truly magnificent!
From the UP, we headed to Canada, hoping to visit a few places we had never been. Our itinerary changed daily, but we ended up spending one night in North Bay and two nights in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. While the weather was not the best, we managed a few five star activities, including a visit to the historical museum of North Bay where we saw an exhibit of the Dionne Quintuplets. I knew my Mom, now 91, would be interested so I texted her the picture of the quints when they were babies, asking if she knew who these babies were. She texted right back: the Dionne quintuplets. Can't put one over on her. The quints were born one year after Mom and they were certainly a huge news sensation throughout their lives. Two of them are still living.
While in Ottawa, we visited two of their national museums, Art and History, both within walking distance of our hotel. We also had an immersive experience in their government buildings, since we could not tour the parliament building, which is currently under renovation. Take a close look at the carving done in elk antlers. It is unbelievable!
From Ottawa, we headed to the Maine coast to visit with friends Carol and Ralph. Along the way, we just happened to drive through Lewiston where Chris went to college and had a little detour down memory lane. As usual, we had a great time with Carol and Ralph, swimming, walking, hanging out and eating well. You can see how relaxing it is with the Sheepscot River in view from their deck.
One last stop in the Northeast to visit with Joanne, from Peace Corps Days. We were fortunate to get to spend an evening with her son, Michael and his wife and daughter. Beautiful family. And it is always good to catch up with Joanne. On our way home, we also had a bit of time with Lily and Wes, Hooray!
This was really a great trip and we were blessed to do it all with no accidents, no big road delays and some nice weather along the way. But, mostly we enjoyed the family and friends we got to spend time with. And of course, when we returned home, we had a nice dinner recapping the trip and catching up with good friends, Sheila and Eric!
Where are your travels taking you these days? We'd love to hear!
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