Category Archives: Travel with kids

September 7, 2015 · 1:40 pm

Dad Camp…

We ended the summer with one final expedition to Great Basin National Park.  This was all The Captain’s idea and it even involved actual camping.

We arrived just in time to get the final camping spot on the mountain.  This was good because we got a spot.  But, it was bad because it was very cold and windy. In fact, we must have hit freezing temperatures because the water station had icicles around it in the morning.

After settling in at the camp ground, The Captain led us on a hike along the Alpine Lake Loop.  We saw Lakes Stella and Teresa.  We also collected several walking sticks on the trek.

Back at camp it we saw wild turkeys cooked dinner and made s’mores.  But the cold and wind drove the kids and I into the tent.   Once we were snuggled inside all was well.

A post-midnight potty break woke everyone up and we had a dazzling view of the stars.   It is amazing how many stars are hidden fr view especially in Las Vegas.

A chilly morning was made a little warmer with some hot chocolate and coffee plus a little oatmeal whipped up by The Captain.

Next, it was off to Lehman Caves.

  

All this was followed by a picnic lunch and a trip to an old mining ghost town.  Very little of the town is left and we mainly explored the cemetery.

Then came the long drive home.

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August 10, 2015 · 2:58 pm

Mom Camp Day 19: Lobster Time

Day 19 was all about the lobsters.

We hitched a ride on a lobster boat and learned about the lovely crustasian and caught a few while we were at it.  The morning was incredibly gray and foggy, just what you would expect for lobster boating!

On the journey, we baited the traps, held the lobsters, learned to put the rubber bands on them to keep them from pinching and, lowered the traps back into the water.

We even brought up a few ocean friends who weren’t lobsters, including a star fish and a crab.

The best was watching the sea gulls swarm the boat when we emptied the old bait out of the traps.  Nothing tastier than 3 day old, soggy fish!  One of the gulls even pecked at The Captain’s hand when he was resting it on the top of the boat.


For lunch it was more seafood, I had fried clams which I haven’t had in years!

In the afternoon, it was time to learn about lobsters… The kids both did lobster worksheets and draw their own pictures of lobster boats.

 Dinner was back near the ocean in a lovely stop where we had a good old New England Clam Bake!

 The kids and I explored the sandy beach searching for shells — The Princess’ favorite beach pastime.

The food was great especially the chowder!  I was stuffed by the end of the night.

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August 9, 2015 · 5:52 pm

Tahoe Time: Mom Camp goes back on the Road Day 28-31

This was the summer of travel and it was time to pack up and get going once again!  This time for a trip to visit our wonderful relatives at Lake Tahoe.

 Our first full day in Tahoe was full of fun at the beach enjoying the sun and the water.  We paddle boarded and kayaked and generally hung out relaxing and living the life.

In the afternoon, it was time get off our bottoms and go for a hike up Round Hill.  The hike was short, but went up and up and up!  Along the way, we discovered a feather from our state bird (the Mountain Blue Bird!)– What a find!

 Of course, we collected a great number of giant Tahoe Pine Cones, a family favorite.  We also made a count of the number of lizards we encountered along the way.  Cinco claims to have seen 7!  We also kept a running log of chipmunks… 2 was the final count.

After showers, it was time to enjoy a little culture. We headed off to a lovely evening on the lake watching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  To prepare for our cultural event, we completed:
 The two best things about it were the hot chocolate at intermission and The Princess saying she had seen Romeo and Juliet only with a cat and a dog as the main characters.

The following day it was back to the lake!

In the evening, we drove down the hill to good ol’ Gardnerville and JT’s Basque Restaurant!  The tradition is to pin dollar bills to the ceiling by throwing it up wrapped around a silver dollar!


On the third day we opted for another day at the lake followed by mini golf!

The drive home was also eventful and LONG.

 We managed to find a small herd of cattle crossing the road just as we drove by!  Astonishingly, they did not repond to our cow calls…

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August 9, 2015 · 5:10 pm

Mom Camp Day 18: WITCHES AND TALL SHIPS… It must be New England

It was time to leave Boston and head further north into Yankee New England.

I first stop was the famous town of Salem, Massachusetts home of the witch trials. In my own childhood, when I was about six years old I was terrified on my visit to Salem.  Returning as an adult, was not nearly so horrifying. The town seems to have been given over to more of the wicken crowd than the archetypal woman with warts, a cat and a black hat.

Nonetheless, we visited what is known as the witch house.  The structure was home to one of the judges who presided over the area of the Salem witch trials and is decorated in the period.

One of the best things about the witch house was the display showing instructions on how to make potions to reveal fairies.  You can bet next mid-summer we will be trying that one!

After strolling witchy Salem, we went over to water and took a look at navel Salem.  We boarded the tall ship, Friendship,  and played around near the water looking at the dock and the ocean beyond.

Our final visit in Salem was the old candy shope to sample some Black Jacks (basically burnt sugar sticks) and the Gibraltar candy in Lemon and Mint flavors.  We decided the Black Jacks were good.  But, no one in the family liked the Gibraltars.

When we arrived in Portland, ME we discovered it was the last day of a tall ships celebration. We managed to sneak in for the last 90 minutes of the multi-day extravaganza.


For dinner we had lobster rolls on the dock while listening to a little live music.  We strolled the main drag in Portland and ended the night with a little ice cream— Crocodile Flavor (which is green ice cream with M&Ms in it).

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August 5, 2015 · 4:50 pm

Boston Part Two: Mom Camp Day 17 

Waking in Boston, we decided that we should head out to Fenway Park and take a tour.  Little did we know that tours of park were canceled for a concert that night!!!

Plan B turned into brunch on the walk along the Charles River. The river was quite nice. But, unfortunately the humidity of the East Coast was not! By the time we finished our walk everyone was sweaty and cranky, despite a stop for lemonade and Perrier.

We decided to take part in another Boston tradition a splash in the frog pond. The children and I got soaking wet. So wet, in fact, our clothing didn’t dry in the humid weather for two days.

Then it was back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes.

Our next stop was the famous aquarium.

we decided this was a picture of the seal doing yoga


Dinner, ice cream and then back to the hotel to watch Snake Island.

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August 5, 2015 · 2:49 am

Mom Camp is Boston Bound, Day 16

Mom Camp hit the road again when the Captain and I took the kiddos to New England.  The first stop was Boston– colonial Mecca.

We started the day at the Boston Commons and then made a visit to the Swan Boats.  The short and inexpensive yet entertaining ride was a hit with the kids. We even saw a real swan.

park photo by The Princess

The next stop was the duck statue based on the book MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS.  

 Despite a little rain, we started off on The Freedom Trail.

  

We also saw all the typical spots…The Old South Meeting House, The Old State House, The Site of the Boston Masacre, Paul Revere’s House and quotes number of gravesites of our famous founding fathers.

I missed the Old North Church while I waited in a 30 minute line for the bathroom.  but, thankfully The Captain showed the kid around the building.

We also made it to the Navt Yard at Charlestown and walked aboard the USS Constitution.  In fact at the Navy Yard we signed a copper plate that will places inside the Constitution when it’s restoration is complete.

Navy Yard

The Boston tour ended with dinner in the famous Italian North End!

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July 2, 2015 · 9:01 pm

ASHFORD CASTLE: MCD 8

Leaving Galway we decided to make a stop by Athenry before heading to Ashford Castle.  Like any good Irish family, we are fans of the song Fields of Athenry.  The Captain and The Princess often play the song on the guitar and sing together.  With a little extra time on our hands we decided a trip to Athenry was in order.

Athenry Castle

We toured the castle… Which really wasn’t much compared to other castles in England and Ireland. And we tried to go to the Athenry priory.  But, it was closed.

Then it was on to Cong home of Ashford Castle and the town were some of the John Ford film The Quite Man was filmed.

In Cong there are a number of deep caves and caverns.  We decided on a nature walk before checking in at the castle.  Our first stop was Pigeonhole Cave.

view looking up from the bottom of the cave

We also took the Pigeonhole Cave walking loop–without the actually researching how long the loop was!  It seemed to simply never end.  It was alively walk in the woods along a stream, but the kiddos started to get a bit grousey after the 1st 45 minutes.

One bonus was the path lead us to Cong Abbey. It was located right on the river and the ruins included an old stone fishing house the monks used.

Cong Abbey cloister ruins

When we finally made it back to our car it was time to head out to Ahford Castle!

The castle welcomed us with personalized cookies and tour.  After discovering welcome gifts for the kids (a bear for The Princess and a sword for Cinco), we set work exploring…

   

The Billard Room

  

watching Ben Hur in the movie room

 
After dinner in the Dungeon it was bedtime for all!

 

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July 2, 2015 · 9:00 pm

The Long Drive: MCD 8

After the day in Dingle, the Captain took us on the long drive.  We we’re trapped in the car for almost 7 hours!!!!  Okay.  It wasn’t all bad.  But we certainly spent more time going the LONG WAY than I would have liked. 

The drive did include a ride on a ferry, which was a new experience for the kids.  

We also hit the famous Cliffs of Moher.  It was probably the most crowded tourist spot we encountered during the whole trip.  


At the end of the longest day we made it to Galway.  We walked the Latin Quarter and had dinner in a nice little pub with live Irish music.  That made The Captain very happy. 

  

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July 1, 2015 · 10:12 pm

It’s Dingle, Darling: MCD 6 

Mom Camp Day 6

Before leaving Cork, we needed to grab a picnic lunch for our drive to Dingle. We decided to stop by the Cork English Market. The place was fantastic. We only had 45 minutes to stay and I wish we had had longer. It had everything you could want Greek olives, fresh fish, chocolate, fresh produce and of course Irish tea.   The Captain and the kids had a delightful time roaming the stalls.

Then it was off for the drive to Dingle.  But of course along the way I had to insist on a stop on the mom tour of the of the obscure!  Took a quick detour to see where Michael Collins was assassinated–Beal na Blath.  The site has a tasteful memorial cross dedicated to Collins.    

Inch beach was the next stop. We did some amazing shell collecting and stopped for a beachside picnic lunch. 

Before hitting the village of Dingle itself, we stopped by the South Pole Inn.  This little bar was operated by local hero Tom Crean.  For those who don’t know, Crean was 2nd command on the Endurance. 

 

The South Pole Inn


We started hitting the Dingle sites after that.

   

  

  

  

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June 30, 2015 · 9:15 pm

Time to Meet the Duggans: MCD 5

Waking up in Kilkenny we took a final look at the hotel grounds and made for the famous Rock of Cashel.  The Rock was an important religious site in Ireland for many centuries.   

frescos from the chapel at the Rock Cashel

  

Carvings from Cashel

  

kids @ Cashel

 We toured the area and looked at many of the remaining frescos.  We also enjoyed the views from The Rock.  We toured the restored choir hall and took a quick walk through the town.    

Cashel Abbey through a slit in the wall

 

Next stop was Blarney Castle to kiss the stone!  I was surprised there wasn’t a major line to kiss the stone.  Cinco and The Princess weren’t really interested in getting up close and personal with the stone– both because they thought it was scary and a little gross. While walking the grounds on the way to the castle, The Princess declared it was, ‘neither sanitary nor entertaining.’  Haha.  I had to agree. 

The Captain, however had childhood memories of kissing the stone.  It seems his parents took him to Blarney back in the day and he even had a certificate to prove he had indeed kissed the stone. 

I was forced to kiss the stone to provide a good example for the kiddos!  But this didn’t  help.  Both kids made an attempt to kiss it, but neither could follow through.  Personally, I don’t blame them.  It wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be.  We were traveling in the shoulder season, so maybe the crowds were fewer.  But, the drop down is pretty unnerving.  The Princess is only 6 and I do not think it WOULD HAPPEN, but I could see a senerio where she could have fallen through!!!  

While castle is something of a tourist must do, it does have lovely and extensive grounds, including a tiki garden and fairy forest.  We wondered for a little while but had to get a move on and meet the Cork Duggans.

You see part of my father’s family still lives in outside Blarney near Cork!  He’s 100% Irish and even has an Irish passport!  We Americans still keep contact and so of course we had to pay a visit. 

The night was delightful and the Duggans all lived on the same road so MANY of the cousins came by.  Even better there were some younger ones in hand for Cinco and The Princess to play with!!!  We got to see their farm and share dinner.  

We got to hear some family history and I even saws photo of another cousin (absent) who shared some facial features.

The kids started to get pooped so we had to depart around 10pm.  But it was highlight of the trip meeting them! 

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