We headed out after a breakfast of French Toast and Bacon. (Thanks grandpa, and grandma) Our destination - Wilstem ranch. Our activity - ATV side by side tours! After being helmeted up we headed out to our mules. Andy drove Kathy, Mikayla and Zack. Grandpa drove grandma, Nick and Aimee. Our tour was led by Beau. He explained that we should follow him and we shouldn't get stuck. It had rained the day before - lets go see how muddy we can get. As we headed out of the parking lot - grandma was holding on for dear life - and the hyenas in Andy's vehicle started laughing hysterically. We drove through the woods, through fields, over bridges, under tunnels, up hills, down hills, around trees, through mud. Mud was flying everywhere. It is reported that Grandma said if she got a drop of mud on her she was going to kill someone. Halfway through we stopped and got a history lesson from Beau.
Wilstem Guest Ranch can trace its beginnings back to 1915 when the property was purchased by Ed Ballard, a noted local entrepreneur who developed the area as a hideaway for wealthy and famous people, including Al Capone. Always a horse lover, Ballard owned a string of blooded show horses he annually entered in horse shows around the country, winning many prizes along the way. Ballard owned a large interest in the West Baden Springs Hotel, and he bought out circuses throughout the country, eventually forming the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, larger even than the Barnum or Ringling Brothers circuses. Ballard established a winter quarters for his circus in nearby West Baden Springs.
Ballard sold his circus and hotel interests just before the Great Depression but he kept the Wilstem Ranch property as a hunting ground and private playground. President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed hunting pheasant and quail through the large stands of walnut trees on the property; actors Henry Fonda and Tom Mix were regular visitors as was the famous Chicago gangster Al Capone, who married one of his wives in front of the fireplace in the historic lodge. While visiting the area F.D.R. announced his candidacy for president at the nearby French Lick Hotel. Legendary heavyweight world boxing champ Joe Lewis trained on the Wilstem grounds, in the forest, and in the ranch’s historic Red Barn.
Ed Ballard died in 1936 and the property stayed in his family until 1950 when it was purchased by John Cabot, the owner of the nearby French Lick Resort. Cabot died in the late 1950s and the property was sold, named Wilstem Farm, and used as a hunting grounds.
In the late 1980s, the property got a new lease on life when it was purchased by Jerry Fuhs, a Southern Indiana entrepreneur. All of the farm’s original buildings were restored, including the 10 bedroom lodge, built of solid walnut logs cut on the property. Riding and hiking trails were cleared and restored, ponds were stocked with fish, and modern guest quarters were added.
For nearly 100 years, the fate of Wilstem Guest Ranch and the historic towns of French Lick and West Baden have been closely intertwined. While the Wilstem restoration has been ongoing since the late 1980s, the phenomenal renaissance of French Lick and West Baden over the past 10 years has strengthened the bond between these three historic places. Visionary entrepreneurship and a love for historic preservation have again made all three some of the most popular vacation destinations in the Midwest.
We continued our track through the woods amidst the sounds of screaming and laughing. Next after cleaning up we headed up to Amish Country to enjoy shopping, bakery and dining. Finally, Andy, Kathy, Nick, Mikayla, Zack and Aimee headed out for some more fun. Destination go karts. Finally back to the hotel to the gold course - for FOOT GOLF! SOOOOOOOOO much fun - if you have the opportunity you have to play. It is played on a golf course - with every player having a soccer ball. It was the perfect end of the day for Mikayla and Zack, but Nick and Aimee took to the bowling alley - while Kathy and Andy enjoyed the casino.
Whew! What a day! We all slept really well!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
August 11 2015
Another long travel day met with exhaustion from the group. No problem. I k ow how to make a low key day...and still have fun. After breakfast we packed a picnic lunch. we headed out to discover a small local artisan with newly purposed items. Next we headed to Santa Claus, IN. Although there main claim is an amusement park named Holiday World, we had a much different destination. After stopping for a ..... ahem.....picnic?......in the parking of Dollar General we headed to the Santa Claus Christmas Ornament Store. They had every ornament you could think of....they even had a whole tree decorated in pastries. ...which we named Aimee ' s tree.
Next we headed to Santa's Stables. I will highly recommend them. Kathy rode Donut. Andrew rode Eagle. Nicholas rode Dancer. Mikayla rode Sir Alvin. Zachary rode Shorty. Aimee rode Bobby . We had 3 tour guides that took us through their property, a mere 170 acres. As we wound up and down the hills and around trees they chatted with us...reassuring everyone at every new obstacle and giving excellent instructions. On our way back to the stables we say a 6 point buck watching us from about 50 yards away. But the excitement didn't end when we dismounted. ....next to ride Donut was none other than Grandma. Yeehaw!
Next we headed back to the condo...we had a most delicious meal....turkey pot pie prepared by Chef Aimee. It was delicious...even the specially made gluten free one for Kathy.
Next Kathy, Nick, Andy and Zack headed out for mini golf only to find out it had closed before we got there. Oh well to bed.
Next we headed to Santa's Stables. I will highly recommend them. Kathy rode Donut. Andrew rode Eagle. Nicholas rode Dancer. Mikayla rode Sir Alvin. Zachary rode Shorty. Aimee rode Bobby . We had 3 tour guides that took us through their property, a mere 170 acres. As we wound up and down the hills and around trees they chatted with us...reassuring everyone at every new obstacle and giving excellent instructions. On our way back to the stables we say a 6 point buck watching us from about 50 yards away. But the excitement didn't end when we dismounted. ....next to ride Donut was none other than Grandma. Yeehaw!
Next we headed back to the condo...we had a most delicious meal....turkey pot pie prepared by Chef Aimee. It was delicious...even the specially made gluten free one for Kathy.
Next Kathy, Nick, Andy and Zack headed out for mini golf only to find out it had closed before we got there. Oh well to bed.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday August 10 2015
Early start today - Everyone up, showered and out of the house by 8 - guess that cattle prod is working - that or its the lure of where we are headed. Bowling Green, KY. Birthplace of the Corvette.
Another long ride - 2+ hours. After stopping to get shoes for the people without closed toe shoes we made it to the Corvette Factory tour. We walked over a mile - being amazed at the process of individually producing these cars. Did you know it takes a YEAR to order and get one! The starting cost is $58,000 and they go up from there depending on the model and options. But more importantly can you believe they are so busy they have gone to 10 hour days! Each station has 3 minutes to complete their job. The goal is to complete 170 corvettes everyday! They have an option on one of the cars for $5000 you can build your own engine. And for another $800 you can stay with your vehicle during the entire manufacturing process.
After the tour we decided to get lunch - once again we were tricked by the GPSs into looking for restaurants that are no longer there! We finally ended up at Burger King.
Than back to the Corvette Museum. Since 1953 the Corvette has been America’s Sports Car. The
excitement and dedication to the Corvette gave rise to an idea for a library and
archive from the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS). The Bowling Green
Area Chamber of Commerce developed a lucrative incentive package to convince
NCRS to locate the Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and upon selection many
other enthusiast groups along with the Corvette Assembly Plant worked together to
make the plan a reality. On September 2, 1994 the National Corvette Museum
opened to thousands of Corvette enthusiasts who caravaned from all over the
country. Corvette enthusiasts from all over the world kindly and lovingly
refer to the NCM as their home… their mecca. The museum is the only facility of its
kind in the United States dedicated to a single model. Its mission is to celebrate the
Corvette in all of its forms; to preserve the past, present and future of the car; and
to educate the world about everything Corvette. The facility was expanded in 2009
to 115,000 square feet. The GM Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant, the only
place in the world where Corvettes are made, is located across the street from the
National Corvette Museum and has been producing the iconic car since 1981.
Executive Director. Interestingly enough we entered one room and found 8 mangled corvettes - how strange - until we found out there had been a sink hole that had swallowed up 8 of them overnight. Can you imagine being the person to find this!
Trivia question - What year did Corvette only manufacture 1 Corvette and why? (which is in the museum)
We stopped for dinner on the way home - Terry's Pit Stop. Back to the condo - tired. But not too tired for Grandma, grandpa, Kathy and Andy to take a trip to the casino. Kathy had a great time at the BlackJack table winning back what she and Andy fed to the slots machines earlier. Time for bed!
Another long ride - 2+ hours. After stopping to get shoes for the people without closed toe shoes we made it to the Corvette Factory tour. We walked over a mile - being amazed at the process of individually producing these cars. Did you know it takes a YEAR to order and get one! The starting cost is $58,000 and they go up from there depending on the model and options. But more importantly can you believe they are so busy they have gone to 10 hour days! Each station has 3 minutes to complete their job. The goal is to complete 170 corvettes everyday! They have an option on one of the cars for $5000 you can build your own engine. And for another $800 you can stay with your vehicle during the entire manufacturing process.
After the tour we decided to get lunch - once again we were tricked by the GPSs into looking for restaurants that are no longer there! We finally ended up at Burger King.
Than back to the Corvette Museum. Since 1953 the Corvette has been America’s Sports Car. The
excitement and dedication to the Corvette gave rise to an idea for a library and
archive from the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS). The Bowling Green
Area Chamber of Commerce developed a lucrative incentive package to convince
NCRS to locate the Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and upon selection many
other enthusiast groups along with the Corvette Assembly Plant worked together to
make the plan a reality. On September 2, 1994 the National Corvette Museum
opened to thousands of Corvette enthusiasts who caravaned from all over the
country. Corvette enthusiasts from all over the world kindly and lovingly
refer to the NCM as their home… their mecca. The museum is the only facility of its
kind in the United States dedicated to a single model. Its mission is to celebrate the
Corvette in all of its forms; to preserve the past, present and future of the car; and
to educate the world about everything Corvette. The facility was expanded in 2009
to 115,000 square feet. The GM Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant, the only
place in the world where Corvettes are made, is located across the street from the
National Corvette Museum and has been producing the iconic car since 1981.
Executive Director. Interestingly enough we entered one room and found 8 mangled corvettes - how strange - until we found out there had been a sink hole that had swallowed up 8 of them overnight. Can you imagine being the person to find this!
Trivia question - What year did Corvette only manufacture 1 Corvette and why? (which is in the museum)
We stopped for dinner on the way home - Terry's Pit Stop. Back to the condo - tired. But not too tired for Grandma, grandpa, Kathy and Andy to take a trip to the casino. Kathy had a great time at the BlackJack table winning back what she and Andy fed to the slots machines earlier. Time for bed!
Sunday, Aug 9 2015
Sorry for the delay in the blog. WiFi is not the greatest and it is sometimes difficult to be in the right place at the right time. Today we decided to have a VERY low key day since we have spent about 24 hours traveling in the last 2 days. As a matter of fact - Kathy got up at 10 and took pictures of everyone. The only ones up were grandpa, grandma and Aimee. I scared grandma getting out of the shower (Hehehe. Don't tell her that made the photoslide show!)
Everyone (except Kathy) had Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast. Then Grandma, Grandpa, Kathy and Andy went to finish registering, and to pick up a few supplies. We headed to CVS and Jay C (grocery store). When we got back we made homemade pizza for lunch.
After lunch Nick used the bathroom - when we asked why it took so long we were informed that it takes a while for the 2 foot snake to come out. (Might I remind you that Nick thought a giraffe's neck is 21 inches) LMAO
At this time the whole group headed out to explore. If you think this is an easy task getting 8 people moving out the door - to quote grandma (You got to be shittin me!) Thinking I might need to go purchase a cattle prod!
We headed to the French Lick resort. For nearly 170 years there has been a lodging establishment operating at the current site of French Lick Springs Hotel. It all began in 1845, when Dr. William Bowles, a physician from Paoli, Indiana, opened the first French Lick Springs Hotel. In 1901 the outgoing mayor of Indianapolis, Tom Taggart, along with a small group of investors, formed the French Lick Hotel Company and bought the property. It was under Tom Taggart's imaginative direction that French Lick Springs Hotel made great strides in décor, development and transportation.
Taggart modernized and expanded the mineral springs for which the hotel was becoming famous. He built pavilions to shelter them and added a new bath building on the current site of the Spa at French Lick Springs Hotel. He brought electricity, a fresh water system and a trolley line to the town. He built a new bottling house to bottle water from his Pluto Spring for national distribution.
Also in 1917, the world famous chef Louis Perrin first served tomato juice. As luck would have it one morning he was out of oranges and could not serve the traditional orange juice. Needing to serve some sort of juice at breakfast, Chef Perrin squeezed tomatoes and the rest is history.
In 1946, Thomas Taggart, Junior sold French Lick Springs Hotel. Over the next nearly 60 years French Lick Springs Hotel was owned by five companies operating out of five different states, none of which was Indiana. It wasn’t until 2005 when French Lick Springs Hotel was purchased by COOK Group, Inc. The COOK Group, a global medical device manufacturing company, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, that stepped in to preserve both French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel. Under the direction of Bill, Gayle and their son, Carl Cook, both hotels and their grounds received a multi-million dollar renovation returning them to the grandeur of the days of Taggart and uniting them as one resort. In 2006, French Lick Springs Hotel reopened after an extensive renovation and new addition, French Lick Casino. The original 1917 “Hill Course” was reopened and restored as The Donald Ross Course. With the completion of the West Baden Springs Hotel restoration in 2007 French Lick Resort was born.
The hotel is gorgeous! Bowling alley, arcade, shopping promenade, indoor and outdoor pool and tennis courts, golf course, riding stables, restaurants, bars, just to name a little.
At this time the group split up and grandma and grandpa hit the casino (did I forget to mention that!)
Everyone else, boarded the trolleys and headed to the sister property West Baden. As pretty as French Lick - West Baden makes it look sad. West Baden was so elegant. Loved the domed center room with all the rooms overlooking it!
We managed to meet back up at French Lick - and we decided to take a carriage ride. Not long after boarding - it began to POUR.. The driver radioed in and asked if we could go to the garage - he said it was fine but we were only going to get a little light rain! Ha - would love to see what he considers a down pour. Rose, the horse, led us around the property, across covered bridge and by 9 deer!
By now we headed back to the room - still exhausted from all our travel earlier.
Everyone (except Kathy) had Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast. Then Grandma, Grandpa, Kathy and Andy went to finish registering, and to pick up a few supplies. We headed to CVS and Jay C (grocery store). When we got back we made homemade pizza for lunch.
After lunch Nick used the bathroom - when we asked why it took so long we were informed that it takes a while for the 2 foot snake to come out. (Might I remind you that Nick thought a giraffe's neck is 21 inches) LMAO
At this time the whole group headed out to explore. If you think this is an easy task getting 8 people moving out the door - to quote grandma (You got to be shittin me!) Thinking I might need to go purchase a cattle prod!
We headed to the French Lick resort. For nearly 170 years there has been a lodging establishment operating at the current site of French Lick Springs Hotel. It all began in 1845, when Dr. William Bowles, a physician from Paoli, Indiana, opened the first French Lick Springs Hotel. In 1901 the outgoing mayor of Indianapolis, Tom Taggart, along with a small group of investors, formed the French Lick Hotel Company and bought the property. It was under Tom Taggart's imaginative direction that French Lick Springs Hotel made great strides in décor, development and transportation.
Taggart modernized and expanded the mineral springs for which the hotel was becoming famous. He built pavilions to shelter them and added a new bath building on the current site of the Spa at French Lick Springs Hotel. He brought electricity, a fresh water system and a trolley line to the town. He built a new bottling house to bottle water from his Pluto Spring for national distribution.
Also in 1917, the world famous chef Louis Perrin first served tomato juice. As luck would have it one morning he was out of oranges and could not serve the traditional orange juice. Needing to serve some sort of juice at breakfast, Chef Perrin squeezed tomatoes and the rest is history.
In 1946, Thomas Taggart, Junior sold French Lick Springs Hotel. Over the next nearly 60 years French Lick Springs Hotel was owned by five companies operating out of five different states, none of which was Indiana. It wasn’t until 2005 when French Lick Springs Hotel was purchased by COOK Group, Inc. The COOK Group, a global medical device manufacturing company, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, that stepped in to preserve both French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel. Under the direction of Bill, Gayle and their son, Carl Cook, both hotels and their grounds received a multi-million dollar renovation returning them to the grandeur of the days of Taggart and uniting them as one resort. In 2006, French Lick Springs Hotel reopened after an extensive renovation and new addition, French Lick Casino. The original 1917 “Hill Course” was reopened and restored as The Donald Ross Course. With the completion of the West Baden Springs Hotel restoration in 2007 French Lick Resort was born.
The hotel is gorgeous! Bowling alley, arcade, shopping promenade, indoor and outdoor pool and tennis courts, golf course, riding stables, restaurants, bars, just to name a little.
At this time the group split up and grandma and grandpa hit the casino (did I forget to mention that!)
Everyone else, boarded the trolleys and headed to the sister property West Baden. As pretty as French Lick - West Baden makes it look sad. West Baden was so elegant. Loved the domed center room with all the rooms overlooking it!
We managed to meet back up at French Lick - and we decided to take a carriage ride. Not long after boarding - it began to POUR.. The driver radioed in and asked if we could go to the garage - he said it was fine but we were only going to get a little light rain! Ha - would love to see what he considers a down pour. Rose, the horse, led us around the property, across covered bridge and by 9 deer!
By now we headed back to the room - still exhausted from all our travel earlier.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Aug 8 2015
Well after a long battle of figuring out the Wi-Fi I did it. It was simple. I just needed to pair my Laptop to my Smartphone via Bluetooth. After that I needed to tether a remote mobile hotspot. I sound so geeky!
Anyway, we ate breakfast at the hotel. They served up eggs, sausage, pancakes, assorted pastries, cereals, yogurt, fruit and beverages. We packed up the vehicles and headed out intent on reaching French Lick while we were still sane. (as if we were to start with)
After a gas station break I received an text message from my sister who is pet sitting. She is writing her own blog. It is hilarious. My favorite entry is "Mom thinks Skittles (my mom's rabbit) is all this (angel face) but she really is this (devil face).
We eventually met out 600 mile question. No one got it right but I likes Aimee's answer so she got the credit. Eventually I decided we needed to change things up so each car did Mad Libs and created these stories.
The Gingerbread Man
by Zack, Andy, and Kathy (Mikayla was sleeping)
One day a stupid lady was baking gingerbread men. Suddenly one of the gingerbread men got up and started to fart.
"Wiggle, Wiggle as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man," he said
Then he ran off. Nest the gingerbread man met a ninja who thought the gingerbread man looked pretty nice.
"Mmmmmmmm" the ninja thought, "Just one nibble of his hair would be delicious!"
So it chased the gingerbread man to the riverbank where he met a chubby fox.
"Quick! Hop on this finger" said the fox"and I will take you across the river."
The gingerbread man was ugly and so he did it. And the fox quickly gobbled up his butt.
The end.
and this story by Team NEAL (Nick, Ed, Aimee, and Linda)
Snowed In
If you can't get out of your house because of a sudden wrench storm, don't panic. You'll be jokingly safe if you have the following catwoman on hand.
1. At least one flash bridge in working condition with plenty of extra thongs.
2.A car operated radio that receives both AM and CB weinies.
3.First aid corn
4.A week's supply of stupid water
5, Warm clothes, preferably woolen sweets, thermal trees and of course smelly underwear
6. Emergency numbers for the police and fire hamburgers, your running doctor and a close tire member posted in a convenient Shadow,
Stay safe,
We saw a sign for Grandpa's Cheesebarn and decided to go check it out. Boy are we glad we did. It was located in the middle of the Ohio Amish country. We went upstairs, and were invited to taste test 180 different cheeses, spread, dips and jerkys! Everyone picked out there favorites. Next we went out and bought vegetables from a Amish gentleman named Andy. Andrew bought Kathy a beautiful handmade wooden lazy susan made by this man. Finally a stop in Sweeties for tons of different kinds of candies. Back in the car, but Aimee said that was a great way to help break up the ride. But apparently this opened up the request line to make stops. Nick decided he wanted to stop at the AdultMart. He thought it was a restaurant. They probably had edible underwear! NO Then he wanted to stop at the Lion's Den and his mother quickly roared NO!
Lunch break - beautiful rest stop but horrible bugs. I think they are called sweat bees! Needless to say it was a quick (although delicious lunch of made to order sandwiches) lunch.
These definitely helped pass the time and before we knew it we were at mile 800! Nick got the question right which was "what is a group of swallows called?
Through Ohio (which by the way is home to the CRAZIEST drivers everyone), into Kentucky we sailed.
900 miles down left grandma with another trivia victory.
INDIANA!!!!
Kathy had purchased some Groupons and it was time to stop and get some goodies.
First stop - Krispy Kreme Donuts. Although it was kind of deja vu - because when we got to it - it wasn't there! It had moved down the street. Anyway, everyone picked out their donuts. Now off to the next surprise :0 Adrienne and Company Bakery. Everyone picked out a delicious treat.
Todays question is who picked what?
Aimee Cheesecake
Andrew chocolate chip frosted brownie
Grandma GF amaretti cookies
Grandpa macaroons
Kathy macaroons
Mikayla nothing
Nicholas Peanut Butter cup Cupcake
Zachary Red Velvet Cupcake
Why does it seem like the last hour is the longest?????? We drove through these beautiful farmlands wondering where we were headed! Then all of sudden there were bug magical gates (Aimee said it was like Disney) welcoming us. Incredible! Wait til you see the photos.
We checked in and began unpacking - although we will all be fit after the hike to our villa! Dinner consisted of chicken, corn of the cob, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and garlic bread. and of course dessert from the bakery. YUM!
After I struggled with the Wi-Fi off to bed (around 1130) Although the kids were still up watching a movie. (Must be nice to be young!)
More to some later. Remember to enter to win!
Anyway, we ate breakfast at the hotel. They served up eggs, sausage, pancakes, assorted pastries, cereals, yogurt, fruit and beverages. We packed up the vehicles and headed out intent on reaching French Lick while we were still sane. (as if we were to start with)
After a gas station break I received an text message from my sister who is pet sitting. She is writing her own blog. It is hilarious. My favorite entry is "Mom thinks Skittles (my mom's rabbit) is all this (angel face) but she really is this (devil face).
We eventually met out 600 mile question. No one got it right but I likes Aimee's answer so she got the credit. Eventually I decided we needed to change things up so each car did Mad Libs and created these stories.
The Gingerbread Man
by Zack, Andy, and Kathy (Mikayla was sleeping)
One day a stupid lady was baking gingerbread men. Suddenly one of the gingerbread men got up and started to fart.
"Wiggle, Wiggle as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man," he said
Then he ran off. Nest the gingerbread man met a ninja who thought the gingerbread man looked pretty nice.
"Mmmmmmmm" the ninja thought, "Just one nibble of his hair would be delicious!"
So it chased the gingerbread man to the riverbank where he met a chubby fox.
"Quick! Hop on this finger" said the fox"and I will take you across the river."
The gingerbread man was ugly and so he did it. And the fox quickly gobbled up his butt.
The end.
and this story by Team NEAL (Nick, Ed, Aimee, and Linda)
Snowed In
If you can't get out of your house because of a sudden wrench storm, don't panic. You'll be jokingly safe if you have the following catwoman on hand.
1. At least one flash bridge in working condition with plenty of extra thongs.
2.A car operated radio that receives both AM and CB weinies.
3.First aid corn
4.A week's supply of stupid water
5, Warm clothes, preferably woolen sweets, thermal trees and of course smelly underwear
6. Emergency numbers for the police and fire hamburgers, your running doctor and a close tire member posted in a convenient Shadow,
Stay safe,
We saw a sign for Grandpa's Cheesebarn and decided to go check it out. Boy are we glad we did. It was located in the middle of the Ohio Amish country. We went upstairs, and were invited to taste test 180 different cheeses, spread, dips and jerkys! Everyone picked out there favorites. Next we went out and bought vegetables from a Amish gentleman named Andy. Andrew bought Kathy a beautiful handmade wooden lazy susan made by this man. Finally a stop in Sweeties for tons of different kinds of candies. Back in the car, but Aimee said that was a great way to help break up the ride. But apparently this opened up the request line to make stops. Nick decided he wanted to stop at the AdultMart. He thought it was a restaurant. They probably had edible underwear! NO Then he wanted to stop at the Lion's Den and his mother quickly roared NO!
Lunch break - beautiful rest stop but horrible bugs. I think they are called sweat bees! Needless to say it was a quick (although delicious lunch of made to order sandwiches) lunch.
These definitely helped pass the time and before we knew it we were at mile 800! Nick got the question right which was "what is a group of swallows called?
Through Ohio (which by the way is home to the CRAZIEST drivers everyone), into Kentucky we sailed.
900 miles down left grandma with another trivia victory.
INDIANA!!!!
Kathy had purchased some Groupons and it was time to stop and get some goodies.
First stop - Krispy Kreme Donuts. Although it was kind of deja vu - because when we got to it - it wasn't there! It had moved down the street. Anyway, everyone picked out their donuts. Now off to the next surprise :0 Adrienne and Company Bakery. Everyone picked out a delicious treat.
Todays question is who picked what?
Aimee Cheesecake
Andrew chocolate chip frosted brownie
Grandma GF amaretti cookies
Grandpa macaroons
Kathy macaroons
Mikayla nothing
Nicholas Peanut Butter cup Cupcake
Zachary Red Velvet Cupcake
Why does it seem like the last hour is the longest?????? We drove through these beautiful farmlands wondering where we were headed! Then all of sudden there were bug magical gates (Aimee said it was like Disney) welcoming us. Incredible! Wait til you see the photos.
We checked in and began unpacking - although we will all be fit after the hike to our villa! Dinner consisted of chicken, corn of the cob, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and garlic bread. and of course dessert from the bakery. YUM!
After I struggled with the Wi-Fi off to bed (around 1130) Although the kids were still up watching a movie. (Must be nice to be young!)
More to some later. Remember to enter to win!
Friday, August 7, 2015
August 7, 2015
Whew! What a day. From going to bed at 2......to getting up at 5......to a 12 hour time in the car.....to restaurant problems....WHEW! Where do I begin? Let's start at the very beginning......a very good place to start.....when you read you begin with ABC....oops sorry.....
Anyway, we got up, loaded up the remaining things in the car and headed to McDonalds for breakfast. BTW did I mention we are driving in STYLE. Kathy, Andy, Zack and Mikayla are riding in a 2016 Ford Fusion. Grandma, Grandpa, Nick and Aimee in a 2015 Chevy Equinox. Anyway, we hit the actually highway around 710. Our overnight destination is Youngstown, Ohio.
The beginning of the trip by flew effortlessly. The gang greeted the 1st 100 miles with a trivia question. Aimee got it right and then Nick provided and even longer word. Let's see if you can get it right.
True or False
"Copyrightable" is the longest word in the English language that can be written without repeating a letter?
If false, what is the longest word that can be written without repeating a letter?
The miles continued to fly by and grandma won the next 100 mile trivia.
It was time to stop for lunch: turkey and ham sandwiches made to order at your picnic table. Oh wait - Nick had cold macaroni and cheese. After loading back up, shortly down the highway we needed to stop for gas. We pulled into a gas station, but went on the wrong side and ended up in a parking lot with literally 100s of trailer trucks....Nick says "Is this a truck stop?" DUH!
Nick redeemed himself by getting the next trivia question right. Everyone participated in a coloring contest and we now have some wonder artwork.
I finally was able to stump everyone with the next trivia question....let's see if you can get it right....
The average length of a giraffe's neck is how long? (Hint: it's not Nick's answer of 21 inches!!!!) LMAO
The kids had some from INTERESTING song choices......wow I must be getting old!!
We made an ice cream break and then continued the tiring journey.....Pennsylvania is 283 miles from East to West. I was so happy to see Ohio I wanted to jump out of the car and kiss the ground at the welcome sign!
Anyway, of course the last hour we ran into traffic which made it take an hour and a half. We made it to our destination....Quality Inn and Suites in Youngstown. We had rooms next to each other. Unfortunately the journey of the day does not end here.....We needed to get dinner.
Kathy had a restaurant.com certificate for a pizza place.....except everything we asked for they didn't have so we decided we would try something else. After perusing and arguing over Denny's , Mexican or pizza we decided on a different pizza place.....EXCEPT when we called - it was no longer that pizza place - and they were out of half the things we wanted....back to the drawing board....ok.....Pizza Hut..... Grandpa makes an executive decision that we are going to eat there - BUT - when we got there it was not a Taco Bell.......To quote grandma......"You got to be shittin me"
Across the street we saw a Long John Silver's. That's where we ate - it was delicious....the staff was awesome....back to the hotel to shower, get some sleep and work on the BLOG
Thanks for reading - remember to enter the 2 trivia contests!
See you tomorrow.
Check out some photos from the day
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Aug 7, 2015
Well...it's that time of year....we are hitting the roads and traveling to new places. Kathy, Andrew, Nick, Mikayla, Zachary, grandma, grandpa and Aimee are hitting the road in 5 hours. I got to get some sleep.....hope you follow our adventures Cuz they are going to be legend ....... wait for it .... dary. See you in the morning!
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