Why I hate O'Hare

I think I can safely say this was the worst start to a trip EVER.  Although I kind of think flying with kids is like child birth, in that you forget the severity of the trauma or you’d never do it again, I am pretty sure these memories will never be erased.  This was a colossal case of bad karma for thinking I’d gotten the better of the airlines.  When I booked this trip back in June I cheaped out and got a flight that arrived in Puerto Rico at 3:30am.  I can only justify the travel we do by sacrificing some comfort for savings.  We booked so far in advance that of course our flight changed, and United was going to leave us with a 5+ hour layover in Washington DC.  I called and complained and they switched us to a flight that gave us an extra day in Puerto Rico and a normal arrival time.  The only hitch was we had to go through O’Hare aka HELL.  Despite our last unpleasant experience I decided I really wanted that extra day.  Apparently the fates of travel wanted otherwise.  We dragged our kids out of bed at 4:30 am to make out flight in Dayton.  We ended up slightly delayed in Dayton, which lead to us sprinting with crying children to our flight in Chicago.  There is no better way to start a trip than crying kids running through an airport tripping over their own luggage and dropping things while strangers judge you for screaming at them to run faster. 

Luckily we made it just in time.  Just in time to sit on a plane at the gate for about 2 hours.  When they start telling you you can leave the plane for food and reboard that’s a bad sign.  When an hour later they force you to get off the plane to wait out a winter storm in Chicago that’s a really bad sign.  When all the flights at O’Hare are grounded and they then start canceling everything you are a news story.  I now have an incredible amount of sympathy for people stranded in airports.  I hate them to begin with but when there’s no hope of leaving it is the stuff of nightmares. 

Our flight was cancelled 6.5 hours after it was supposed to take off.  Had we taken off on time there wouldn’t have been any problems.  It was as if Chicago O’Hare has never had to deal with a winter storm before.  The line of people waiting to reschedule filled the entire terminal.  Luckily I called and got a representative on the phone to switch our flights to a different airline.  Other people waited out the lines.  We were rebooked on a different flight which finally took off about 5 hours after it was scheduled to.  Flight cancellations and delays give people a lot of time to drink in airports which was starting to make me a little nervous.  There were mobs of people at the gate we were supposed to leave from because apparently the airlines aren’t capable of providing any sort of accurate or updated information to people once something goes wrong.  It was truly amazing how completely disorganized everything was.  In general the gate agents were very nice despite everything.

We had the privilege of escaping O’Hare on the first flight to leave for Philadelphia that day (per our captain’s announcement).  We got to Philly around 12:00am, which was 10 hours after we should’ve been in sunny San Juan.  Luckily we got in at the airport Marriott for the night.  The VERY nice front desk person gave us a good rate.  The EXTREMELY nice restaurant manager convinced the chef, who is now my personal hero, to make us food since we hadn’t eaten since lunch.  Never has a club sandwich tasted sooooooo good.  After about 4 hours of sleep we went to stand in a ridiculously long security line with cranky TSA workers, so we could catch our morning flight to San Juan.  We arrived close to 24 hours later than expected.  The man who own our AirBNB said he watched the news and wasn’t expecting us until Wednesday.  He luckily brought some joy back to our travels by being an amazing host.  We made it to the grocery store.  After loading up all our luggage and food on the ferry we made it to our private island condo in one piece.  Here end the complaints of a person who gets to go sunny warm places in the winter. 

We were okay with the delay when we got free direct TV and food.

Once we had to leave the plane and the ice storm started it was a different story. 

A Quick Trip on the Bourbon Trail

So this time we were guaranteed to come back because we left the kids behind.  We escaped for just over 48 hours and it was fabulous.  We headed down to the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky with the goal of stopping at each of the 9 distilleries.  If you get your Bourbon Trail passport stamped at each one you can earn a free t-shirt.  We didn't have time for tours at all of them, but we did pick up a bottle of bourbon at each one. 

In order to make it to all 9 we had to start in Louisville, because Bulleit is not open on Mondays.  Were we to do this again I'd start in Lexington on a different day of the week and then end in Louisville.  We'd planned for Bulleit to be our first tour, however there were some issues with their posted hours versus their actual hours thanks to the blue laws in Kentucky.  When we pulled up to Bulleit it took us a minute to figure out what the crazy looking structures on the property were.  We later figured out they are rickhouses where the bourbon is stored.  We wandered around the property on our own and read some of the history posted on the walls before heading to Evan Williams in downtown Lousville.

Here's one of Bulleit's rickhouses.  I'd totally believe these things are haunted.

Evan Williams was a quick stop as well.  I wish we'd had more time in Louisville to see some of the other non-bourbon related sites downtown.  Maybe next time?  From Louisville we headed to the Bardstown area to go to Jim Beam and then Heaven Hill.  Our stop at Jim Beam was another quick one.  We made it to Heaven Hill just in time to join the Connoisseur tour.  It was a sort of condensed version of info we'd end up getting on our next two distillery tours.  The connoisseur tour was special because we got to try some of the REALLY expensive bourbons and ryes.  I believe we were told the one Elijah Craig we tried goes for $70 a shot.  I had a list of reasons I found it appalling people would spend $70 on a shot that I politely kept to myself.  The people who worked here were incredibly nice. The little breadstick like things they had with the tasting were super tasty, although we hadn't eaten all day so maybe I was just deliriously hungry at that point.

We decided to stay the first night in Bardstown because it put us closed to the next day's distilleries.  Barstown is a beautiful area and there are lots of other attractions besides just the bourbon distilleries.  Sadly Sunday is not the best day to be there because most places are closed.  Even the Catholic church was locked up for the day by the time we arrived.  We also seemed to have just missed what I imagine are very impressive fall colors.  If we did this trip again I'd go earlier in October and try to head down on a Thursday or Friday.  

We stayed at the Jailer's Inn because I'd found a deal on Priceline.  It was adorable and Paul is an amazing host with great stories.  The ladies working when we arrived were also very friendly and helpful.  We ate at the Old Talbott Tavern next door because most other places were closed.  I highly recommend it!!!  The burgoo, hot brown, and country fried steak were fantastic.  My only regret is not requesting a side of grits.  I'd almost be willing to move south for the food. 

Our breakfast table at the Jailer's Inn.  The whole place was so pretty.

Paul loves to take pictures of guests and strongly encourages posting them online ;)

Our gracious host was willing to get in a picture too.

The next morning after our breakfast and tour of the jail we headed to Maker's Mark.  The facilities and grounds were beautiful.  The history of the company and the fact that they are still running with less than 150 employees was amazing.  Watching their label makers and bottle dippers was like going back in time.  It was a great tour and they make a great bourbon.  As a bonus you get to see the Chihuly ceiling!

This is where they print all their labels.

I could've spent all day in here.  The smell and the amazing light from the ceiling were my favorite part of all the tours. 

The woman giving him instructions said he made her day because he had a perfect number of drips.

 From Maker's Mark we went to Four Roses and Wild Turkey for brief stops.  Our second to last stop was Woodford Reserve.  It is a crazy drive from Wild Turkey to Woodford.  To say it's a little off the beaten path would be an understatement.  Woodford's property is second to none.   They are surrounded by gorgeous Kentucky horse farms.  This tour involves a bus and audio system.  Everything about Woodford just seemed a cut above.

Woodfords stills

The buildings here are their storage and bottling facilities.

This is quite the set-up

The last stop we made was Town Branch in Lexington where they also make the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  This distillery was only about 5 minutes from the Lexington Visitors Center where we turned in our stamped passports for a FREE t-shirt.  Then we had a celebratory dinner at Saul Good where we maybe over-ordered a smidge. 

Saul Good was definitely all good!  Two pizzas, nachos and an old fashioned.  Perhaps we overdid it?

Best souvenirs ever!

Free t-shirts!!!!!! 

Celebrating Annie Oakley in Darke County

I wish I could find the KitchenAid rep I met at Costco and thank her for the amazing insider tip she gave me.  She was the one who told me that there just happens to be a KitchenAid factory in Ohio, and that they have a sidewalk sale once a year.  This bit of information led me to the Annie Oakley Days celebration in Greenville, Ohio.  And this along with an amazing compilation CD of showtunes led to my daughters' obsession with Annie Oakley. 

I started getting the girls pumped up for this day trip months in advance.  We love musicals and by chance there were a couple songs from Annie Get Your Gun on a box set I purchased at Half Price Books.  We started listening to them in the car and then we rented the movie Annie Get Your Gun from the library along with a stack of books about Annie Oakley.  The girls were completely enthralled!  They watched the movie daily for a good week.  They were appalled when Annie let Frank win the contest to win him back.  I was appalled by the portrayal of Native Americans.  We had good discussions about both, so we'll just be grateful for the opportunity for dialogue and acknowledge the time in which the musical was written.

We decided to go to the sidewalk sale on the day of the parade.  The parade happens in lovely downtown Greenville.  I was delighted that it wasn't completely overrun with politicians.  There were a lot of Shriners.  I had no idea there were so many members with such a variety of little vehicles!  We also got to see Miss Annie Oakley and some beautiful horses.  We watched the parade from the sidewalk right in front of the KitchenAid Outlet, which was quite convenient.  Just before the parade was over my mom and I took turns shopping, so the girls could be spared going in.  I definitely recommend going in during the parade.  After it ended people pile into the store.  I got some amazing "free" gifts because I bought entirely too much stuff.    

After the parade we headed north of town to the Annie Oakley Festival.  The girls watched a blacksmith make a hook.  We ate a bag of kettle corn roughly the size of Lottie.  We took a free bus tour, which was interesting.  The only problem with the tour was the sound system didn't work, so it was a little difficult to catch all the information.  Part of the tour  took us past the Garst Museum and a beautiful park located in Greenville.  There were a lot of very nice looking vendors set up around the museum.  If we went up again I'd definitely go to the museum and spend more time near the town.  The festival was nice, but the girls were disappointed we didn't see any of the shooting.  I had a hard time figuring out where it would've been happening.  We watched some of the horse show and some of the whip cracking.  I think they'd have maybe gotten more out of the museum exhibits, but the festival was free and the museum charges, so I still think we did ok.  It was nice to explore a part of Ohio we'd have otherwise never happened upon.

We clearly did not brush our hair for the parade.

There were seriously hundreds of them!

This man was incredibly nice and let Gabby keep the hook he made.

Eating delicious kettle corn on the bus tour.

Whip cracking

They were pretty excited to meet Buffalo Bill.

Going Home By Way of the Upper Peninsula

It’s as though when planning trips we just ask ourselves, “What is the most impractical route to take?”  The answer is then the route we choose EVERYTIME.  This time we decided on our last day at Walloon to head 3 hours north.  To be clear that would be 3 hours in the opposite direction of home.  Home being the place we needed to be about 36 hours later.  We were going to visit a former coworker of Dan’s, who lives in the UP, and we couldn’t make it work at the beginning of the trip. 

So we got up at 5:00am and headed north towards Pictured Rock National Lakeshore.  This meant driving across the Mackinac Bridge in some killer fog.  Pictured Rock was lucky National Park number 13 for us.  We started at the Munising Falls where we picked up our Junior Ranger books.  After a very brief hike there we headed for the lake shore.  We began with a short walk out to Castle Rock.  Gabby was pretty disappointed that it wasn't more castle like.  I was pretty disappointed we drove all this way and the fog was seriously effecting the scenery.  We made our way down to the beach and saw all the kayakers heading out.  It was still pretty overcast at that point.  We decided to go ahead and take a boat ride to try and get a different perspective.  By the time we got there the fog had lifted and it ended up being one of the hottest days the UP had all summer.  I was worried before we set off that the boat would make me sick or the ride wouldn't be worth the cost.  My worries were in vain.  It was absolutely beautiful.
Although Sunday’s drive home was more than a little painful I am still glad we got to check out the UP.  I think Zion was the most beautiful park we saw out west because the colors of the rocks were incredible.  Pictured Rocks gave Zion a run for its money.  The brilliant colors of the rocks and water make for an amazing combo.  The boat ride on Lake Superior was well worth it to see everything from water level.  Someday either without our kids or when they are older I think it would be worth going back and kayaking along the lake shore.

The fog made me hate this drive just a little more.

Munising Falls = not the most impressive waterfall we've ever seen.

Still overcast at this point.

Check out all those colors!

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The first time I went to Michigan I was around 3 or 4 months old.  Since that first trip I’ve probably made the 8 hour journey up to Walloon Lake at least 20 times.  Recently I’ve realized that within a couple hours of where we stay there are many places I’ve been missing out on.  A couple years ago we made a pit stop in Traverse City “on our way” to Walloon Lake.  The Old Mission Lighthouse was fantastic and so were the beaches right around Traverse City.  This year we took advantage of a sort of overcast day to drive out past Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  Since going out West last summer we’ve been trying to cram in as many National Parks as possible.  We haven’t done as well as I’d hoped.  I’d thought we could do 20, but I believe as of now we’ve only done 13.

Having cloudy skies and chilly temperatures definitely worked to our advantage that day.  Had the sun been shining bright and the sand been hot and dry there is no way we would’ve made it the 3.5 miles out on the Dune Climb.  It was an incredible hike.  I don’t think we’ve ever really seen anything like the mountains of sand we crossed here.  It was well worth the journey.  I think even the girls would agree.  They were both proud of themselves for making it all the way. 

After that we headed to the scenic drive and stopped off at the bluff to look down at Lake Michigan.  I am sad to say we didn’t brave the slope and make it down to the water.  I think my kids are pretty tough, but I don’t like to push my luck.  The sign at the top about rescue fees made me a little nervous.  And then there’s the one in our group who’s not so crazy about heights.  I guess you have to save something for the next trip right?

This is only the beginning.

Caution Signs = CHALLENGE!!!

We actually made it up and over all those hills to the beach!  And boy was it chilly!!!

It really looks (and feels) like it goes on forever.

Still smiling on the way back :)

Such an amazing thing to see

We were told to run down.  It seemed ill advised.

These people did not read the sign below.

It seemed like most people were finishing in way less than 2 hours.

Got sworn in about 10 minutes before the ranger station closed.

Such an awesome program.  We love our National Parks!

Disappointment in Detroit

And so this year our trip began with an epic fail.  I was super excited about my plan to start our vacation off with a stop in Detroit.  Usually we avoid Detroit and instead head to Northern Michigan by way of Ann Arbor.  In fact I’ve always felt like people in my family make a rather big deal about the importance of avoiding Detroit, which naturally made me want to see it even more.  We couldn’t leave until Friday afternoon because of the girls’ camp performance and so it made total sense (to me only) to drive halfway Friday afternoon and then finish the drive to Walloon Lake on Saturday.  This would give us (me) the opportunity to check out the Detroit Institute of Arts.  In my head this idea was perfect because Detroit is obviously a ghost town and there might not be much art left if they at some point start selling it off to pay the city’s debts.

I booked our hotel room at the Country Inn and Suites through Priceline and somehow convinced Dan this was going to be great.  I also got Gabby pumped up for the art museum.  Friday after camp we set off later than expected, which is pretty much standard for our road trips.  We had a healthy packed lunch for the car, so that we could justify a dinner at a restaurant featured on Man vs. Food.  We opted for a place called Mallie’s, which has the world’s largest burger.  I was more excited about the pull tabs being sold in machines than I was about the food.  The food wasn’t bad.  I just really love pulltabs!

Our hotel was clean enough.  The area was interesting.  It was pretty much how I imagined Detroit.  I kind of expected whatever the urban industrial version of tumbleweeds are (hubcaps?) to be rolling down the street.  We took our time with free breakfast in the morning since the amazing art museum wouldn’t be open until 10:00.  As we pulled up to the museum ten minutes before opening I realized I would soon be admitting defeat.  The line was around the block.  Apparently people do in fact travel to Detroit.  The fact that the museum was in the final days of it’s Kahlo/Rivera special exhibit probably didn’t help me.  We made an effort to go to the museum.  We parked.  We walked to the line.  We got to the doors.  I realized that this was not going to be a happy experience for anyone and threw in the towel.  Luckily we had a back up plan: Canada!!!!!!  I had brought passports just in case.

In order to not have this stop in Detroit be a total loss, we decided to fit in a different country.  This was also a horrible plan.  We made it pretty quickly into Canada, but sadly they don’t even stamp passports.  The novelty of Windsor is sort of limited once you’re old enough to legally drink and gamble in your native country.  We really had no plan beyond saying we went to Canada.  So the day would not be a total loss we stopped by the duty free shop and loaded up on whiskey.  We were literally in Canada for about 15 minutes.  We then got to wait in the line to return to the US, which took more like an hour.  This was almost as painful as customs and security lines in the airport, where despite my annoyance with the employees I feel compelled to kiss ass and make small talk so that they don’t feel compelled to further ruin my day.

And so the first 24 hours of our vacation was successfully flushed down the toilet.

The sign through the window says Windsor.  This is our only proof they've been to Canada.

Should we decide to do this craziness again I'll be finding the bridge.  The only thing worse than worrying your going to fall to your death in a river is worrying the river is going to come bursting through the sides of the tunnel.

Pure misery.

Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

Trips home always need a good detour. Detour number one for this trip was the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.  This place was amazing, though maybe a little over indulgent before a long drive.  I was sad that during breakfast I had to try and restrain myself knowing we were planning detour two at another national park.  This place GIVES you (as in no extra charge) apple fritters, apple muffins, and an apple julep.  After that your breakfast includes unlimited biscuits, gravy, grits, potatoes, and spiced apples.  I would move to the south just for their breakfasts.  This place was seriously fantastic.  All that food does kind of sits like lead in your stomach, but it tastes so good. 

So after the 3000 calorie breakfast we went about an hour out of the way to see Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.  This park is on the far eastern side of Kentucky.  It is pretty much opposite of where Lake Cumberland is located.  I wish we’d had more time at this park.  Unlike the bigger parks, which sometimes feel overwhelming with the crowds, this place was quiet and simply beautiful.  Cumberland Gap does not apparently attract the spring breakers.  We were able to walk on a trail that took us to the point where Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia meet.  We earned a serious nerd badge here for taking lots of pictures of us laying across three states.  Hopefully this will help my kids have a better sense of geography than I do.  After we walked we drove to a higher point in the park where we could look out over the states again and look down on the trail we just finished.  I’d love to go back for the guided tours of a cave located on the opposite side of the park.  When we went to have the girls sworn in as junior rangers we were told about festivals and summer programs.  It would definitely be worth a trip back.

The three girls in all three states.

You have to go here!!!!

Isn't there a way to go over not through?

Wish I could remember what state is behind them.

More pictures with signs.

Gabby in three states.

Lottie in three states.

Posing on the Daniel Boone Memorial.

There may have been something significant about this spot, but I don't see a sign?

Genius

Second badge for a two day trip!