Maine Family Road Trip

We try to get to Maine every year or every other, but sometimes life gets in the way and other trips get in the way, so it's been a while.  Speaking of life getting in the way, this trip was from July and I just am not getting around to writing about it. 

My children are eight and ten, both have their own mindsets, abilities and things they enjoy.  Rarely do all of those things work together.  But it seems that whenever we get away, away from stuff, tech and comfort, it seems to really blend.  Normally the road trip is what drives me insane because they want to be there "now" and so do I, but you cannot rush through the wonderful New England area, just so much to take in and enjoy.

We ended up stopping on the way up at an off the beaten track hotel, with a pool, wifi and breakfast.  The kids were thrilled, but not greedy, which was a nice change of pace.  They were happy, appreciative and enjoyed being there.  We paid next to nothing for the room considering that we got a suite with two king size beds, one twin in a separate room and the above mentioned amenities.  My wife and I did some work while the kids snacked and played or watched TV.  Everyone got a good nights sleep and we got up and made our way further down the road to Maine.

It was a great drive, kids were happy, weather was nice, scenery was great.  My parents were meeting us in Maine, a first for them, and I was excited but terrified as to what the week would hold in store for us.  I wanted to do certain things with my kids and parents, but wasn't really sure what they had in mind.  They more or less said, whatever you want to do, but we're fine staying put.  We got there later than they did, they had already checked in to Eagle Lodge and Camps, a wonderful sportsman's camp in the fairly remote area of Lincoln, ME.  Weather couldn't be better.  The forecast looked amazing.  Unpacked and settled in, the kids already found the lake, fishing poles and paddle boat.  They were living their dream and so was I, I've always wanted them to enjoy the things I do.



The week involved a lot of baiting hooks and removing blue gills from hooks.  My kids, to my surprise and shock, love to fish, at least they did there.  My daughter said she was going to catch that big bass, every day we were there.  The camp owners have children my children's age and both were more than happy to see each other and have someone new to play with.  It was great to see them bond, they immediately were making plans to return and see their friend's that they've known for all of 20 hours again.

My wife had one goal, relax, and she did just that.

I had relaxation, exploration and photography on my mind.



I never got to do some of the many things I try to pack into a trip, like taking my dad to Baxter State Park, or a wilderness area in the general Lincoln area, but that's ok.  He had a good time.  They spent a lot of time bonding with our kids, we got to explore on the way to the camps places none of us have ever been to, ironically ran into people that grew up near us when they were younger.  I find it always to be a small world when you travel, whether 1000 miles away or 100, you can always run into someone you live close to back home.

The only downside, none of us realized that we were booked for one day earlier.  So when my wife said she wished she had one more day, we actually did, but instead stayed at a hotel.  A lesson for next time.

Really struggling the last few days

I don't know what it is.  If it's me or I'm actually in the right and they're behaving like complete morons.

The past few days has been full of disobedience, back talking, complete disrespect and not a care to do anything.  I don't know how to handle it.  I have always thought of myself as the rational person, someone who could keep a cool head with kids when they were acting up.  That's not the case anymore.  I lose my shit every time they do anything.

My son tells me I act like my father, which drives me insane because my dad flew off the handle like no one's business and yelled before ever knowing what was going on.  The kind of attitude where you yell first, and never apologize.

My wife feels as though they were just having fun.  Being kids.  But my daughter ran through a screen door and the other ones were pounding through the house, stomping feet, slamming doors, etc.  They leave their food everywhere.  Turn a light on in a room and never go back.  I'm miserable.  I'm stressed out.  I have no control of anything.  It's infuriating.

I'm sure thousands of parents feel just like me, some just give up, some fight the same fight day in and out, but I don't want that.  I want it to be fixed, I want the son that would help me do projects.  I want the daughter back who would run to my arms when I came home, screaming "Daddy!".

Yes, they're older, but not by much from when these things happened.  Anymore it's, "I don't care", "I want", "you get to do it, why can't we?"

Something has to change but I don't know what it is.  I've been nice, mean, hard, rewarding, happy, goofy, etc.  Gifts have been given, things taken away.  But nothing seems to work.

Kids, right?

Boy they can be fickle.

Been struggling to figure out my son since he was a baby.  He would sleep on my chest everyday when he was a baby, my daughter wouldn't think of it when she was.  He now hates sleep, and is an early riser, my daughter is a late night machine and would sleep until 1:00 in the afternoon if you let her.  Up until this point neither one of them would want to lift a hand to help around the house without constantly bringing up the topic.  Recently my son went through something that appears to have changed him, for the better.  He had a lot of questions and we were open and as honest as we could be, for his age.  After years of struggling with potty problems, he got a stomach bug and it cleaned him out good.  He was afraid to fart without being on the potty.  But then that came to a close and he was having issues again.  For whatever reason he's back being on the mend.  We upped his ADHD meds per the doctor, not something I'm for but it's still a very small dosage and his attitude is and has been remarkable to say the least.  I don't want him on medicine.  I'm on medicine and hate the fact that I have to take it.  I don't want him to be in the same boat but if it makes him more positive and live a happier life, than so be it.

Tonight, my son didn't want to watch a movie with us, I cannot say I blame him since it was a rerun of Overboard, which was pretty okay in the end for a rerun.  He ended up watching the whole thing, getting hooked in at about a third of the way in.  He wanted to watch the Goonie's for the fifth time, cannot blame him on that either, but we didn't want to rent it.  It was nice to enjoy the movie with him, no fights with his sister, no arguing, just good family time.  After the movie he wanted to find out about earning more money for chores and my wife said he could load the dishwasher and he did without hesitation, and even asked for help on how to load it the right way.

I'm not saying it's the end all be all that he's made the switch, as we speak he's fighting to go to bed, but it's a good day and that's all I can ask and hope for I suppose.

Harriman State Park Overnight - Visitor's Center to Stone Memorial Shelter

Somehow I found a weekend where I could skip out and get in the woods for a short trip.  My brother and I chose a oldie but goodie in Harriman State Park in New York state.  We chose a completely different place to go versus the other time's we've been to the park.  It was a cold, windy and brisk day, much to our surprise it was jammed with people.  It's an easy get away from the nearby metropolis and people flock there on just about every weekend possible.  I'm glad it gets used but at the same time it's a little hard to find parking and it's rare that you're not sharing the trail with dozens of people.  There's tons to see and places to go, trails everywhere, along with views and natural wonders.

We hiked from the visitor center to Pine Meadow Lake and then to the Stone Memorial Shelter.  The lake was frozen over and the sun reflecting off of it was nice and warming.  Eventually we made our way to the shelter, which was built in 1935 and is sadly showing it's age.  Most of the shelters in the area are in need of some attention.  Being as accessible as they are, and as popular of an area as it is, they tend to get used a lot.  They are stone shelters, with wooden floors and built in fireplaces.  They are a great respite from the rain or soaking snow, but we opted to sleep in our tent just behind the shelter.

The day was cold, clear and windy.  As the sun dropped below the horizon the temps were going with it.  The weather forecast in the local town was stated to be in the lower 20's, I'm pretty sure that we got down to the low teens.  Any water in our bottle or cups was freezing up before our eyes.  We made our dinners, had a solid fire (after some work to get it there) and chatted for a bit.  I was in a hurry to get into my sleeping bag since it was a new bag and I really wanted to try it out.  Soaked up the last of the heat, packed up for the night and headed to the tent.  With the exception of some wandering soul in the eight o'clock hour, the night was uneventful.

I was warm and toasty for the first hour or so, minus my toes (which only thawed out after using a heat pack).  I didn't feel like I slept much, although my brother swears I was snoring like mad so I guess I was out at some point.  Woke up for the usual and cold bathroom break around 3am and back in bed.

Woke up around seven or eight, Chris was determined to get a fire going again and we had some breakfast, packed up and hit the trail.  Someone went by our site while we were packing up, he'd already put in eight miles, doing this is a feat in itself, let alone by ten am.

We retraced our steps back to the car the way we came in.  It always amazes me how different things can look when you see them from the opposite direction.  Out of the twenty plus people on the trail we saw, only three were kind enough to return the enthusiastic hello my brother throws out there.

It was much warmer when we arrived at the car versus when we left the day before.  Still crowded, parking lot over flowing with cars.  Packed up quickly and headed to lunch in town.

We sat behind the most rude people ever, I feel bad if this couple represented the state of New York or even any part of it as I've never heard someone complain and be as rude as those people.  Our waitress was great and I'm sure they were terrible tippers.  Outside of that experience, the weekend was exactly what I wanted/needed, I'm always ready to go again.

Everything I read keeps telling me to do things now!

But the real question isn't when to do them, it's how.

How in the world can I pick up and disappear for several weeks, even a month at a time.  My wife can work where ever there's internet so that's simple, but I got into building my own business not a short while back as a home inspector, which kinda limits me to staying in this immediate area for the next 10 - 15 years.  As with all things, I should have done something on my own years ago.  But that's for a different topic.

My wife and I have two children of my own, a step-daughter and dogs.  We normally like to take our dogs with us where ever we go but also know that not every place is dog friendly nor would we want to have to need to care for them at every venue.  All of our children wouldn't necessarily be up for the adventure either, especially my step-daughter.  But she's old enough to make her own decisions and decide on what she wants to do and not do.  Our other children however, have other ideas as to what's important.

We've raised our kids to be outside as much as possible.  Every birthday party was held outdoors, took our son on his first backpacking trip when he was 1, trips to the beach, kayaking and day hikes have been a part of their lives from the beginning.  But technology, complacency and friend's hold them put.  Rarely do they complain when we get ready to go somewhere, but they're not always happy to be camping.  Lucky for us they make friend's where ever we go, but then they don't want to leave, so it's a double whammy.

In my perfect world, I'm traveling around the US and Canada backpacking, mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, overlanding and photographing as much as humanly possible.  That's the dream to me.  Having a home base to come back to is great, but it can also become an anchor.  I don't know how people live full time on the road with kids, home schooling them, working, etc.  It's got to be exhausting.  I don't need to be traveling full time, just several months out of the year would be nice.  This country and world are just too nice to ignore  behind a computer or desk.  As the saying goes, no one ever talked about how awesome a video game is when their 50 - 60, they talk about the great experience's they've had in life.  I want, desperately to make those experience's available, both for me and my kids.  Big trips and little ones.  Epic and subtle.

I feel like I've already wasted a lot of the good years of my life by not hiking the AT out of high school when I had no idea what I wanted to do in life.  There were trips that I could have gone on if I only let myself go, but was too scared to do them.  I don't want the next chapters in my life to be that way.  I'm not sure how to go about it, but I'm planning on finding a way.

Family camping trip through parts of New England

We had been planning an impromptu get away to the great state of West Virginia to explore the wilds we haven't yet seen there.  However, since weather dictates almost every aspect of planning we changed directions, en-route, and pointed due north to try to outrun the weather.

Our new destination, Massachusetts and the Appalachian Trail.  I have never even stopped in MA for very long in the past and never stepped foot on the AT there so this was very exciting to me.  My kids were on the fence about it but my wife was equally excited so it sounded good.  We had no information as to where we were going so we picked a local outfitters in MA and made a stop.

What an awesome place!  The building, as many do in MA, was strong in history.  It was a heavy timber framed building built in the 1800's.  There was a very nice hiking trail in the back of the property as they backed up to a park.  After being stuck in the car for a few hours it was nice for the dog, wife and kids to get out and stretch/explore a little.

The name of the store is the Arcadian Shop.  Complete with about the most gentle black lab I've ever witnessed, the store was loaded with goods, knowledge, personality and coffee.  While my 6 year old daughter took over greeting the dog, I met one of the friendly staff who asked what I was looking for.  I explained our predicament and asked for the maps of the AT in the area and whether or not they had any suggestions on where to go.  He pointed out a place on the map that met our criteria and off we went.

At the trail head the rain threatened.  We had not outran it but more or less stayed in step with it.  My wife was watching the radar telling me we got to get moving or we're going to get soaked.  I hurriedly packed up the packs with the loose items I didn't pack before leaving and fought to hold back the inquisitive puppy from breaking out of the car and eating the roving chickens that were near by and clearly not afraid of people.

The rain started every so slightly but never developed and we got on our way.  Unfortunately my son had a meltdown somewhere between getting started and something his sister did and for the next hour and a half it was pure hell dealing with him and his ADHD.  The heat, bugs and humidity didn't help.  As a parent I struggle every time this sort of thing happens because he's just not the loving happy boy we know and love when he gets in these moods and it's hard to enjoy sharing him these places and moments.

Once at camp, he was back to being his special, wonderful self.  There were things to see and explore.  He was responsible and helpful.  I got the tent and hammocks set up and then made dinner.  It was late, well late for camping anyway.  There were multiple thru hikers there and I didn't want to bother them with our family barging into their world.  My wife quietly read to my children in the tent Harry Potter as a light rain started to dance on our rain flys.  I was in the hammock, for the first time, due to the kids being bigger and having a dog, the three person tent that once used to fit all of us now is tight with the three of them and a dog.

I never thought I'd get to sleep, since I didn't have a bug net and the bugs were still a concern of mine.  Not to mention it takes a little getting used to before you can get comfy and sleep in a hammock.  However, before long I was snoring (so my wife says) and then my son was next to me at 6:30 asking me if he could take the dog to the lake.  I said yes with the usual comments about safety and knowing where he was going, etc.  He went and came back a short time later, proud and happy as can be... and hungry for breakfast!

The sun was out and it was going to get hot and buggy fast.  With the threat of possibly more weather on the way, we packed up and went down to the lake to enjoy the sunshine will we could.  The water was perfect, clear, clean and smooth as glass.  We had a nice swim, filtered some water, and after a while it was time to go.  Hiking back to the car was a nice change of pace from the day prior. Everyone was in great spirits and not a complaint was uttered.  We fought off the bugs, climbed the hills and got back to the car dripping with sweat and relief (my pack this trip was about 50 pounds and my wife's about 30).

We ended up grabbing some lunch in town, heading to Mount Greylock.  Bright sunshine, big white puffy clouds encompassed the area while we visited the visitors center and then headed to the summit.  My wife and kids got out at the top to explore and take photos.  There was a $10 parking fee and we weren't going to be there long enough to make that purchase so we did our thing and headed out.

Next stop was somewhere to spend the night in the rain.  And camping was not an option.  We ended up finding the Gray Ghost Inn, what a gem!  Dog and kid friendly, pool, hot tub and game room.  Affordable and comfortable.  We got to unwind on the back porch while the rain poured down.  The kids enjoyed the wifi and the owners dogs.  We ate at a local restaurant and got a good nights sleep.

Next we were off to the Rip Van Winkle campground in NY.  It's a great campground, especially if you have children, there's tons of activities and the kids love it!  After spending a very relaxing day and a half there we made a brief stop at a familiar place, the Saugurties Lighthouse in NY.

The kids love this place and it's great to check out every time.  We met some very nice people, swam a bit and enjoyed a break from the car.  We were running low on time so we beat feet and started the journey home.  Stopped at an unlikely restaurant in a ritzy hotel on the way for a very late dinner and made home before midnight.

A bit of a whirlwind trip, with some very craziness thrown in, but a very good trip no matter what.

Sure it's cold, but getting out in nature is even more than worth it

My friend's and neighbors often think I'm nuts.  For various reasons, most of which are true and good reasons to think that of me.  One of them though I don't think they think as crazy, they might even think it's an awesome idea, but none of them would venture out even for a few moments to try it.  I'm talking about getting out in nature when it's nice and cold.

We have a few nice parks around us, some with lakes or streams and most have a pretty good population of deer and bird life that are worth seeing.  Some places wouldn't meet up on some hikers lists of places worth going but when you've only got limited time and it's painfully close, you do with what you have.

Closest to me is Peace Valley Park.  There is a nice sized lake, with several trails both around the lake and in the woods.  I ventured to the Nature Center area of the lake today, it was surprisingly empty considering the overcast, snowy weather with the temps dropping and the wind increasing.  I was one of three cars in the lot, just the way I like it.  Once out of my 4Runner I heard my favorite sound of the wind whipping through the pines, it's a comforting whooshing sound that really relaxes me.  I made me way towards a mud and snow covered trail, camera in hand, and off I went.

Alone in the woods, the only prints in the snow were from deer and rabbits.  There were a few small birds around, I tried in vein to get a photo of them but due to the contrasting clouds none came out.  But that's fine.  The walk couldn't have been nicer.  The trail soft and quiet.  The sounds and smells of nature were out in force.  I made it to the creek, which is significantly lower then I ever experience it because they drain the lake pretty low in the winter.  It really allows many features that you'd normally never notice to pop right out of the remaining water.

The experience as a whole is so different, the silence, the wind, the cold cheeks, the soft footing... all things that you don't get in the summer and you certainly don't get by sitting on your sofa at home.

So the next time it's cold outside, get out some extra layers, head to a local park that you'd never go to in the winter and experience it for everything that it's not in the summer.  You might very well be surprised to see what it's all about.