Day 11/12

Day 11
"People forget years and remember moments" - Ann Beattie

We were on a roll today. Campsite was easily packed up - less than 30 min. We were ahead of schedule - slotted to arrive in Pittsburgh early to maybe do some sightseeing and some tailgating before the Brewer game.

This was not the case.
We were not in a rush, so there was some dilly dallying. And some lallygagging.
But just outside of Harrisburg, there was an accident. The road was completely blocked off, and we went 3 miles in about 2 hours. This pushed our arrival time at PNC Park to 8:45p. For a 7:05 game. Ugh.
But we stopped in Harrisburg:

And made our way to the game. At completely legal speeds, I swear. I had no idea what parking was going to look like, so Hayden was looking that up while I was driving. We were lucky on parking at least! Pulled into a shady looking alley that had a parking structure one block from the field. We parked, I quickly changed into Brewer gear in the parking lot (classy like that), and we got into the game before the start of the 6th inning. Better late than never?

We were the last ones to leave because Hayden, Nick, and Charlie wanted to try and get a game ball, so they walked down to the dugout after the game. Didn't seem like the Brewers were coming out. However, the guys we were sitting next to had apparently caught more than one ball, and were looking to give one away. I suggested giving it to Charlie.
Look at this smile:

From there, we drove another 1.5 hrs to a hotel in West Virginia that would be closer to where we were going for white water rafting tomorrow. Long day of driving!!!

Today's Totals:
588 miles
$284

Today's Song: The Interrupters - 'Easy on You', because this band is amazing.

Today's Lessons:
1. Doesn't matter how well you plan sometimes, things just might not work out. Frustrating lesson today.
2. Butt donut saved the day - it was a long 600 miles...


Day 12: Final Day!

I actually woke up before my alarm so I could SHOWER (much, much needed. For everyone.) I had not purchased tickets yet for rafting today because I was trying to watch the weather. The place we were going was Cheat River Narrows, and they opened at 8am. I called to see if they were running today, and it sounded like they were a go. But when he called me back, he said the river was down, and that we would be in 'duckies' which are basically inflatable kayaks. I checked with the kids - they said yeah. Then 2 min later when I was still on the phone with the guy, they said no. I agreed with the kids. It was not going to be a white water rafting experience, and we can kayak at home for free.

So we packed up and headed home.

We had made (tentative) plans to crash at my aunt's house in Ohio on the way back (thanks again Aunt Mary!), but we canceled that and decided to drive straight through. With a stop at Avalanche Pizza in Athens (soooooo good):

 (Gotcha)

And in Colombus:

Then we made the long trek home. And just in time - apparently my car was also done.

Trip Totals:
2,984 miles
$2471
2 National Parks
2 State Parks
4 State Capitols
1 National Monument
6 nights camping
7 people to start 😳

Final Song: It was a tough choice because I was listening to everything from Lauryn Hill, to NIN, to The Bangles, to Led Zeppelin. So in the end, I chose this: Ziggy Marley - 'Love is My Religion'  Happy to have recently discovered this song 💙 The link should take you to the entire playlist for the trip (it's a cluster of one for sure this trip haha!).

Trip Lessons:
1. There is a delicate balance between pre-planning and winging it. I have yet to find that balance.
2. Collectively, we all feel that Vermont is a very underrated state. The place was gorgeous.
3. Teenage hormones make for a smelly vehicle.
4. A bruised tailbone is probably the most annoying injury on a road trip. Not the worst injury, by far, but quite possibly the most annoying.
5. The budget was pretty close to what it actually cost this year! I'm getting better.
6. Technology is going to be banned or at the very least restricted on next year's trip. Too much of it. Myself included.
7. If you are ever 'on the fence' about getting the brakes done before a trip - just do it. Mine made it to Racine... 45 miles to go on minimal brakes? Challenge accepted.
8. Fixing the AC before the trip was the best idea ever.
9. By the time I had figured out the perfect way to tetris all of the luggage/gear in the car, we were halfway done with the trip, lol.
10. Things will never go according to plan. I hope this is one lesson the kids take away from these trips: adaptability to situations.

This trip was not all sunshine and flowers: none of our trips are. Yet despite the complaints about sitting in front, using the chargers, and not wanting to do things, the kids survive every year, and hopefully leave with some memories that will last. I think every year Hayden discovers another city he wants to move to (Burlington, VT this trip). I am very curious to see what he ends up doing for a living that will allow for this - I hope it works out for him! Charlie is always interested in checking out new places (not necessarily by hiking there though lol) and loves the big cities. Miles would be perfectly content on or in the water in any state that we go to. I'm so glad we got to have Nick along for the adventure - I think his favorite was Niagara Falls. And campfire pizza haha! It was quite the trip having my mom and Abel along as well - it was nice having another adult on board, and I'm glad my mom was able to join us - even for a bit. She never would have survived Warren Falls though - that would have made her crazy watching the cliff jumping lol. We are winding down on our big adventures through the country - finishing out the lower 48 next summer on our extensive PCH tour: from Seattle to San Diego all down the coast and everywhere in between. Should be quite the trip!

Our updated map

Thank you for following us along on our trip. One GIANT adventure to go, and then we will see where life takes us after that. Now that the kids have sampled most of the country, it's going to be up to them to pick our adventures. I'm looking forward to what they come up with.

"Wild hearts find a home in every place they roam" - C. Churchill



Adventure is out there! 🎈