Road Trip 2017

Hello there friends and family!!

Summer is here. Middle of June? How can that be? We kicked off our summer with a road trip to Georgia and back. In my mind this was our very first successful road trip. Successful being no major sickness, accidents, or mishaps! Wahoo! What a relief! It was a good time. Here are the highlights in words and pictures along the way:

We drove from Wisconsin to Lewisburg, Tennessee the first day. The kids did very well. We are not experienced travelers but I now have hope that we can do this. Yes! Our new-to-us van was super comfortable and helpful in making this trip an easier one. Some prep work via ideas from Pinterest was super helpful as well (an idea book to work out of, homeschooler deals, places to visit, food packing ideas, car packing ideas, homemade car pillows, etc)  Here's a great article on traveling with kids that I found helpful. 

On the way down we stopped for dinner at Mas Tacos in Nashville. The first night we stayed with dear friends that used to live in Wisconsin, the Coakleys. We were finally able to visit Paul's grave to share some prayers together. We stayed up talking a bit with Ann but goodness, we could have stayed up until dawn talking! What a women!!

After Ann's we drove on down to visit Chattanooga for a couple hours. We rode the Lookout Mountain Incline Railroad and then played around downtown for a bit. 

view of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain

After our quick stop in Chattanooga headed down to Conyers, Georgia to visit Grandpa S. We got to bed a bit late because it was oh-so-fun to check out Grandpas house and catch up a bit. In fact, we did a lot of staying up a bit too late which resulted in some late mornings but hey, its vacation, right?

Grandpa was gracious enough to be our chef during the four days we stayed at The Squirrel Hotel in Conyers. I certainly loved not having to cook so often. A nice break from the kitchen it was!

Our first day in Georgia we headed out to a nice lake beach at Fort Yargo state park. The second day we visited Noah's Ark animal rescue park with a brief stop at a farm stand for peaches on the way down. The third day we went to church, rested (I took a nap!) and went out to dinner. Aaaahh, bliss. The fourth day we took the train into downtown Atlanta to visit the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Museum. That was a fantastic educational experience for our small town raised flock. Lovely memory-making days in Georgia with Grandpa S were had this summer!

Some of the gang just had to visit a southern staple, Waffle House. Others of us, kindly declined and stayed at the house with our light, healthy breakfast of yogurt and granola. :) 

Can't say I've enjoyed a picnic lunch with such interesting aviary companions before. 

After leaving Grandpa, we headed north to the Smoky Mountains. We made a short pit stop to check out Tallulah Falls. We spent the next two nights in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Oh goodness! Tourist trap amplified! Yikes! Interesting that as soon as you emerge from the quiet beauty of the Smokies . . BAM! Hello Gatlinburg and every tourist shop imaginable! It is quite the abrupt transition. We did get a short hike in the Smokies but I sure would love to go back. It was a serene, peaceful place.

And Gatlinburg . . yes, we enjoyed that stop too! Fortunately, Ripley's Aquarium of the Rockies loves homeschoolers (and say so on their website). Adult tickets are normally $30 and children $20. We got in at $11 per person with the homeschool discount. Of course, you do have to bring proof on paper. So don't forget that if you take advantage of this great deal.

We loved the aquarium!!  The kids thought Doug and I went bonkers with how much we enjoyed it. We must have been acting like a couple of kids. We went picture crazy there and could have taken more.

A little going away gift from Georgia. Mmmm...

The kids got fidget spinners as souvenirs. They were thrilled!

Smokies; close to Gatlinburg. 

Neat coincidence. The kids and I had already planned to study marine biology next year, so this is especially timely. I'm thinking we should fit in a couple more aquarium trips this upcoming school year. Let me know if you spot any good deals near me.

It's neat to watch the seahorses grasp everything with their tails. 

Gotta keep it real here. Not all life is picturesque. Ha, no! This is my "wait a second, I gotta get something out of my tooth first" look. Nice.

Next we headed on through Tennessee, over the Ohio River via ferry, and to the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. Another treasure. We are thinking we'll come back here as well.

We had one more stop to make, by Abraham Lincoln's stomping grounds (replicated village with interpreters in period costume) but I was outvoted 5-1. Everyone was ready to go home.

Home again, home again diggity dog.