Day 8-Biking on Martha's Vineyard

We got up bright and early so we could make the most of our day on the island. We went straight into Edgartown and rented bikes. We biked into town with Colbie riding tandem behind Kevin. We ate breakfast at Among the Flowers and it was delicious. The girls wanted cinnamon rolls but mom wanted a healthier breakfast so we all split one big cinnamon roll. We actually fork fought over it and devoured it in 10 seconds. After our lovely breakfast, daddy was not in the best mood because he had a working breakfast. We started out to show Kayla and daddy the Edgartown lighthouse, but Kayla's shoe broke on the street. Daddy had a fit and mommy took Kayla into a shop to buy some new shoes. We had a little trouble navigating our 4 1/2 bikes through the crowded streets of Edgartown, but we made it back to the Lighthouse to let Kayla and Kevin climb. After that we biked to the "On Time Chappy Ferry to ride our bikes onto Chappequiddick. We biked up to the famous Dike Bridge and it is pretty narrow but now the sides are very protected, unlike they were on July 18, 1969. We were going to the lighthouse but they wanted an exorbitant price for their boring tour of their tiny lighthouse so we did not do it. We stopped at a teeny tiny store (The only store on Chappy) and got refreshments before heading back to the ferry. We made it back to Edgartown and had some snacks and shopped some more. We had one more stop on our bike tour and that was to go to Beach Road and jump off "the bridge that everyone jumps from" between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. It is also known as "the Jaws bridge" bridge. Everyone, except Mommy jumped. The signs clearly state it is illegal to jump but the bridge is packed with people jumping. Colbie jumped once and made daddy so nervous she sat out with me. Kayla jumped twice and Callen had four jumps. After jumping and drying we got back on our bikes to head back. Kayla and mommy had to sit on towels due to sore-bum-itis from our 15 mile bike ride. We made it back to the bike store in Edgartown, went to the liquor store and picked up a (goldfish) pizza. When we got back to the campground, daddy and Kayla crashed, mommy did laundry and Callen and Colbie played on the huge playground. Callen was a good sport playing with Colbie. We went back to the site and made s'mores on the campfire.











The only store on Chappy



The Old Whaling Church

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Day 14-Gettysburg

We have slowed down a bit and enjoyed our day in Gettysburg. We started out at Gettysburg National Park visitor center where we saw a video, the museum, and a cyclorama. Colbie did her Junior Ranger book but mommy was not happy because it was way too difficult. After mom complaining and Colbie getting her certificate, we did some shopping in the gift shop and went on and driving tour of Gettysburg. We started with the union monuments at Pickett's charge and got pictures of everyone coming through the field reenacting Picketts charge. Then we wised up and went over to the Confederates side and saw Robert E Lee's statue and the representation of the Confederate states. Every time we thought daddy was behind us, we looked back and he was talking to more people. I think he would make a better tour guide than the people that actually worked at Gettysburg. Someone asked me if he did reenactments. He could point out all the key places from the Confederate side to the Union side, from Seminary Hill to Cemetery Hill and Big Round Top. We went over to Robert E Lee's headquarters and saw the museum there and the gift shop. It was a nice quiet day and we ended up doing a little shopping downtown and ate at Dubbin's Tavern, an authentic looking Irish pub with interesting and excellent food. Daddy had a spit of chicken and mommy had a gill of porridge and a salad. Tomorrow we will head home, it is a 15 hour drive so we will break it up into 2 days. All in all a great trip. Colbie said besides the shopping her favorite thing was Plimoth Plantation. Callen loved the Amish Country and Kayla loved The Boldt Castle.












CHARGE!!




CHARGE!!!
















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Location:Sachs Rd,Gettysburg,United States

Day 13-Hershey and The Amish

Daddy woke up early again and got on the road. He did agree that the Branches of Niagara Campground was very nice. We were going to Gettysburg today via Hershey and the Amish country. We arrived at Hershey in the afternoon and didn't realize how big it was. We lucked out and got to park the RV on the front curb outside of Hershey's Chocolate World. We went and couldn't wait on one of the things we wanted to do so we went ahead and took the tour which was actually pretty cool. The girls also boxed up Hershey kisses on the assembly line, and did some shopping in the gift shop. We got a quick bite to eat and hit the road for the Amish country. We got pretty excited when we saw our first horse drawn buggy carriage near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We drove through bird – in – hand and on into Intercourse, Pennsylvania. We immediately saw the Amish people plowing their fields, riding in their buggies, or walking down the road. We got to the Kettle Kitchen Village where we would ride AAA buggy rides. They are the only buggy ride that goes under a covered bridge, and that is what mom wanted to see. The Pennsylvania countryside was beautiful. All the farms and silos and corn fields in the rolling mountains were so pretty. We also drove all day alongside a big river. We shopped a little bit in the village and bought some jams, pottery, smoked meats and cheeses. We got some coffee and hot tea and went to get our buggy ride at 6:00 PM. It was a beautiful buggy with a nice Amish driver named Amos and they let Callen and Colbie sit up front and help drive the buggy. The girls thought it was so cute when we passed two little barefoot Amish girls selling Whoopie pies and homemade root beer on the side of the street. They did not speak and we were not allowed to get out of the buggy but they passed their tray to Amos and he passed it to us. It was a 5 mile ride for 55 minutes and it was so cool to pass the farms and the people working and hear the horses hooves on the old wooden covered bridge. We arrived back in town and started the last part of our drive into Gettysburg.












































Random Amish person




Scary bridge on the way to Gettysburg.
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Day 12-Niagara Falls

We woke up very early, well daddy did and did a great job of leaving Alexandria Bay. We had a 6 1/2 hour drive to Niagara Falls and realized we could cut the day off the trip if we saw the falls today. We made it by about 2 o'clock and immediately saw the magnificent falls. We started with the Cave of the Winds tour and loved it. We felt the force of the falls even if on a very small scale. The girls especially loved the special shoes we got to wear for the tour. Well Kayla didn't and Colbie wanted to be like us so badly she wore our size over her own flip-flops. Next we got on the trolley and went to the Maid of the Mist. It was very cool on the boat to see the falls from the very bottom. They are truly amazing. After that, we went to the "aquarium" and it was pretty decent and spite of our initial thoughts. We went back and saw an IMAX film about the falls and Colbie made a little friend for a while. After that, we went to three sisters islands and actually got to feel the water. Daddy was very nervous because the water was moving fast and we left soon after. We were walking down the path to Horseshoe Falls and saw a man walking a tight rope from the Canadian observation tower to a nearby building. He made it :-) We took one last look at the falls, hit the gift shop and got in the RV to go find our campground. The Branches at Niagara campground was one of the nicest ones we have seen yet. There was even a Keurig machine in the gift shop! The girls saw the playground and other activities and got out of the RV before we could even park. We let daddy wind down while we played tetherball, giant tic-tac-toe, giant checkers, putt putt golf and Colbie played on the playground and in the sand box. There was even an Olympic podium where mom stood to receive her homemade sand pie for the first place winner from Colbie, Callen got second place and Kayla got third place. We had a lot of fun and went back to the RV and roasted marshmallows on on the fire that mom and Callen built. The bathhouse was wonderful so all three girls showered while mom did a load of laundry next door. It was a beautiful campground and we hated to leave a day early.
































Our attempt at taking a picture of ourselves. Total fail.








































Bathhouse




Mommy made the girls eat their dinner in the bedroom on the floor since it was midnight and we did not want to wake up sleepy daddy.
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Location:S Kralltown Rd,East Berlin,United States

Day 11-Boldt Castle

We drove through the states of Massechusettes and New York today and stopped in Alexandria Bay, NY. The state of New York had beautiful mountains and rivers. It rained half the trip (6 1/2 hours), so the RV got a bath:). We arrived just in time to get on Uncle Sam Boat Tours that shuttled us to Heart Island in the Thousand Island region of New York state. The castle was magnificent with quite a story to tell. The yacht house was amazing and many of Mr. Boldts yachts were on display. Mr. Boldt was building the castle, inspired by one in Rhineland, Germany, as a gesture of his love for his wife. It was to be their summer home. He spared no expense on the project and hearts can be found throughout the property. Four years into the project, Mrs. Boldt passed. Mr. Boldt sent a telegram to the castle to stop construction immediately. 300 men put down their tools and never returned, nor did Mr. Boldt. For about 70 years the castle sat empty and was a victim of the wind, the rain, the ice and vandals. Much of the house is still in the condition it was found before the renovation began. Graffiti covered almost every wall that was not restored it yet. Signatures dated back to the 1920s that we could find. No one ever lived in the house, his wife and children would never enjoy the masterpiece he was creating. It was fascinating to see the grounds.
















Yacht house








Main entrance




Stairs down to passageways and tunnels








Mrs. Boldts now finished room
























Much of the castle is in the state in which it was acquired in 1977. Only a few rooms have been renovated and completed, the most recent the theatre in 2012.








Water entrance
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Location:American Legion Memorial Bridge,Bethesda,United States