There are a lot more people here at Bear Cave than were at Horseshoe lake. The activity center here is quite large and has a few more things to do. The view out the back is just lovely and if you step out the back door you can here the waterfall that is on the property (hopefully pictures will be coming soon). The have a pingpong table, pool table, game/puzzle room, toy room for small kids, arcade room, plus lots of tables and chairs. We played pingpong quite a few times. We can rent pingpong paddles for free, we just have to leave a $1 deposit. The kids are really enjoying their time here. Randy is able to get in plenty of work and the kids plenty of play. We have been able to get the Olympics in pretty clear-- Randy bought a special "thing" that allows us to use an antenna and plug it into the computer or laptop and watch tv. It isn't as good as watching it with cable or dish but it will do. The boys have even gotten in a few epsiodes of their Saturday morning cartoons.
There has also been a little more excitement (if you read Reianna's blog you already know what I am going to talk about). We have had a few bats visit us. It was dusk and Jazz noticed something flying near us that didn't look like a bird. Lucky for us it came back. We all managed to get a closer look and it was a bat. Randy showed us something that he used to do when he was younger. You take a white sock (not sure if white is necessary), put in some rocks and throw the sock into the air. The bats will fly toward it thinking it is food. I don't know if everyone knows this, but I sure didn't. I can't even remember if I have ever seen a bat "in person" before. It was fun for everyone. The bats have come back for the past three nights to visit us. We have all had a great time at Bear Cave. We are leaving soon and heading to Ohio. Well, are off to "do something fun" as the kids call it. We might get in a rousing game of pickle ball.
I will post again later. Take care.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Michigan
We made it to Michigan without too many difficulties. This drive sure made the drive to Horseshoe Lakes Indiana a breeze. We went to a campground that is with an affiliated resort through RPI. The name of the resort is Bear Cave and is near Buchanan, MI. This resort has an actual cave on the property and a bit of known Indian history. Now, if you are looking at our route so far, it doesn't look exactly like someone was paying attention to where they were going. I have to admit that was the case. This should have been our first stop and not our second. But hey, we are brandnew at this. If we started out knowing everything and not making any mistakes, then we would be mighty boring know-it-alls. (at least that is what we are telling ourselves).
We found a campsite we liked but we ended up moving because behind us was the St Joseph River and not much of a divider. We were a little concerned that the kids (mainly the boys) would not stop their bikes before rolling down the hill and right into the river. Thankfully though, we hadn't set up anything and moving was easy. We moved over just a bit where we could see the river and the playground and we were near the bathouse (all important items in our family). We set up a lot quicker than our first time and the girls really pitched in too. We knew (mostly) what needed to be done and what order to do those things in. The only problem we can see are the lack of bars on the cell phone and air card. The boys hit the park right away which was really nice. They could play to their hearts content without us having to be right their with them. There are also lots of kids here and they made friends instantly. The boys are really having a blast.
We went swimming the second day we were here. The pool is a lot bigger than the pool in Indiana but it does seem to be a bit colder. Randy and I skipped out on the swimming. Well, Randy actually found some shade and an outlet so he could work. The kids seem to be really loving it here and absolutely no complaints. I will post more later. I hope everyone is doing well.
We found a campsite we liked but we ended up moving because behind us was the St Joseph River and not much of a divider. We were a little concerned that the kids (mainly the boys) would not stop their bikes before rolling down the hill and right into the river. Thankfully though, we hadn't set up anything and moving was easy. We moved over just a bit where we could see the river and the playground and we were near the bathouse (all important items in our family). We set up a lot quicker than our first time and the girls really pitched in too. We knew (mostly) what needed to be done and what order to do those things in. The only problem we can see are the lack of bars on the cell phone and air card. The boys hit the park right away which was really nice. They could play to their hearts content without us having to be right their with them. There are also lots of kids here and they made friends instantly. The boys are really having a blast.
We went swimming the second day we were here. The pool is a lot bigger than the pool in Indiana but it does seem to be a bit colder. Randy and I skipped out on the swimming. Well, Randy actually found some shade and an outlet so he could work. The kids seem to be really loving it here and absolutely no complaints. I will post more later. I hope everyone is doing well.
Friday, August 15, 2008
A few experiences we've had so far..... UPdated
I said that I would share a few more things that happened to us on our first week "traveling"-
Many campgrounds have various hikes you can go on throughout the parks. I remember going on some as a kid. When I envisioned some of what we would do, hikes were on the list. We had gone on a trail before- the kids on bikes while I jogged. We had experience with the trails at this park so I was sure we could handle a longer one. We set off on a trail with the dogs, we as in me, the girls and Lance. Randy and Landon stayed back at the campsite. We were heading on a trail and then we ran out of, well, trail. There is no trail left, just tall overgrown brush. We then head in a different direction, not sure where we are heading. We end up in woods and are walking a path that hasn't been used in a long time. The kids full of youthful adventure and excitement want to push forward. I am thinking we should turn back since I am not even sure we are on Thousand Trails property any more. We climb over a large fallen tree and deeper into the woods. I was remembering all of the scary movies I watched as a kid that I shouldn't have- too many scenes that don't end well. We walk on and on and on. Finally we come to a clearing and I see something that looks familiar. We are on a trail in Thousand Trails, all-be-it and old unused one, but at least we were on the property the whole time. There was a running joke at our old church, www.frontlinecc.org about FoxNews Alerts. Before we left our pastor and friend joked and said he would be watching the alerts on Fox News to see what happened to us- that kept ringing through my head. The kids and I are going to be the next alert Fox News sends out. Of course everything in the end worked out, we went on a grand adventure, the kids had fun, got some fresh air and exercise all while mom looked cool and collected on the outside.
The next story is one I will remember forever- one that had a great ending (compared to what we thought it was) and will make a great story to share with Landon's friends, wife and his kids.
Where we were camped at in Horseshoe Lakes was very nice and quite ideal. We were near the bathhouse, near the lake, in a circle drive area that the kids could ride their bikes on, and with plenty of trees for shade. We had gotten back from a trip to a nearby town where we had stopped and bought green tomatoes and watermelon. I grew up eating fried green tomatoes and thought that sounded like a wonderful addition to dinner. Randy gets the laptop and starts working, I wash the tomatoes and start slicing, and the kids get busy unloading the van and then start playing. After a few minutes we notice that Landon isn't there, we don't see Lance's bike (the boys are sharing it until we can find a bike for Landon) and no one knows where he is. I send Reianna one direction, Chloe another and I go down the trail, all of us on bikes. I am searching and calling his name, but no Landon. I head back the way I came since there are so many different paths to take and no way I can do all of it on my own. We head back and exit the trail. I see that the van isn't at the campsite and don't know what happened. A few minutes later I see Randy coming around a corner. He took off in the van looking for him and he sent Jazzlynn on foot to look for him. About this time Reianna and Chloe show up with no luck. I am starting to really get anxious. I was already scared, worried, frightened, etc. He hasn't taken off like this before and there are so many areas where if you are not careful and not able to stop, you will end up in the water. We were all thinking the worst at this time. It was such a terrible feeling, I was starting to panic. Randy asks if anyone checked inside the bathhouse and no one had. I go into the men's room and see his shorts and underwear on the floor. I didn't see his feet and became even more frightened. I opened the stall door and he wasn't there. I pretty much lost it at this point. I thought he had been abducted and we would never find him. I opened the next stall door. I wasn't expecting to find him, one since we have been calling his name and two, his clothes were in the other stall area. However, there he was, asleep on the toilet. Although, at the time I didn't know he was asleep. I ran outside to tell Randy that I found him but I didn't know if he was ok. I was just so happy I at least knew where he was. I ran back in and tried to wake him up. It took quite a few shakes to get him to wake up. He finally opened his eyes and looked at me. I was so happy he was ok. I was mad that he didn't let me know he needed to go to the bathroom, that he had just completely frightened the family but the feeling of happiness overtook everything else. I went outside so Randy could help him and started to cry. All of the feelings and emotions that I had felt started to come to the surface.
I think that is all I am going to share for now. I will hopefully get Randy to get some pictures up so everyone can see where we have been. I will try and post about our trip to Michigan and what it is like here. Take care everyone!
Here are a couple more that I didn't have time to post-
One morning we are doing our morning routines- I am making breakfast, pancakes that my dad taught me how to make, and everyone is getting ready for the day. While I am busy I notice a blue car driving in our circle staring at some new guests who arrived overnight. Sidenote- the people in campgrounds seem to be quite nosy. They stare at you while you drive by at the designated speed of 5mph and might or might not wave. I just thought they were being nosy and wanted to see who these people were that arrived after we went to bed. Well, they come back and drive by again. I am busy trying to make breakfast so I can't really see what is going on, but I do know that they have their eyes on the newcomers. A little bit later they come back, this time with a sheriff, the manager of the preserve and a few more campers. I have no clue what is going, what is being said or what happened but obviously something happened that wasn't quite right.
Before long I hear some words that I won't repeat and a door slams. Two people end up getting arrested and the rest of the family leaves. I don't know what happened, we didn't ask. I was curious what one would do at a TT in a few hours that could get you arrested but to be honest, it wasn't any of our business. What did happen though is that our children saw people get arrested for their first time (might have been mine too, I am not sure). At least it was a mostly civilized event as the arrestees went peacefully.
There is something else but every time I get the laptop in front of me my mind goes blank. Oh well, maybe I will remember again and make a note of it. But knowing me I will forget where I put the note.
Many campgrounds have various hikes you can go on throughout the parks. I remember going on some as a kid. When I envisioned some of what we would do, hikes were on the list. We had gone on a trail before- the kids on bikes while I jogged. We had experience with the trails at this park so I was sure we could handle a longer one. We set off on a trail with the dogs, we as in me, the girls and Lance. Randy and Landon stayed back at the campsite. We were heading on a trail and then we ran out of, well, trail. There is no trail left, just tall overgrown brush. We then head in a different direction, not sure where we are heading. We end up in woods and are walking a path that hasn't been used in a long time. The kids full of youthful adventure and excitement want to push forward. I am thinking we should turn back since I am not even sure we are on Thousand Trails property any more. We climb over a large fallen tree and deeper into the woods. I was remembering all of the scary movies I watched as a kid that I shouldn't have- too many scenes that don't end well. We walk on and on and on. Finally we come to a clearing and I see something that looks familiar. We are on a trail in Thousand Trails, all-be-it and old unused one, but at least we were on the property the whole time. There was a running joke at our old church, www.frontlinecc.org about FoxNews Alerts. Before we left our pastor and friend joked and said he would be watching the alerts on Fox News to see what happened to us- that kept ringing through my head. The kids and I are going to be the next alert Fox News sends out. Of course everything in the end worked out, we went on a grand adventure, the kids had fun, got some fresh air and exercise all while mom looked cool and collected on the outside.
The next story is one I will remember forever- one that had a great ending (compared to what we thought it was) and will make a great story to share with Landon's friends, wife and his kids.
Where we were camped at in Horseshoe Lakes was very nice and quite ideal. We were near the bathhouse, near the lake, in a circle drive area that the kids could ride their bikes on, and with plenty of trees for shade. We had gotten back from a trip to a nearby town where we had stopped and bought green tomatoes and watermelon. I grew up eating fried green tomatoes and thought that sounded like a wonderful addition to dinner. Randy gets the laptop and starts working, I wash the tomatoes and start slicing, and the kids get busy unloading the van and then start playing. After a few minutes we notice that Landon isn't there, we don't see Lance's bike (the boys are sharing it until we can find a bike for Landon) and no one knows where he is. I send Reianna one direction, Chloe another and I go down the trail, all of us on bikes. I am searching and calling his name, but no Landon. I head back the way I came since there are so many different paths to take and no way I can do all of it on my own. We head back and exit the trail. I see that the van isn't at the campsite and don't know what happened. A few minutes later I see Randy coming around a corner. He took off in the van looking for him and he sent Jazzlynn on foot to look for him. About this time Reianna and Chloe show up with no luck. I am starting to really get anxious. I was already scared, worried, frightened, etc. He hasn't taken off like this before and there are so many areas where if you are not careful and not able to stop, you will end up in the water. We were all thinking the worst at this time. It was such a terrible feeling, I was starting to panic. Randy asks if anyone checked inside the bathhouse and no one had. I go into the men's room and see his shorts and underwear on the floor. I didn't see his feet and became even more frightened. I opened the stall door and he wasn't there. I pretty much lost it at this point. I thought he had been abducted and we would never find him. I opened the next stall door. I wasn't expecting to find him, one since we have been calling his name and two, his clothes were in the other stall area. However, there he was, asleep on the toilet. Although, at the time I didn't know he was asleep. I ran outside to tell Randy that I found him but I didn't know if he was ok. I was just so happy I at least knew where he was. I ran back in and tried to wake him up. It took quite a few shakes to get him to wake up. He finally opened his eyes and looked at me. I was so happy he was ok. I was mad that he didn't let me know he needed to go to the bathroom, that he had just completely frightened the family but the feeling of happiness overtook everything else. I went outside so Randy could help him and started to cry. All of the feelings and emotions that I had felt started to come to the surface.
I think that is all I am going to share for now. I will hopefully get Randy to get some pictures up so everyone can see where we have been. I will try and post about our trip to Michigan and what it is like here. Take care everyone!
Here are a couple more that I didn't have time to post-
One morning we are doing our morning routines- I am making breakfast, pancakes that my dad taught me how to make, and everyone is getting ready for the day. While I am busy I notice a blue car driving in our circle staring at some new guests who arrived overnight. Sidenote- the people in campgrounds seem to be quite nosy. They stare at you while you drive by at the designated speed of 5mph and might or might not wave. I just thought they were being nosy and wanted to see who these people were that arrived after we went to bed. Well, they come back and drive by again. I am busy trying to make breakfast so I can't really see what is going on, but I do know that they have their eyes on the newcomers. A little bit later they come back, this time with a sheriff, the manager of the preserve and a few more campers. I have no clue what is going, what is being said or what happened but obviously something happened that wasn't quite right.
Before long I hear some words that I won't repeat and a door slams. Two people end up getting arrested and the rest of the family leaves. I don't know what happened, we didn't ask. I was curious what one would do at a TT in a few hours that could get you arrested but to be honest, it wasn't any of our business. What did happen though is that our children saw people get arrested for their first time (might have been mine too, I am not sure). At least it was a mostly civilized event as the arrestees went peacefully.
There is something else but every time I get the laptop in front of me my mind goes blank. Oh well, maybe I will remember again and make a note of it. But knowing me I will forget where I put the note.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
A little late, but finally coming along
Well, I don't really know what to say except sand slipped through the hourglass a little quicker than we thought possible. Time really seemed to be moving in fast forward for a while. We made it to Indiana later and more exhausted than I thought was possible. I will try to give a quick run-through the last week of our lives (but anyone who knows me, knows I can ramble on about nothing).
We left Wisconsin around 1 am on Friday morning. We were all absolutely running on empty with nothing left in our tanks, not even fumes. We were so exhausted that we left things that we supposed to bring, things as replaceable as a hatchet and things as expensive as our digital camera and video camera. When were so out of it and just weren't thinking clearly. We made it to Milwaukee and planned on staying at the La Quinta. We have stayed in that one before and knew exactly where it was. Well, they were completely booked. I had a bad feeling when the parking lot had no places to park. :-( We drove on to Gurnee, IL, planning to find a La Quinta there. We pull in to the La Quinta around 4 something in the morning. Randy runs in to find out if they have rooms and how much- yes they have rooms and they run 160 a night. Can you believe it? I was totally shocked that a La Quinta could cost so much. The guy said he would cut us a deal and only charge us 140 since we were going to be there for only a few hours. If we didn't stink and need showers, I would have tried to convince Randy that we could just sleep in the van until Six Flags opens. We wake-up the next morning, haha, we wake-up a few hours later to get ready to go to Six Flags. We managed to miss the free breakfast, something I wasn't planning on. We manage to make it to Six Flags about an hour after they opened but the kids could barely contain their excitement. We dropped the dogs off at the kennel that they have (which was perfect) and went in, ready for some roller-coaster-stomach-lurching fun. We had a blast but were totally exhausted from the work that we had been doing the days before, and the lack of sleep we were functioning on, so we left around 8. I turn on our TomTom, get it set like Randy says, and off we go, headed to Horseshoe Lakes Preserve in Indiana, or so we think. We drive and drive and drive so more. I dose off here and there, trying to stay awake to make sure Randy doesn't dose off, but sleep wins a few times too many. I slept through our drive through Indianapolis. I knew we weren't supposed to be anywhere near Indianapolis but Randy didn't. He is just going where Mr. TomTom is telling him to go. When I start seeing signs for Cincinnati, I get curious. Randy thinks there must be a Cincinnati, IN. We eventually cross over into Ohio and I knew something was way off- we were supposed to just barely cross the Indiana border from Illinois. I call my dad, he helps, while turning his perfectly cooked bacon (My dad really does know how to cook a perfect breakfast. He is the one who taught me how to cook breakfast and make perfect bacon). He helped confirm what I was thinking, we are way off the mark of our destination. We drive around a town in Ohio looking for free wifi so we can get the actual gps coordinates. We manage to get the right ones found and entered into trusty ol' TomTom and discover that we still have over 3 hours of driving ahead of us. We manage to get to Thousand Trails around 11 am, so full of excitement and energy, mmmmm, not really. We were excited to finally be here, but all we wanted to do was sleep and eat and sleep some more. We check in, drive around, find a campsite and start to get set up. This is our first real set-up since we didn't get everything finished in time for a few shake-down runs. We are just about done when we discover that we don't have a regular rv plug, which is what this electric box needs. Randy is ready to give up, he is covered in sweat, hungry, thirsty, sleep-deprived and absolutely worn-out. We sort of pack up, put kids on bikes and head off in search of an outlet that fits what we need. We finally find one and slowly get our first campsite officially set up. Man does it feel good to finally be here and finished with our set-up. We encountered so many various obstacles that we are ready to relax and rejuvenate, although kids ideas of relaxation and parents are often two different things. The kids wanted to swim, swim, swim, swim..... and Randy and I wanted to sleep, sit, sleep, sit .... We found a compromise and it worked well. We are leaving here on Monday, or at least that is the plan at the moment and the way things have been going, they can change on a whim. I have a few more stories to share, some are funny, some were trying but not only have a wrote a book, we made it back to the campsite and work is waiting on me. I'll share the rest later. Thanks for all the prayers, thoughts, gifts and well-wishes, we are most, most appreciative.
We left Wisconsin around 1 am on Friday morning. We were all absolutely running on empty with nothing left in our tanks, not even fumes. We were so exhausted that we left things that we supposed to bring, things as replaceable as a hatchet and things as expensive as our digital camera and video camera. When were so out of it and just weren't thinking clearly. We made it to Milwaukee and planned on staying at the La Quinta. We have stayed in that one before and knew exactly where it was. Well, they were completely booked. I had a bad feeling when the parking lot had no places to park. :-( We drove on to Gurnee, IL, planning to find a La Quinta there. We pull in to the La Quinta around 4 something in the morning. Randy runs in to find out if they have rooms and how much- yes they have rooms and they run 160 a night. Can you believe it? I was totally shocked that a La Quinta could cost so much. The guy said he would cut us a deal and only charge us 140 since we were going to be there for only a few hours. If we didn't stink and need showers, I would have tried to convince Randy that we could just sleep in the van until Six Flags opens. We wake-up the next morning, haha, we wake-up a few hours later to get ready to go to Six Flags. We managed to miss the free breakfast, something I wasn't planning on. We manage to make it to Six Flags about an hour after they opened but the kids could barely contain their excitement. We dropped the dogs off at the kennel that they have (which was perfect) and went in, ready for some roller-coaster-stomach-lurching fun. We had a blast but were totally exhausted from the work that we had been doing the days before, and the lack of sleep we were functioning on, so we left around 8. I turn on our TomTom, get it set like Randy says, and off we go, headed to Horseshoe Lakes Preserve in Indiana, or so we think. We drive and drive and drive so more. I dose off here and there, trying to stay awake to make sure Randy doesn't dose off, but sleep wins a few times too many. I slept through our drive through Indianapolis. I knew we weren't supposed to be anywhere near Indianapolis but Randy didn't. He is just going where Mr. TomTom is telling him to go. When I start seeing signs for Cincinnati, I get curious. Randy thinks there must be a Cincinnati, IN. We eventually cross over into Ohio and I knew something was way off- we were supposed to just barely cross the Indiana border from Illinois. I call my dad, he helps, while turning his perfectly cooked bacon (My dad really does know how to cook a perfect breakfast. He is the one who taught me how to cook breakfast and make perfect bacon). He helped confirm what I was thinking, we are way off the mark of our destination. We drive around a town in Ohio looking for free wifi so we can get the actual gps coordinates. We manage to get the right ones found and entered into trusty ol' TomTom and discover that we still have over 3 hours of driving ahead of us. We manage to get to Thousand Trails around 11 am, so full of excitement and energy, mmmmm, not really. We were excited to finally be here, but all we wanted to do was sleep and eat and sleep some more. We check in, drive around, find a campsite and start to get set up. This is our first real set-up since we didn't get everything finished in time for a few shake-down runs. We are just about done when we discover that we don't have a regular rv plug, which is what this electric box needs. Randy is ready to give up, he is covered in sweat, hungry, thirsty, sleep-deprived and absolutely worn-out. We sort of pack up, put kids on bikes and head off in search of an outlet that fits what we need. We finally find one and slowly get our first campsite officially set up. Man does it feel good to finally be here and finished with our set-up. We encountered so many various obstacles that we are ready to relax and rejuvenate, although kids ideas of relaxation and parents are often two different things. The kids wanted to swim, swim, swim, swim..... and Randy and I wanted to sleep, sit, sleep, sit .... We found a compromise and it worked well. We are leaving here on Monday, or at least that is the plan at the moment and the way things have been going, they can change on a whim. I have a few more stories to share, some are funny, some were trying but not only have a wrote a book, we made it back to the campsite and work is waiting on me. I'll share the rest later. Thanks for all the prayers, thoughts, gifts and well-wishes, we are most, most appreciative.
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