Our 6S Full Life

Wilna and Sackets Harbor, NY

our trip around the US took us to Wilna, NY. This small town or around 6,000 is not a top spot on most travel plans but for us it was an exciting stop. Stephen’s father grew up on his family farm in this town. Every story from his childhood took place here and the road where he grew up still bares the family name. Although the farm has been sold, and the old barn was turned into a home, the road is still there and family still lives nearby. We stoped in to visit Stephen’s fathers cousin and spent a few hours catching up.

After Wilna we headed to Sackets Harbor another small town in NY. This one is a little better known as it is on Lake Ontario and was the site of two battles during the War or 1812. It is also the hometown of B’s American Girl doll, which is really why it was put on our radar.

The battlefield has a nice walking path with information and a barn with displays on soldier clothing during the war. As well as a house with displays on how archeological digs in the area can tell us about the past. All of these things were interesting but the best part of our time there was the tour of the navy commandants house. This restored 1850’s house was well done and our guide was great. He knew his information well, obviously loved history, and was very funny. We greatly enjoyed this tour and learned things about the time period and was of life we did not know before. The best is we found out how rich we were for we have lots of seashells and the kids study at home. Two things that at the time signified high upper class wealth. Lol! Also how lucky we are for their family of 8 and the 3 servants all bathed in the same 4 gallons of water once a week. Eew!

Our last stop of the day was the Willows on the Lake RV Park and Resort. This camp is right on Lake Ontario with water access. It is a very rocky shore but that did not stop us from getting a little wet. Two of our crew even want full on swimming. We tried to watch the sunset but the clouds were in the way. At least we got a few gorgeous pictures before leaving.

Malone, NY

In our continued tour of the New England country side we headed to Malone, NY. This small town near the US Canada border was on our list thanks to our children’s love of reading. This town is the childhood home of Almanzo Wilder, probably better know as the husband of Laura Engles. After the success of her Little House books she wrote Farmer Boy about her husbands life on a farm in upstate New York. The original house is now a museum along with a rebuilt barn and a replica one room school house.

We took a tour which was extensive and went through all our favorite parts of the book (pretty much every chapter) as well as history and background not in the book. The girls wore their prairie costumes for the tour. Unfortunately D got upset and took a time out for the entire house tour but she was back and ready for the school room. We really enjoyed our experience and are happy we took the time to see such a great preservation of one of our favorite books.

We camped for the night at Pine Ridge Park Campsite. This campsite had a lot of full timers, the majority of campers were set up for the entire season. The kids enjoyed the swings and pirate ship. The adults enjoyed quite time by the fire. Then we all enjoyed some amazing maple sugar treats. It rained again all night. We were hoping for a few nights of rain during our travels and we have gotten that and a lot more.

Vermont

We have been on the road for 7 weeks and today we started out trek back west. We drove back through Maine and into New Hampshire. Our lunch spot this time was not the beach, but a Target parking lot. Not nearly as much fun because we had a long drive and a museum to get to before it closed. We continued on our way to Vermont with a goal of visiting the New England Maple Syrup Museum. This is a very small museum and maple store near our next campsite. Maple Syrup is well loved in our family. Stephen grew up with maple syrup in big jugs from upstate New York and a father who tapped trees on his farm as a child. Our kids will drink it by the cup full of we allowed it. So while in the largest maple syrup producing state we felt it was required to make a maple stop.

On the way we enjoyed the small towns we passed and the beautiful views. The north east is gorgeous country with cute little towns. If it weren’t for the cold winters it would be a great place to live out our country dreams.

We were able to make it to the museum an hour before it closed and enjoy the incredible collection of maple syrup relics it held. For a small museum it was full of information, history, past and present items, as well as a very friendly owner. We learned about the history of maple syrup from the Native American legends to the pioneers, to present production. It was a great history lesson on one of our favorite sweet foods.

The largest maple syrup jar in the world.

When we exited the museum a taste test was set up for us. We tried the 5 levels of syrup plus their own bourbon syrup. It was great to learn about grades of syrup and what they are best for. We all had our favorites and wanted to take everything home. We had to stop ourselves from buying all the delicious syrup in the store. Instead we choose some maple sugar candy, bourbon maple syrup, maple cotton candy, and some classic syrups.

After our maple syrup adventures it was just a short ride to our campsite at Country Village Campground. We had a great spot by the woods with a large open space in front. The kids played fetch (a game we made up), an adult throws the ball and the kids get it and bring it back. Whoever gives it to the adult gets a point. Simple and gets them running around. Yes there is often a lot of wrestling involved and sometimes a fight or two, but hey that is the sibling way.

Acadia Day 2

Low tide on our second day was 9:15 am. Our main morning goal was to see some tide pools. There are many good tide pool areas in Acadia. We thought the beach bridge in Bar Harbor sounded unique. When the tide goes out here a land bridge is formed between Bar Harbor and an island. If you don’t come back before the tide comes in you can get stuck on the island for the day. During our visits we love to see something we can’t see elsewhere this fit our new things category perfectly.

First thing we noticed was this tide pool experience was very different from any we have had before. The entire area was like a beach with small creatures, especially barnacles, everywhere. It was hard to walk around without feeling like you were stepping on something. We walked out to a rocky area where we found snails, crabs, mussels, sea stars, sand dollars, and hermit crabs. There was a lot of “look here”, “I found”, and “wows” going on. The sea gulls were tide pooling as well and we enjoyed watched them eat their crab breakfast. We were there for about an hour before we went back to shore. We found a delicious smoothie place, Thrive, to refill. Our next stop was the Beehive hike and we needed all the energy we could get for it.

We took the shuttle back to Sand Beach and headed for Beehive. This is a hike up the side of the mountain. It has a strenuous warning for good reason. It is not an easy hike. It is however not difficult for anyone in relatively good shape or at least with a will to press through. A lot of the hike is more like a climb. For a lot of the hike you are on metal ladders and rungs scaling the side of a cliff. We are proud to say our kids did great. The big kids scalped it with no problem, while the little kids got a bit frightened from time to time and needed light assistance. Everyone conquered it and our reward was foggy views, honey packs, and lunch. after lunch though the fog had lifted a bit and the views of Sand Beach were gorgeous. The way out is much less strenuous to navigate although not necessarily easy either. We picked our way through granite boulders back to Sand Beach, with a few slips and a bit of tears. Well ok more like a screaming child for a bit, but in reality we rarely make it a day without someone screaming (one in particular) so for us it is normal. Our kids have big personalities and big feeling to go with it. At least we always know what they are feeling because they hold nothing back.

Although making another stop, or two, was desired the park was pretty full and again the idea of not getting a shuttle back was a possibility. We decided to head back to our home in the visitor parking lot, and spend some more time in Bar Harbor. We parked in one of the two RV lots in Bar Harbor. They have them marked well and we had no problem finding a spot for the beast.

In Bar Harbor we enjoyed shopping as the fog rolled in and the day cooled off. Our seafood loving family could not leave Maine without some lobster. We checked out one place that could not get us in for 3 hours!! Lucky for us there are lots of good restaurants around we stoped at Testa’s Bar and Grill and they could get us in right away. Lucky them, 5 of our crew ordered full lobster meals! Jen ordered the lobster tacos which were amazing, and spent a good portion of the evening racking the kids lobsters. Everything was fabulous our meal could not have been better. The staff was so friendly and helpful, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect. The kids all learned how to crack a lobster and eat every bit of meat. They also enjoyed clams, mussels, and chowder. It was definitely the biggest meal of our adventure but worth it for the experience, memories, and smiles.

We made our way back to camp late but still got in showers and good conversation with neighbors before bed. This day is sure to become one of the more memorable days of our trip.

Acadia Day 1

We had only one stop planned in Maine, Acadia National Park. This was one of our most anticipated places on the list. Everyone was excited as we left Massachusetts on our way to Maine. While driving through New Hampshire we decided to stop for lunch along the Atlantic Ocean. We found a state park with a large parking lot, it was $15, at that moment not having to search for a street spot and access to a sandy beach trumped cost. The water was cold and reminded us of the northern Pacific. The kids splashed and had a great time in the water, we ate lunch, and were on our way again. By dinner time we pulled into Timberland Acres RV Park. It was the closest park we could get to Acadia after trying to get a spot in Acadia and not being able to. The 20 minute drive to the Hulls Visitor Center though was not bad. The RV park was nice and the kids found new friends.

The forecast called for rain by 3pm our first day. It was cold, windy and high of 65F. Turns out this was great for it kept the crowds away and we had a great time. We packed our jackets, lunch, water, and all other supplies for a day of exploring in the cold and wet weather. We used the Island Explorer shuttle service to navigate the park. This is a free shuttle service running busses to many areas in and around the island. At this time they are only running a few of the routes hopefully they will be back to normal soon. There is plenty of information on where they are going and hides at the main centers. Every driver we spoke to was friendly and went out of their way to help us find the quickest route to our destination.

We started our adventures at Jordan Pond. Walked the carriage roads for a bit to see some of the bridges along the route. We did not have a set plan for the day and so we followed the pond hike a bit. We found evidence of beaver and then a beaver home. C has had an obsession with beavers for years so this was extremely exciting to him. When we came to the South Bubble another hiker told us one path was longer and easier and the other was shorter and harder. Being alway up for a challenge we took the shorter route. It was a great climb. We had to scramble over and around rocks. A couple times the little kids needed help, although none of it was too bad. It reminded Jen of her childhood climbing the granite rocks in the Sierra’s. We enjoyed our lunch at the summit before making our way to the parking lot. There we caught a bus to Sand Beach.

Sand beach had great soft sand and very cold water. We did not spend much time there as it was too cold for swimming. We headed to Thunder Hole, a short walk away where there is a blow hole and observation deck. We climbed some rocks and watched the waves crash and tide come in. The best time to view Thunder Hole is 2 hours before high tide. We were an hour late and this did not see the great explosions but we enjoyed our time. The kids did not want to wave so we spent an hour hanging out and enjoying the waves.

It was getting late, the shuttles stop by 5 plus it was beginning to rain. We decided to head back and are glad we did. The shuttle filled up quick and had to turn people away. More shuttles were coming but the possibility of hiking all the way back with the kids was not worth taking chances. We enjoyed the shuttle ride and the views from the Loop Drive.

At camp the little kids made a bunch of friends and ran around camp till bedtime. It is always amazing how a bunch of kids can meet and play as if they had known each other their whole life. Often we meet friendly adults as well but the kids always find friends at camp. We love this about RV life!