Our 6S Full Life

Boston

4 of us travelled to Boston 11 years ago, but only 2 of us remember that trip. We think more people will remember it this time. We do not have many cities on the plan this summer which made the kids even more excited to go to Boston. Our plan was to get up early and make it into the city by 9:30. When we woke up it was raining hard and had been all night. The forecast showed it would not let up until at least noon. None of us wanted to walk around a city in the rain, especially since our plan was to be outside most of the day. So we decided to wait a bit before leaving and make a plan B in case we could not get to Boston that day.

Around 10 we decided to make our way to the Riverside Station, although it was about 40 min away it had a large parking lot. With our beast we have to prep ahead for parking space and this one seemed to be the best bet. Thankfully when we arrived it was no where near full and we were able to find plenty of space. We grabbed our backpacks, snacks, water, and jackets then boarded a train and were on our way into the city.

Our first stop of the day was The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. This is a wonderful reenactment of the night of the Boston Tea Party and a Museum. The actors were incredible! They kept us very entertained with history, jokes, and great character. We would recommend this to anyone in the area, especially those with older children. Our kids got so much out of it. By the time we left they truly understood why we had the American Revolution and how instrumental the Boston Tea Party was in it. They also got to stomp, yell, throw tea boxes, and laugh.

We left the tea party after 2 and everyone was hungry. We headed to Luke’s Lobster for gluten free lobster, crab, and shrimp rolls plus clam chowder. This seamed to be one of the simplest ingredient places for these things we could find. Everything was delicious and the kids are now asking for clam chowder on our regular menu.

Story Cubes were one of our best travel investments.

With everyone fed and happy we walked to Paul Revere’s House. We would have loved to do the entire Freedom Trail but the rain really took away our time. The big kids said their top pick was Paul Revere’s so we choose to spend our time there. The house has been well preserved and the guides had a lot of information for us. It is great to see the kids learn history from the sources.

The fog swallowed tops of buildings all day.

We boarded the subway for an easy trip to Boston Commons Park. We had to stop by the Make Way for Ducklings statue and the Swan Boats. Due to the weather the boats were not operating but we were able to recreate some pictures with them from 11 years ago.

Our last stop was Harvard. B would like to be a lawyer and has heard that Harvard Law is a prestigious program. Plus we do love the movie Legally Blond. We walked the campus and B posed outside the law building. Maybe someday we will recreate this photo with her as a student there.

We entered the subway one last time on our way back to Riverside Station and our home waiting in the parking lot. It was a late evening but by 9 everyone was fed and getting in bed. We are glad the rain was not able to ruin our day and the cool weather made the day even more memorable. Hopefully 11 years from now more then just 2 of us will remember this day.

Rhode Island

We spent a few days in Rhode Island. This is one of the few states none of us had been to, and we were looking forward to adding another state to our been to list. We decided to stay at Burlingame State Park for two nights and then go to Providence on our way to Massachusetts. We have spent very little time during our trip not doing anything. In fact this was only our second day of the trip where we had zero plans or drives. The rest was very much needed. It is fun to move around the US and seeing so many cool things, yet it is also exhausting and tough on us all. Our nerves were shot and everyone was fighting (more then usual) so a rest was needed.

Our site was large, simple with no hookups, and quiet. It rained the first night but not until we were in bed. The weather was cool and we enjoyed doing nothing. We stayed in our PJ’s all day except for the couple hours we went to the lake and park. We played card games, dug in the dirt, layer in hammocks, read, and generally did nothing. At night we sat around the fire, roasted sausage, and had cookies and milk.

In the morning we packed up and headed to Providence to visit the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. We did not have all day and wanted something simple. We figured for $5 a piece it could not be much but it was something different. We were pleasantly surprised to find an amazing (although small) museum and greatly enjoyed the Planetarium’s simple show. sometimes as we visit large museums and science centers we can get overwhelmed. Or the information is too high for some of our younger kids to understand. This was neither of those and we loved it.

They had six rooms, three on each floor, and each was filled with lots of information. There were many things we had never seen before in all our travels and museum experiences. There was a lot of taxidermy mounts more then any of us had ever seen. In the Natural Selections exhibit they even had a section of extinct animals. This was very interesting to see these life size and full body animals in detail. The Circle of the Sea exhibit had an amazing collection of Polynesian and Malaysian artifacts, especially considering we were in Rhode Island. The maps of islands made from sticks and shells were particularly interesting to us all. After our visit to Cape Canaveral and watching Apollo 13, we all enjoyed the room on moon landings. the kids particularly liked the exhibit on radiation and moon rocks as well as the plasma dome.

The Urban Wildlife exhibit had many taxidermy mounts as well. It was very interesting to get up close to the animals we know, but never get to see in such detail. There was an art exhibit on postcards through the years from the Roger Williams Park, unfortunately there were no current postcards to buy. After our discussions recently on the California earthquakes the Seismic Shift exhibit was particularly interesting.

The last thing we did in Rhode Island was see the planetarium show. It was all about the plants, moon, and constellations we see in the summer sky. It has been a long time since the kids were in a planetarium and they all enjoyed it. Especially D who spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the machines worked, she is always trying to figure out the mechanics of things.

We left Rhode Island, stoped for Poke bowls for lunch, and headed to the Boston Minuteman Campground. it is beautiful with lots of trees, a pool, a playground, and cool rocks around the fire pits. It was also a bit rainy but we still enjoyed an outside meal under our awning.

Valley Forge

To continue on what seems to be a military theme of this trip we spent our next day at Valley Forge. We did the War of 1912 in New Orleans, the Civil War at Stones River and Gettysburg, now we went to the American Revolution. This park is all outside and spread apart. We stopped at the visitor center and then drove around in the RV. For us stoping at the visitor center turned out to be very important. They told us how to avoid a tricky turn in our large vehicle we would not have know about otherwise.

They have a phone number at your pace audio tour. We used it a few times, but eventually just went to reading the information. The introduction video was a great way to start our journey. The theater was shut down so we crowded around a phone to watch it from the link. At least the rangers here were happy, helpful, and super friendly.

We made our way through the stops. All had large parking for RV’s which was very nice. It was hot so we were happy to get back in our air conditioned home after each stop. We saw replicas of the huts the soldiers built to live in. We learned about the plants and animals in the area. How the encampment destroyed the farms in the area and how with in a couple years the farmers had healed the land. We saw the house George Washington rented while staying there and we learned how the patriots came there a mess and left a trained army. It was all interesting history alongside some pretty field and woods.

Our family plus some guy in his sweats that would not move.

We stopped at the Washington Memorial Chapel. This one was very different from the St. Louis Cathedral. Before walking through we asked the kids to think about comparisons between the two. When we left they had a large list. The most interesting thing about this chapel was how they beautifully integrated Washington’s military life into it. We were all impressed by this little chapel.

We came back to our camp after the kids got their Jr. Ranger Badges. The kids swam until dinner when a storm moved in. We decided this was a perfect evening for dinner and a movie. A regular Friday home event we have not done during our trip. We all enjoyed tacos and watched Apollo 13. It was our Taco Tuesday, Dinner and a Movie Friday, on a Thursday.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

As we tour the United States we enjoy the cultural and geographic differences we find in every region. One area we were particularly interested in on this trip was the Amish Country. Before our day in Lancaster we did not know much about the Amish people besides they farm and have a more traditional way of life.

We decided to try the tour at The Amish Experience. We were excited after reading the reviews and ready to learn as much as we could about the culture and people. We started with a bus tour of the area. Our guide was knowledgeable, although not super personable with us. She told us all sorts of interesting information and was able to answer all the questions we could think of.

The farms and schools we saw along the route were immaculate and showed a great pride in the land and community. There were never any piles of trash, broken down vehicles, or stuff strewn anywhere. This is the type of country we dream of going to. Although the idea of snow makes Pennsylvania not our ideal place. Living simply off grid in large multigenerational family units sounds ideal in so many ways. Their way of life reminds us of simpler times and values. They still have power it just comes from batteries and solar not a company. They have pumps and indoor bathrooms. They even have phones in a special out of the house building. They use some technology but the great thing is they control it and their usage, as opposed to it controlling them.

We stopped at a market and spoke with some children being raised Amish and petted their ponies. The kids loved the farm animals, especially the baby alpaca.

After our tour of the area we walked through a Amish house and one room school replica. Our guide hurried through because another group was coming, this was a bit frustrating for we did not know why our experience was shortened for another group. This guide know a lot as well but again was not very personable.

From there we watched an interesting presentation called Jacob’s Choice. This was a 4D experience with lights, sounds, even mist, all while watching a movie on multiple screens. this was definitely an experience unlike most others we have had.

We went home with a few Amish items and some raw milk (a 6S favorite). We wished we could have stocked up on more of the delicious dairy and produce they have in the area. An RV fridge is not big enough for the amount of perishables we would have liked to have gotten.

We then headed to Brandywine Campground. If we were to own a campground this one was almost exactly what we would want. A creek, a pond, a pool, a group fire pit, beautiful trees, tucked away in a small community. It was really nice, although a bit too quiet for us, it was filled with RV’s, yet we saw maybe 10 other people the entire time and no conversations were had. We love a good conversation with other campers. So although not perfect this place was pretty great.

Gettysburg

We stayed at Little Bennet Campground in Maryland on our way to Pennsylvania. It was nice with big flat spots, lots of room between sites, and lots of trees. We got in late so we did not get to see much more then our site during the stay. Traffic can be hard a 1.5 hour trip turned into a 3 hour trip just trying to pass by Washington DC.

In the morning we headed to Gettysburg to learn about the famous battles. We started with the film to help everyone get the basics. It was a great overview and gave us all a better understanding of what happened and the importance of the battle in the greater Civil War. The Gettysburg Cyclorama presentation was pretty cool. We learned about the history of the cyclorama paintings and how they were created to immerse people in the scene before video and movies were invented. People are so creative.

We then went to the museum. We don’t think there would be a way to see and read everything in the museum in a day. Maybe if you got there when they opened and stayed till the end. There was a massive amount of information. The kids enjoyed the video clips and displays of items and life as a soldier. We read many of the personal accounts and all were extremely interesting. We wound through the museum looking at the things that caught our interest. We like learning history and interesting details, but by the time we reached the end we were ready.

C was so excited to sit on Lincoln’s lap.

After the museum we looked through the gift shop and then headed to the bus for our tour. There is a great self guided tour you can take but with the RV we could not do it. So tour bus it was. We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable and we got to see many things and stop a few times. On our own it would have been nice to stop a few more times but we would not have gotten as much detailed information or side notes.

By the end of the day we had learned a lot about Gettysburg and were ready to enjoy our dinner and campground. We stayed at the Artillery Ridge Campground and Horse Park. It was a fun place with swings, a pond, horses, and a pool. All of which we enjoyed during our stay.