The morning we were to leave Eric ended up setting the alarm for 5:30pm, so needless to say we got a late start. We headed to Nebraska where we caught a scenic route through the small town of Broken Bow. If you are planning a road trip you MUST check out a book called "120 Most Scenic Drives in America" and that is where we found this drive. We found a quaint soda/sandwich shop in the middle of downtown and it was then that Eric and I fell in love with small town life. We saw the Nebraska sandhills and then headed back to the bustle of Interstate 80. That evening we camped in Des Moines (it was our first time tent camping together!) and watched the stars. In the morning we played the first 9 holes of an amazing disc golf course, but it got too hot to play the back 9. We recommend this course if you are ever in Des Moines. Here is Eric eating a cinnamon roll with the course in the background.
It was onward to Ohio and my parent's house in Castalia. There we met up with my sister Amy and her husband Dave, and of course my two nieces, Sam and Alyssa. The first item on the agenda was the amazing roller coast, Cedar Point (are you jealous Deborah?) Eric LOVED it-who wouldn't love an amusement park with 17 roller coasters and lots of carnie food? Here is a picture of him outside the park.
Eric also practiced his bow shooting with my dad in our backyard. Some things never change...I remember shooting shotguns and bows as a kid.
Lake Erie is a beautiful place and I took Eric to the Marblehead Lighthouse for his first visit to a Great Lake.
We stayed with my parents a few days and then headed on to Boston. There we were able to stay with Bradley and Meda, and their wonderful kids. Bradley has the most amazing view from his office and here he is drawing us a map so we would be able to get back to his house after our biking adventure touring the city.
We had a blast seeing the city on bikes and did find our way back to the house. Everyone in Boston bikes (how refreshing!) and there is a great path along the river we meandered down.
After our Boston adventure, Eric and I headed to Maine to meet Dr. Saunders and his wife. When we arrived at their house we were treated to an authentic Maine Lobster boil. I had never eaten lobster before and LOVED it. There were clams as well, and other than dinner, the green grass, cool humidity, and lots of mosquitoes made us realize we were a long way from home. Eric and I soaked it all in and were excited to head to Prince Edward Island.
We meandered up to the Island from Unity, Maine. First priority was the coffee shop in Unity where I was able to get my caffeine fix at the local coffee shop (much to Eric's displeasure). After driving for about 5 hours with a lengthy search at the border (though we did spot a Bald Eagle while eating a picnic lunch by the river), we set up camp in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick. We camped in a beautiful wooded area with trails to the bay. We were able to explore the Bay of Fundy at low tide the night we arrived and then view the bay at high tide the following morning.
I was able to get up before Eric (not really that much of an accomplishment!:-) early that morning and found a trail that ascended to the top of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Needless to say I enjoyed running through the green, mossy forest despite the steep grade. The cool air (filled with oxygen!) was amazing and the view was one I'll never forget.
We packed up camp and drove the rest of the way to PEI. We crossed the 10 year old bridge to the island, which is somewhere around 9 miles long.
If you ever go to PEI, be aware that while it is not posted on any sign, other than one that says "toll will be collected when leaving the island," there is a 42 dollar toll for crossing the bridge. There really isn't any other way around it, and taking the ferry takes longer and is a little more pricey. Despite the deception, it was a pretty bridge.
We were able to explore the island by car on our way to Lord Selkirk Provincial Park. We ate fish & chips, saw beautiful lighthouses, and got out of the car many times to take in the spectacular views.
We camped near cliffs for two nights at Lord Selkirk, then headed to another Provincial Park next, and we ended our trip at Red Point Provincial Park. If you are ever on PEI, camp at the Provincial Parks. The facilities are great, they aren't crowded, and the views are amazing. Here are the highlights from our camping experiences. The sunset was on the evening of our first wedding anniversary.
We did a lot of biking on the island and here are a few pictures of what we saw. The island is growing canola (which stands for Canadian oil, low acid-Google it if you are a science nerd), that is what the brilliant yellow field is, and eating at Crabby's was amazing. I also had the most amazing seafood chowder somewhere in a quaint harbor town in the middle of a 60 mile biking day. Eric and I had a lot of fun biking, and the best part was traveling by the Confederation Trail, a railway turned into bike trail. It was nice and flat, unlike many of the roads.
The last night of our stay, Dr. Saunders held a special graduation ceremony for me and another grad student on the trip. Here we are, caps on and sparkling rhubarb wine in coffee mugs, with the group humming the graduation processional. It was the best ceremony I've ever been to!
We headed for home, traveling through Maine and then to Wilson, NY (where Eric wants to move despite my warnings of lake effect snow) and Niagra Falls.
We made it back to my parent's house in Ohio where we recovered. Eric wanted to go back to Cedar Point, but we couldn't muster the energy to tackle more coasters. We did visit Cheese Haven, a specialty cheese shop on Lake Eric, and eat smoked catfish, but other than that we just visited old friends and relaxed. I was able to introduce Eric to many old friends who didn't even know I got married. Eric did get to witness the famous "Cold Creek Festival" where my sister is the 1989 queen. We had grand plans to stop in St. Louis, but we are glad all I have is this picture of the arch from the car-turns out when I took this picture people had been stuck in the arch for over 6 hours! We kept trudging on, thinking of home.
We made it home after many, many hours in the car.
Since Deborah and Blayne so kindly watched my crazy dog while we were away, it was only fitting they repay us for the famous "ass incident" inflicted on poor Darcy Dog. Here is what Cache looked like when we returned. Maybe she should have gone biking with us!
