Cost of diesel fuel: $$$$$.$$
Trailer for car: $$$$$.$$
State Park Fees: $$$$$.$$
Being in Interlochen with kids and grands: PRICELESS!!!!
We are now well into our second day with the boys here, and all is going quite well, even as we hoped and expected it would! Kimberly has set out a routine, plus there are activities for the families of the staff here, so we are staying quite busy.
Their cabin is about 1 1/2 miles from where we stay at the state park, right across the road from the Interlochen Campus itself, so we are actually closer to the site for activities. We have decided the easiest way to get here will be on our bikes, so we can all ride bikes up for the various groups and swimming lessons. We get here around 8:40 to get any instructions from the mom, then we begin our day with Jonny and Christian. It is much more fun and productive to begin the morning with games... yesterday a geography card game, today dominoes. Then we all work on school readiness workbooks or flashcards for about an hour, until it is time to up for the singing and fun class. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, the boys have swimming lessons at 12:30 and 1, so we can feed them brown bag lunches after the morning activities. Then back at the cabin, we have stories for a while to get settled down. It seems to be a good idea for ALL of us to have some quiet time (naps?) after we get back and have stories! After "quiet time," it's time for snacks and the playground, a great fun time for boys and dogs! If it is a later day for Kim (like Tuesdays - 6), then we get dinner ready for the boys, and sometimes for us, as well. And occasionally, if we get finished early, the special treat they love is to play card games on our computer! One wonderful thing for them are the other families up here... a bunch of kids in their age range, so they are having a great time playing together. That should be giving them so many wonderful memories about being a kid in the summer at Interlochen!
As for us, we are enjoying it, too! Walking to and from the activities this morning, we passed so many practice "cabins" with baby grand pianos being played by terrifically talented kids! Other cabins had sounds of flutes, clarinets, trumpets, and French horns, all practicing diligently, and all talented! What a joy to hear the lovely music and the accomplished musicians! We can only hope and wish that some of our grands will one day be occupyig one of those practice cabins, making such beautiful music!
This area is so lovely, so peaceful, and so delightful! We had so enjoyed it four years ago when Jonny was only two, and now here we are, enjoying it once again, only Jonny is now 6, and Christian is 4! The birds sing, the flowers bloom, the lake glistens, and all seems well with the world here! We could only wish for that feeling everywhere! Peace to all of you!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Our Trip to Greece and Turkey
In the midst of moving the motor home up here to Interlochen and getting started with the boys, I have not yet sorted pictures from the trip, which is next on my list of "things to do." Meanwhile, Overseas Adventure Travel asked for opinions and a review, which I wrote. It is a brief synopsis of our trip, so I decided to place it here, also, with pictures and more to follow!
When we first decided to choose the "Ancient Treasures, Modern Wonders: Turkey and Greece" trip, we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Of course, we knew of the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Athens, had read The Iliad and knew of Troy, were familiar with the battle of Gallipoli, and were aware that we would be served a great deal of eggplant and lamb. What we found was a whole new world of "adventure and discovery," led by one of the most educated, interesting, delightful, and humorous guides, Kadir, whom one could ever expect.
The pre-trip to Crete with its marvelous ruins at Knossos, its archaeological museum, and its lovely coast, was fascinating. Once in Athens, we were awe-struck by the Parthenon and the Acropolis, seen from all parts of Athens, and we enjoyed the museums, galleries, shopping,and foods of the city, as well as our delightful Greek guide, Elena. The trip to Corinth and seeing the place where St. Paul stood to preach was amazing, as was King Agamemnon's tomb in Mycenae. The island of Rhodes led us to imagine exactly where the Colossus would have stood, and how the medieval knights guarded the gates to the East. The ship Arethusa and her crew could not have been more hospitable as we traveled to beautiful Aegean islands of Symi, Kos, Patmos, and Chios, including seeing the cave where St. John wrote and the tree under which Hippocrates taught, and Bodrum, site of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus. We explored the ruins of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, our third Wonder of the Ancient World on this trip. Exploring Troy was amazing, and we found the Gallipoli battlefields unbelievably horrifying.
I must say that the visit to Turkey provided the most new material for us, more than we ever expected to learn, thanks to our guide Kadir. In Istanbul we saw the beautiful mosques and museums for which the city is famous, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, where we even saw "the daggar" from the movie Topkapi! And, of course, we had a great time spending our money at the bazaars! We also thoroughly enjoyed the optional side trip, Sailing Between Continents, covering both sides of the Bosphorus from both Europe and Asia.
We had also opted for the post-trip to Cappadocia and Ankara, which was amazing! To see the "fairie chimneys" and visit the early Christian hideaways was simply fantastic, and we wouldn't have missed seeing the Whirling Dervishes. This trip provided us with so much information about the Hittites, their culture, and their lasting effects upon the world, that we were excited about seeing the museum in Ankara. Our awareness about the religious beliefs found in Turkey, the history of country, particularly concerning the leadership of Ataturk, and the overview of modern Turkey today, increased exponentially, and we can only urge more Americans to learn more about this fascinating country and its history.
Would we encourage others to take this trip? Absolutely! The hotels were splendid, the food was fabulous, and the guides were superb! The ship was a luxurious treat! And, not only did we enjoy all of that, but we learned so much as well! And, we now have a whole new group of friends! Thank you, OAT, for this excellent time of "adventure and discovery!"
When we first decided to choose the "Ancient Treasures, Modern Wonders: Turkey and Greece" trip, we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Of course, we knew of the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Athens, had read The Iliad and knew of Troy, were familiar with the battle of Gallipoli, and were aware that we would be served a great deal of eggplant and lamb. What we found was a whole new world of "adventure and discovery," led by one of the most educated, interesting, delightful, and humorous guides, Kadir, whom one could ever expect.
The pre-trip to Crete with its marvelous ruins at Knossos, its archaeological museum, and its lovely coast, was fascinating. Once in Athens, we were awe-struck by the Parthenon and the Acropolis, seen from all parts of Athens, and we enjoyed the museums, galleries, shopping,and foods of the city, as well as our delightful Greek guide, Elena. The trip to Corinth and seeing the place where St. Paul stood to preach was amazing, as was King Agamemnon's tomb in Mycenae. The island of Rhodes led us to imagine exactly where the Colossus would have stood, and how the medieval knights guarded the gates to the East. The ship Arethusa and her crew could not have been more hospitable as we traveled to beautiful Aegean islands of Symi, Kos, Patmos, and Chios, including seeing the cave where St. John wrote and the tree under which Hippocrates taught, and Bodrum, site of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus. We explored the ruins of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, our third Wonder of the Ancient World on this trip. Exploring Troy was amazing, and we found the Gallipoli battlefields unbelievably horrifying.
I must say that the visit to Turkey provided the most new material for us, more than we ever expected to learn, thanks to our guide Kadir. In Istanbul we saw the beautiful mosques and museums for which the city is famous, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, where we even saw "the daggar" from the movie Topkapi! And, of course, we had a great time spending our money at the bazaars! We also thoroughly enjoyed the optional side trip, Sailing Between Continents, covering both sides of the Bosphorus from both Europe and Asia.
We had also opted for the post-trip to Cappadocia and Ankara, which was amazing! To see the "fairie chimneys" and visit the early Christian hideaways was simply fantastic, and we wouldn't have missed seeing the Whirling Dervishes. This trip provided us with so much information about the Hittites, their culture, and their lasting effects upon the world, that we were excited about seeing the museum in Ankara. Our awareness about the religious beliefs found in Turkey, the history of country, particularly concerning the leadership of Ataturk, and the overview of modern Turkey today, increased exponentially, and we can only urge more Americans to learn more about this fascinating country and its history.
Would we encourage others to take this trip? Absolutely! The hotels were splendid, the food was fabulous, and the guides were superb! The ship was a luxurious treat! And, not only did we enjoy all of that, but we learned so much as well! And, we now have a whole new group of friends! Thank you, OAT, for this excellent time of "adventure and discovery!"
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Where in the USA Are the Happy Wanderers Now?
It seemed as though we had just arrived home from the trip to Greece and Turkey, when it was time to hit the road again. However, since we now have a small car which cannot be flat-towed, we had to pick up the trailer ordered to transport it, which also carries our bicycles. After the usual pre-travel inspections and cleaning, we began to check on the roads, as we had all kinds of stories floating about concerning the recent flooding in Iowa and Missouri.
After looking at the flood map and road condition details, considering we are pulling a trailer behind the RV now, we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took the southern route to Chicago! So we went I-29 to St. Joseph, Missouri, across Missouri on US36 to Hannibal, then across Illinois on I-72 through Springfield to Decatur and on to Champaign/Urbana, where we stopped spend the night. As another positive result of going on the "backroads," we are getting much better gas mileage, as well! YEAH!
Sadly, though, the effects of the flooding were visible all over. Much of the Missouri River "bottom land" was completely covered down to the Nebraska/Iowa/Missouri border, and all across the state of Missouri, as well. The Mississippi is SO high where we crossed at Hannibal, that some of the small towns along the edges to the south of Hannibal are completely flooded. On top of that, huge cumulus clouds looked as though they could produce more rain at any given moment.
When we stopped for gas and lunch at Macon, a hour west of Hannibal, a couple of big tour buses were parked in the same area, but not packed with the usual groups. Instead there were all ages, from little kids to seniors. Naturally, I had to get off and ask where they were going. It turns out that they are being taken cross-country by bus because of the Amtrak railroad lines being flooded/washed out between Chicago and Omaha, and Chicago and Minnesota/Wisconsin. When I checked it out online, it was explained more clearly, but it had the same results. So those poor people were just trying to get to Chicago and points east and north from there. One guy had bought a twelve-pack of beer somewhere near by and was happily sharing it with his traveling companions while they were waiting. Hope they had a bathroom on the bus!
Last night (Wednesday, June 18) we spent the night at a small, lovely campground half way betwen Champaign and Rantoul, where I spent half of my sophomore and junior years of high school. Believe it or not, it looks remarkably the same, with miles of acreages of corn across the flat Illinois farmland. There was a large pond which made me wish for a fishing pole, as we watched huge bass jumping out of the water all across the lake. It was cool enough to just open the windows and enjoy the fresh air!
Today we are heading north from Champaign, skirting the southern edge of Chicago and Gary, and then heading up the Lake Michigan side of the state almost all the way to the top before turning east at Beulah/Honor for Interlochen. This is a brand new road for us to travel, which is always a welcome adventure! We'll let you know when we have arrived!
We hope everyone is well and that those of you in the deep south of Texas are able to cool off occasionally. We hope those in Nebraska and Iowa DO NOT have any more rain for a while (or storms of any kind!). Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you across the country as we continue our happy wanderings!
After looking at the flood map and road condition details, considering we are pulling a trailer behind the RV now, we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took the southern route to Chicago! So we went I-29 to St. Joseph, Missouri, across Missouri on US36 to Hannibal, then across Illinois on I-72 through Springfield to Decatur and on to Champaign/Urbana, where we stopped spend the night. As another positive result of going on the "backroads," we are getting much better gas mileage, as well! YEAH!
Sadly, though, the effects of the flooding were visible all over. Much of the Missouri River "bottom land" was completely covered down to the Nebraska/Iowa/Missouri border, and all across the state of Missouri, as well. The Mississippi is SO high where we crossed at Hannibal, that some of the small towns along the edges to the south of Hannibal are completely flooded. On top of that, huge cumulus clouds looked as though they could produce more rain at any given moment.
When we stopped for gas and lunch at Macon, a hour west of Hannibal, a couple of big tour buses were parked in the same area, but not packed with the usual groups. Instead there were all ages, from little kids to seniors. Naturally, I had to get off and ask where they were going. It turns out that they are being taken cross-country by bus because of the Amtrak railroad lines being flooded/washed out between Chicago and Omaha, and Chicago and Minnesota/Wisconsin. When I checked it out online, it was explained more clearly, but it had the same results. So those poor people were just trying to get to Chicago and points east and north from there. One guy had bought a twelve-pack of beer somewhere near by and was happily sharing it with his traveling companions while they were waiting. Hope they had a bathroom on the bus!
Last night (Wednesday, June 18) we spent the night at a small, lovely campground half way betwen Champaign and Rantoul, where I spent half of my sophomore and junior years of high school. Believe it or not, it looks remarkably the same, with miles of acreages of corn across the flat Illinois farmland. There was a large pond which made me wish for a fishing pole, as we watched huge bass jumping out of the water all across the lake. It was cool enough to just open the windows and enjoy the fresh air!
Today we are heading north from Champaign, skirting the southern edge of Chicago and Gary, and then heading up the Lake Michigan side of the state almost all the way to the top before turning east at Beulah/Honor for Interlochen. This is a brand new road for us to travel, which is always a welcome adventure! We'll let you know when we have arrived!
We hope everyone is well and that those of you in the deep south of Texas are able to cool off occasionally. We hope those in Nebraska and Iowa DO NOT have any more rain for a while (or storms of any kind!). Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you across the country as we continue our happy wanderings!
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