First up, our trip to the Adirondacks in July....
The past few summers we have tried to take a trip to visit Gregg's family. We feel incredibly lucky that visiting them bring us to what we think of as a secret treasure, The Adirondack Park. This year proved to be a little more challenging, as there were two escaped prisoners on the lose for the first half of summer and ,yep, they were somewhere in the Park (They ended up being found about 20 miles from the family camp). Once they were found, planning was in full swing.
I remember reading another blog which said that vacations are made up of three parts - the planning, the actual vacation, and the reminiscing afterwards. We couldn't agree more!
The boys were so excited to talk and plan all the things we would see and do. Reece knew "the first thing I am going to do when I get there is the rope swing". While Graham was most concerned about bringing his ski boots "to the mountains" and if he was going to see groomers. He couldn't quite understand that this mountain trip there wouldn't be snow:)
So we were off. We decided to travel through Canada as it had been years since we last travelled this route. (A.K.A long enough to forget why we stopped traveling that way! ) The occasional new sights were quickly bypassed by our lack of cell service or any GPS services which could be helpful when looking for food an hour after the kids are starving, or finding a hotel when everyones exhausted, or the $5.00 a gallon of gas, or better yet the lack of an ability to contact our bank when our credit card is declined for possible fraudulent charges because we failed mention we were traveling. However, after about seven hours we decided to go OLD SCHOOL and purchase a map. I forgot how much I enjoy map reading. I even got Reece on board, at least for a short while. We were able to plan our next few get aways - Niagara Falls, and baseball in Toronto. But oh yeah, we won't ever be going through Canada again;)!
Let me get back on track!!
After one day and about nine hours we were beyond excited to cross back over to the United States, finally in New York.
We decided to stop for lunch in the cute little town of Canton, just before entering the Adirondack Park.
Note to Self: Don't stop so close to our final destination because the bad news was that we still had another hour in half until we reached camp. Everyone was exhausted with a short fussed patience level. However, once we arrived we were quickly reminded how special this place is - the mountain air, the views of lakes and mountains around every corner, the loons, boat houses, the quiet sound of peace. It is truly one of our most favorite places!
And just as we have planned for weeks, we filled our cooler and headed to the rope swing. Let me be honest while this looks and sounds like an awesome idea from afar, it is hard as heck and a bathing suit losing swing.
However, Reece was a year older and stronger. Much like everything he does , he and Gregg took to the swing like they had been practicing all summer. Of course this leads Mom to a visual confidence boost that I could do it also.
Just be thankful mine wasn't documented because yep it wasn't pretty!
Reece really wanted to golf while we were there so Gregg got us set up at a course in Lake Placid. It turned out to be such a fun day! The views weren't too bad either;)
We woke up with no real plans on our third day. We, the parents, were hoping to lay low around camp and enjoy the lake. Yet we also have learned that the boys go a bit stir crazy and definitely tend to disturb the peace and quiet of camp. Gregg's parents suggested we head into Tupper Lake to visit a relatively new nature center called, The Wild. Despite the humidity and fairly cranky and tired toddler, we loved it. What an amazing center!
The Wild Walk was probably our favorite highlight
Reece in the spider web
It took some convincing but we hiked down to the Raquette River. So glad we did!
Sunday was Graham's third birthday (will post more later).
And clearly because it was his birthday, he knew that he could act anyway he chose. Let's just say a 12 hour drive followed by no naps each day afterward = HOT MESS!
Yet we managed a few smiles for his "Happy Day"
We ended the day with a similar routine, out on the water. Reece and I had canoed a few nights before. However, much like everything in life, after a little practice we had this canoeing thing down! So we were off for another nightly canoe ride.
Time is fleeting, the days are hectic, however much like we did this whole trip we took some deep breaths, and sunk it - just Reece and I. It has been a long time since him and I spent an hour alone with nowhere to be, no outside distractions, just us talking about life, dreams, fears, and just being together. It was more than amazing!!
The hardest part about vacation is when it comes to an end. We had all found peace in the quiet, enjoyed having no connection to the outside world except for the occasional news clips or text messages when traveling in and out of towns where we would pick up cell service. Reece knew exactly how to spot and call loons. Graham grew accustomed to napping in the car. Gregg knew exactly where to pull over for pictures before I even had to ask. Five days in and our hearts were beyond full.
So while the best laid plans are just that, we opted for spontaneity and pulling off the road to visit one more beach, or play on one more playground on our drive home. We are so glad we did!
Vacations fill our soul. They remind us to slow down and live in the moment. The remind us how incredibly blessed we are. They remind us how special family is. And we know that after the planning and the actual trip may be over, reminiscing about all the amazing memories we experienced have us ready to do it all again! Until next time Rainbow....
