When Things Don't Go As Planned

Three months on the road. Wow. Can you even believe it? We are too far from home to even call it quits even if we wanted to! There was a point where it would still cross my mind that we could run if we wanted. We could cut straight down from South Dakota and high tail it home no problem. But, now we are in Rhode Island with 24 states and 6,000 plus miles traveled behind us. And the best part is that we’re having the time of our lives! My goal now is to post on here more frequently and to get caught up with timely posts.

Last week was very trying I have to say. Everyone said it was a part of the adventure and most of the time I believed that. I returned from the funeral to my family and an electrically dead RV. I told you I was afraid to leave my family. I felt it. As frustrating as this past week has been, I wouldn’t trade going to see Mary and her family for anything. Not even with my family injuring Ally B while I was gone.

Now we can’t be certain that anything would’ve gone differently if I were there, but I find it ironic that this happened when I wasn’t. As the family prepared our motorhome to leave Lake Placid in upstate New York, while I was on an Amtrak headed back to them, something happened to the electrical system. We could still drive her, but it would be impossible to live in it as nothing electrical worked. The Lake Placid KOA General Managers, Chip and Julie, were amazingly accommodating and we are forever grateful. They put us up in a nice cabin for that unexpected extra night there. It was fate that we had gotten stuck in their campground because they really helped diffuse everything with their kindness and wisdom. I can’t wait to make it back to their beautiful campground one day, as I didn’t get to experience anything of Lake Placid.

In the morning we headed off to get our motorhome fixed at a shop in New Hampshire. They asked us to write nicely about them, so I won’t even go there.

This is how we lived for almost a week. In and out of the car, hotels and cabins. We managed to pretty much stick to our original travel itinerary of visiting Vermont and Old Orchard, Maine. We just now had to do it by car. By the time Ally B was fixed and we got on the road to Rhode Island though, I’d grown exhausted of hauling things in and out of different places. I realized that I’d slept in 8 different spots in 9 nights.

I also learned a big lesson in packing a motorhome. Don’t pack anything of importance or that you might need regularly in drawers on your RV slides. I wasn’t able to get to my iPad, camera or my underwear because we couldn’t get the slides popped out with the electrical issues! Here’s what we did while we were nomads this past week. Remember I only had my iPhone to work with too…

We took the ferry from New York across to Vermont on Lake Champlain. Can you see us on this thing? I still can’t believe that a big rig like that can go on a ferry across the water? It was gorgeous out and lots of fun to do this too!

In Vermont, on our way to Quechee, the Gateway to New England!

I enjoyed seeing all of the different covered bridges that this area in the upper valley of central Vermont is known for. The kids loved jumping from the rocks underneath the Quechee Bridge one afternoon. We noticed people doing this from the outdoor patio at Simon Pearce, so the kids had to try it. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Simon Pearce and watched the glass blowers working their craft before and after our meal!

At Sugarbush Farm, we had fun taste testing all different cheeses and four grades of maple syrup! Of course we left with many in hand as well. This is a beautiful family farm and a fun place to learn how syrup is made from start to finish.

There is also a cute petting zoo where you can buy 50 cent feed for the animals. Mine still love doing this at their age even. I think it took them back to their farm experience in Montana!

Fly Fishing for the first time…..

We only had one guy catch a rainbow trout with a little help from our guide, Peter.

We stayed in a cabin at this beautiful Quechee Holiday KOA. The owners were great in letting us switch from our originally booked RV spot to a deluxe cabin for our stay. Of course it costs double the amount, but it’s worth it. The cabins are easier for us than a hotel room because there is more space and a full kitchen!

This serene pond is at the front of the property. The kids loved fishing from here and renting a canoe to paddle too. Notice the leaves changing here already?!

I love to bake at home and I only buy King Arthur Flour, so I was way excited to visit the King Arthur Bakery and Shop in Norwich, Vermont on our way to Maine. The bakery here was divine! I plan to come back here one day to take some baking classes as well.