Vacation Ends - Back to Reality...Home Sweet Home

After six days on the road and over 2,400 miles in the van it's back to reality for the Wolfsen family.

We traveled through eight states in all: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.

We had the best night's sleep yet last night at a Country Inns & Suites hotel in Marion, Illinois.  We slept in, ate a nice continental breakfast at the hotel and began our trek home around 11 a.m.  The nine-hour trip was uneventful. The boys were great!  I downloaded an audiobook onto my iPod before we left this morning and Ben and I listened to it.  It was One For the Money by Janet Evanovich.  It was a cleverly written mystery, and Ben even liked it!

Simon and Dawn reached Fremont late this afternoon. Deb, Dave, John and Sarah followed a few hours later. We pulled in the driveway around 8 p.m.  Amy, E and Leo decided to stay another night on the road and visit the Museum of Science and Industry and the Aquarium in Chicago before they return home Wednesday.

I forgot to mention a very HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY to my favorite middle nephew, Ethan, yesterday. Happy Birthday Buddy!  Sorry we weren't home to celebrate with you.

My favorite oldest nephew, Noah, age 9, is away at Camp Henry this week.  We sent a postcard to him from Memphis Zoo. I hope it reaches him before his session ends on Saturday!

We may spend the afternoon at Silver Lake with Simon and Dawn tomorrow. Our plans are still undetermined.  Sometime I need to prepare my lesson for Weight Watchers on Thursday.  Oh yeah, I suppose I'd better get groceries so my family doesn't starve!

Back to the grind...laundry, workouts, housework, eh.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My! - Memphis Zoo - Vacation Day 5

WOW!  What a great day!  We visited the Memphis Zoo today.  The heat index was 102-degrees with high humidity levels so we swigged down a lot of water, slathered on the sunscreen and bought hats at the zoo.  Then we tackled every inch of the zoo in about 5 hours.  We had the same crew of travel companions - my in-laws, Aunt Sarah and Uncle John, Amy, E and Leo - eleven of us in all.  

We decided to split up to move through the zoo at a comfortable pace for all.  Amy, E, Leo and us explored together. We have many great photos!  I carried my small camera and Ben carried the Canon. He is so much better at using that camera than I am.

I enjoyed feeding the budgie birds from a wooden dowel rod, watching the gracefulness of the giraffes, giggled at the playfulness of the otters and admired the life of the hippos (eating, napping and swimming all day, every day...sign me up!).  Corbin loved the red pandas and monkeys, Owen enjoyed the monkeys and big cats.  This is a great zoo that doesn't require a lot of walking.  It's exhibits are kid-friendly and the prices are reasonable.  ($45 for a family of four, including parking).  We would probably go back, in January, when its cooler.  Check out their website www.memphiszoo.org.

Our nephew, Leo, is 18-months old and just beginning to discover animals and their sounds.  He thought many of the animals were monkeys, except the ostrich which were "big bok boks!".  The zoo must be a strange place for an 18-month-old.

We decided to get back onto the interstate and travel up I-55 for a few hours before stopping for the night. Dave and Deb, Aunt Sarah and Uncle John decided to continue onto Mt. Vernon, Illinois to meet up with Simon and Dawn on their way north.  Amy, E and Leo are staying with us in a great hotel in Marion, Illinois.  Tonight we ordered pizza poolside and swam in the pool.

Tomorrow we'll mosey up through Illinois, Indiana and eventually home to Michigan.  Back to reality...the laundry is waiting, workouts must resume, groceries must be gotten, and Ben reports back to work on Thursday. 

I'll prepare for my Weight Watchers meeting Thursday evening and then the rush is on to get ready for fair week next week!

On The Road Again...Vacation - Day 4

Despite the unrelenting heat and humidity we had a really great day!  

I had really great intentions to workout this morning so snuck out of the hotel room and down to the fitness center in our hotel. Spent 10 minutes trying to operate either of the two treadmills for a quick run with no luck. By the time I finished that I only had 10 minutes before it was time to awaken the rest of the family.  So I jumped on the elliptical trainer for 10 minutes while I watched the QVC channel (I couldn't operate the TV and remote either). *sigh*

We ate another delicious breakfast at the hotel (I should have worked out longer) and circled the wagons with the other three families we are traveling with.  Soon we were on the road to travel south to Avery Island, Louisiana - home of Tabasco sauce.  There is a 150-acre jungle garden and wildlife preserve on the island. It's a bit of a tourist trap but well-worth the $6.25 per person to travel by car through the natural wetlands and swampy areas of the Louisiana backwaters.  The boys were thrilled to get within 5-feet of alligators and even fed them some Teddy Grahams!  We have lots of photos. The gators ranged in size from 18-inches to over 4-foot long.  We also saw snapping turtles with moss on their backs, a black squirrel, many egrets and blue heron, a huge yucky spider and several large (2"+) grasshoppers.

We took photos at the largest, oldest live oak tree on the island, the bird sanctuary, the buddha pagoda and gater pond.

Aunt Amy danced from one fire ant hill to another as they marched up her legs and bit her in several places.  Grammy had Benedryl that she applied to the bites right away, which helped remove the sting.

The men toured the Tabasco plant while the ladies shopped at the country store which included just about anything you can imagine, everything had the Tabasco logo on it.  I finally found a rice cooker cookbook! It has several recipes with Tabasco sauce as the ingredient but also rice, soup and pasta recipes.  I didn't need another cookbook but it's a guilty pleasure!  I also bought a great CD with authentic cajun and zydeco music on it.  We kept our toes tapping in the car this afternoon. I wish I knew how to two-step.  Then again, I can't even master the chicken dance!

Then we began our trek back north. We've already logged over 1,300 miles in four days! The boys rode with Grandpa and Grandma for most of the drive today. 

A few hours of driving brought us to Bass Pro Shop, just north of Baton Rouge.  Corbin was in his glory as Ben took him through the store (which I think is nicer than Cabela's!) and spent some time with him picking out a new fishing pole and bait.  He finally found his Banjo Minnow kit!  We took several photos throughout the store, especially at the live fish tank.  Uncle John says Corbin is going to be an outdoorsman for sure.  When we asked Corbin what he was going to do when he grew up (because outdoor hobbies cost a lot of money!) he said he was going to go around and collect money from people for popsicles. hmph...

We drove another four hours and turned in for the night in a nice Holiday Inn in Grenada, Mississippi. We decided to order in pizza and eat it around the outdoor pool while the boys swam but the pool was closed!  It closed at 8 p.m.  It was 8:30 p.m. So all 11 of us walked to Shoney's for a greasy meal.

Tomorrow is a big day, we'll drive 100 miles north to the Memphis Zoo and spend the day there.  From there the plan is undetermined...

Summer Vacation 2009 - Day 3

Today was a great day for a wedding.  It was hot and humid (89% humidity and 90-degrees at 9:30 a.m.) but that's the climate here in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The hotel room is beautiful and welcoming but Ben and I are used to sleeping in a king-size bed at home so when we downsized to a queen on the trip, we are cramped for space. Tonight we are each sleeping with a little body.  The boys are thrilled to be sleeping with one of us.  How long will that last?

As part of our hotel package we ate a great breakfast this morning. The boys were in heaven with made-to-order eggs, omelettes, pancakes, waffles, toast, bagels, bacon, sausage, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, juices, fruit and pastries.  None of the Michiganders knew the plan for the day so we ate a large breakfast in case we didn't eat again until 7 pm. That's the relaxed, casual atmosphere in the south.

After breakfast we spent some time in the indoor pool and hot tub. Corbin swims like a fish underwater but not so well on top of the water. Something to work on when we get home, if we finally have summer weather!

At 11:30 a.m., the Wolfsen Family caravan assembled to drive 40 minutes to the hall where the wedding and reception were set to commence.  The beer keg was already on tap and the setting was very casual. Several of Simon and Dawn's family and friends gathered to witness the brief ceremony officiated by the Justice of the Peace.  Dawn wore a pretty, casual white dress with her cowboy boots, her sister wore a denim dress and boots, Dawn's niece (14 months) stole the show when she toddled down the aisle in a cowgirl outfit and tiny little boots.  Simon and Sam wore short-sleeved polo shirts, jeans and cowboy boots.

Soon the party began. There was a small luncheon that included cajun favorites such as ribs, meatballs, chicken drumettes, "boudin" (a spicy pork and rice deep-fried meatball) and jambalaya.  The music was great and the dancers were entertaining.  We watched Dawn's family dance the two-step to the cajun zydeco music.  It looked like fun!

Corbin has been so anxious to see a live alligator so we left the reception and visited Dawn's parents' farm on the bayou.  The alligator had been sited on their property earlier this morning but we never found him today.  We did enjoy watching their guinea fowl, chickens and rooster, beef cattle, dog "Rebel" and two snapper turtles being held in large tubs, waiting their fate as Turtle Soup.  We also enjoyed looking at the fruit (lemon, lime, fig, pear) and pecan trees on the property.  But it was hot, so we soon returned to our cars and made a final appearance at the reception.

Being a family with an agricultural background, we stopped at the rice field on the way back to the hotel and fondled the rice. We didn't venture too far into the field though, for fear of rattlesnakes!  We also saw fields of sugar cane and milo (commercial sorghum).  At first it seemed strange to have rice fields in Louisiana. But then I remembered the popular authentic cajun dishes such as jambalya and dirty rice and it made sense to me.

We went back to the hotel room and refreshed (I took a 10-minute power nap) before we met for dinner.  The caravan resumed in search for food. We had been recommended to go to a seafood buffet about 5 miles from our hotel.  When we got there, we learned the price was $18.95 per person, and the people were lined up out the door!  Two things I steer clear of when dining out?  BUFFET (because I can't control myself and overeat) and SEAFOOD (Yuck! besides, Ben is allergic...).  I was relieved when we decided to move on.  According to our GPS, there was a BBQ restaurant 3 miles away. So Ben and I led the caravan to a deserted parking lot.  The place had gone out of business!  By then it was nearly 7 p.m., the boys were crabby and everyone was hungry!  We ended up back at Picante's. A yummy Mexican restaurant that satisfied everyone.

When we returned to the hotel, everyone was tired, so we crashed without pool time tonight.  It was a busy, hot day.  Everyone is exhausted, but happy and satisfied.

Tomorrow we will visit Avery Island (a beautiful botanical garden and wildlife area) before we begin our journey back north. We hope to end in Memphis tomorrow night and will visit the Memphis Zoo on Monday.

Entering Cajun Country - Day 2

We made it to Lafayette Louisiana!  Today we drove seven hours to our final destination.  We spent a lot of time looking for wildlife on the drive. Unfortunately we didn't see anything. Unless you count the interstate roadkill -- a wild boar, an armadillo and something white and fluffy that we couldn't identify.  The boys were very busy looking for an alligator in every stream, river, swamp and bayou we passed. No luck tho.

We found it amusing that the rest stops in Mississippi had security guards in their air conditioned security shed, and a golf cart parked near the guard shack. As if the golf cart could run someone down on the interstate if there was trouble.  Uh boy.

We finally arrived at Simon and Dawn's apartment mid-afternoon.  Neither of them were home. Debbie, my MIL, was making the wedding bouquets. Aunt Amy took Corbin and Owen swimming in the pool while Ben and I checked into the hotel and found the floor of the van.

The hotel is a vast improvement over last night! Even Ben thought last night's place was dirty and said he would have gladly paid the extra $40 to stay at the holiday inn!  If he comments I know it's bad!

We'll be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn across from the Cajundome in LaFayette for the next two nights.  The hotel is beautiful, the room is immaculate, the pool, whirlpool and fitness center are inviting, and they serve a full breakfast each morning.  Aunt Sarah and Uncle John are staying across the hallway, my in-laws are in a hotel down the road and Amy and E are staying with Simon - for now.

The boys were thrilled to find a green lizard near the pool and can spot those little buggers instantly!  They have keen critter detection but haven't been fast enough to catch one yet.

To keep the boys entertained we walked around the apartment complex in search of lizards.  My nephew Leo (18 months) toddled along with me.  We met Grandpa along the way and continued our walk through the property.  I was fine with the heat (94-degrees and muggy) until the last half-block and suddenly the sweat began to roll and I was drenched!

The men split from the women for dinner.  The ladies took the three little boys with us and we ate at Copelands, a New Orleans themed restaurant.  They are also known for their cheesecakes but we were too full to try one!  Grammy and Aunt Sarah watched the boys while Amy and I met Dawn and eight of her friends for a Ladies Night/Bachelorette party.  The men ate at a cajun restaurant (Ben said the alligator tastes just like chicken) and shot pool at a pool hall.  The alcohol was flowing at both parties.  I stuck to my regular Diet Coke on the rocks.  I like to live life on the edge.

I'm realizing that folks in the south are not in a hurry, nor do they really make plans ahead of time. Perhaps it's the heat (or the alcohol) that keeps them laid back and relaxed.  I'm unsure of the plan for the wedding tomorrow.  We are spending the morning at the hotel - swimming, eating breakfast, and swimming some more.

Bah for now y'all.

Louisiana or Bust! - Family Vacation 2009 - Day 1

So in a previous post I just committed to regular entries.  Then it hit me, I could blog about our family vacation so you could follow along (if you are really, really bored).

So we left Fremont this morning at 6:06 a.m.  Two adults, two children, one mommy-van, snacks, drinks, cameras, laptop, and too many suitcases to count.  Although we'll only be gone for six days, we packed for six weeks.

Our goal was to drive 12 hours to Memphis, Tennessee. I'm proud to report I am sitting in a hotel one-hour south of Memphis, in the town of Batesville, Mississippi (home of Batesville Casket Company for my funeral director friends and family members).  

The boys were exceptionally well-behaved today. The DVD player that came with the van paid off!  Owen (age 4) had a tiny meltdown this afternoon when he couldn't get comfortable for his nap.  But the tantrum passed.  Corbin (age 8) has been very helpful with Owen and has become the important point person between the food bags and cooler.  "Corbin could you give me the Wheat Thins?"  "Corbin I need a Diet Coke..."

We reached the Michigan-Indiana line in only 2 1/2 hours. I have no idea whether that was good timing or not, but it seemed to go quickly for me.  We even had a potty break and Egg McGrease Muffin just south of Holland. So much for spending less and eating less on this vacation.....

We chose a cross country route through Indiana instead of the high-traffic area around Chicago.  It set us back about 30 minutes but we watched plenty of corn grow.  Ben's Aunt Sarah and Uncle John left with us and they took the Chicago route, we opted for countryside. They ended up 30 minutes ahead of us. We never did catch them today but checked in several times by phone. They have more patience, better snacks, iron-clad bladders and no antsy children in their vehicle. We estimate they are an hour ahead of us and will check in with them again in the morning.

Traveling the flat country farmland through the long state of Illinois brought back many childhood memories of trips to visit family in Central Illinois.  I think I even recognized the overpass where my dad pulled our 1983 Subaru wagon over, hauled my sister and I out the back of the car and threatened to paddle us if we didn't shape up. As I recall it was all my sister's fault, but that's another story (love ya Lee Lee!).

Ben was in his glory watching the huge fields unfolding with corn, soybeans, sorgum (sp?) and other cash crops. There are several large dairy farms in Indiana and the Illinois farmers apparently harvest vast amounts of cash crops as their farms didn't have any animals on them.  What's a farm without animals???  Of course, he also rubbernecked at any tractors and mechanical oddities we passed. He missed his calling as a farmer....

Somewhere in Illinois, the boys enjoyed watching a by-plane dive through the air as he sprayed the fields.  I enjoyed experiencing small town America with their floral shops, cafes, antique stores and historical buildings and road markers.

Did I mention how flat the state of Illinois is? And boring...

Today I had several important jobs including iPod and radio operator, trash collector, DVD technician, snacks coordinator and my favorite - map reader and navigator. Ben was impressed. I owe my keen ability to read the map, recognize the symbols, mile markers and measure distances, to my Dad, who taught me how to read a map on our family vacations.  Nowadays I'm afraid map reading is becoming a lost skill with the invention of the Garmin and other GPS systems. (Oh yeah, just for back-up, the Garmin displayed its knowledge on our windshield too).  But I'm way more reliable and can hold a better conversation so I know I won't be replaced anytime soon.

We ran into rain showers in southern Illinois and it rained steadily for the next four hours. At times, it was raining so hard we considered pulling over. Ben expertly steered us past a stretch of road that was underwater and we hydropaned for quite a distance before he released his white knuckles and relaxed his jaw.  That was in northern Arkansas.

We hit rush hour, construction and more heavy rain as we approached Memphis. It took over an hour to pass through that.  Did I mention we were also in a tornado warning area?  At times there were flashes of lightening and dark, omnimous clouds. I would have panicked if we came upon the Storm Chaser unit from the Discovery Channel, but we didn't.  

We settled into an um...two-star hotel for the night. It's a Days Inn, an economical choice.  We were tired and the price was right.  For the most part the room was clean.  I'm just not spending a lot of time in the shower or bathroom.  The bathroom light takes about 10 minutes to turn on and the floor and walls of the shower are pretty scummy, but I'm blaming it on the water. 

We passed through seven states in all today: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.  We celebrated each new sign that marked the border to a new state much like a new adventure.

So that's the summary of Wolfsen Family Vacation 2009 - day one.  Tomorrow it's seven hours to Cajun Country in Lafayette, Louisiana where we will unite with Simon, Dawn and the rest of our crazy cast of characters we call family.  

Over and out good buddy.

More later...