Now that we are back in rivers, our schedule is controlled by locks once again. The good news is that there isn’t much (any?) commercial traffic through here, so we don’t have to worry about long waits, just coordination with other pleasure craft. Also, the locks open at 7 am and close at 5 pm, so traveling within those hours and finding a good place to stop before the locks close is our new challenge. We tend to like to travel until almost dark sometimes, and we don’t really like to be on someone else’s schedule, but we don’t have much choice here!
This was our view in Waterford along the free wall. Several of these boats were starting the Erie today, some were hanging out for another day, one was headed south, and we were the only ones heading north. We pushed Parrot Bay off for their planned 7:00 arrival at Erie #2 and then fired up the diesels for our departure.
So the story with the clearance of bridges is that the posted clearance is 15’4″ for several of the bridges along the Champlain, and the lowest we can get is 16’9″ with our anchor light down. When Mike called the locks the day before, they said the pool (depth of water) was down a bit so actual clearance should be closer to 17′ 6″ to 18′. It was still pretty close for our liking, and nerve wrecking that the printed clearances were well short of what we needed, but several lockmasters agreed that we should be fine.
I love starting off the morning with a nice lock! Look at that turbulence at the dam! Our side of the wall was perfectly calm!
There were no posted clearance boards like there are in many other places, so that left us to completely trust the documented clearances and our own guesstimates based on what we saw. This first bridge sure looked low, but it wasn’t even the one in question.
We made it under…whew!We were lucky enough to have beautiful conditions–sunshine and calm winds!! Not too much traffic out here!!
Just before 10:00 we neared the LOW bridge (apparently–spoiler alert: many of them seemed this low!!)….and it looked really, really low. The kids and I went on the bow. Grandma took a prime seat right up front. Mike pooped his pants and then held his breath…
Hayley also held her breath…and ducked. It was hard not to!!Here we come, bridgey, bridgey, bridgey…
Mike put the boat in idle as we approached the bridge so we would just glide underneath (hopefully) OR not hit with much force (if something was miscalculated and we actually hit)….
On the other side….WHEW!! Of course we didn’t hit it!! Plenty of room to spare–Mike guessed 11 inches or so!!
Whew!
Minutes after that drama we were all tied up in another lock. From one adventure to the next around here!! The report from Grandma on locking is that it is much calmer and easier than she anticipated. However, she did give big credit to the amount of communication needed between captain and crew for the “easier” part. She could definitely relate to any tense parts (ie: the captain yelling from the helm “talk to me! talk to me!” because he can’t judge how close we actually are to the wall, so he needs some numbers from me.).
Colin is smiling here, but he had no idea of the locks that were in store for him in the future…he was our ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY second dock hand in this second round of locks.Tobin was not necessary during the locking process, but he helped make things a lot of fun!He even found a new dragonfly friend while locking!
We pulled up to the wall in Whitehall with a little extra excitement as we were surprised to see our friends on Ceci Kay already docked there. Rain was threatening, but we were ready for dinner, so Mike grilled in the grassy area next to the boat and we had a great meal at a picnic table there. The kids played in the grass, explored, and wrote with sidewalk chalk.
As soon as we got done eating, the skies opened and it started to pour. We opened a bottle of wine that we saved from the marina in Cape May and enjoyed happy hour while we waited for the rain to stop. In the meanwhile, Jan and Stacy from Ceci Kay came back to their boat and paid us a little visit. While we were chatting, the rain stopped and we decided we should get off the boat and explore before it got dark.
Relaxing on the sundeck, waiting for the rain to stop!Notice anchor light and antennae still down in preparation for the low bridge.INNTW and Ceci Kay on the free wall.
We went venturing over the bridge and through town. It was pretty, but the town wasn’t much to write home about. We actually had a run in with some kids who I think were carnies in town visiting (no lie–they almost ran into my mom on their bikes!). Then there was a big brawl across the river from us, which was a bit unsettling and caused us to call the police. On a good note, we had friends nearby, we stopped and bought fresh strawberries from an Amish family in town, and we had ice cream on board. Focusing on the positives, we can’t complain!!
Thanks for reading and following along on our grand adventures!!
A few weeks ago we set dates and made plans to have my mom, Kathy, fly in to Albany on 6/25 and out of Burlington, Vermont on 6/29. Of course setting a schedule and making plans when boating is always a gamble, but so far we’ve been pretty spot on, and this time turned out to be no different!! Still, it was a relief to know we had just a short run today to make it to our meeting spot.
Happy to meet a deadline, however, not quite mentally prepared for some of the excitement the short trip would bring us. First of all, there was a lock!! We weren’t 100% aware that there was a lock, so we were kind of surprised to see it up ahead and even more surprised to realize we were back into locking territory. We’ve had 7 1/2 months with no locks, so it was a scramble to remember our roles and remember what kind of communication was necessary to get us through. Regardless, we did pretty well.
In the lock, however, the lockmaster asked us about our route and we told him we were taking the Champlain straight north to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Most loopers turn west at Waterford and take the Erie. Our plan has always been to continue north and take the old historical canals through Canada. The lockmaster said no, we actually weren’t. He was pretty sure we couldn’t clear some of the bridges heading north considering the high water, and I’ll be honest, he probably had a much better idea of what he was talking about than we did. We’ve gotten a tad lackadaisical in our planning (ahem…considering this lock surprised us).
We were quite taken off guard and had a moment of panic. We tried to ask as many questions as we could to gather information and knew we would have a day or so to do more research to make our decision. However, our minds were set on heading north, and my mom was flying out of Burlington, to the north, so we definitely had some planning to do.
View of the dam from the top of the lock.
See those rain clouds in that picture of the dam? That was our next adventure. It was supposed to pour buckets any minute, and we had about a 7 minute ride to the free wall. The free wall that is known to be overcrowded and packed with boaters, all arriving on a first come, first served basis. Oh boy. Would we get wet? Would there be room for us? What would we do if there was no space? What would we do if we couldn’t take the Champlain? So many uncertainties!
Waterford is literally the crossroads of the Erie (to Buffalo, NY) and Champlain (to Lake Champlain) Canals.
With the help of Nebo, a boat tracking app, we were able to communicate with other boats already on the free wall. They relayed that there were about 3 open spots. Our buddies on Parrot Bay out of Bay City, MI came to help catch our lines (they must not have wanted me to precariously dangle off the side of the boat to dock ourselves). The rain was just starting to come down in huge drops. For ease of docking, we pulled behind the last boat on the wall which put us right under a bridge. I’m not sure if it was a genius plan to keep us partly shielded from the rain or crazy because we had to listen to the car noise, but it was the easiest spot. Several other boats nearby came to make sure we were all set, even in the pouring rain. Boaters are the best and of course, we return the favor, helping others dock and sharing info on Nebo with others headed that way.
Later that morning we helped 3 other boats in to the dock in the pouring rain and waded through puddles along the sidewalk each time. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t a picture perfect boating day. But what can ya do?! Keep your foul weather gear close, I guess. Everyone was just thankful to have space on the wall. We did have to do some space shuffling to have enough room for everyone. And there was a near miss of 2 boats that almost collided right in front of us, but it turned out all good.
We hunkered down and hid from the rain for the rest of the morning hours. Mike also did some research and made some phone calls, and it sounded like we could clear the lowest bridges on the Champlain by mere inches. It would be close, but we could do it. We called a few other lockmasters, just to make sure they were all in agreement. Champlain was a go for the next day.
Shortly after my mom arrived in the early afternoon, the rain cleared and the sun came out. It was HUMID! (Funny how we don’t think to take pics of the nasty, rainy days, but get the camera right back out when it’s sunny?!) We headed out and about to check out Erie Canal Lock 2, right in front of the free wall. This is the first lock most loopers head through on the Erie and construction started in 1907. This lock is also the 1st in a flight of 5 which means back to back locks to cover steep elevation changes in a short amount of time. Nobody wants to go over the rapids seen here, so they built a flight of locks instead.
Exploring with Grandma!Checking out the locks!
After walking past the locks, we walked through downtown and browsed an antique/pawn shop (don’t touch, look with your eyes, hands to yourself….ya know, lots of fun!!). We were hot and hungry, but nothing in town seemed like a perfect fit, so we went back to the boat and ordered pizza. Let me tell you, pizza delivery to the boat is always a great idea!! While we waited, the kids fished and we had cocktail hour.
This does not look safe, I get it. But it’s not a ledge…it’s the edge of the sidewalk. The kids are pretty used to maneuvering areas like this and we haven’t lost one yet. Notice the one we think we would lose first is wearing a life jacket. The other one (Grandma) is sitting down. It’s the cleats that make me the most nervous. I’m always worried someone is going to kick or trip over a cleat!!
This was our beautiful reward for the ups and downs of the day. Another great day on the water, despite all the obstacles to overcome.
See why the sundeck is my favorite place to sit? The best views–always!
Thanks for reading and following along!! More adventures to come!!
Destination: Albany Anchorage (with a short stopover at the Albany free dock)
Distance: 30.7 miles
Speed: 7.1 mph
Time on the Move: 4 hours and 17 minutes
Creativity abounds! After all the fishing we’ve been doing, Colin was inspired to create his own lure and line system. Thank goodness for tape, paper clips, and some kite string!
We arrived at the dock in Albany for more fishing, grocery delivery (thank goodness for instacart when you have no car and 5 people to feed!), and some exploring in this beautiful, historic downtown before heading out to anchor for the night (no overnight dockage at this free dock).
Tobin met fisherman John in the background there who gave us a fish to put in our freezer. Mike wrapped it in a plastic bag and just put the whole live fish right into the freezer. They thought it was the coolest thing. I thought it was gross.Tobin reeled in this catfish all by himself!! He says “it looks a little bit smaller in the picture because it was flopping, but it was very big. It was like a foot or two.”My grocery helper. Aldi delivery for the win!
I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful buildings.
This made us think of our nephew and cousin, Jack!The SUNY building was originally built between 1914-1918 by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company. And it is BEAUTIFUL!! Amazing architecture. Amazing history, too. It is near this spot where Albany’s first city halls were set and Benjamin Franklin presided over the Albany Plan of the Union in 1754, creating a unified government for the original 13 colonies.If we had more time, we would have done more exploring. It’s interesting to think of the history that took place here.After our quick tour of the city and a quick stop for some wine, we headed back to the boat. Tobin was desperate to take our picture!Our view from the free dock before we headed 2 miles down the river to an anchorage for the night. We left the dock quarter after 7 pm and were all set and anchored by 8.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures!!
Destination: Athens Free Dock (I love free docks!!)
Distance: 26.5 miles
Speed: 7 mph
Time on the Move: 3 hours and 47 minutes
After sleeping in, we left our quiet little anchorage near Kingston, NY around 9:30 am. It was a much calmer day to travel and we had a short trip planned.
Passing the Rondout Light. Built in 1915, it is one of just 7 lighthouses that are still fully functional on the Hudson River. Doesn’t it look like an awesome little house?!
Lots of people have asked how we manage to fit school work into our routine. Let me tell you it has changed several times over our trip, as we learned what worked for us and what didn’t. We have a different schedule every single day, so whatever our school plan is, it has to be equally flexible. The thing that has worked the best for us is giving the kids a list of their weekly responsibilities and letting them choose what activities they do each day. I usually encourage them to complete 2-3 tasks each day we travel, but other days we are off adventuring and never do typical school work outside of reading. Likewise, travel days could be long or short, easy or stressful–so my availability varies. Flexibility is key!
Colin and Hayley are generally responsible for doing 3 math lessons, writing 3 times, reading daily, and 3 “extras.” Extras could be keyboarding, cursive practice, other school books we have on board, or other academic tasks that appeal to their interests (for example, Colin made a book all about the Bahamas). The reading part is kind of a joke, because Colin reads for hours at a time. Hayley isn’t quite as enthusiastic about reading, but she’s coming along and reads more than I would require her to. I give Tobin a similar list of things to do, like writing his letters or numbers, writing his name, writing journals for his boat school binder, and now he is loving a math book with basic facts. I give him these tasks mostly so he feels like he fits in with the big kids and their school work. Luckily he has become much more interested in academic tasks and is building his stamina regularly now. He’s going to be a great kindergartner!!
Writing in his Minion notebook. He writes random strings of letters and loves for me to look through it and see if he wrote any actual words. I don’t think he’s actually trying to write content, but he just knows that writing looks like a string of letters, so that’s what he makes. Give a kid a book with a lock on it and they will write away!!
Other than this traditional learning, we cover geography, history, weather, budgeting, cooking, problem solving, flexible thinking, team work, and risk taking like gangbusters. And don’t even get me started on the amount of maritime museums we’ve been to!! I like to say real-life experiences are the best teachers, and we’re getting plenty!!
I gotta say, our trip up the Hudson was pretty magical! Check out all the amazing history we passed by!
Passing the Saugerties Lighthouse, built in 1859. It is a bed and breakfast, though the path to the lighthouse is underwater twice a day at high tide, so plan your arrival carefully.Passing another beautiful mansion along the banks. See the train tracks in the foreground?Passing the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, built in 1872 to warn ships about the sandbar it sits upon. Lots and lots of card games as we pass by these beautiful sights!
We are getting pretty good at docking on our own at these free docks (there are no dock hands to help you, like in marina!). In situations like this, Colin waits in the cockpit in the back with a line and tries to loop a cleat to hold the back end in. Since there are no obstructions here (like piles or power pedestals) I hook on that white side step and stand on the bottom step with line in hand. If communication is good enough between the Captain and I (and wind/weather/waves aren’t interfering), I can usually just step off right onto the dock and tie a line from the front of the boat. If conditions aren’t perfect, we just try and try again until we get it right. It isn’t always easy, especially if it is windy or there are tight spots, but we have become pretty darn good at it!
Tied up safe and sound at the Athens dock.
We headed to the local brewery for dinner and then chatted for quite a bit with a young family who lives in the area. They were amazed to hear about our adventure and offered any assistance we needed which was so nice! We ended up at the playground for some playtime before heading back to the boat. And what in the world would we possibly do back at the boat?!
Go FISHING!! Of course!!
Heading to the Crossroads Brewing Company.Proud fisherman!All this fishing sure keeps Mike busy!!Hayley LOVES fishing but she sure HATES touching the fish!!
We were treated to a beautiful sunset and a quiet night on the river. Luckily, we stopped at the gas station on our way back from the playground, so we were treated to some ice cream, too!! Life is good!
We are so lucky to get the best views!We find great peace in a quiet spot on the river. Today’s new vocab word: PANDEMONIUM. Brought to you courtesy of dessert!Life just doesn’t get much better than ice cream on the bow at sunset.
Thank you for reading and following along on our adventures!!
We pulled out of the marina just in time for the wind to pick up, as predicted. And I mean really pick up! We pushed against the wind and waves for a while, but the sky looked beautiful and the sun peeked out at us plenty along the way. It just wasn’t a day to have the windows open on the flybridge because it was windy.
Makes me think of “Against the Wind.”
We went under this cool bridge and happened to notice this train tunnel right through the rock. How cool. Lots of trains headed south towards NYC! And also a big freighter, coming around the bend, heading our way. Thank goodness we always know what’s around the corner with AIS!!
Tobin needed a repair done on his sock monkey and Colin offered to sew it up for him. That led to all the sewing stuff out, all the old “donate clothes” getting cut up into bits, creative thinking, and lots of new “stuffed animals.” Great practice for the kiddos and a quiet trip for Mom and Dad!
Mom helping out with some of the sewing!! I can’t even sew a button on, so that is kind of a joke!!Do we look wind burned? We were!! Notice Mike in the tank top and me in the sweatshirt?!Passed right by West Point!!
We also passed by Bannerman Castle, a simulated Irish Castle, built in 1901 on a deserted island, as a safe place to store surplus stock, ammunition, and equipment from government auctions. Originally, the stores were kept in Manhattan, but as the business grew, the Bannermans were forced by NYC laws to move their wares out of the city limits. Weddings, tours, and events are still held on the island today. What an interesting place!!
Bannerman Castle is still visible on the side of the castle. Cool!
Gotta love dinner (tacos!!) underway at 8:00 PM. Pushing to get to the perfect anchorage after a late start. Luckily it stays light forever this time of year!!
Tacos and burritos!! It’s what’s for dinner quite often!!We passed by the Esopus Light, built in 1871, because there wasn’t great protection for anchoring. But what a picture!!
Finally, we dropped the hook at about 8:15 with 2 other boats sharing a large anchorage at the side of the river. We had a beautiful sunset overlooking another ancient lighthouse. Another great day on the water!!
Rondout Light in the distance.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures!!
We woke up to another overcast, gloomy day in New York City. We were exhausted and wet and it was time to leave. I can’t wait to go back to New York City again someday and see beautiful weather! What a different trip it will be! But we can’t complain because we have had stellar weather for most of our trip and we certainly made the most of it.
Leaving NYC in our wake. The city kept going on and on for a long time!Another rainy day; perfect for some writing underway! Tobin started telling me his ideas for his journals and we would sound the words out together with him doing all the writing. It was impressive, but it took forever!! After a sentence or 2 I would take over and finish the rest.
We weren’t quite sure where we were headed when we left New York. Many of our looper friends stayed at Half Moon Bay Marina, but we had an anchorage in mind that was right next to a park. The wind was kicking the waves up pretty good coming down the river, so we wanted a spot with good protection. The weather cleared up over the next few hours, but the waves did not, so we decided to head for the anchorage in hopes of checking out the park. We wove our way into the bay next to the park very carefully because we read some reviews that there was debris near the entrance to the bay. We made it in, anchored, and were happy with the protection from the rough water. However, we couldn’t find a spot to dock the dinghy to go ashore. Then, I called to ask and found out it is a private park. A PRIVATE PARK?! You have to pay $22 per person to go there!! What?! New York is crazy.
So we ended up pulling anchor and heading across the river to Half Moon Bay with most of the other loopers. The waves and wind were not our friend in docking, but we got it on the 2nd try and then we quickly off-loaded the bikes for a ride. There was a bike path right by the marina, so we thought we’d check it out.
It was definitely a great day for kite surfing! Sunshine!! Finally!!
The bike ride was a pretty good time. Usually one or two of the children are complaining or crying or screaming bloody murder, but we didn’t experience much of that this time. Unfortunately our trail abruptly ended, and we were forced to turn around, but it was a good ride nonetheless.
Mike and I were lucky enough to sneak out for a sunset walk along the river that just kept getting better and better.
The next morning seemed much calmer though the winds were supposed to pick up again later in the day. We started off with Mike and the boys taking another bike ride. Then we decided to take a field trip to the famous Croton Dam before we headed out of town. Easier said than done, however, because apparently reliable Uber drivers are hard to find around here. We waited about 45 minutes when the wait was supposed to be 10 minutes before we finally gave up and called a cab.
Our view waiting waiting waiting for a ride…
Luckily the dam was worth the trouble of getting there. There is a beautiful park adjacent to the dam and a walkway to go over the top of the spillway. This New Croton Dam was built between 1892 and 1906 when it replaced the Old Croton Dam built in 1842 to supply water to the residents of New York City. The structure was the tallest dam in the world when it was created. It is supposedly the third largest handmade stone structure in the world, behind the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Wall of China. That’s pretty impressive!!
After walking around the dam and checking out the sights for a few hours, we decided to head back towards the boat for some lunch before heading on our merry way. But wouldn’t you know it, more Uber troubles. Our driver just mysteriously stopped moving and we waited for.ev.er before we finally looked up another driver. It was an hour long ordeal just trying to get 10 minutes down the road. If the roads weren’t so fast and twisty and turny we would have just walked, but again, the second driver was the magic charm.
This is our “OMG why does nobody want to give us a ride” picture. waiting, waiting, waiting
We had some lunch and walked back to the marina to get out of dodge. The next round of loopers were getting close to arriving at the marina, so it was definitely time for us to go. The wind had picked up, but we made it past the breakwalls of the marina with little trouble and we were on our way, heading further north up the Hudson.
After an amazing night anchored behind the Statue of Liberty, I was anxious to check out our awesome view again. I peeked out the windows, but I was confused because I literally couldn’t see a thing. Everything was white. That rain I was hoping to avoid the day before ended up bringing in fog as thick as pea soup when it finally moved in at some point overnight and left us without any view of the Statue of Liberty or that massive skyline.
At first I was disappointed, but the more I thought about it, I started to get worried. We were supposed to leave our anchorage and head for a marina that morning an to start exploring the city. We didn’t have too far to travel, and we sure have traveled in thick fog before, but I just couldn’t imagine traveling through the area relying on radar alone with all that commercial traffic everywhere.
I started to feel trapped and panicked that we could be socked in for a while. After about an hour of wondering if we were ever going to be able to leave, the fog started to lift. Mike and I had already looked at the weather and thought we saw a break in the fog coming (unfortunately right when the rain was scheduled to start), but the increased visibility wouldn’t last long. Sure enough, the fog lifted just a bit, that beautiful lady appeared, and we fired up our engines to brave busy New York Harbor.
These kiddos sure were excited to see the Statue of Liberty. They all agreed that she looked smaller than they imagined.
Most loopers arrange for a great shot of their boat in front of the Statue of Liberty to be taken by another boat and then the favor is repayed so both boats get great pictures. Unfortunately, we weren’t with any other pleasure craft as we rounded the island, so we were forced to take selfies instead. Everyone was ready for some quick pictures, as we had to avoid ferries and their imposing wakes, while being sure to stay outside of the bouyed safety perimeter around the island.
What a great shot…sometimes they really do get along!We still didn’t have a great view of Manhattan, but we were thankful that at least we could see the boats around us with our own eyes!So happy and thankful to be here, together, under our own power.
Some quick pics and Mike was back at the helm. We knew we didn’t have far to travel today, but we were a bit uneasy about the commercial traffic in the area. Obviously seeing what was coming at us was a definite advantage (or maybe it made it worse…?).
Pointing out landmarks and boats, oh my!Excited to explore that city!While he’s being funny, I’m pretty sure the captain is also showing us how he really felt driving INNTW past lower Manhattan! It was daunting and overwhelming!Ferries heading here, there, and everywhere.They sure don’t give you much space.
Overall, the ride up the river to the 79th Street Boat Basin was busy and wavy, but not more than was expected for New York City. Mike and I both had our heads on swivel most of the time, keeping an eye out for the next high speed vessel heading our direction. It was wavy with all the wakes, and our grill that was sitting on the floor of the sundeck fell over as well as some fishing poles sliding out of their holders. It was doable, but we sure were thankful when we arrived at the marina.
After a quick pump out and a tricky docking experience, we were all tied up and ready to explore NYC! The forecast was for rain and more rain, so we gathered the ponchos and umbrellas, got a quick rundown on where we could catch the subway, and headed off. Just by chance we came across the captain of the sailboat in our pictures from the night before, and I was able to text him a dozen amazing pictures of his boat in front of the skyline and the Statue. Lucky guy!! Karma pays off, I hope.
We made a quick plan for the rest of our day, as we were leaving the boat around noon, and we decided to head to Times Square. Sure enough, as soon as we came out of the subway tunnel, it started pouring. Ponchos are a good look, don’t you think?! So much for Hayley wowing the fashionistas of NYC! But I mean, look at her…she still tried her best!
Rain, rain, go away!
We wandered around a bit, but we were just getting soaked and weren’t enjoying the sights the way we should have been, so we reconvened. We decided to go to a discount ticket booth to see what shows we could get tickets for that night. Mike took one for the team and stood in line for almost an hour to get us tickets to Stomp while the kids and I took shelter in the nearby M&M store. We were psyched for Stomp, but we felt bad for Mike standing out in the rain for so long.
Look at all those colors of M&Ms!!Hayley with the Statue of Liberty M&M!
Once we had Stomp tickets, we had a timeline for the rest of our day, so we spent some time at lunch figuring out what to do with our afternoon, especially since it was raining. We ended up heading towards the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We were surprised to find out that admission is free on Tuesday afternoons after 4:00, so we all got in for free–bonus!! Waiting in line was very somber and we spent a lot of time talking to the kids about what happened that day and what we remember going through. While the actual event was so long ago, we can still remember so many details like it was just yesterday.
One World Trade Center stands in the place previously occupied by 6 World Trade Center and is the tallest building in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere and the 7th tallest building in the world. This is the footprint of the first tower, now turned into a massive waterfall.Names of those who died at the WTC are engraved along the perimeter of the waterfall. Roses are placed fresh each day to commemorate each person’s birthday.
The kids seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and were interested and respectful. They had some questions, but not too many. Hayley really seemed to enjoy the room of memorials dedicated to all the victims .
Perimeter box columns.This is the final steel beam removed from Ground Zero. It is covered in missing posters, grafiti from first responders, and tributes to the victims.The Survivors’ Staircase allowed hundreds of people to escape from 5 World Trade Center and is still in it’s original place today, built inside the museum.“No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” by Virgil. The unclaimed remains of victims from 9/11 are ensconced in this wall. The blue papers symbolize the blue sky that morning, the different personalities of the victims, and the missing posters put up around the city. The letters are made from steel from the buildings. Two crews from Ladder 3 rushed into the towers because the call for help came in right at shift change, so twice as many men we on duty at the firehouse. They were inside when the towers collapsed, ripping off the front end of their truck.The original tiebacks used to anchor the original walls of the towers to hold them up.
The museum has some interesting artifacts and captures the events of the day, as well as commemorates the victims and heroes. One that I distinctly remember that I don’t have pictures of is the only window that didn’t break as the towers fell. There is a picture of the collapsed tower with one window intact and that window is in the museum. It was a very sobering stop, but it was an important one for all of us.
From there we headed to dinner at Shake Shack where we were happy to relax and sit down for a bit before Stomp. Stomp was just a few blocks from our dinner spot, so we headed there and went right to our seats. It was an amazing show that literally had Colin and Hayley on the edges of their seats the whole entire time. Definitely worth the hassle of standing out in the rain for a while. We all loved it!
Everyone was excited and not quite sure what to expect!We loved the rhythm and beats–what talent!A sleepy subway ride home from Stomp. What a great first day in NYC!!
The only downside of Stomp was a silly mistake I made. I was taking Hayley to the bathroom in the dark, and I wanted to be respectful, so we snuck out quickly and quietly, and I thought I knew what I was doing. Unfortunately the ramp up the walkway turned out to be stairs and I fell up them, hard, right on my shin. I ripped my jeans and got a huge bruise. It was embarrassing and uncomfortable, but at least nothing was broken?!
The next morning we were up early making plans for the day and figuring out creative ways to dry all the soaking wet stuff we wore the day before. Luckily, the marina had laundry on site. Unfortunately, all our clothes and tennis shoes were soaked. AND, the weight of the shoes kept flinging the dryer door open, so we literally had to stand there and hold the dryer door closed while the shoes bounced around and around. It was annoying!
Our plan for the day started with a trip to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium to see the Yanks beat the Rays. It was surreal to be in Yankee Stadium, just thinking about the history of that famous organization and my favorite, Derek Jeter (he’s from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I’m from, and was even in my mom’s class long ago!). The kids were all stoked to be there. There was a kids play area close by our seats, the Yanks were on fire, and we even got to see a grand slam!! While it was far from sunny, at least it didn’t rain on us until just as the game was ending!! I’ll call that a win!
The closer the subway got to the stadium, the more Yankee gear we saw! What a fun atmosphere!Being surrounded by greatness just makes you smile!They hit a homerun while we were smiling for this picture!When in Rome!Tobin is showing them how tough the Tigers are in the play area! What a great place for the kiddos to burn off some steam.Colin practicing his speed pitching.In typical Herbon fashion we even snuck in some time behind home plate! What a great spot to see a grand slam!
After the game, we headed for some early dinner, deciding to walk through part of Central Park on the way. It was raining and there were puddles everywhere and it just wasn’t what we imagined, so we headed out of the park and straight to eat. After dinner (lunch?) at a little diner that reminded me of Seinfeld, we walked down Broadway towards the marina. We got sick of hearing Mike sing “On Broadway” over and over and over again, but it was exciting to be there. The buildings were beautiful, the flower stands were beautiful, and the weather was wet. Our poor feet were shriveled up like raisins by the time we got back to the boat, ready for a break from the rain.
I was amazed by the character of the buildings. I would always wonder about the history and life that had taken place there if that was my home!Beautiful flower stands and fruit markets along the sidewalks.So much to see!It was obvious that our kids are not proficient in umbrella etiquette, but it sure didn’t stop them from carrying them!! Oh well?!Heading back to the boat for some “Muppets Take Manhattan” before bed. It wasn’t quite the productive sight-seeing day that we hoped for, but considering the weather, we did the best we could!!
Many, many thanks to our boat buddies onboard Manatee who took this picture of INNTW at the 79th Street Boat Basin as they passed right by, leaving us in their wake as they headed towards our home waters of Lake St Clair to finish their 29th loop. That’s right!! 29!! They loop from Michigan to Florida EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR., chasing summer all the way. And they still are kind enough to take pictures of other boaters. Amazing.
INNTW sighting in NYC
Our last morning in NYC we were headed to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It wasn’t raining, but our shoes were still soaked from the day before and puddles were everywhere. Staying dry was a losing battle.
All loaded up on the ferry to head to the Statue of Liberty!Mike was excited to let someone else do the driving for a while!
We were all able to listen to audio tours packed with tons of good info about what we were seeing and the history of the Statue. Each receiver had numbers, so you entered a specific number for what language you wanted to hear or for the kids’ version of the tour. It was a genius idea! The kiddos were extra motivated because they wanted to earn another Junior Ranger badge!
Everyone agreed that she looks much bigger up close.The museum told the whole story of the Statue. Did you know her full name is Liberty Enlightening the World and she is only as thick as 2 pennies? Awesome! Using teamwork to earn those Junior Ranger badges.This beautiful poem was written in 1883 in a fundraising effort to build a pedestal for the Statue. The poem focused on immigrants arriving in our country, knowing they would be awed by seeing the Statue upon their arrival.We climbed 215 steps to get to the top of the pedestal she sits on. The pedestal is 89 feet tall and sits on a 65 foot tall fort (Fort Wood–one of NYC’s defense systems built for the War of 1812). The actual statue is 151 feet tall.A similar view of the city from when we last left Lady Liberty. It was just about to start raining, believe it or not!From the pedestal, this is the view up into the statue. She has a steel skeleton in place to help hold her up. Gustav Eiffel created the skeleton shortly before designing the Eiffel Tower. You can go all the way up to the crown, but you have to be able to climb another 354 steps to the top and plan months in advance for when you’ll be there. Not conducive to a boater schedule. Getting sworn in as Junior Rangers. I love how the Park Rangers always add something about “cleaning your room and eating your vegetables.” Funny rangers!
After exploring the Statue of Liberty, we boarded another ferry for the very short trip over to Ellis Island, where about 12 million immigrants passed through on their way into this new country. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing and moving the stories and the buildings were at Ellis Island. Listening to the audio tours really made the experience of arriving in America come to life, and it made us understand the adversity that people faced upon arrival, after a long, strenuous journey.
Many of the immigrants who arrived here between 1892 and 1954 came directly upstairs to enter the massive Great Hall to begin their screening and processing. Doctors stood watch and gave physical exams as well as offered opinions on new arrivals’ health status based on observation. If you were found to be ill or suspected of illness, you could be sent right back to your home country.
Colin and Tobin are listening to their audio tours in the Great Hall. As part of their Junior Ranger badges, the kids had to read flyers recruiting new workers and settlers to different areas around the country and decide who should head where and why. It was a very thoughtful exercise.On 1/1/1892, Annie Moore was 15 when she was the first immigrant to enter the United States through Ellis Island. It took her and her family 10 days to travel over from Ireland in steerage.
New arrivals headed inside and left their only belongings in a big pile unattended while they proceeded upstairs to undergo physical exams. Approximately 120,000 immigrants were turned back and sent to their home country either because they were unwell or because the workers thought they would become a drain on the system (unescorted women and children). All arrivals were supposed to have a recommendation from someone who could vouch for their character and productivity.
The outside of the beautiful Great Hall. Many people spent the night in the Ferry House at Ellis Island, or probably several nights. If there were health problems or visa delays, immigrants were detained.
Interestingly enough, we thought we might be able to get some good info on Mike’s ancestors from when they arrived in the United States, but they were mostly all in the US well before Ellis Island even opened. Mike’s mom traced the family geneology back and knows where their families lived in Europe, but we also learned that people traveled to main port cities to catch their steamships across the Atlantic, so their departure port wasn’t necessarily where they were from. Also, many immigrants had never seen their name written down, so workers did their best to spell the names correctly, but many names were unknowingly changed during this transition from spoken to written language.
Getting ready to leave the island, Tobin was trying to get a better look. This was about 20 seconds before the skies opened and dumped buckets on us and just about 40 seconds before we could take cover on our ferry back to Manhattan.Another subway ride!These kids are not intimidated one bit by mass transit!!
Luckily the pouring rain was short lived this time, so after happy hour and a quick lunch, the sun was shining. We headed right to Central Park to take advantage of decent weather. We were surprised to see giant rocks perfect for climbing and a huge, flooded playground. We climbed around and burned off some of our rainy day energy stores.
Hayley was thrilled with her Unicorn something-or-other fruit and yogurt bowl for lunch!Look at that crazy crew!Always an adventure.We loved the contrast of nature and city. What a beautiful spot. If the weather was different, we would have spent much more time here!
Knowing we were heading out of town the next day, we decided to head to Times Square to get a better idea of it’s energy in decent weather. We weren’t satisfied with our first attempt at a visit in the pouring rain, but on this night, the weather was clear and the lights were bright. It was perfect. We were amazed by all there was to see. And we were exhausted after a busy few days exploring the city.
More fun on the subway!!Off on another adventure!Times Square was worth the 2nd visit with good weather!The kids taking it all in–so much to see!
Thank you so much for reading and following along on our adventures, and thank you for your patience and continued interest!!
**Okay okay, I’m finishing the blog, I promise!! I hear that all of you are telling my mom you want to finish the story, and Mike keeps telling me to work on the blog, and today even the librarian told me she’s waiting for more blog posts, so here I am!!! Thanks for being so patient and for still being interested!! It is so fun to look back on these amazing days!!**
Leaving AC in our wake.
We were up and out of Atlantic City early, excited about our destination for the day (RIGHT NEXT TO the Statue of Liberty!!), but first we had to make it through the gauntlet that is the New Jersey ICW. Remember how I mentioned that the ICW is extremely shallow and unpredictable? “If you’re not running aground in New Jersey, you aren’t boating” is what they say, and we were sure hoping to avoid any excitement like that.
The channel was certainly very narrow, but it was very calm and quite scenic along the route. Luckily we were able to stay in the channel without too much trouble, despite some shallow spots and a few 90 degree turns.
After about 60 miles, we headed out the Manasquan Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. We weren’t quite sure what the ocean would bring us because…well, because it’s the OCEAN. We were watching possible afternoon storms for most of the morning, but so far we were able to avoid them, and we really hoped they would wait for us to get off the ocean before they showed up. At first glance, it seemed a little hazy and a little bouncy, but it turned out to be extremely calm. There were some well-spaced 3′ swells, but we surfed up and down them pretty easy.
Back in the ocean, heading north.Looks calm as can be, but I promise it was a little rolly.
Anytime we are in the ocean, we just never know what to expect. We try to plan ahead and make sure the water is as calm as can be (especially because it’s been a while since we were out there and we are chickens when we’re in the ocean!). I was a little on edge with the chance of storms and the haziness out there, still looking at 40 miles until the Statue of Liberty. But then, we noticed that a small little aluminum boat that followed us all morning through the ICW had also followed us out into the ocean. For a minute, Mike thought he might try waving us down for a ride, but after a while it became clear that he was just fine running in the ocean in that little aluminum boat in 3′ swells. We kept an eye on him to make sure he was safe, but also because it made me feel better that there was someone much crazier than us out there.
This boat was about 12′ long with a tarp rigged up over the top for protection. The guy was making coffee on his extra bench when we woke up in the morning in AC…sure seemed like he lived on it!! He followed us the whole entire morning, but I sure never thought he’d make the turn into the ocean!
We saw just a few other boats on our 40 mile run to NYC, but they were faster and obviously headed to other destinations. Any loopers we were keeping in touch with were stopping in Great Kills, NY, so we were pretty much on our own. Just us and the crazy aluminum boat guy.
Aluminum boat guy, still back there.Romer Shoal Lighthouse is north of Sandy Hook, NJ at the entrance to New York Harbor. It was first built in 1838 and badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy. This is about where we lost aluminum boat guy…he headed a bit more north towards Long Island.
The rain held off, the water stayed calm, and New York came into view in the distance. Woo Hoo!! We were on a close watch because of all the ferries and commercial traffic. A looper friend of ours had a close call with a ferry and we realized why when we passed through here. Those babies fly through the harbor out of nowhere and they’re HUGE!! I can’t imagine traveling through this area without AIS (automatic identification system) where commercial traffic can clearly see us on their navigation screens and we can see them.
The skyline of Brooklyn.Heading towards the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. It is a double decker bridge which was cool to see!! Two layers of traffic!! Heading through New York Harbor to the mouth of the Hudson River.All kids were on deck for this exciting trip! Hayley was psyched to learn that 900 fashion companies are based in the city. Manhattan to the right and Jersey City to the left!Tobin’s heading to NYC!We were watching our navigation app closely to lead us to our anchorage (marked here with the blue push pin), but we were also keeping a close eye out for ferry and commercial traffic.A cargo ship headed out to sea.The captain keeping a close eye on our situation.
We were so busy navigating, looking for boat traffic, and searching for fun New York facts when we had a spare minute, we arrived at the Statue of Liberty in a flash!! We heard about this amazing anchorage for months traveling the loop and now it was finally our turn to stay here!
Tobin drew a big apple to help him remember New York City’s “other name.” (See who’s over his shoulder there?!) He was also really hoping we could go to the Central Park Zoo to see Alex, the Alex (from Madagascar, the movie). When I told him that Alex was just a character in the movie, he agreed, but he said he knows the giraffe and the hippo really do live there…so…hmmm.
We had an amazing view of Lady Liberty and the skyline of Manhattan and Jersey City that changed but remained just as magnificent as it got dark. We did deal with some wakes from the ferries until they stopped in the evening (about an hour after we dropped anchor). It was so cool to sit with this view! We shared fun facts about New York and the Statue of Liberty all evening from the sundeck and told our personal stories from 9/11. The kids were in awe of the history of the city, as were we. It was a magical anchorage and really added to the experience of being in NYC for all of us!! It was one of those “hard to go to bed” nights because the view was just that amazing.
One last picture through the mini-blinds.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures from long-ago!!
Can’t imagine where they get their silliness from?!
Remember the fiasco we had trying to get into this marina?? Well getting out was just barely doable. The fairway behind us was so narrow that we literally had inches behind us and inches in front of us getting out of the slip. The captain handled it like a pro, but it gave me a few gray hairs, for sure. This picture was taken at 5:19 am, just before we cast off the dock lines.
We left Cape May early in the morning because the wind and waves were forecast to pick up in the afternoon. The ICW in New Jersey is infamous for being shallow and narrow with very unpredictable depths. Nearly all of the Loopers who have gone before us go outside (in the ocean as opposed to traveling the ICW) all the way from Cape May to New York City. Anyone who attempted the ICW probably ran aground…maybe even twice. It just isn’t a good spot to attempt staying inside. So we heeded the experiences of those who went before us and headed out to the great blue ocean.
We were lucky the tide cooperated with the wind and let us escape the shallows early in the morning, before the sea kicked up. We distinctly remember getting waked by a trawler as we headed out of the inlet into the ocean. Nothing like a polite “good morning” from a fellow boater.Passing by the Wildwood boardwalk we enjoyed the day before.
I think we were feeling a little restless on the voyage this day. Maybe it was the unknowns of heading into the ocean or cabin fever from being stuck in Cape May for a while. Either way, everyone was getting a little silly underway.
Big Slothy provides great entertainment for all of us! Colin’s new best bud.It’s nice when he shares something so exciting with everyone!Tobin is always good for some entertainment!I’m not sure I’m quite as entertaining as Tobin or Big Slothy, but I try.After an early start, the captain needed some shut eye as the skyline of Atlantic City drew closer. You can see the waves starting to pick up a bit. In hindsight, we had perfect timing for arrival in Atlantic City because we were able to get docked and tied up before it got really windy. And by really windy, I mean there were 10 footers out here just hours after we arrived in port. Thank goodness for technology, helping Loopers everywhere make accurate weather and wave predictions!!Ocean Casino Resort dominates the skyline heading into Atlantic City. It had a cool glowing beach ball at the top that changed colors and spun around at night.Absecon Lighthouse towers over the inlet.Everyone’s happy we made it to calm waters before the waves kicked up. Plus, Mike and I were excited to find Nucky (anyone watch Boardwalk Empire?!).
We read about a dock in Atlantic City run by a maritime museum where you pay for the dockage and also get to visit the museum. Upon arrival, the other boats at the dock said no one ever pays, and sure enough, we never saw anyone from the museum, so free dockage it was! Tobin and Mike did claim to see a seahorse swimming along the edge of the dock along with lots of crabs. Sure enough, it was gone by the time we all came to check it out.
We ate lunch at a local breakfast restaurant that was very busy and well known before we headed off to find the lighthouse. We had to walk a few blocks to get there and it wasn’t the most comfortable walk. It seems Atlantic City has torn down lots of it’s old, abandoned buildings to avoid problems, and as a result, the area where we stayed seemed far away from the actual town with many empty blocks along the way. We kept our eyes open and stayed aware of our surroundings, and we were fine. We also squinted our eyes a lot to keep the blowing sand out of them because the wind was really kicking!
At 171 feet tall, the Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey. It was built in 1854 and has a light keeper’s house down below that has been turned into a local maritime museum.
Lucky for Mike, the lighthouse offered free climbs to the top for fathers since it was Father’s Day weekend. Woo hoo!! The boys decided to climb to the top, too, but Hay and I were too cheap to pay $10 per person. We like lighthouses, but we’ve been in enough of them to actually pay for one!
This is where the ladies stopped, but the boys continued up 228 steps to the top.What a view!!Hayley and I enjoyed some sunshine while the boys climbed.
After the trek to the top, we took part in shenanigans in the park before heading to the beach.
3 on 1 horseback rides are always fun for dads.
After we left the lighthouse we headed towards the beach. We were looking for the boardwalk or any liquor bottles left behind from the bootlegging days (not really, but Boardwalk Empire was my only background knowledge for Atlantic City), but instead we found all kinds of things flying in the air. We had to check it out!!
We stumbled upon the first ever east coast FPV Wing Racing event!! What is FPV Wing Racing you ask?! Previously we had no idea, but we loved watching people fly these super fast, super agile lightweight planes around inflatable uprights on a race course. It was amazing how fast they could go and that they weren’t blown right out of the sky with the major winds. Plus, the pilots wore virtual reality-style masks as they flew their crafts which was really intense.
We got to try out the virtual reality racing part ourselves and it was crazy. Colin and Mike were hooked!! After everyone got a try we headed on our way back to our search for the boardwalk.
Thanks for all the fun FPV Wing Racing!!
Finally we made our way to the boardwalk. It was wider than Wildwood and instead of the motorized “tram car” there were all these people pushing little buggies around with people inside getting rides. Interesting. It was great for people watching, but we weren’t too impressed. The wind was way too windy to cross over to the beach, so we checked out the sights, found some snacks, and eventually ended up finding some roller coasters.
Hayley was desperate to ride “Crazy Mouse” so Mike took one for the team and rode with her. Looks like she had a blast based on that face!! The boys rode another, smaller roller coaster but had tons of fun. It was great that Colin rode with Tobin to help him feel comfortable.
We climbed up to the observation deck of some hotel on our way back down the boardwalk. It was so windy, it was freaky being out along the open walkway with that wind!! But the view was nice!
Walking back to the boat, we passed by some fishermen. One of them just happened to catch this baby shark (doo doo do do do) and of course, Tobin had to give it a little kiss. We also got to feel his dentacles, which are like scales on his skin that make it feel rough, but allow him to swim faster. We love these real life experiences!!
When we got back to the boat there was a full on party going on at the restaurant next to our dock. We hid inside from the music and dancing crowds, but after things settled down that evening, we enjoyed the view. There were tour and fishing boats that went past our boat regularly at this spot and they were interesting to see.
The next day was Father’s Day and I can’t believe I don’t have a single picture of it, but I sure can’t find them. It was extremely windy all day and we were feeling lazy, so we stayed put. It was a big tv and relaxing day for everyone. Mike and I watched some of the PBS Jamestown series and the kids watched lots of PBS kids. I guess we’re a PBS family!! It doesn’t sound like much fun, but it was apparently what we needed and it matched the windy weather day, anyway.
Thanks for reading along and being so patient while I update you on all of our adventures!!
We headed out of Delaware City early to start down the Delaware Bay, bringing up the rear of a dozen loop boats all heading the same direction that day. Delaware Bay is known to be some of the most unpredictable water on the loop because it is large, open to the ocean, and shallow. It can blow up and get really nasty really fast, and there aren’t a whole lot of places to hide, so it’s best to know that there is calm water out there before you head out.
This guy made us remember our days on the rivers. He was getting a push from the current while we were still fighting it, but soon after, the current changed to push us along on our way south.As he got closer, we saw his name and I needed to take another picture. My maiden name is Hays, so this guy was quite a surprise!Further south we came across quite a staging area for cargo and tanker ships waiting to get into port, waiting for the current to change, or waiting for who knows what before they head out into the big blue ocean. These are 2 of the 15 boats that were waiting off to the side of the Bay.Tobin kept busy underway making a dragonfly house and catching a few new pets.
We went back and forth trying to get in to Utsch’s marina in the days leading up to our arrival, but there were windy conditions expected the day after we arrived and that jammed up their boating reservations. Sometimes boats have reservations, but they don’t arrive because bad weather halts their travel. Likewise, the boats that are supposed to leave can’t leave because bad weather also halts their travel. It is a cycle that marinas usually don’t worry about too much. They know that if boats can’t leave, boats won’t come in, so they don’t hold slips for their reservations. Finally, about 10 miles from the marina, they called and said they could get us in. We were happy because this particular marina was closest to the action in Cape May.
I have to say, it wasn’t the easiest docking experience for us. There was very shallow water just outside of the break wall and we had to be sure to stay in the channel. The wind had started picking up and it was difficult to not get blown into the shallows. Then, just as we were about to turn into the entrance to the marina, a parasailing boat backed out of their slip and started coming down the fairway towards us. There wasn’t enough room for both of us in the fairway, especially with the wind blowing us around, so we backed off and attempted to hold station in the channel. Finally we were clear to head in towards our slip, but the boat next to us was sticking out significantly which meant we had to make a very tight turn into the slip. The wind was blowing, the fairway was narrow, and we just didn’t make it. Mike backed off at the last minute and tried to spin it around and come at it from the starboard side, but without thrusters that wasn’t going to happen either. Reluctantly we headed all the way back down the fairway, past the break wall, and out into the skinny water channel to turn around and make another attempt. We made it in the slip that time, and we were so relieved to be tied up and in place for a few days. Whew! At check-in we got a goody bag filled with fun stuff, including a bottle of local wine. After that landing, it was the perfect surprise!!
You can see that there were quite a few loopers in the marina, getting ready to hide from the winds. Many of these boats were boats we had traveled with in the past and most of them came down from Delaware City with us earlier in the day. Parrot Bay is another Michigan boat we’ve known since Florida, and Kailani was docked right behind us in Chicago way back in September, though we didn’t see them again after that until Titusville, Florida. It’s funny how it goes that way on the loop, but it adds to the camaraderie when you finally run into boats you know again.
INNTW hiding from winds at the dock.The boys headed out to play pinecone baseball. Check out the height of those piles!! We experienced about 6 foot tidal swings in this area. Yowzers! See that ramp in the background? It’s obviously low tide because the angle is so steep. At high tide they were much closer to being level.Kailani was gracious enough to have the kids over for coloring, snacks, and arts and crafts. Hayley was in her glory when she decorated this fan blade. I was thrilled for someone else to provide the entertainment and amazed that other boaters would be willing to get into such detailed (and, ahem, messy) crafts on their boat with someone else’s kids?! Many thanks to you, Kailani!! This masterpiece hangs at her grandma’s house now!Loopers from 4 boats gather for docktails. We told many war stories involving generators, invertors, wind, and waves. We shared lots of plans for the future and reviewed the paths we took to get to this spot.
The next day we headed out to explore Cape May. It was quite a walk to get to the beach and then you actually had to pay to go on the beach. So this is where we stopped, took some pictures, and then got right back off that expensive beach! It was a blustery and windy day, but there were several whale watching and other sight seeing boats out and about. I’m guessing lots of their passengers didn’t feel well out there on those waves!
Hayley rocked that ninja warrior headband for the second day in a row, I see.
The walk along the ocean was beautiful with old Victorian houses lining the street and the boardwalk on the other side. Of course, we can’t sit on a bench like normal people, so this is how we roll.
Seeing these houses made us wonder about their history. What beautiful homes! And this picture is so quintessential with the tandem bike in the foreground. We had the most delicious ice cream here at Fine Fellows. We made a quick stop at the Cape May Fire Department Museum on our way back to the boat. It was a long walk back that included some essential grocery shopping and a stop at a playground because….INNTW?!
On day #3 we headed to nearby Wildwood in the windy sunshine to see what a real New Jersey boardwalk is all about. It was an amazing day to be a kid or an adult. It isn’t my absolute favorite type of beach/vacation environment, but it was sure fun for a day!
Quick stop at a brewery on the way. The kids kept busy with life-sized jenga here!There was a Jeep gathering on the beach, so we got some swag and checked out some awesome Jeeps. There are several amusement park areas along this stretch of boardwalk. Honestly, there was so much to see and do, it was overwhelming! And expensive!
Tobin is really into hat tricks after seeing several street performers in different cities. He didn’t have his ball on this day (usually it’s hat and ball tricks, but the gig might be better without the ball), but apparently the Jeep gathering struck him as a great place to practice for his future as a street performer. Enjoy this 4 picture sequence:
TA DA!!$2 pizza on the boardwalk?! Yes, please!!Look at these goofballs!Wow! This fun was calling their name, so we headed to the games and rides area.Hayley just living her best life.
Leaving life (and work) behind for a year means that we are on a budget everywhere we go. Sure, we spend lots of money, but we have to carefully weigh all of our options. We walked around all of the games and rides to see what was there and we told the kids they could spend 10 tickets each. It turns out none of them wanted to do the rides, but instead, they all were desperate for some stuffed prizes. Just looking at these pictures makes me smile.
Tobin was a winner!! (Thank goodness!!)Colin planned very carefully how he could earn the big sloth prize from this game. He even had to give Hayley one of his tickets so he could beat her in the game in order to win his best new buddy. I think it was worth it. Big Slothy is now a regular fixture on INNTW and he’s actually pretty awesome!The kids and their prizes. I’m so glad to report that everyone was happy with their prizes. Thank goodness they all won!!Pizza, prizes, and lots of fun! Don’t forget to watch out for the tram car!!Taking it all in. Unfortunately I didn’t see Pauly D or Snooki…
We had a great time hanging out on the boardwalk, but one day was enough. Back to the boat and time to get ready to head out tomorrow. On to the next adventure! Thanks for following along on our adventures!!
