Saratoga, New York

For my first horse race, Saratoga was certainly a beautiful track to visit. BL and I teamed up to place our bets, so we were simultaneously rooting against the other person's horse for the win but for that horse since we would split the day's winnings.

In the end, we came out on top with $12.60. Dean and Leslie were the big winners with $15. BL decided we should spend our winnings on a pizza when we get home, and I concurred. A great day at the races for all.

Moreau Lake and Albany, New York

As difficult as it was to get back out into the wilderness after a very comfortable stay in Brattleboro, it was nice to arrive early in the afternoon to camp and check out the beach at Moreau Lake.



The next morning we made a short drive to Albany. To continue our streak of happily and accidentally finding ourselves in the middle of summer festivals (we have walked into about four so far on the trip), that day there just happened to be a farmers market on the Empire Plaza. I won $1 from a lottery scratch off, but that would be nothing compared to our winnings on the horses in Saratoga...

Brattleboro, Vermont

Thanks to a recommendation from Dan Lilienthal, we reserved a night at a sweet little bed and breakfast in Brattleboro called Meadowlark Inn. It has been such a pleasure being here. I'm sitting in the dining room looking out the bay windows at the views before we go.

We enjoyed meeting the owners, and their pets, as well as just relaxing on the porch and walking around the property. It was really tempting to stay here another night, but we are moving on towards Saratoga this afternoon. We'll camp at Moreau Lake State Park, a little north of there, and then catch up with the most avid readers of this blog, Dean and Leslie Layman!

Lake Francis State Park, New Hampshire

We found another nice park with a quiet lake in New Hampshire, after successfully crossing the border. First we stopped at a small grocery store that sold "generally everything" to pick up dinner supplies and some good Vermont beer. This campground was a bit different from the Canadian parks. We had a neighbor who played some fun acoustic guitar on into the night. Also, every campsite other than ours seemed to have a dog. In the morning we packed everything neatly in the car and are headed towards Maine.

Parc National du Mont Orford, Quebec

Since we were unable to find a place to stay in Quebec City, we went out into the wilderness again. We found another Canadian national park a couple hours outside of Montreal and got a campsite. We got there with enough time to walk around the lake for a couple hours and then made dinner. We had a pretty nice fire going and cooked some brie dogs. We are going to camp again tomorrow somewhere in New Hampshire before getting to Maine on Friday.

Montreal, Quebec

Leaving Montreal today. A small hiccup means that we won't be heading to Quebec City, but instead we'll camp another night before crossing the border into Maine.

Montreal definitely felt the most European of all the cities we have visited. I am sad I won't get to see Quebec City, but don't mind going back out into the wilderness after another night in urban environs.

Parc National d'Oka, Quebec

After leaving Toronto, we ventured into Quebec. BL gave me a crash course in French. "Je voudrais une crepe."

To our surprise, the campsite we booked in Oka required a ferry ride. The site itself was much more densely wooded than the last place we camped, but equally nice. We walked down to the beach, where we met some rascally foxes. But, sadly, no bears.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park, Ontario

If the rest of the camping on our trip is as easy as this park was, we'll be in great shape. We even saw peacocks!

Ann Arbor, MI

What to do in Ann Arbor? The Big House was closed for renovations, so unfortunately, we could only see it from the outside. We did, however, get to frolic in the famous “Wave Field” outdoor sculpture.

Chicago, Part Deux

The farm was relaxing, but it was time to get back to the city. We got to Chicago and were given a choice of several street festivals happening that evening. We chose to stick with the closest one to Ben’s neighborhood, in Southport.

At the festival, we learned that BL can throw a baseball 64 MPH; AJ can throw 32 MPH. We watched some live music from Too White Crew, a cover band for 90s rap and R&B. We also surfed a monster wave.

Afterwards, we wandered a little more and ended up at Sluggers, where we hit around in the batting cages. If it weren’t for the nets all around, some of those balls would have been juiced.

Sunday was a lazy day of riding a Wendella Boat down the Chicago River. We learned a lot about architecture and the city: the lighthouse on Lake Michigan is automated now because a previous lighthouse keeper hosted too many nude parties there.

Gilbert-Jones Farm, Wabash, Indiana

After a wonderful weekend in Chicago with Ben, AJ and I took the Metra out to North Aurora to Aunt Jenny's house. From here we were picked up by Papa J and driven to the Gilbert-Jones farm in Wabash, Indiana.

We spent five relaxing days on the farm. Well, the first couple days we had to clean up a bit. But after everything was fixed up, it was really nice. AJ spent some time practicing her wedding speech while I walked down the creek with Papa J and Meg. I got a great opportunity to live off the land and wrestle bears. AJ was even challenged to a duel in Bocce Ball.




AJ and I then headed off on Saturday morning for our second weekend in the Windy City.