Following in the steps of my dad - taking the grandsons out west!

My dad was the most patriotic man I've ever known.  He believed children need to know this country's history and geography and he believed first hand experience was the best teacher. 

When my sons were 8 and 10, we took a family vacation from Illinois through IN, OH, PA, NY, DC, VA, stopping at many historical sites - my oldest brother and his family, me and my boys, my parents and my nephew.  It was a great adventure.



Wendy, Nathan, Jeff, Matt, Ryan - on the ferry headed to Battery Park from Liberty Island, NYC (see twin towers in the background)

This year I decided to follow in my dad's footsteps and plan a similar trip with my grandsons.  I asked them where they wanted to go - after getting past the request "let's go there" (pointing at a picture of Florence, Italy) Evan said he wanted to go see Mt. Rushmore (he's seen my photos from my 2011 motorcycle trip to South Dakota).

So eight months ago we began planning the trip finally settling on a nine day adventure beginning in Rapid City, SD and continuing on through Montana and Wyoming. 

Step 1:  map the route
Step 2: secure flights and lodging
Step 3: plan hour by hour schedule

Hopefully the boys will have a fun time and learn a lot of geography and history during our nine day trip!  Details to come.

Day trip on my Harley - Fast Eddie's and a ride along the rivers

422 mile road trip today.  It was a great day for a long ride - sunny and hot!  Left Champaign at 9:30am - destination Fast Eddie's Bon-Air, Alton IL. for lunch.  First part of the ride was pretty boring - straight shot down I-57 to Effingham (quick stop at the Legacy HD shop), to I-70, I-270 and then into Alton.

If you go to Fast Eddie's on a motorcycle, note there is a special parking lot for bikes.  Its blocked off from the car parking lot - much safer.  I don't know how to describe this place.  It was packed with people of all ages (no children - they card you at the door - must be >21 y/o).  Several people celebrating their birthday - including one young 70 y/o lady.  Lots of bikers.

When you get inside, you join a line to the grill where you place your order.  There aren't a lot of food options but enough to make it difficult to decide what to get.

The grill at Fast Eddie's
(Photo borrowed from Chuck)

 There were five us and between us we tried: the beef tenderloin - $2.99.  Big chunks of beef on a stick (Big Ellwood).  Delicious!  Cold "peel your own" shrimp. ( 29cents/shrimp.)  Yum.  Chicks on a stick (chicken wings - and they actually were on a stick).  99cent cheeseburgers and pork kabobs.  The food is cheap!  You have to pay attention to announcements over the intercom so you can go pick up your order.  A waitress serves the beverages. This, I think, is where they make their money.  $2 soft drinks - no free refills.  Not complaining, though, as the food was so inexpensive.

 We left Alton and headed toward Grafton.  Very pretty ride along the river.  It was about this point that I broke away from the other riders and headed off on my own. Those who know me know well know I like to combine my photography hobby with my riding hobby, so I'm always looking for photo opps and not everyone likes to make stops along the way.

So off I go on my own, smugly thinking I had my Iphone, so access to maps.  Didn't think about the possibility of no cell service along the way (me who travels for a living - go figure).  So I took my direction from the sun (figured I need to head northeast) and the river.  At one point I saw this sign and at first thought someone with a sense of humor was messing with me.  Who knew there was a Detroit IL?

For a minute, I'm thinking - Detroit, as in Detroit MI?

 I'm still riding along the Illinois River through teeny little towns.  I see a Shell gas station sign in Pearl, IL.  Population 200.  This is where I thought I'd better check my location - no cell service.  I go into the little gas station to get directions and the store clerk (cute little lady) says "Champaign?  I don't know where that is" - so I say "I need to head east".  She says "if you keep driving up the road a ways, you'll come to Milton and then Detroit.  There's a road headed east - so maybe take that".  So I continue on - with a minor side trip to Nebo and Vin Fiz road.  Interesting history and very scenic - worth the detour.  If you're down in that area, add that to your destination.

On to Milton and Detroit where I did find the intersection where I could head east.  And then  I come across this sign out in the middle of nowhere (and when I say nowhere, seriously, I went 20 minutes or more without seeing anyone)

Drawbridge in the middle of nowhere?  And then I rounded the corner and saw it. 

Looking back at the bridge

It was a beautiful ride - rolling hills, lots of trees.  Several dips in the tree canopied road where the temperature was so chilly I got goose-bumps.  Refreshing!  Side note - could have done without the half a dozen dead snakes on the road but I figured that was due to the river being so close. 

One last stop - "Historic Winchester".  I confess I still didn't know where I was when I saw the sign "Historic Winchester".  I drove into the small town and found this lovely old building.

I'm standing across the street, my back flat up against the building, trying to get a full photo.  Bad/crooked view but you get the gist - its a lovely old building.

One of my longr day trips.  I think maybe the lack of a map and no cell service was a good thing - going with the sun and the river made for a beautiful ride in a part of the state I've never been in - so a great day!  Returning to that river road and the Nebo area is on my list for later this summer.

Mission San Xavier del Bac - Tucson AZ

During a recent trip to Tucson I asked the staff at the hospital if they had any recommendations for sight-seeing in the area - preferably something with some historical significance. They recommended the Mission San Xavier del Bac. Xavieer (pronounced "hauv-e-air") and "del bac" which means where water appears.


The mission is 10 miles southwest of Tucson.  Built in 1783 (replacing the original that was destroyed) it sits on the land of the Tohono O'odham Indians.

Notice the unfinished tower on the right. Staff at the hospital told me the legend is that everytime they tried to finish the tower, someone died. Most recently there was a fire in this part of the mission.

The interior is filled with paintings and carvings. Its very colorful, a mix of spanish and Native American influenced art. While not as ornate (ie I didn't see all the gold that I saw in churches in Europe) it was very striking. 

I would like to have had this photo without other visitors but it was crowded and I figured it would have been rude to ask them all to move so I could take a photo

The dome is 52 ft high and full of beautiful paintings

Similar to the large cathedrals in Europe, the mission is tall and narrow (a guide in Florence, Italy told us that the design is intended to make people feel small and insignificant and the artwork a form of education since most people could not read)

According to some of the reference material I found, some Italian artists that worked on the Sistine Chapel came to help restore the interior of the mission (I do not know if that is accurate)

There was a body of some sort - truthfully I didn't study it long enough to determine what it was.  I'm guessing it was a carving as it wasn't enclosed.  There were several things pinned to it - from other visitors, including a photo which I thought was a little strange.  I was unable to find a reference about this.

This plaque was near the body (photo above)

The grounds were very interesting.  There was a large hill with a cross at the top. There is a path to walk all the way around.  

Lions guard the entrance to the path around the hill

In the distance you see the mountains

Here's a link to an article from the USAToday that shares details about a $2.5 million restoration project.  It provides details about the mission.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-01-28-arizona-mission_N.htm

Innovative options for transporting babies/toddlers through an airport

As a frequent flier, I see lots of babies and toddlers being dragged through airports.  Nothing makes me more frustrated (angry actually) than seeing a parent yelling at a toddler because they aren't keeping pace.  So, here are some transport options that seem to work

1.  The first time I saw this was about a year ago.  I've recently noticed the O'Hare Brookstone store is selling them.  They transport the kid in a fun (although it seemed slow) way and they serve as a storage bag.  I've never seen a kid crying when they're on one of these. 

Usually the "passengers" are a little smaller :)

2.  I've only seen this option one time and that was last week at O'Hare airport.  This little gal's mom told me she got the seat on Amazon.com.  It fastens onto a carry-on sized wheeled suitcase.  The child can sit in it like a chair or she can ride in it when her mom's pulling the suitcase.  The mom told me she takes it off the suitcase and folds it up just before boarding the flight.  Very cool!!

This is called "Ride-on*Carry-on"

3.  There's always a stroller. 

Here's a mom with a stroller and a backpack that is carrying a carseat.  This looks bulky but after seeing so many parents struggle carrying a large carseat, this looks like a nice option for the carseat.

A common sight...a stroller full of "stuff" with the kid either pushing or riding.  (side note:  as a former ICU nurse in a trauma center, this always makes me cringe thinking what happens to his poor little head if he falls backwards and hits the floor). 

Remember many airports are so big that a toddler (actually a child 5 or under) may get tired before you reach your gate, so either allow extra time so they can have time to walk or take a long something that will transport them.  



Entertaining kids at O'Hare airport

Children's museum at O'Hare airport - a great place for kids to play, release some pent-up energy.

Last week I took my two grandsons (Evan - 8 y/o and Garrett 6 y/o) on a 5 day vacation.  While traveling home, we had a 2 1/2 hr layover at O'Hare airport.   I've generally found that a good way to keep little boys occupied and happy is to give them a task that provides an interesting diversion.  So, once we had de-planed at O'Hare,  I asked them to figure out the way to the next gate (O'Hare is big - we had landed at K-18 and had to go to G2B)

If you've flown, you know there are signs throughout the airport to guide you.  The boys had no problem following the directions to get us to the G concourse.  However, enroute to G, they noticed the Terminal 2 sign that said "Children's Museum".  They wanted to go check it out, so off we went to Terminal 2.  Note:  this isn't a long distance from the G concourse.

The term "museum" is a little misleading because this is essentially a very cool airport playground.  It is surrounded by a wall, so you don't have to worry about your kids escaping.  Note:  you cannot take food or drinks inside the play area!

There is a large airplane - large enough for the kids to climb stairs to get into the body of the plane. 

There are cargo boxes as well as the lower storage compartments in the planes that provide kids a lot of options for climbing and playing.

Cargo compartments built into the plane made for a great place to play and climb.  And to meet new friends.

Lots of cargo open cargo boxes for climbing and crawling.  (and hiding from your brother).

There is a fuel truck next to the body of the plane, so the kids can pretend to pump fuel.

There's an air traffic control tower, complete with a flight of stairs to climb to the top.  It sits next to a large window so the kids actually see real planes as they look outside.

The name "museum" most likely comes from the fact that throughout the play area are photos and facts about the play structures.  For example, here in the air traffic control tower, you can read about the job of air traffic controllers.

Want to fly the plane?  there's a flight deck. 

One other comment about O'Hare - if you're in Terminal 3 (American Airlines), and you want a treat, get a smoothie at B-Smoothie, located in the food court in the H/K concourse.  The boys remembered these from our May trip! 

Garrett posing for me in front of Garrett's popcorn shop.  BEST cheese popcorn and Karmel Corn you'll ever eat!  So, if you want an alternate food treat, try the cheese corn.  The boys love it.  I will warn you it will stain their fingers so be prepared for a little handwashing after their finished eating!



Travel tip- how to carry your bottle of water through TSA security

One of the frustrations with the current 3 oz liquid restriction (all items must fit in a qt sized bag) is that you are without water once you get inside the airport.  I'm seeing more people carrying empty water bottles through security so they can fill them with water once they complete the security process.

Last week, I ran into a former co-worker at the airport and she had a frozen bottle of water with her.  She said the TSA agents at the airport said it was fine to bring it through security if its frozen.  It doesn't count as a liquid, so there's no 3 oz restriction.  The trick is to get it out of the freezer right before leaving for the airport so it doesn't melt.  Keep in mind that as the ice melts, moisture forms on the outside of the bottle so its going to be wet if you don't have some type of cover over the bottle.  My friend uses a sock.

I do not know if the bottle has to be clear (ie not colored metal) to pass TSA inspections.  Several stores sell clear plastic, re-usable bottles.  If you test one in the freezer, make sure when you fill it to leave plenty of room for expansion or it might crack. 

More and more aiports are providing water refill stations

I'm not seeing them in all airports, but maybe as airports replace old water fountains, they'll replace them with ones as shown in the photo above.

Hope the tip on the frozen water bottle is helpful!

Dolphin Encounter - Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Today my grandsons and I had a wonderful experience at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  Home of Winter, the dolphin featured in the recent movie "Dolphin Tale", this aquarium isn't a fancy place.  It is a former water treatment facility that now is home to marine creatures that have been injured or need help in some way.  The goal of the 40 employees and 300-900 volunteers (seasonal) is to rescue, rehab and release.  Sometimes, however, situations are such that release isn't possible.  We learned a lot about that today.

One of the experiences they offer is a "dolphin encounter".  Once a day, at 3:30pm, 3 people can participate in this encounter that includes learning about dolphin anatomy and participating in the training session.  The pictures tell the story of what all we got to do with Panama, the dolphin that resides in the same tank with Winter.  (Winter can't physically do all the things that are part of the encounter because she doesn't have a tail).  This was so much fun AND the trainer did a super job of educating the boys about dolphins. 

Here we are with Panama, the dolphin.  The trainer is showing us Panama's teeth which are worn down so much she can't hunt/eat on her own.  When she was found she was very emaciated.  Now she's a health BIG girl and has be-friended young Winter. She cannot be released because she cannot feed herself.

The trainer is explaining that dolphins are born with hair. 

We got to do a lot of touching/petting. 

The dolphin in the front of this photo is Winter.  She was next to us as we worked with Panama.  Because she doesn't have a tail, she couldn't complete all the activities included in our encounter (this is demonstrated clearly in a later photo)

Learning about the tail and dorsal fin.

After our anatomy lesson, we worked with Panama on specific behaviors, using the arm and hand motions the trainer taught us.  Here Evan brought her up out of the water and is holding her "hands".

Hey baby, how about a kiss?

The 3 of us each had individual time with Panama.  Here's Garrett with Panama.

Garrett with Panama

I think Panama needs a grandma

Panama comes up on the platform so the boys can see how big she is...and she is BIG!

It became apparent (clearly apparent) at the end of our encounter that I had not dressed appropriately for this encounter.  Truthfully, I didn't know we'd be this "up close and personal" with the dolphins.

At the end of the encounter, Panama turns upside down and uses her tail to "wave" goodbye to us.

WHAT A SURPRISE SHE GAVE US!!!

If you're in the Clearwater area, go see Winter and if you can make a reservation in advance, book the Dolphin Encounter!  So much fun and so educational.