Ohio - Cuyahoga Valley National Park & Nickel Plate Beach

Our friends the Mitchells were over at our house last weekend.

"Have you been to that national park in Ohio?" I asked Julie.

"No, but we're going this weekend," she said.

"So are we!" I said.  We laughed so hard. What are the chances?  I hadn't even heard of it until this year, and we were going the SAME weekend? Julie came up with the idea that we should surprise our kids and just show up at the same time.  This added an extra element of fun - waiting to meet up with them was like Christmas morning!  

We all met in the breakfast area of the hotel (we stayed in a Hampton Inn in Richfield) and our kids just stared at each other like ... what's going on?  Then we all laughed and ate breakfast together.  Our kids have all known each other since they were born, and we've been on tons of hikes together, but not yet in Ohio!

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Blue Hen Falls

We parked at the (closed) Boston Mill Visitor Center. The signs were amazing. They not only told where the trail started, but how long it was and what to expect. This is not the norm at a lot of trails, when you're just winging it and hoping you're going the right way. 

After a lot of beautiful woods and hills, you practically stumble onto the falls - because you're on top of them!  We immediately took off our shoes and went right under the falls, then left them off to walk downstream. The walk downstream was also beautiful and we went for quite awhile. We climbed out and went back on the path above the water.  Our kids chattered the whole way and it was a blast.

Brandywine Falls

More falls? In Ohio? Yes! After lunch Julie and her girls left for Pittsburgh, (they had gone on these two hikes the day before) and they told us this one was the best.  We could barely get parking in the lot next to it. (8176 Brandywine Rd) We had to circle until someone just happened to be leaving, and there isn't somewhere else close to park.  I guess it'd be better to do this one in the morning, because the parking is so limited, and it wasn't that way at the visitor's center.  

We first followed the wood boardwalk that led to the outlook over the falls. It was really pretty, but also very crowded. The boys were telling me this wasn't what the Mitchells said to do. We needed to get in the water to really see them. So we backtracked to the beginning of the trail and went on the path right out of the parking lot that was marked by three large boulders.

Right away, there was a rather steep path to the river. It looked like where water ran off. It was not a trail...but it was great! We descended quickly, took off our shoes, carried them, and walked in the river toward the falls. This was my favorite part of the whole park.  It was shallow, it wasn't that slippery, and there was a cool destination!  

We saw a snake on a rock, there was beautiful scenery all the way, and we were by ourselves. It was perfect.  We got to the falls - beautiful. Then we just were able to get closer and closer until ... we were standing right at the base of the waterfall!  Amazing.

To go back, we just climbed up to the original boardwalk overlooking the falls.  

The Ledges

We GPSed to The Ledges Shelter, 701 Truxell Rd.  It started on a paved path right out of the corner of the parking lot. We took the path with arrows pointing to The Overlook. 

There were interesting huge rocks, lots of trees, and a nice trail. We got to the overlook, sat on the edge, and ate a snack. 

I knew it was a loop, so I was thinking we'd loop around, but Ty pointed out that you could see our parking lot from just past the overlook. We walked across the grass and ... yep! There it was, right there.  There was a wedding party getting their picture taken. Pretty place and a nice hike. We ate great  and cheap ice cream at Country Maid Ice Cream (you should go!) and headed off to...

Nickel Plate Beach

I searched online for a long time trying to find the nicest beaches on Lake Erie, and this one kept coming up. It was only an hour from the park, and we got there at about 5:00 p.m. The teenagers were just arriving, there weren't many people, and they didn't have anyone to take the money to park there. (Usually $6, but there wasn't anyone there the next day, either, so I don't know if there's ever anyone there.)  

What they did have were signs warning us that this beach had dangerous currents, didn't have a lifeguard, and you were probably going to die.  And a red flag.  I knew all this due to reading about it too, but I just told the boys not to go in past their waists.  There is also a buoyed area to swim.  

The beach itself was great! And not scary. There were waves to jump in, nice sand, and we had a really good time. Lake Erie gets a bad rap sometimes.  There were seagulls, which some people don't like, and I did get peed on by one flying overhead. (Almost never happens! My grandma once told me it was lucky. Ha!) I did see some dead fish on the beach, and they were still there the next day, so I'm guessing there's no beach cleanup in the morning like some beaches have. But we liked it enough to go the next morning and play in the waves again!

That night we ate at Costa Azul Mexican Restaurant on their outdoor patio, and I had to call three hotels before I found one with a room - the Baymont! Surprising, but we were very close to Cedar Point. The hotel receptionist told me she only had two rooms left, because of the popularity of the park. Good for them! I love Cedar Point, and hope to go again soon.

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park

We were at Nickel Plate Beach by 9:00 a.m., and we played there for awhile before it started to drizzle. So, we packed up and drove to Marblehead Lighthouse. We couldn't go in, but we watched some people fish, saw Cedar Point from that point, and hopped along on the shore on giant rocks.  You could also see Kelley Island from here, which my dad had just talked about going to in the past.

East Harbor State Park

Pro - we saw a mink. It was not afraid of us. Con - They used giant, slanted cement slabs to separate the land from the water. It made the beach unattractive, and anywhere the water went against it, you couldn't go in there, because you'd slam up against the cement. There were a couple places with a few feet of sand, and everyone had to go to those places, so then it was awkward because you don't go that close to people on a beach.  There was a lot of fishing going on at other places in the park, so if you like to fish, go here. If you like to swim, do not.

It was exactly a four hour drive from my house to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and I'm so surprised I just recently learned of it, and I'm so glad I did! Round on the ends and high in the middle, OHIO!

Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

I've been planning for the five of us to visit Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons for a very long time. During all of this it was doubtful if they would be open, but it happened just in time! We visited Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah (three of those new states for Kris and me), got to see my wonderful cousins and families, did lots of hiking, white water rafting, wildlife spotting, city sightseeing, and basically I'm convinced this whole area is magical.

The boys picked the Brink of the Lower Falls hike in the canyon or the Grand Prismatic Spring as their favorites until they went white water rafting, and that adrenaline rush won the overall for them.

Day one

We flew into Jackson, Wyoming.  Did you know the city is named Jackson and not Jackson Hole?  Lesson number one when planning this trip.  As we landed, Kris and I checked our phones and we were treated to the news there was a wind storm at home and it peeled the roof off the dairy barn.  Welcome to vacation!

We got our rental car and drove to Grand Teton National Park.  We went on the Jenny Lake hike to Hidden Falls and up to Inspiration Point.

Mountains, water, waterfalls ... all completely stunning.  We saw a fox, a marmot, and we had an absolutely gorgeous hike.  Definitely go on this hike.

We drove into Jackson, ate out at the Snake River Brewing Co (I had a bison burger, my first), and walked around the hip town.  We stayed at the Antler Inn, which was within walking distance of everything.

Day two

Yellowstone day!  Right on our drive in we saw two bears.  It's easy to see wild animals, because other people are parked along the road staring, or with cameras, or with binoculars, so you just stop and look too.  We also spotted animals on our own.  They are so prevalent, it's that easy.  (Especially bison.  There are places where it's bison as far as the eye can see. Plus they like to walk in front of your car.)

Our first stop was Old Faithful.

I've avoided looking at pictures and videos of Yellowstone my entire life, because I like being surprised.  So I've never seen Old Faithful.  We hung out about 45 minutes before it was scheduled to go off, and so we walked around the boardwalks and looked at the springs.  I loved seeing them, and didn't realize they just got bigger and better along the way!

Old Faithful lived up to its name.  It lasted longer than I expected, and I was happy to see it - finally!

Grand Prismatic Spring

At this stop, I was marveling at the beginning - steam, colors, different - and then we got to the spring and I couldn't have loved it more.  Even the steam was blue and orange!  It was so incredibly colorful, beautiful, and different!  It's like nothing I've seen.  It was Max's favorite too - he just calls it the rainbow pool, which is a pretty descriptive name.

We could see people up high, looking at it from above, but you can't get to that trail from this parking lot.  Go one mile south of Midway Geyser Basin to the Fairy Falls parking lot, and the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook is just over a half mile from there.

Fountain Paint Pot Trail

This featured bubbling puddles of water the color of chocolate milk.  Here's where I realized - if this were in a park near us, it would be THE THING for miles.  Here at Yellowstone, you're like - wow, that's cool, but it's no erupting geyser or rainbow pool.

Competition in this park is fierce.

Bison

Bison are dangerous! The signs warned us everywhere.  They just looked like cattle to me.  I didn't go close to them, but they sure seemed familiar.

Mammoth Springs

Word on the Yellowstone street is that these look different all the time.  This was like walking into another world. You get out and you're in another land - this one gray, white, and orange.  It was so different than all the other places.

Lamar Valley

We drove to see miles and miles of rolling mountains and bison.  We saw bison nursing from their mothers, we saw bison with heads so huge you wondered how they could hold them up.  Everywhere you looked, it seemed like you should take a picture, and none of them did it justice.

Gardiner, Montana

The drive to this entrance was just as breathtaking as anything in the park.  The Garnder River runs through it - the internet helpfully tells me this is also sometimes called the Gardiner River - and we ate at the Iron Horse Bar & Grille high above it.  We walked around the town, took at a picture at the entrance to the park, and noted something interesting that we loved - every place does everything there.  Want a cup of coffee?  Want to spend the night?  Want to buy some clothing?  Eat?  Gamble?  It's like every establishment offered a one-stop shop.  We liked the entrepreneurship!

We stayed at the Yellowstone Gateway Inn, which were little houses right in the middle of it all.  The owner was really nice, too.

Day three

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

This was one of our favorites.  This and the Grand Prismatic Spring were all our number one or number two for the trip, depending on the family member. 

I really wanted to go on the hike to the Brink of the Lower Falls.  So much!  We got there and it may have been closed ... but we went anyway, and it was TOTALLY worth it!  The hike down was gorgeous, and then you get to stand RIGHT over a giant, beautiful waterfall!  It was so scary it made your adrenaline rush.  You should go on this hike. 

Yellow stones and waterfalls

Ah...now we see where it got the name.  The walls of the canyon were made of yellow stone!  We drove all along this and got out at several places to the overlooks, and we hiked to it where we could.  I loved this place.

Mud volcano and dragon's mouth spring

The spot on the map said mud volcano, so I felt we had to stop.  The mud volcano anywhere else would be amazing.  In Yellowstone it's just like ... well, this isn't a canyon or rainbow spring.  THIS IS WHAT YELLOWSTONE DOES TO YOU.

The Dragon's Mouth Spring I really liked, because it was like a creature was in a cave, making scary noises and breathing steam.  It really made you not want to go in there.  Loved it!

Yellowstone Lake

We had a picnic and played along the lake.  It was beautiful and clear.  The sand was black.  The water was framed by mountains, and the lake is huge.  It was like we were the only people in the world.

Lake Overlook Trail in West Thumb

We went across the parking lot (it wasn't easy to find - we had to ask people inside) to find the Lake Overlook Train in the West Thumb parking lot.  There were many signs saying to watch out for bears, which made the boys make tons of jokes. 

We climbed really high to see the overlook, and we were the only people there.  I wanted to go closer to the edge to see, and then I realized ... the ground was boiling.  Even though we were super high - we'd climbed a steep hill - we were far from the water - we were still close to the core of the earth!  If you're not careful here, you can accidentally stumble into boiling pots of water.  I LOVE IT HERE!  This never has happened anywhere else I've been. 

After the hike, everyone was exhausted, but I suggested we just do a little walk through West Thumb.  Kris suggested to the boys that at some point I would need to be cut off.  However, we stopped at the car for Oreos and water and we merrily went to go look at more boiling lakes on the boardwalk.  We saw two women go off the path and pose along the crust of one.  One woman put her hand in it and exclaimed that it was hot.  The rest of us marveled that she was breaking every rule that was posted in the park, and I half expected her to fall into it.  The signs were wrong ... she escaped unharmed. 

West Yellowstone, Montana

We drove to West Yellowstone to stay at the Crosswinds Inn and walked around the town.  We ate at a place called Bullwinkle's, and right after that, the shop owners and hotel manager and restaurant owners told us that they'd been issued news that their water had coliforms and we could NOT drink the water in their town.  We'd all just had one or two glasses of it at the restaurant and we all felt fine.  Maybe those coliforms came after.  Ha!

Day four

Grand Tetons

On the way from Yellowstone to the Grand Tetons, we saw a grizzly bear, a wolf, and moose.  None of us could believe it.  Over the whole trip we also saw fox, marmot, elk, pronghorn, birds... I didn't anticipate seeing much of anything on this trip, because you just never can predict animals.  But so cool. 

Hiked String Lake Trailhead to Inspiration Point

We met up with my lovely cousin Carrie and her son Mitchell!  We agreed to meet in the String Lake Trailhead.  We didn't have any service here - we rarely did when we were in the parks, and it was really hard for us to find.  My suggestion is - just start asking people.  People were very helpful in directing us to it.  My GPS didn't have us even close to this parking lot.  It's just a little parking lot, and it looks like there is a tiny beach in front of you.  I didn't ever see a sign for this.  But! It starts at String Lake, and we went left.

This approaches Inspiration Point from the other direction, and it was an amazingly beautiful hike.  Water, mountains, high paths along the water...and the addition of my lovely cousins, who live near and know everything!  We hiked until we hit snow, and then we turned around.

We saw two moose right off the trail.  So close.  We watched them so long that we just eventually ... were done watching them.  They didn't seem to mind us at all.  Fun to see!

Hike around String Lake

We drank some water and ate sandwiches in the parking lot, and then we hiked around the entire lake - this is a different path with the same trailhead.  The boys played in the cold water, we saw where there was an avalanche, and it was a great hike with pretty views.

Idaho Falls

Carrie lives in Idaho Falls, and Kris and I enjoyed seeing all of the irrigated fields on the way to her house, including - yes, potatoes.  We spent the night with her super fun family!

Day five

Bad news - one of our beloved employees was in a car accident.  Thankfully, she was okay, but she couldn't work that morning.  Kris spent some time on the phone on the way to ... white water rafting on the Hoback River in Jackson, Wyoming! 

We went with the Lewis & Clark Company, and we had a fantastic time.  Everything in your being says ... do NOT go into that giant rapids with your children.  But we did!  You'd be paddling air, screaming, trying to do what the guide said, and laughing afterward.  It was just the right amount of fun and scary.  I could have done it for many more hours.  It seemed to go so quickly.

Tour of Museum of Idaho

Carrie is the curator of the Museum of Idaho and she gave us a tour of the yet-to-be-opened exhibits, and a tour of the archives!  We all loved it, and I'm so glad we got to go. 

Walking around Idaho Falls, Idaho

We ate Mexican food in the downtown, and then we walked all along the beautiful falls and parks along the river while Carrie told us about the interesting and somewhat sordid history of the town's origins.  They showed us around the town and we spent our last night with them, eating huckleberry ice cream, which is super popular in their area!

Day six

Salt Lake City, Utah

We got into real traffic.  I wanted to put my feet in Salt Lake, but the place I picked to get to it, you had to pay to get in.  Something to see next time...

We ate in downtown Salt Lake City and walked to the temple.  They had Bird scooters there, and Kris had a credit on it, so we let the boys share one as we walked around.  It was their first time riding one.  We also stopped to look at the Capitol but we were getting late for ...

Provo, Utah

My cousin Cindy and her family live in Provo!  Her husband Barney immediately met us with rockets for the boys to build.  Cindy, Barney, their kids, their grandchildren, and my aunt Robin all went to Rock Canyon Park, ate dinner, and set off rockets.  These people know what kids like.  It was a beautiful, mountain setting, with the Great Salt Lake in the background.  We all talked and talked and spent the night with them. 

Right before we drifted off to sleep, with our alarm set for 4:00 a.m. to get to the airport in Salt Lake, Kris got a text that the cows were out. Sleep tight!

All in all, I feel like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are America's playground.  It's so wonderful to go places right in your own country and see things you have never seen before.  Enjoy your trip!

Kansas & Oklahoma

Other states didn't have the same restrictions as Michigan.  This was the only time we could leave and not miss anything here.  The play was supposed to be the same weekend, and it was cancelled, so my family wasn't visiting.  Why wouldn't we go to visit them?

The boys and I drove the 11.5 hours to Olathe, Kansas to visit my sister and her family!  I don't mind driving, as long as the boys aren't miserable.  We learned how to download movies from Amazon Prime onto their phones, so they watched two movies on the way there. For kids who rarely see movies, this makes car trips a breeze.  I listened to podcasts and an audiobook.  We stopped three times, twice for gas and once for the bathroom.  I kind of consider driving to be a race, and the faster you get there, the faster you're doing something fun.

Olathe was fully in the throes of spring.  Trees were flowering, flowers were blooming, and it was warm!  

National World War I Museum & Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

It was kind of rainy, and it was closed due to COVID-19, so we were the only people visiting.  My niece Caroline said we were overlooking where she had attended the Kansas Chiefs victory parade.  We stood together looking over the city, and we didn't see one other single person.

The monument was huge, it was artistic, and the setting was beautiful.  I didn't know what it meant that the sphinx were covering their faces, but when I looked it up it said, "Two Assyrian Sphinxes guard the south entrance of the Liberty Memorial. 'Memory' faces east toward the battlefields of France, shielding its eyes from the horrors of war. 'Future' faces west, shielding its eyes from an unknown future."  Then I liked them.

I bet it's even more impressive when it's open.

Lake Olathe, Olathe, Kansas
Not only was this a beautiful lake with lovely trails, but it also had an entire musical instrument sculpture park!  It was so well designed and beautiful.  We spent a lot of time here.  We threw rocks in the water, walked on the trails, and played all the musical instruments.  My sister has gone kayaking here, and my niece has even gone cliff jumping.

Mitch Park, Edmond, OK    
After Kansas, we went to Oklahoma (a mere 4.5 hour drive) to visit my brother and his family.  We took our seven collective children to beautiful Mitch Park.  They have five miles of paved trails, so our kids had a blast with their Rip Stiks and scooters.  It was a pretty popular place - tons of people doing the same. 

Oklahoma Bombing Memorial, Oklahoma City, OK
I visited here years ago when it was open, but my children had never seen it. 

We told our kids all about it before we went, and we had to look up a lot of information.  I forgot how much it was tied into Waco, so we covered that with history them, too.   

The memorial is designed so thoughtfully.  It's solemn.  The arches, the water, the chairs representing the people killed ... it's all so sad.  They also have a memorial wall full of tributes, and the kids had never seen one like that.  I couldn't read the tributes on it without crying.     

I also loved seeing the Survivor Tree, (the tree right next to the bombing site, featured on most Oklahoma bombing memorials), which looked even better than the last time I saw it. 

Myriad Botanical Gardens, Oklahoma City, OK 
This was new to me, and it was so impressive!  It wasn't even open, and it was still worth it.

The Crystal Bridge Conservatory was such a pretty accent to the water, flowers, and Devon Tower, the tallest building in Oklahoma. We also had so many animals to see - turtles, koi fish, ducks, and more.  There were also lots of fountains that the kids loved touching, and labeled plants that we all loved to see.

There was a super cool playground that even the older kids wanted to go into, but it was police taped off, so we didn't go inside. 

You should definitely stop here when you're in Oklahoma City. 

We also drove by Bricktown, which is a cool restaurant and bars area, where we've been before.  We totally would have eaten here if it were open.

In Oklahoma it was also warm enough to swim in Gage's pool. fish in his in-law's pond, and go for long runs by their red dirt.  It was enough to get me through waiting for warmer weather here. 

I've visited KS and OK numerous times, and other sites I'd suggest include:

The Plaza, Kansas City, MO - forget the fact that I got involved in a street fight here two years ago - it's usually really nice.  Also, Missouri and Kansas spill into each other.  You're going between the states all the time.
The Arabia Steamboat Museum - A man found a shipwreck and it had all the goods still in it, preserved.  I loved this place.
Eating BBQ - it's something you are supposed to do when you're in Kansas City.  Go for it!
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - Also fun.  How many times are you going to hit a cowboy museum?!
Frontier City Theme Park - I haven't been here, but my brother and his family go all the time, and this is where my kids would most like to go.  Any thrill ride, they're in.  Maybe next time!

We drove home the 15.5 hours and had to stop in Dwight, Illinois (home of a nuclear power plant, apparently) to sleep.  Apparently my limit is driving 11.5 hours.  So now I'm going to make a map and draw a circle to see where I can drive 11.5 hours next time ...

I hope your pandemic is going as well as it can.  Every day the headlines announce more and more states are opening up.  Not Michigan though, so ... lots of places to go!