Thumb's-Up List for Family Travel
So we're starting a Thumbs Up Map. We'll update the Thumbs Up Map whenever we stumble across another great ice cream place, motel, restaurant, gas station, or any other place that makes family travel even better.
Another Source for Natchez Trace Information
Lynnette, the editor, lives in TN right near the trace and gives regular updates on it. If you're planninga family road trip down (or up) the Trace, be sure to surf The Fun Spot for current tips and attractions.
For example, if Fall colors are something that you'd like to coordinate with, Lynnette covered it.
Happy Trails!!
PS If you like the video, please give it a five star rating...
Camera Phone Blog
If I blog with my thumbs, is it fair to call it th-logging?
It's a whole new day.
Can I Pubish Blogs From My Phone at Camp?
This is a thumb-written trial post. If it works, I'll try one with a photo.
If that works, we'll celebrate with a box of camp wine!
Getting the Itch for a Summer Road Trip
I need to be in Montana this summer for some video shoots and other job site visits. Was planning to fly the family out to Spokane and rent a car, but we're wondering if maybe we ought to seize the opportunity and drive the whole danged way.
This route would take us through Niagara Falls to Chicago where we could pick up Route 66. We could drive 'America's Main Street' to St. Louis where we'd head west to Colorado, then north to Montana.
The drive back could swing through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, through Ohio, and across Pennsylvania.
It's been about 13 years since Tinsley and I have had a 2,000+ mile road trip, and maybe time to really break in the kids (or break them down?)
What do you think?
What would YOU do?
Eat Well and Sleep Cheap in Dallas
I had a building conference to attend this weekend, (the National Green Building Conference). Not a family roadtrip, but a trip worth reporting on nonetheless. In a couple of days, I'll drive to Houston to visit sdome job sites and shoot video. I'll check in with a Houston mini-report too.
Hotels.com: an excellent suite for $50 per night
Well, not every night; it was $40 for a couple of the nights. The room has a nice living room with couch and desk. The desk faces one of two wonderful flat screen TVs. So I could actually work through my inbox and watch playoff basketball at the same time. Other features: luxe bathroom, fridge, microwave, and Starbuck’s coffee packets. Did I mention the little balcony? The king bed takes up most of the bedroom, which is ok for a single occupant. It would be pretty cramped, I imagine, for a couple
Uncle Julio’s: Great Mexican food
I like warm salsa. Uncle Julio’s has warm salsa. Normally I ask for more salsa as soon as they bring the first bowl because I know my track record. I forgot to ask for more this time, but when I saw that we were running low, I asked for more. Before I ran out of salsa, my dinner was served and then along came the salsa. I ordered a nice grilled chicken dish with rice and beans (can’t remember the name of it). The only thing that was a bit disturbing was that about 20%-25% of the items on the menu contained frog’s legs—which might be a hit with young boys.
Bottom line: Great food, expensive margaritas (and not great—stick to Shiner Bock beer), great service, and good prices (High teens, low $20s).
Gloria's: Excellent food
Gloria’s main room is one of those big rooms with a high ceiling and not much fabric on the walls to absorb sound. Consequently it was loud. Other than that, it had a nice atmosphere. The wait for a table was nonexistent if we chose to sit outside, so that’s what we did. Unfortunately the table we got was right under the speaker, so outside wasn’t much quieter than inside.
The food was fantastic. I had a Salvadoran grilled chicken and sausage dish with plantains, yucca, and a nice green salsa.
Bottom line: Excellent food, excellent service, good prices ($20s).
Frankies Sport’s Bar and Grill: Burgers and beer
We wanted to watch the Red Sox-Rays game, which was the Sunday night ESPN game, figuring we had a good chance we looked for a sport’s bar. Frankie’s had the Red Sox-Rays on about 60% of the twenty TVs inside. On the other 40% of the TVs was the Celtics-Magic playoff game, and on a couple of straggler TVs was the Bruins-Hurricanes playoff game. Good night for Boston Sports (All three Boston teams won).
I had the ‘Spank-me Burger’ (loaded with jalapeños, onions and a horseradish sauce).
Bottom line: good food, good atmosphere, good service and great prices $12-15s.
Another Disney World Tip (for Parents)
Disney days can be looooong. If you go for a week or at least more than one day, they can be really long. One way to shorten the day is to start late and go till the fireworks. But sometimes the parents need a little break in the middle of the day. One way to get some 'me' time is to break away from the kids and enjoy an adult beverage. Now, you can't just abandon the kids, you need to plan ahead and drag your sister along with you, like we did last time.
The Traveling Mamas, specifically, CajunMama, has some recommendations for finding adult drinks in Disney World. My favorite? Go to Mexico; I'm a sucker for Mexican food and Margaritas. In fact, Mexican joints are usually pretty kid-friendly with the chips and all...
Top Tips for Finding Adult Drinks in Disney World
Another Road Trip Word Game: Word Caterpillar
Here's a cool game I learned on a little drive with some friends when I was visiting San Francisco area a few months back. We were going out to dinner and had a little bit of a drive, so to keep everyone occupied we played this game.
It goes like this:
Choose a category such as food, animals, machines, etc. The youngest goes first to pick something within the category. The next person has to think of something beginning with the last letter of the previous person's choice.
So, for example if the topic were animals and the first person chose alligator, the second person would have to pick an animal beginning with 'R', such as Rat. The third person would think of one beginning with 'T' and so on.
It's a lot of fun. Ann said her son, Quinn, found it in a book called Gladstone's Games To Go, the game is called "Gourmet Grandma" in the book because they use food as the category. But it works well beyond food, so we like to call it 'Word Caterpillar.'
Do you have any word games you like to play?
Profile of a Road Trip Family
Scenic drives: 30%
National Parks/ Monuments: 23%
Mountain cities and towns: 23%
Coastal cities and towns: 7%
Ski resort mountains: 15%
Big cities: 0%
How will higher gas prices affect your summer road trip plans?
Not at all: 19%
Stay closer to home: 11%
Buy a Prius: 11%
Fewer days on the road: 5%
Cheaper hotels: 4%
GPS or Road Atlas?
Road Atlas: 50%
Both: 36%
GPS: 13%
Why don't you answer polls?
My choice never wins: 37%
Don't trust polls: 25%
Too much work: 25%
Hate you: 12%
We're a little surprised that 12% of our readers hate us, but we suspect it may simply be that they have a warped sense of humor. Perhaps we won't include that choice in future polls.
The online survey told us that most of our readers (79%) have one or two kids and they take three or more road trip each year. They stay mostly in the 100 mile - 300 mile range, but quite a few (20%) go for the 300 - 600 mile range, and the same amount exceed 600 miles on a road trip. They typically stay in motels, although brand loyalty isn't the top priority, safe, clean, and convenient is.
We also learned how to word questions poorly
'Do you travel with pets?'
10% travel with a dog, 5% with more than one cat, and 85% probably would have answered 'No' had I provided that as a choice. Instead, they didn't answer the question.
Is Las Vegas a Family Destination?
In a word, maybe. In two words, probably not.
I've been AWOL from the blog in the last few months. Sorry about that, I've been working nights and weekends to get www.greenbuildingadvisor.com (my day job) launched. It's launched, I'm back. GreenBuildingAdvisor was launched at the International Builder's Show in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. It was my second time to Vegas.
In the past twenty or so years, Las Vegas has been trying to re-make itself as less of a 'Family' place and more of a family destination, if you know what I mean. Less La Cosa Nostra, more Ward and June Cleaver. Or something. Many of the casinos are themed: New York, New York, Excalibur Castle, and Treasure Island. But theme is only skin deep.
Beneath the surface is boobs, booze, and broke gamblers
Please don't get me wrong, the FamilyRoadTrippers are not prudes by any means. But there's still something unmistakably 'not-very family-oriented' about the place. While the incessant blinking lights are something that most kids will probably like, and the zillions of pictures of barely-dressed show girls are something that most boys aged 8 - 98 wouldn't object to, the round-the-clock-gambling and prostitution are something I suspect most families would rather avoid. As you walk down the street on the strip, people hand out business cards for prostitutes. Now, this can be a fun game, try to get fifty-two different cards to make a full deck from, it just sort of sends the wrong message to youngsters. And even if the card hander-outers don't hand them to the kids, the streets are littered with them (and kids are closer to the ground than adults, so they tend to pick up on it more readily).
If that's not enough, there are also the driving billboards
The last time I was there I saw one that said something like 'Full Service.' This time it was just 'Hot Babes Direct to You.' I wondered what I would say to Tom if he asked me what 'full service' meant. I suppose I would tell him that they'll change the oil in addition to filling the tank, but more likely I would change the subject.
What did I like best about my trip to Las Vegas?
A great little Italian restaurant outside of town.
Glad to be back in the saddle (so to speak), I'll see if I can get back up to my regular weekly postings.
Anyone have good stuff to say about Vegas?
A Beautiful Quote
I heard this on NPR the other morning on the way in to work. A reporter was interviewing a group of people in St. Louis and one of them said this:
"Rosa sat so Martin could walkAmen.
Martin walked so Obama could run
Obama is running so our children can fly"
Isn't it wonderful that the African American candidate is the best Presidential candidate of our lifetime?
Find This Place -- Northeast
As always, If you email me with the location of this mystery spot, I'll send you a custom FamilyRoadTrippers barf bag!
Bridge of Flowers -- Shelburne Falls, Mass
On a trip between Brattleboro, VT and home, I had an extra hour or so to kill, so I followed the sign I've been wondering about for so long: "Bridge of Flowers Next Right." This time I bit: the light was going to be good, and I had a camera with me, so I took the exit to Shelburne Falls.
One problem, which I suppose is understandable: No Dogs. This is a sensitive topic with me because we just added a new puppy to the family roadtrippers (her name is Moxie).
It's not a long walk -- 400 feet -- so it wouldn't be that great for dogs, it's mostly a nice place to stroll with an ice cream cone after dinner. And there happens to be a nice little tavern with a porch overlooking the bridge. And I saw people walking around with ice cream, so I suspect there's an ice cream store there as well.
The Shelburne Falls Women's Club tends more than 400 species of flowers, shrubs, and vines on the bridge which blooms early spring through late fall. The trolley ran twenty years over this bridge before closing in 1928. The following year it was converted into the bridge of flowers. Don't forget to leave a donation in the can at either end of the bridge.
Our New Puppy Road Tripper!
The answer, is To Dog!
Meet the new puppy roadtripper (name narrowed, but not chosen).
We're leaning towards Daisy, Zelda, Moxie, Smarty Jones, and Lucy.
What do you think?
UPDATE:
Moxie won out.
She's been one on the greatest dogs we've ever had. An instant classic.
To Dog or Not to Dog?
The following email came to me while I was at work the other day. It was from Tinsley. To put it in context, I should say that we've been contemplating getting a dog. It's been almost three years since Wookie died and we feel like it may be time to fill her shoes, so to speak.
It just occurred why I need us to have a dog.Amen.
I have wondered much why I would want an additional source of chaos, feces, noise,
debris, etc... because that really does not make sense. However,
I just put both our kids down for an enforced nap at 11:30. They both totally hate me right now
and are drowsily plotting their next move. I can hear one of them rustling ominously this very moment.
But a dog NEVER does that. Not even terriers. (Cats might.)
A dog's only agenda is love, and maybe stick. And food, but let's face it, compared to being shrieked
at over peanut butter & jelly vs. peanut butter & honey, dogs culinary needs are pretty easy to handle.
Kids make you constantly aware of what a [beep] you are.
I don't even have to compare dogs to that. You know.
Selfish? Maybe.
Balm for the soul? Absolutely.
So I just had to sit here and tell you.
And they lick everything but a few veggies off the floor.
god bless dogs.
Eugene Slug Queen Update
Our roving Oregon reporter, Constance Van Flandern, has updated us with the details of this year's Slug Queen Festival. At the time of her previous post, the details of the coronation hadn't been smoothed out, shall we say. The Festival begins in a little over a couple of weeks on Aug 15, but
"Don't worry if you can't make it to Eugene until after Labor Day--you'll be just in time for the new Slug Queen Art Salon opening reception at the New Zone Gallery (164 West Broadway), August 15th, 2008 at 5pm. There will be live music, art, an d activities for the kids"
Thanks, Constance
Dyce Head Lighthouse in Castine, Maine
Dyce head light house is a private residence but there's an access trail that goes along side down to a rocky cliff at the shore. This not a place where you want the little ones running around.
After the visit, head down to the Castine waterfront for hot dogs, hamburgers, lobster rolls and/or ice cream.
Choosing a Family Road Trip Vehicle
When we were looking for a new roadtrip vehicle, it was an interesting choice. There are many choices available, station wagons, mini-vans, SUVs, compact SUVs, cross-over vehicles, and stuff like used vanagons and PT Cruisers.
Mini vans let you split up the kids
Mini vans have a few advantages over other vehicles: tons of cargo room, three rows of seats so that you can either carry many people or split up a couple of kids. (This is something they like as much as something we like).
We've used a Dodge Caravan at length because the company I work for has a small fleet of them for us to use on photo shoots and other trips. The Caravan is a wonderful roadtrip vehicle -- comfy, zippy, and there's tons of cargo space. Even a big dog like Wookie would fit quite well for extended trips. We rented a Ford Aerostar for a trip a few years ago and it felt like a hunk of junk. A couple of years ago we rented a Chevy mini van which we liked quite well.
We were looking at a Caravan and a Toyota Sienna.
Crossovers are zippier but still with lots of room
We took a trip from Nashville to New Orleans and back recently in a rented Kia Rondo, a crossover vehicle I guess, but it really felt like a mini mini-van. We liked the ride and the inside setup quite a bit, and there was plenty of cargo room. The gas mileage was OK, a little better than a mini van, but still in the lower 20s. I think this type of vehicle could be a great choice. The Kia's main drawback was that when one of the windows (especially the rear ones) were opened (partially or fully), a horrible pulsing pressurization would overcome the car. Like your ears would explode if subjected to it much more. Other than that, we liked it.
Mazda's and Toyota's mini mini-vans look really good, and we'd like to check them out. Maybe the next time I rent a car, I'll try to get one. Mazda has one with three rows of seats so you can split the kids, boost gas mileage, and maintain quite a bit of cargo room.
Compact SUVs have lots of vertical storage
There's more cargo room in the Subaru Forester than in either the Outback or the Legacy. But the cargo room is vertical -- you need to pack stuff on top of stuff, and long stuff is either out of the question or on the roof. Despite their higher center of gravity and larger shape, the Subaru sales man said that all three models get about the same mileage -- because they have identical power trains, the body shape, he said, was pretty much irrelevant. I suspect he's mostly right, but if so, why do Olympic athletes get so anal about friction and drag?
PT Cruisers are in a class by themselves (so to speak).
I've also rented PT Cruisers a couple of times on photo shoots. I don't know how to classify them. Maybe crossover vehicle? But crossover between what? They're almost like small Chevy Suburbans. There seems to be a lot of space, they're sporty, and they do very well over speed bumps (hey, it was a rental, I owe it to readers to find these things out). The window controls, though are no where near where you would expect them to be: they're in the center of the dashboard. Not on the door or the center console. In the dark, things like this are a pain in the neck.
Station wagons use less gas and have a lot of space.
In the end, we chose a Subaru Legacy. The mileage was purported to be 28 highway, but on our maiden voyage, we got 30 or better (hiper miler techniques employed). The cargo space is plenty sufficient (we were able to bring all of our camping gear). And the cup holders are fine. The look is super sporty. We had a roof racjk added so that we can boost cargo room when needed, but at a gas mileage price. But we figure, Why take the hit on mileage with a mini-van every day of the year when you can only take the hit when you need the extra cargo room?
Cup holders matter more than some might think
The Subaru guy was amazed at the fact that he was about to lose a sale because the '98 Outback (only 68,000 miles!) had cruddy cup holders. I didn't see them on my test drive, and when I returned to the lot, I parked it, walked up to Tinsley, tossed him the keys and said to her "There are no cup holders." Tinsley shook her head, Trevor scrambled to the car to look, and found them: a dinky, rickety little tray the slips in to the dashboard. Tinsley and I rolled our eyes.
What's your road trip vehicle of choice?
City Guide: Belfast, Maine
I'm a little prejudiced towards Belfast, Maine. Much of my family lives there, I visit whenever I can, and it feels like home. Home away from home, anyway. We've written about Belfast in the past.
Nestled by the sea.
It's not much, but what the heck
It's good enough for me!
Belfast has gotten even better since then.
The harbor is full of boats, the waterfront is buffered by a park, the downtown is thriving with stores, restaurants, and service providers. And no big box sprawl to speak of. There are big stores, but no sprawling strip like almost every other town in America. The Victorian and classic revival buildings downtown are occupied and busy. There's even a new hotel in an old downtown building shooting for four or five stars. When I remember the name of it, I'll link to it.
If 4 star suites don't fit your bill, the Northport Campground fills in the other end of the spectrum.
We have a very big tent, and we camp there frequently. A tent site is $23 per night, so a week's worth of camping costs the same as a night at the Comfort Inn (every room has a great view of the bay), which is where we stay when camping won't work.
There's a footbridge over the river that feeds the harbor.
The name of the river is the Passagassawakeag River, which is Indian for "Pass a gassy wax egg". I'm not exactly sure what that means; I think maybe something got lost in the translation, but the kids sure enjoy saying it. And the footbridge is fun to run across if you're a kid. It's also a popular fishing spot.
Belfast City Park is a great place to spend the better part of a day.
Playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, a city pool, picnic spots with built-in barbecue grills overlooking Pennobscott Bay. Rolling grassy areas shaded by mature trees. There's even a hot dog/hamburger stand. Why would anyone ever want to leave?
To go to Perry's Nut House, of course.
It's a combination wacky-stuff-candy-nuts-chocolate-fudge store and a weirdy museum. If that makes any sense. Goofy kids toys, books, treats, mummies, and shrunken heads. Not to forget the funny mirrors. And the carousel ride out front goes forever on 50 cents. An excellent value and a good way to amuse youngsters.
The Belfast Coop has good foods and great coffee.
And newspapers if you want one. And wine, beer, meat and cheese.
The Army-Navy store has some odd camp essentials
I went into the Army-Navy store downtown looking for enameled steel coffee mugs and mantels for out Coleman lantern. They had the mugs, but not the mantels. As we were about to leave, I looked up to see a Martin Backpacker guitar. I've been leaving my full size guitar at home over the years because it won't fit in the car and it's too expensive an instrument to take camping or road tripping. The Martin Backpacker isn't that valuable ($200). But what it lacks in value, it gains in portability. What a great score. Who knew an Army-Navy store would sell guitars (they had other styles too)? My kind of Army-Navy store.
One more landmark in Downtown Belfast is Colburn's Shoe store, the oldest shoe store in the country. And my Grammy used to work there when she was a girl. I bought my shoes there as a kid and convinced Tinsley to buy a pair there last month. She was thrilled with the experience, the shoes, and the nice folks who work there.
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