Trip completed

Well, the kids and I returned home last night from our 10 day road trip and we really did have a wonderful time. In all we traveled 3,300 miles.

We set out on July 17 and made it to Howe, IN arriving there late that evening. We left early the next morning, July 18 (my 44th b-day) and drove to Cleveland where we stopped to buy tickets for the upcoming Twins-Indians game a week later. Then we drove to Laurel, MD, halfway between DC and Baltimore where we stayed for 2 nights. Saturday, 7/19, we rode in on the Metro into Washington DC to see the monuments, the White House, and visit with my cousin and her husband. Sunday, we drove in to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Detroit Tigers. Game time temperature was 96 at 1:30pm and very humid. Very uncomfortable but we managed to get seats in the shade. After the game, we drove up to New Jersey and stayed there for 2 nights in Woodbridge. Monday morning, we rode the train in to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. The kids were in awe once we made our way to street level and walked up 7th Ave to Times Square. The kids did a little shopping and then we had a late lunch at Bubba Gump's in Times Square. Then we walked a little further Uptown and caught the '2' train out to Yankee Stadium where we saw our Twins get smoked by the Yankees 12-4. Tuesday, we left in the morning and drove just over 200 miles to Cooperstown, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located. If you've never been there, it is a beautiful small town nestled on the eastern most of the Finger Lakes and well worth a trip someday. We spent a few hours there and drove to Buffalo where we stayed for 2 nights. During the day on Wednesday, we drove up to Niagara Falls, ONT, to see the falls and allow the kids to say they were in Canada. That night, we saw the Buffalo Bisons play baseball against the Norfolk Tides. The teams are members of the International League and are AAA farm clubs for Cleveland and Baltimore. What a difference from the majors. Not so much in the quality of play, but the ticket prices. We paid $10 and sat 4 rows from the field by the visiting team dugout. On Thursday, we left in the morning to drive to Pittsburgh where we would see the Pirates play that night against the San Diego Padres. On the way there, we stopped in Altoona, PA to see the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark. Horshshoe Curve is basically a set of railroad tracks that wrap around a mountain but change in elevation at a 1.8% grade. It was built in 1854 and is still used today. The scenery was most impressive. After the Pirates game, we drove up to Sandusky, OH where we stayed for 3 nights. On Friday, we went to Cedar Point amusement park and rode most of the roller coasters there, including Top Thrill Dragster. The famed ride launches you down a track 0-120 mph in 4 seconds and then sends you straight up and back down 420'. What a rush! On Saturday morning, the kids and I went to play mini-golf and race go-karts at a nearby family fun center. Then we set off for downtown Cleveland to see the Twins play the Indians. Sunday, we drove just over 700 miles to get back home, arriving around 7:30pm. While sad it was over, it was good to be back home. It was a great time and makes me love my kids even more having been so close to them for the 10 days of our journey.