Summer Road Trip

We had an awesome time on our vacation 

over the 4th of July, 

and we took about 1300 pictures to prove it.

Here are just some of the highlights...

About to take off!

First stop:

Shipshewanna, Indiana

for the famous soft pretzels

at JoJo's in the Davis Mercantile. 

Mila used her own money to buy

souvenirs perfect to occupy her on the road

(and annoy her parents).

We also checked out an Amish cheese factory.

After we left, Mommy discovered 

Mila accidentally stole 

an American flag magnet. 

She said we needed it for "America's birthday."

We went back and paid for it. 

 

We stayed at a hotel near Toledo 

for the night.

We swam, relaxed and enjoyed 

free breakfast before getting back on the road.

Yay for Residence Inn and those 

cool waffle makers. 

Traveling with little ones requires 

plenty of rest stops. 

We got some fresh air and made 

sandwiches on soft Amish bakery bread

at this rather nice spot in Pennsylvania.

Finally made it to our campsite

in Stow, NY!

Daddy was an expert at setting us up

right away. 

First thing after setting up camp--

ice cream of course!

Definitely let the baby try certain foods

waaay before we did with Mila.

Oh well, it's vacation.

And Hershey's makes the best 

strawberry cheesecake ice cream

we've ever tasted. 

We camped with Mommy's brother and his family

at Camp Chautauqua.

It was a very pretty campground on 

a long, gentle lake.

See that small sail boat over my shoulder?

It's Uncle Brent's. 

He took Mommy out 

for a lovely afternoon sail.

There is plenty to do at Camp Chautauqua...

here is my niece Hannah getting

some air at the playground.

They even have a petting zoo!

Oink Oink.

Oh, and a pool.

Yeah, not exactly roughing it. 

On the 4th of July we headed down the road

to the sweet little lakeside town

of Bemus Point, NY.

We ate at an awesome waterfront

restaurant called The Italian Fisherman.

Mila acted like a 

crazy woman at dinner. 

But in a good way. Mostly.

For an appetizer we had these 

ridiculous "Italian Nachos"

and oh lordy were they good.

Pasta chips covered in alfredo with 

loads of other toppings piled so high 

we barely made a dent.

Willow stuck to pickles, limes and truffle fries.

This baby LOVES strong flavors.

Sun's almost down, 

time to get to our spot for fireworks!

Mila loved the show.

Everyone puts flairs up all around the lake 

during the fireworks display.

Willow and Mila both did great in the tent,

especially Mila...

who got this awesome light up pillow

from Mommy for the trip

(So proud of the awesome deal on this at CVS,

normally $20 on sale for $1.75...

I think it may have been a mistake, shhh!)

Mommy & Daddy survived too. 

They also decided massages were in order later in the trip.

Aunt Crystal helped Mila get 

ready for the bike and golf cart parade on Saturday.

"Sweet 16"

was so excited to participate!

 
She was the youngest participant by far,
and definitely the only one riding a balance bike.
(Lady in red shirt: "Look at #16! No pedals!")

The parade went way too fast for her,
so she tried her best at first
and then waited for it to come around again
to join back up.
We were really proud.

We were also super proud 

when Mila polished off two 

hot dogs she roasted herself.

With BUNS!

A major milestone over here. 

We had a great time camping, 

hanging with family, meeting new people,

celebrating Independence Day,

taking in nature

and just spending time together 

at Camp Chautauqau.

Next up, Kelley's Island, OH!

(With a brief stop for lunch

at Melt Bar & Grilled

in Cleveland. Go.)

We drove the car onto a ferry 

and took it across Lake Erie.

This was the view from the balcony

of our hotel, 

(actually, this is half the view, 

it wrapped around to the right too. 

Just gorgeous!)

Kelley's Island Venture Resort.

Most people drive golf carts on KI.

We had an absolute blast 

tooling around the island on ours.

We thought we'd rent it for just a few hours,

but ended up keeping one almost the whole time.

We were hooked,

especially Mila.

Here these fools are pulling a "Wayne"

on Mommy.

Mila thought this was comedy

at its finest. 

Kelleys is famous for its glacial grooves,

the ones discovered on the island are considered

 the finest examples of this ancient geological 

occurrences in the world.

Willow & Daddy checkin' out the grooves.

Here we are on a mini-hike at Horseshoe Lake,

another beautiful spot on an island 

with so much nature to explore.

There are beaches, quarries, rock formations,

and of course hokey little shops and 

a half-dozen or so family friendly

 bars and restaurants.

I believe the land in the right hand corner 

of this picture is Canada.

Kelleys Island is very close to the border.

We stayed on the southern side of the island.

You could see Cedar Point in the distance,

about 8 miles away. 

Driving all the way around the island

on the golf cart allowed us to get out 

and explore lots of scenic spots.

The hotel grounds were 

particularly lovely,

we saw landscapers working constantly. 

One night it rained REALLY hard 

as we were having dinner outside at

the Island House Inn.

We just took cover and made the most

of it. Mila was cold so Mommy turned 

black cloth napkins into a cape.

Mila requested we play mini-golf.

She had a fun time, 

but nobody had bragging rights 

since Mommy and Daddy tied.  

We packed a lot in each day of our trip,

but sometimes chilling out with 

electronic devices is fun too. 

Mila took her big sister role seriously this trip.

She even walked up to the ice cream booth

(All by myself, Mommy! I can do it!)

and succesfully ordered and paid for 

a small bowl of vanilla 

for Willow. It was so precious. 

The sunsets at KI are celebrated each night

at the West Bay Inn.

Everyone cheers when the sun drops below Lake Erie.

The Kelleys Island Brewery

was conviently located right across the street
from our hotel. 

It was a fun and casual 

place that served

breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

And beer. We sat outside 

and tried a glass while 

the sun began to set and Mila & Daddy

 played bags on the lawn. 

The hotel also offers an enormous

private, pirate ship themed playground.

Sometimes traveling with wee ones

 is just too stressful,

but frequent, planned stops and family friendly activities

really made the trip truly fun for everyone...

Mila is already asking when can we do it again...

 Not gonna lie,
I researched cottage rentals for next summer
the day after we got back home.