Slowing down....

Seems like the pace is slowing down for the summer and we have spent a few lazy days lounging around the house.  The summer soccer season has wrapped up for Merrick and Grace and ended with a bang as each of them scored goals in their final games.  Merrick and Ella both had Camps at the university, Ella with Band Camp and Merrick with a Robotics Camp.  Merrick had a final presentation to exhibit what he and his team had coded their robot to do and Ella had culminating band concert that included Stairway to Heaven.  We are getting some much needed rain, but with so many outside activities we are having difficulty switching gears to inside ideas.

Miles...mountains....Miles

We were back from the Boot just long enough to watch the fireworks and a day's drive to Door county and then it was back on the road and point the truck east.  We drove east almost until east was gone.  We headed to the New Hampshire and the White Mountains to see family and hike the trails and explore the caves and waterfalls of glacial events far older than those in our neighborhood.  It was about 20 hours in the truck and across eight states to get there but what adventures awaited.  We hit some of the local favorites and tourist traps like the Big Moose Deli and an amusement park, Clark's, that has trained bears, water slides, trains and segways.  We spent a day hiking the Franconia Ridge loop, consisting of three different trails, a portion of the Appalachian Trail as well as three summits above tree line.  We averaged about a mile an hour on this beautiful and intense trail.  At times we were on all fours to scramble up the steep inclines.  We ascended up Falling waters trail aptly named for it great waterfalls and then skipped from summit to summit before replenishing our dry water bottles at the Green Hut and heading back to the cabin with sore calves and barking knees that were well earned.  We traveled to the top of Loon Mountain via gondola and explored some of the boulder caves but also hit Lost river gorge and Flume Gorge.  Both of these areas have industrious networks of boardwalks and cave systems that are a marvel to see.  We made the drive home all in one long, long day but it was part of the great American road trip.