After a quick night’s sleep we are ready to get some breakfast & head out — we are still about 10 hours from home. I was really excited to finally have a Cracker Barrel breakfast. Leo really liked the grits even though he kept telling me, “no grits mommy that’s oatmeal or papa cereal.” Gotta love this kid. Just before we headed out, Paul did a little check of the car and noticed a cut in the fount tire. He tracked down a tire store in town & with in 2 hours we had 2 new tires. Just wish we would have noticed it before breakfast but glad we noticed before we got on the road and it blew out. Leo seemed to enjoy our pit stop at Dollar General & I had time to stock up on wedding cards & sympathy cards. Two cards one always wants on hand but never seem to have time to shop for.

On the road again and at some point I can hardly stand sitting one more minute & we are at least 2 states from home. Leo was ready to be done too & what a smart kid we have, he knew if he asked for food we would stop. We were not impressed with all the toll stops in Illinois especially around Chicago. Around supper time we were near the Wisconsin Dells so we took Leo to Buffalo Phil’s to see the train. Man was that not a smart decision on our part. It was really busy, Leo was crabby, there were like no veggies at all on the menu & we ended up leaving our diaper bag there. However Buffalo Phil’s staff were really helpful in getting our bag back to us. We finally got home around 10pm & got to check out the storm damage from Friday’s storm here in the cities that left our neighborhood without power for 3 days. Our outdoor furniture was scattered around the yard along with many branches. We did have to clean the fridge & freezer. The hardest thing to throw out where the new box of dilly bars I just bought. I was happy to be home, but sad our adventure was over.

Brunch with Andy and Lauren at Green Eggs Cafe. Leo was in a better mood during this outing with Andy. It was great just chatting over brunch. Then a nice walk through Love Park toward the art museum to play in the fountain a bit, and we finally head for home. It was my plan to drive through the night but Pennsylvania is a big state—beautiful, but big. We stopped at a travel center in Pennsylvania & tried to find something healthy to eat which was very challenging. We got Leo in his PJs for the rest of the long drive ahead. Around 2am somewhere in Indiana, Jenny convinced me that we need to stop & find a room. We did & bonus it was right across the road from a Cracker Barrel. Night night.

Relaxing morning repacking everything, then off to Philly again. Stopped at Target for a few things in Norristown, then took the back roads to our hotel (one of the best parts of our day). We check in early, and head out on the town. We take a carriage ride around the historic district (pulled by a 15–18 y.o. horse named Napoleon). After a too-short nap, it’s time for the Wedding which Leo snored through like an old man. Ceremony & reception were cool. Jenny loved the ring bearers waving their lightsabers down the aisle. I was underdressed. Got to chat a bit with Derek & Shannon & Davis before Leo threw up on Jenny. So we ended up heading back to the room a little early. Leo even tried to sleep with the glow stick wands he got at the reception which was too cute. We were excited to celebrate with the happy couple.

Philly!!!

We finally made it. After breakfast, we head to Penn’s Landing, and walk around a bit — we check out a ship, a WWI submarine, and the Moshulu docked there. Then lunch at Pizzeria Stella, which hands down was the best food of our trip, and a ferry ride to Jersey. Leo loved the ferry ride at first but coming back he was not having it. At one point before leaving he told the driver (of the boat) to drive. We got to check out the Children’s Garden — Leo loves the butterflies and trains. Take the ferry back to Philly, and got to visit Andy with a super tired & crabby toddler for dinner before heading back to Quakertown for swimming & fireworks (right from our room!).

The hotel may have been lousy, and I may have given Leo a fever, but we made up for it in the morning with a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts and Tractor Supply. Leo loved it (and he got a new toy that doesn’t make noise)! After breakfast, we made our way to Hickory Run State Park for some swimming and a picnic lunch, and then drove by Pocono Raceway. We continued on to Quakertown, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philly, and stayed at a perfectly lovely Hampton Inn.

Milk! And lunch at Michael Simon’s Lola in Cincinnati. The spicy tomato soup with blue cheese and rosemary fries were particularly tasty. After lunch, Leo found a cool window display at a shop up the street, and we stopped by a perfectly lovely Target in Cinci to stock up.

Why, oh, why, oh, did we ever leave Ohio?! Pennsylvania was all tolls, road construction and full hotels. We ended up finally staying at a very sketchy Days Inn—it’s a good thing you can’t photograph smells.

Up at dawn, and Paul & I feel like we slept on the ground because we did. We are not as young as we used to be however Leo did surprising well & didn’t complain. All he wanted to do after waking up was get a ride in the stroller to the playground to find some kids. Then we were off to the dunes. My cough got worse—of course I would get sick while camping. When we got to the dunes we were all in awe. One of the highlights was when Leo saw all the sand & Lake Michigan he just screamed it’s a beach & took off running to enjoy it all. Even though the red flag was waving we still dipped ours toes in the cold lake. We even had fun running up 1/2 of the hill & playing trucks in the biggest sand box we have ever seen. Then Paul surprised me with a stay at a nice hotel since I was feeling so icky. I surprised him with driving the 2+ hours to get there. I never wanted a hot shower so badly. It was a great end to day 2.

A bit of a late start, but well worth the extra pack-’n’-prep time. We stopped at Ehlenbach’s Cheese Chalet in De Forest, Wisconsin for a bit of cheese and a picnic dinner under a lovely shady tree nearby. Leo picked a blueberry cheddar (with real blueberries in it), while Jenny & I opted for a 7-year cheddar.

Tonight, we set up camp at Lake Kegonza State Park just south of Madison. So. Many. Mosquitos! But, other than Jenny nursing a bit of a cold, we’re all enjoying the trip.