Adventure Bear is back on the road! Follow the fun for the next several weeks.
Hot Springs, AR
Our first stop was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where the family gathered to celebrate my (Jay’s) mom’s mumble-tieth birthday. I’m pretty old (Jay again!), so you may be able to guess which milestone birthday we were celebrating. Adventure Bear was in on the fun, and Courtney McVeigh took the official photographs, to be seen later.
For her birthday, Jay’s mom sped around the lake on the tube with Zach (our oldest nephew). All the cool kids were doing it.
Adventure Bear hit his first National Park of the summer in Hot Springs. We did not avail ourselves of the baths, but visiting our smallest national park was worth a trip into town.
Little Rock, AR
We’ve been through Little Rock a few times, but have never visited the capitol. Adventure Bear insisted we stop, and he even auditioned to be the governor’s spokesbear. Application pending.
St. Louis, MO
If we are anywhere near St. Louis, we make sure to visit Carrie’s cousin, Nancy Hackler Goldstein, and her marvelous family. Nancy has the coolest new job, ever. She drives the train at the St. Louis Zoo! Here she is, showing Adventure Bear the ropes. The zoo is in Forest Park, home of the 1904 World’s Fair. It’s a beautiful place, with museums, gardens and other wonders.
St. Louis, MO cont.
Nancy’s husband, Mark Goldstein, is part owner of Henke’s Tavern, the best casual joint in Florissant, Missouri. They always treat us so well!
We also stopped in Alton, Illinois, for a look at the mighty Mississippi River on a rainy day.
Louisville, KY
Next stop for Adventure Bear? Louisville, Kentucky. That meant a visit to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Years ago, we learned of a famous(?) sandwich called the Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in Downtown Louisville. It was delicious, and famous for good reason.
One final stop at the Muhammad Ali Center, where we learned more about his career and activism.
Lexington, KY and Ohio
We spent more than a full day in Lexington, Kentucky, and somehow managed to take no pictures at all. Nice town, so not sure how that happened.
On the road, we dodged the rain and visited the Ohio capitol in Columbus. We’d never been in Ohio before, so that’s one more state covered. [Don’t miss BTS 2023 for the terrible working conditions related to this photo…]
Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, MD
Wow! Adventure Bear made it to Annapolis, Maryland to see the U.S Naval Academy. All 4400 midshipmen sleep in one enormous dormitory. It’s an impressive place. We are grateful for the men and women who go here to learn, lead, and serve. Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, so of course we learned some history at the statehouse, including that In 1783 and 1784 it served as the capitol building of the United States.
First, a huge and sincere message of thanks to Suzanne and Jim, our gracious and welcoming hosts in the D.C. area. Suzanne was Carrie’s roommate a few years (decades) ago when she lived here. We loved catching up with them, and the wonderful conversations. We could not have asked for a better time, and hope they feel the same way after sharing their home with us.
In Washington, we saw the monuments, memorials, and museums. The free and accessible Smithsonian Museums are destinations I hope everyone gets a chance to visit. They are treasures shared with all.
We got to visit our niece, Courtney, in her new home in D.C.. We could not be more proud of her. She took us to the National Cathedral and on a hike in Rock Creek Park. Next we are heading north, where the sun rises really early this time of year.
Cooperstown, NY
We’ve never been to upstate New York, which means having never been to the Baseball Hall of Fame. A pilgrimage for fans, everybody is happy to be there, even Carrie. “Once in a lifetime,” she said more than once, indicating her plan to soak it all in, but just once.
First night camping in upstate New York. Then to Vermont to visit friends, quaint small towns, and more outdoor fun.
More camping and hiking at Lake Champlain, Vermont.
Something called a Maple Creemee is all the rage in Vermont. We found the best at Cookie Love.
Canada!
Hello Canada! Our first time in Montreal, where they speak French, and we do not. Because the people were very kind about our skill deficit in their language, our biggest struggle was over the details of where we could legally park the car.
We went to the Botanical Gardens, and Old Montreal, where the depth of our knowledge of Canadian history began to scratch the surface.
Ottawa, CA
I’ve learned and forgotten, many times, that Ottawa is Canada’s capital. Now that I’ve been there, I think I’ll remember. We drove up to the parliament buildings, and nearly got trapped in dueling protests.
The smoke from the wildfires was terrible on our second day, but we were mostly inside their amazing history museum. We came away much more informed, but still with so many questions. One take away is that when studying U.S. history, we should be learning the history of all of North America. We tend to minimize the French (and Spanish) influence on how we got here.
Ithaca and Seneca Falls, NY
We returned to the U.S. in upstate New York, Ithaca and the Finger Lakes, to be specific. Waterfalls and wineries, and the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls.
There was also a scary haunted basement at our Airbnb where I did laundry. Adventurous, in its own way.
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