It seems that we have finally reached the point of being tired of being on the road. Even though we have loved almost every place we have been so far (with the exception of the dreaded Blariot Ferry Park), and continue to enjoy every day of this trip, we are also at the same time getting tired of the constant travel and homelessness. Yesterday was the peak of this tiredness for us. For some reason we all woke up already tired, and after a long day of driving we arrived at our campsite nothing but more tired. With no energy to set up camp, we all just sat there in exhaustion starring out at the trees around us and at each other. Finally after an hour and several breaks, one used to go purchase beer, Ben got the tent up and I was able to go in and get it ready for the night. After some rest we managed to summon enough energy to complete our day with the requisite walk around the park, and the making and eating dinner. By the time the boys were tucked into their sleeping bags and sound asleep, we were too exhausted to stay up any later and soon joined them in the tent.
We had decided yesterday to change our plan from camping again today to staying in a hotel instead. This morning we received confirmation that our decision was the right one. We woke up this morning to heavy rains and thundershowers that, once again, soaked up our tent, chairs etc. We quickly got everyone in the car as soon as the thunder started and used little breaks of light or no rain to pack up our camp slowly over the morning. When everything except for the tent was tucked away the rain stopped, so we left our tent up to dry and went for a drive. We drove to a nice look out area from which you could see the whole park and parts of Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan. Ben and Zaid went for a short walk while Owen and I sat on a bench enjoying the views, the fresh air and for me my cup of morning java.
When we got back to our camp our tent was still wet so we took it down and decided to dry it in our hotel room instead, something that we have done many times over this trip. Our drive to Port Washington was not too long and we stopped a couple of time along Lake Michigan for breaks and lunch. Today was a windy day and the winds were particularly bad on the Lake shore. This made for a hurried and frenzied lunch as we simultaneously had to eat and keep our food from flying away!
We arrived in Port Washington in the afternoon and easily found our hotel near the main entrance to town. We checked in and spent some time resting and catching up on email, facebook etc. Our hotel has a swimming pool so we decided to go for a swim which is always a big hit with Zaid and Owen who love the water and can't seem to ever get enough of it. After a swim it was time for dinner so we headed into town looking for something local and fresh. We stopped to stock up on more excellent Wisconsin beer and the guy in the store recommended the New Port Shores, know for being the only restaurant in town on the lake shore. The place is obviously a very popular local joint because even for an early dinner it was packed and the only tables they had were in the back room. We decided to stay anyways and it was not a bad table after all for I at least still had a view of the lake from my seat. Both Ben and I ordered a local fish fry which is similar to fish and chips except that the fish is dipped into a much lighter and crisper batter (I believe it's mostly corm meal) which actually stays on the fish when you pick it up. Both of our dishes were delicious and Zaid devoured his Mac n' Cheese plate in no time (which happens to come with a bowl of apple sauce which also was devoured).
After dinner we got back to the hotel. Soon Zaid and Owen were asleep, and now Ben and I are sitting down, enjoying some local beer, catching up on modern technology and planning our next day. Tomorrow we drive to Chicago but since we are not too far away, we plan to stop in Milwaukee on the way for a break and something fun to do. We are both very excited about Chicago and I expect a very busy and tiring 3-4 days. After Chicago our trip will be starting to come to its end as we drive straight back to Ontario and finally Toronto. Even though we are at the point now of looking forward to having a home again and staying put for a while, I know that we will be very sad to see this trip come to an end, and I know that I will miss this time of our life very dearly.
Haifa
No comments:
Post a Comment