And Just Like that We're off.

          McLains on the Road Vol. 2 has begun. It has been 5 years since our inaugural summer sabbatical to the East Coast. I have just finished the 7th grade at Hamilton Middle School where at will also be attending 8th grade at the end of this amazing journey. I am Alastair, and I sure am ready for this road trip to get rolling.  At ten till 4 on May 30th we finished filling with water and loading up food. So we rolled off to our first destination, Rock Springs, Wyoming. More of a way point on our way to Jackson Hole on May the 31st. Which I am sure will be a very fun destination. I have not been there in many of years.

          Since we're only on day 2 I can't give you very interesting highlights, since all we have done so far is drive 6 1/2 hours and go to sleep at 11 P.M. so not much good stuff so far. But things will only get better and better as the trip continues towards Alaska and the other amazing places the McLains on the Road will visit in weeks to come. From fish markets to amusement parks and much much more tis trip is going to be great. Stay tuned to find out more.

                                      Singing out for now,
                                                        
                                                         Alastair McLain

Alastair's Recap

My top three stops on the trip were New York, NY. I liked NY because I got to go a play on Broadway and to a Yankees game. I liked New York because of the subways and the history and the places.

I also liked Montpelier, VT because I got to see my cousins. I also liked it because I got to see the Cabot factory and the Ben & Jerry's factory. I got to try their ice cream. I also got to go to a waterfall and swim in the river. The water was cold.

My last out of the top three is DC. We got to see all of the memorials and monuments. My favorite three memorials were FDR, Lincoln, and Korean War. We also went to 2 Smithsonian museums. In DC I also got to see my Nana and Papa and my Nana's sister. In DC I also was to Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated.

My favorite church was Fellowship Church. It was a really fun giant church. At the church I had to go to Sunday school. At Sunday school I got to compete against the 4th and 5th grade group. My class lost but we still got popsicles. I also watched videos.

In conclusion, I can't believe the summer. I enjoyed seeing friends and family along the way. It made the trip very rememberfull. It's amazing how much you can learn by visiting where everything happened, from the Shot Heard Round the World, to where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, to where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. We have seen it all. Not only did we see it all, but we did it all, from Cedar Point, to Disneyworld, to Hershey Park. From driving all day to seeing places the trip was crazy fun.

Dagny's Essay

This is my essay about my trip. I hope you enjoy it.

I found a lot of bugs, beetles, bees, and ants. There were a lot of bugs in each state. I also caught grasshoppers and I got poked a lot by cacti. I love nature and I hope I can find a lot of it again.

I liked all the amusement parks and the water park, too. Addie hit her face at the Schlitterbahn. I poked a hole in my swimsuit. That is a sign of a good summer. We threw away my swimsuit after that.

The drive was long, it still was fun. Sometimes mom and dad got angry and mad. Sometimes we napped, sometimes we played board games. We played "family" too. I liked it when dad said, "hold on to your butts." We had tubs to store our stuff. We did puzzles, Monopoly, Candyland, and more. Dad always drive. Mom sits back with us. I slept above the cab and top bunk too. I liked sleeping with Maggie. I saw a lot of cars and not a lot of RVs. Addie and Alastair sit in the front seat. Mom helps us write and play.

I saw my cousins Joseph and Micah. We traveled up to Main with them and then Boston. I had a fun birthday at the Anthonys' because we went to the beach the day before. I liked my new friend, Braeden, because I got to play with him and his toys. I mainly played with him.

I was happy because I got to see most of my friends and family. I'm also happy because we brought most of our games and I got a lot of new presents. My sabbatical was fun. Hope you can do this some day too.

- Dagny

Magnolia's Summer Review

On the start of the trip I really liked the campsites. One the second day I liked the playground. I like the activities we did while we were driving. Along the way I liked to buy stuff.

I liked to be with family and friends. Some of my favorite people to visit were Aunt Pam and Uncle David, the Clarks in Illinois, and I liked sleeping with Grandma in the hotel.

I liked playing with nature and ant hills, too. I liked to catch bugs with Dagny and Alastair.

I didn't like how we had to switch off beds in the motorhome. I liked to sleep with Addie, but I didn't like to sleep with Dagny or Alastair. My favorite place to sleep in the motorhome was the bottom bunk.

I really liked the pools we swam in. At each campground I liked their pool. No one had a diving board except Aunt Pam's. I really liked Jody's pond with the zip line, water slide, and jump rope.

I liked all the amusement parks and I liked the first one [Cedar Point] the most. I almost did all the rides. I liked all the roller coasters. I also liked the water park too because I like water. I like swimming, and it's always really hot.

I also liked about it that I could see mom the whole time. I'm glad I was able to do all of it.

The End.

McLains on the Road: An Essay by Adelaide McLain

Wow, 74 days on the road and we actually made it. That was an adventure. Although I loved it I think it will be a while before I do that again. In this blog post, I am going to talk about the trip over all. Some of the things I will talk about are family, the RV, sites, and people.

One of the best things about the RV trip is hanging out with family both on the road and exploring a town. Although they are the ones that wake me up in the morning with their noise, I still would rather travel in an RV with them than fly everywhere. By the way, I plan on getting a lot more sleep now that I am home. It is fun playing with them on the road. Some of the games we played were Yatzee, Rummikub, and Monopoly. Yes we played Monopoly because, remember, we are on the road for a long time.

Well where do I start about the RV? I guess I'll start by saying it has become my home and that I will miss it. I remember cleaning it when we spent time hand washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, and moping the ground with Clorox wipes. Every morning you cook in the same tiny kitchen, eat at the same little table, and brush your teeth in the same little bathroom. What I am trying to say is the RV grows on you.

Oh my gosh, has it really come to sites? Well have I got a list for you. We saw so many things stretching from the civil war, to Taos Pueblo. Let's start from the beginning and I will name some of the things we saw: Lincoln's home and museum, Cedar Point (an amusement park in Ohio), light houses in Portland Maine, all that Boston has to offer, New York City and Broadway, Hershey, PA, Gettysburg, PA, Washington DC and all the sites there, New Orleans, Dallas, TX, Taos, NM. And to think that is only about 1/10 of the list. Oh, I forgot Schlitterbahn, the best waterpark in the world. It even has a water slide that goes uphill. I slipped and hit my face on the shower floor (and it still hurts).

People is my next topic so I'm going to tell you about a few of the people I visited. My Aunt Anne and Uncle Tom in Omaha where we had barbeque, my cousins Noah and EJ in Springfield, IL where we visited the Lincoln museum, my Great Grandma Wilma in Orland Park, IL where we played at her house, my cousins Joseph and Micah in Montpelier, VT and then we drove with them to Maine and then to Boston, my Uncle Bruce in Winston Salem where we played in his pool (he gave us model cars), my friends Dylan and Hayden in Punta Gorda where we zip-lined over their pond and Dagny's party. The last group of people I am going to talk about are the Hatfields where we went to caverns. I really enjoyed hanging out with people on the trip, so everyone that we met with, thank you for taking time to meet with us.

This was one of the best summers of my life and I will never forget it. I hope you get a chance to do this.

- Addie

Taos, NM - The Last Hoorah

We had an uneventful start to the day, the kids ate muffins while Jll and I prepared to move from Santa Fe to Taos. We ran into some slow traffic along the way caused by a truck moving a double wide mobile home which partially came off of the trailer when the truck rounded a corner. We got settled into our new digs at about noon and grabbed a quick lunch at the Guadalajara Grill before heading to the Taos Pueblo. I don't know if it was because we've been on the road for so long or because the kids did not find it too interesting, but they really didn't seem to enjoy our visit too much. I found it fascinating that 150 people still live in the pueblo village. After the tour, Jll and I talked about it though and we wondered whether 150 people actually live there, without electricity and running water, or whether there are 150 who man shops within the homes at the pueblo village.

We spent a few hours walking around the Taos Plaza, stopping into random art galleries and antique shops. At one point we were walking around a store that sells fossils and Dagny tipped over a sand picture which was sitting on top of a glass display case and Jll and I thought for sure the glass was about to break and the trip would get a lot more expensive. Luckily, nothing broke and we quickly left the store. At that point, we were all pretty well worn down and we headed back to the RV park. The kids played on the play ground, Jll talked with her mom who leaves for Europe tomorrow morning, and I enjoyed a cigar. We cleaned up and ate the rest of the Cooper's bar-b-que we brought from Llano. It is delicious even as a leftover.

The kids are now watching a movie in one of the bunk beds and I am sitting in the dark at the dinette, writing and watching the electrical storm outside. The rain reinforces the melancholy feeling brought on by reaching the end of the trip. We head home tomorrow and I can't say enough about how much I have enjoyed this time with my family. In looking at the summer we have spent, I am certain that the most precious thing any of us has is time. I am overjoyed that I have had the privilege and the honor of spending over two and a half months with my family, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sure there have been some less than stellar days and bad behavior (on the part of the kids and on my part, I'm sure), but I would not trade this summer for the world.  Being able to share this experience, all of the places we've visited and all of the people we've seen, has truly been a blessing. I am truly blessed.

- Dave

Back in the Mountain Time Zone

Monday the 19th of August
Dave was extremely short on details yesterday for our very long drive through Texas.  We each pass the time in the RV for long drives in different ways.  For Dave, he drives, listens to the radio, and occasionally gets to have a conversation with Addie when she sits in the front seat.  That is it!  He has been such a champ and we have safely traversed 30 states.  Thanks to Dave for keeping us safe and driving us almost 8000 miles.

I spend a good portion of my time with the kids.  Yesterday I read an entire book out loud to them about Helen Keller. We play games like Connect 4, Yahtzee, Rumikub, and Monopoly.  I make lunch and try to keep the foods from either falling out of the refrigerator or off of the counter.  I get drinks and I make snacks. I act as playmate and occasionally get to rest if they are napping or if they are watching a movie which doesn't happen very often.

Addie often reads and spends some time working on her own trip journal.  She has a page for each day and she fills in details about where we have been, what we ate, how many miles we travel, and how many states we traveled through in a day.  Yesterday Addie conducted an art class and the kids painted and spent a good deal of time drawing.  She provided a theme or some instruction and then graded their work upon completion of the assignment.  I think they all received A's.

Right now Alastair is teaching himself cursive and spent a solid chunk of time working on his writing.  Alastair is an artist and draws A LOT everyday.  I think he likes cursive because it is artistic and he is good at it.  He was tired yesterday and after lunch he was the first to fall asleep (along with Dagny and Magnolia).  He is big on "squnches."  He lays on the couch and puts his legs on me. I pinch and squnch his legs in a general massage type fashion and he is in heaven.  He will take squnches on his head, shoulders, back and arms too.  Sometimes I loose focus and start to tickle his arm or leg with my finger nails and he will stop to tell me that Addie is the one that likes tickles and he is the one that likes squnches.  My bad.  I get confused.

Yesterday D was very involved with her newest Barbie that she received for her birthday earlier this month.  It is a Rapunzel Barbie and has long hair.  Dagny must have spent a couple of hours braiding the dolls hair and then wrapping the braids around in a circle-type bun on top of Barbie's head.  She perfected it on the doll and then we spent a bunch of time getting her own hair to braid and bun in the same fashion. 

Magnolia still has to sit in her car seat and she spent a fair amount of time yesterday complaining about her "bucket butt" and trying to convince me to unclick her to move around for just a minute.  She generally does whatever the kids are doing and is a tremendous sport to participate in all of it from her car seat.  The others take turns at the table and at the couch and almost always get to lay down (while buckled up) to take naps.  Maggie just stays clicked in and tips her poor head to the side to rest.  She is amazing.


 Tuesday, August 20th

The switch to mountain time has the kids off schedule a little bit.  Alastair and Dagny were up at 6:15 and engaged in their morning battle over the covers.  Currently they are sharing the top bunk over the cab and the bed is made with one set of sheets.  In hind sight this was a mistake that was irritating all summer.  If I had it to do over again I would make the bed with 2 separate sets of sheets so no sharing of blankets was involved.  They make for bad bed buddies sometimes.

We have to do normal chores on the road like go grocery shopping.  We needed to go for groceries a week ago and have managed to eat out or with friends for the past 7 days.  Let's just say that the cupboards are bare and now that we are almost home I have put the thought of grocery shopping out of my mind. Yesterday at a truck stop I purchased some milk, a loaf of bread, and 4 bananas.  This food is really all we needed as it turns out.  Cereal was all they wanted this morning and we were on our way by 9am.

As it turns out the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe doesn't really get going until about 10am.  We window shopped and poked around for a little while in the square. 

We consulted our good friend, Stacey Walker (a native of Santa Fe), about what we should do today and she sent us out with our list of items to see.  After the Plaza we headed over to the Loretto Chapel to view the miraculous staircase.  The story of the staircase and its construction are miraculous.  I have seen the stairs a few other times and they are amazing.  What I find most amazing about them is that the original construction did not include any hand rails.  Nutty.

We were all hungry for an early lunch and found a spot close by the Plaza and had some breakfast burritos for me and Dave and blintzes and French toast for the kids.

After lunch we visited the New Mexico History Museum for a very interesting exhibit on cowboys.  The exhibit was interesting to us all and included a great hands-on section for the kids which included a section with dress-up clothes and the chance to rope their own pretend cow.
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We walked across the courtyard to the Palace of the Governors and stumbled into a guided tour.  I always find the personal explanations so beneficial and helpful in understanding.  The kids listened and we talked a great deal about the many crucifix's which were on display.  As Presbyterians we don't have them in our church and they are all over Santa Fe.  Also, the Palace of the Governors has a huge collection of sculpted Saints.  Again, not seen at our church back home.  We talked about this some but need a lesson from Nana when we get home.  I am thinking Saints 101.

We moved back across the courtyard to the New Mexico History Museum for a little more information this time specific information on WWII and the New Mexicans who fought as well as the Code Talkers.  As part of one of the exhibits there were rotary dial phones on the wall.  Holly cow if this wasn't the most intriguing part of the museum for the children.  We had to teach them how to dial and then explain how the money was deposited and occasionally retrieved from the coin return.  Too funny.

A short walk up the street and we were at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.  A pretty little church and it gave us the opportunity to talk with the kids about the stations of the cross.  Again, a lesson for the kids and a really great conversation as a family.   There is a labyrinth outside of the church and the kids and I walked it and talked a bit about its purpose.  Addie is reading a book that references a labyrinth.  In her book she says that you are to think of a question and that by the time you reach the middle of the labyrinth you will have the answer to your question.  Alastair was thinking of a math question and he didn't have the answer by the time he reached the middle.  I think he was unimpressed with the labyrinth.

Afternoon snacks were found at the French Pastry Shop and Creperie.  Dave, Magnolia and Dagny each had Nutella crepes and Adelaide had a Napoleon and Alastair a black forest dessert.  All were delicious.

We took a drive up Canyon Road to admire the artwork.  Dave would point out the giant sculptures he would like to bring home to Southmoor Park and place in our front yard.  Good thing he was joking.  We drove around the area to check out the neighborhood and area.  Super expensive and hard to imagine paying a million dollars to live in such a cramped little area.  To each his own.

One more stop at Trader Joe's before we went to dinner.  My sister turned me onto some yummy soap sold there and I picked up a half a dozen bars and some muffins for the kids for breakfast.  As previously mentioned, old Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare.

We were lucky to claim time at dinner at the village pizza in Corrales, NM with Steve and Tammy Wheeler.  Tamara is my first cousin and she and Steve have always been so much fun.  I was the flower girl in their wedding (a long time ago) and it was so great to catch up with them.  They own an acre in Corrales, including a vineyard, and we had lots of fun catching up with them. We hope to be with them again next summer for the Scates family reunion in July.

The kids are tucked in tight and Dave is playing with his iPad as he sometimes does in the evenings.  Tomorrow we drive about 70 miles to Taos for our last full day of our vacation.  We have been asked if we are exhausted and ready to go home or if we would keep going if we could.  Dave and I would keep going for sure.  We have seen so much of our country and the most amazing things.  The kids would agree but they are anxious to return to their friends and to have a little space from one another.  I am a little melancholy to have the trip coming to an end.