Medora, ND

June 20, 29015 – Day 18

Bismarck, ND – Medora, ND

186 miles/ 2 hours

Rough Riders Hotel, Rms 116 & 117

After last night’s wild storm, I wasn’t sure what kind of weather to expect this morning – but it was gorgeous. Although, there were remnants of the storm everywhere – fallen tree limbs all over town.

Before leaving Bismarck, we visited the state capitol (of course) and the North Dakota Heritage Center. The museum was interesting and in a road trip first – we stumbled about a wedding. 

Fortunately, for their sake, the ceremony was over – we just got to witness the wedding party getting their pictures taken. The bride was gorgeous.

Then we headed west for a short drive (relatively speaking), to Medora, ND. This was a small ranching town established in the late 1800’s. Today it’s a quaint honky tonk town for tourists who visit Theodore National Park. Roosevelt first discovered the town when he traveled out west and fell in love with the area. He returned to Medora in 1884 to deal with his grief following the deaths of both his wife and his mother – on the same day. Medora helped him heal. He owned a great deal of land and built a home called the Maltese Cross Cabin, which at the time it was considered quite the “mansion” in North Dakota. In today’s world we’d describe it as a tiny log cabin, and it certainly paled in comparison to Roosevelt’s lavish home in New York City. Still, it’s pretty cool that it still stands today, on the grounds of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  The park, also home to Painted Canyon, is beautiful. And there’s so much wild life roaming around – the kids were particularly excited by the prairie dogs – I was not.

The kids did not have a good day. There were a number of infractions, both big and small, reprimands, and punishments. Mom and Dad needed a break. We picked up two pizzas and left the children in the room to feast and get their technology fixes. We dined in the hotel’s restaurant, Theodore's Dining Room, which was very good. Just when we were starting to relax though, the hotel’s fire alarm went off. I’m not joking. Rich looked at me and said, “Oh no, Barrett pulled the fire alarm.” Before it was even out of his mouth, someone came out from the kitchen to say they had set it off – small kitchen fire. I was already out the door to the room.

The kids were getting their shoes on when I got to the room, this not being their first time at the rodeo. Some of you may remember that we’ve been evacuated from hotels more than once on our road trips. I flagged down the manager in the hallway who was banging on doors and told her what the chef at the restaurant had said. She said we still had to leave. I explained the situation (yes, shamelessly pulled the autism card), and she told me to hold on. She walked a few feet away from me, and conversed with someone on her walkie-talkie. Then she told me the kids could stay. I waited a few minutes, called Rich, and he said that nobody had left the restaurant – they weren’t giving up their tables. There had been a very long wait to dine. By the time I made sure that Hunter and Audrey understood the situation, the firemen were walking down the hallway giving the all-clear.

Never a dull moment.

Quote of the Day:

Cammy: “You better enjoy this Camden while you can, because tomorrow a new Camden is coming to town!”

Me: “Oh really?”

Cammy: “Yep! And he’s going to be someone who drinks Mountain Dew.”

Me: “Keep dreaming buddy.”

Cammy: “Oh, don’t worry. I am.”

ND Capitol Building

The ND Heritage Center

Family photo in front of the Painted Canyon.

More canyon background shots.

The Maltese Cross Cabin 

Prairie dogs.

Another overlook in the TRNP.

The Medora General Store

Date night at Theodore's, pre-fire alarm.

Bismarck, ND

June 19, 2015 – Day 17

Winnipeg, MB – Bismarck, ND

396 miles/6.5 hours

Life on the road with Daddy means being flexible with our schedule. Rich had a conference call in the morning, so I got up early, made sure Hunter put in his miles, and packed up the car. The plan was to tour the Manitoba Legislative Building and then come back to pick up Rich. It didn’t work out that way. I pulled onto the capitol grounds and was immediately stopped by a police officer. They were swearing in a new Lieutenant Governor today and we were not allowed to be there. In fact, all the parking surrounding the Capital was roped off. So, all I got was a drive-by photo.

We returned to the hotel and hung out in the lobby and made nuisances of ourselves. Hunter accidentally slammed the corner of a lobby desk chair into my knee and I swear I saw stars. I crumbled and started crying (I felt like Audrey, drama, but it hurt like Hell). Audrey panicked and ran up to the front desk yelling for an ice pack. Camden started crying and Barrett went off the rails, jumping up and down like Tweety Bird. Poor Hunter looked shocked. I rallied, but man, did it hurt.

We were on the road again and fifteen minutes into our drive got hammered by torrential rains. I kid you not. It was long and boring drive to the border, where we stopped to explore the International Peace Garden. It is a beautiful, and indeed peaceful, plot of land that’s maintained by both Canada and the United States. I only wish the sun had been out, because I’m certain it would have been glorious if we’d seen it in colorful full bloom.

At the border we almost had an incident because we couldn’t find Audrey’s passport. Talk about a heart racing! If we’d had to leave her behind, our relations with Canada would go south pretty damn fast. Alas, the border patrol guard found it – it was stuck to one of the boys’ passport.

The drive to Bismarck was beautiful. Stunning. Green. Rolling hills everywhere – and the sun came out (and the angels sang). Seriously though, it was so damn pretty. I felt like a broken record with my repeated exclamations, but I was in awe. It’s so peaceful when you drive across land like that, and there are no other cars – and your kids are quiet because they’re watching a movie.

We had dinner at what we hoped was going to be an excellent restaurant, but it was not. I guess you can’t win them all. When we left it was raining – and my friends, it was the worst rain we’ve encountered on a trip. I haven’t seen rain like that since I was in Puerto Rico, during a hurricane. Nobody was leaving the restaurant. We were all huddled around the front door watching the patio furniture fly around. Then the lights went out. What in the world? I started to panic that perhaps we were about to experience our first Tornado. When the power came back on, and we decided to get out of there.

Rich ran for the car, and pulled right up to the door. We were exposed to the rain (the kids and me) for less than 5 seconds – we were SOAKED. Once everyone was in the car and buckled in, we started laughing. It was crazy. Cammy, however, didn’t think it was funny and started screaming at us. “Why are you all laughing? I think we’re going to die!” Oh, my little guy. I traded seats with Bear and consoled him until we go back to the hotel. Now before I get any nasty emails – we drove 15 miles an hour and the hotel was less than a mile away. I promise.

The hotel was windblown as well – all the outdoor furniture had blown into a corner of the veranda. And the sky looked weird – the storm moved through so fast, that we could see the pink sunset on half the sky and the other half was black. It was almost like Florida.

Quote of the day:

I’m going with Cammy’s declaration of impending doom.

Manitoba's Capitol Building

The International Peace Garden.

Me loving the ND countryside!

The hotel courtyard, post storm! 

Winnipeg

June 18, 2015 – Day 16

Fargo, ND – Winnipeg, MB

234 miles/4 ½ hours

Winnipeg Airport Marriott, Rms 211 & 215

We had a lazy morning. Not only does it stay light until late, but dawn also breaks very early. The sun shining in through the blinds woke me at around 5a.m. I fell back a sleep for a little bit, but gave up and went to the gym at 6:15 a.m. Then I tagged Hunter out, so he could go run. We had breakfast and then watched TV in the room until it was time to go to the airport. Daddy’s arriving today.

The kids were thrilled to see him – as was I. I think this is the longest stretch we’ve even gone without seeing each other. He looks fabulous (and would be most unpleased that I’m sharing this). He’s lost a ton of weight – and he grew his summer beard, which I love. I’ll try and get a picture, before he shaves it off – which he declared he’d do the first chance he got.

We drove north, to Canada, because we need to check Manitoba/Winnipeg off our bucket list. And as I type this I can tell you the trip was a waste of time, money, and effort. I will not elaborate, as when I’ve engaged in such grumpy commentary in the past, I’ve offended my Canadian friends. That being said, the people of Manitoba are extremely nice and we did score our best meal of the road trip (so far). And easily the best meal I’ve ever had in Canada. We ate at a restaurant called Chop, a very fancy steak house with a great menu and food that was enjoyed was by all.

We took an airport shuttle (our hotel is at the airport) and on the way back to the hotel, we had an incident. My daughter (who please remember has three brothers) let out a burp that shook the car. It was loud, disgusting, and very embarrassing. I about died. It was so bad, that Hunter felt compelled to apologize to the driver – repeatedly. Then my charming daughter exclaimed that “it was nothing” and she could “do better.” Oh, if you could have seen the look her dad gave her. Then Camden chimed in and told the driver that, “she’s serious. She’s a professional!” Oh dear Lord.

There were repercussions when we returned. And that’s all I’m saying.

Oh, by the way, from the time we woke up in Fargo, until we shut our eyes in Winnipeg, we did not experience one drop of rain! YAY!

Quote of the day:

As I mentioned, the restaurant was very nice and the restrooms were as well – they made quite an impression on the children.

Cammy: “The bathrooms are sweet – they’re like Tokyo bathrooms. And when you pee,” he excitedly held up a finger, “you can watch TV!”

Rich: “How do you know it’s like a bathroom in Tokyo? When was the last time you were there?”

Cammy: “Oh, I know. I saw it in a movie. And as for the last time I was there – well, that’s never.”

I didn't take many pictures today - there wasn't much to see!

Fargo, ND

June 17, 2016 – Day 15

Minneapolis, MN – Fargo, ND

250 miles/4 hours

Residence Inn Fargo, Rm 422

Aud and I woke up early and headed to the gym. 6 a.m. early – I guess it pays to go to bed early. After, we had breakfast, while Hunter put his miles in. The gym had an indoor track, which was cool (but I’m sure boring).

After breakfast, I got to meet yet another blogging friend, Nina Badzin. Nina was the very first blogger I ever connected with. In fact, we met on-line before I even launched the Latchkey Mom. It’s a long story that I won’t bore you with, but Nina is the bomb! She is a big supporter of new bloggers and very much respected in the industry. I cannot stress enough what a help she’s been to me or how much I admire her. Basically, I got to meet a blogger rock star! Oh, and she wrote a post about our meeting. You can read it by clicking here.

Then we were on the road again, heading northwest into unchartered territory. From here on out, everywhere we go is a new adventure – somewhere we’ve never been before. Giddy up!

We pulled in with enough time to visit the zoo, but the kids didn’t want to do that. Who am I to beg them? I’ve been to enough zoos in my life. I do feel bad for Bear, though, and will make it up to him when we go to “Bear World” in a few weeks.

After checking in, we headed to the mall, which was quite nice. We had to buy gifts for Rich, because he’ll be with us for Father’s Day and his birthday, which is next Tuesday. We also made a pit stop at Target, to stock up on supplies and then I stopped a Barnes and Noble. Hello! Macy’s, Target, Barnes and Noble, I believe I could live here. And as an added bonus – it was gorgeous weather. Sunny skies, with the temperature in the 70’s. In North Dakota.

Just when I was believing that Fargo had gone corporate, I spotted the venue where we’d be eating dinner – Shotgun Sally’s, a rock-n-roll salon. Oh, Rich is going to be so disappointed that he missed it. The food was cheap – and fantastic. Back at the hotel, the kids swam, I read, and it stayed light out until 10 p.m.

Quote of the day:

We were in the elevator, on our way to the pool, when a man and his son got on with us. Cammy greeted them with a sunny hello. But then he screamed, “Oh no!” He looked down at himself and declared, “I’m half naked!” She slammed his hands across his chest and covered his pectorals. “Don’t look at me. I’m serious. Do. Not. Look. At. Me!”

Nina and me. 

 Dinner at Shotgun Sally's!

Minneapolis

June 16, 2015 – Day 14

Chicago, IL – Minneapolis, MN

413 miles – 6 hours

Residence Inn Medina, Room 504  

         

I woke up feeling rested and refreshed. I got a good night’s sleep, the sun was out, and I was looking forward to meeting a writing friend for coffee. My sunny mood was eclipsed when Audrey announced she left her phone at the restaurant last night. Damn. Whose idea was it to give her a phone? Well, that is another blog. I was torn between leaving it behind and delaying our departure to claim it – which would mean pushing back our arrival in Minneapolis. UGH.

But first, we had to go meet my friend, who was my writing partner for a class I took last fall, Mimi Sager. We’d already shared some very personal stories through our class, but had yet to actually meet in person. You’ve got to love the blogging worldJ. She also has four children and used to work for CNN, although in New York. Talk about a small world, I tossed out the name of my boss form Atlanta who’d transferred to New York and she knew him. How crazy is that?

We had a wonderful time and my kids were miraculously well behaved. I got a hold of the manager at The Cheesecake Factory and she agreed to meet me at 9:30 to give me the missing phone. So, Mimi and I only had an hour, but it was a good one.

We got to Minneapolis at three thirty – and it rained. So it was good that the only plans on the docket was to visit the Mall of America. When we visited three years ago, the kids were blown away by the fact that the mall has roller-coasters - and they’ve begged to go back ever since. And they have a mirror maze that’s been Cammy’s own personal obsession/quest. So wishes were granted and you’d think they owed me a debt of gratitude, but no. They complained after I nixed their request for ice cream – because you don’t even want to know the amount of money they blew through on rides.

Another day, another dollar. And early to bed once again for me – I think I’m getting oldL.

Mimi & Allie

Chicago

June 15, 2015 – Day 13

Commerce Township, MI – Chicago, IL

325 miles, 5 hours

Renaissance Schaumberg, Rm 1223

As always, it was tough to leave Aunt Kelly. Last night, when she was saying goodbye to the kids and we exchanged something of Edmund’s, she became emotional – but I held it together. Then this morning, she reminded me that I needed to get take some of Edmund’s shirts for Rich. As I was going through them, I had a moment. I could picture him in so many of the shirts. And I kept thinking that I didn’t want to see them on my husband. I wanted to see my brother wearing those shirts again. I took some anyway, because it’s better than never seeing the shirts again. But I felt nauseous and sad as I made my selections. It’s just un****ing believable. Still.

What else? It was beautiful weather, which was kind of cruel, until we got to Kalamazoo…and then it started raining hard. I know, I sound like a broken record, don’t I?

We got to Oak Park (Chicago) around noon, and I fed the kids a quick lunch at Wendy’s. It was raining so bad that I sat in the car and contemplated whether or not we should just go to the hotel. But I really wanted to see the Frank Lloyd Wright home, so we braved to torrential rains and went for it. Or rather, Audrey and I went for it – the boys elected to wait in the gift shop/waiting area, while Aud and I toured the house.

The house is cool, especially considering that Wright designed and built the house in 1889. The house looks pretty large from the outside, but square footage-wise, it’s rather modest. After seeing the Robbie house, Falling Water, and another Wright designed home in Buffalo, I wasn’t blown away.

We ventured west to our hotel, and the traffic was a mess. When I booked our trip, the Stanley Cup was not on my radar. It’s a good thing I didn’t elect to stay downtown, as the Blackhawks did win the Cup and it was a party!

The kids and I had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then went back to our hotel to dry-out. I was exhausted. Hunter and I had a battle over the remote control. He wanted to watch wrestling and I wanted Hockey. And in the end, because I was wiped out, I surrendered. I fell asleep before 10:00.

Rain, rain…go away.

Quote of the day:

Hunter: "I believe we are looking at the future." - After he discovered a TV in the bathroom mirror of our hotel room. It was pretty cool.

Rain en-route to Chicago.

Mother-daughter selfie, in the FLW home.

The exterior of the home.

Barrett's plate is the empty one - three minuets after it was served! Notice our full plates. Needless to say, I ordered the hungry boy another grilled cheese (and fries).

The rainy view from our hotel. "Sun, sun, Mr Golden Sun, please shone down on me!"

Detroit - Part 3

June 13 & 14, 2015 - Days 11& 12

Commerce Township, MI – St. Joseph, MI – Commerce Township, MI

378 miles round trip/ 6 hours

Holiday Inn Express St. Joseph

We woke to – wait for it – rain! It was hard to get excited about going “to the beach,” but we rallied. Although there was some momentary confusion about exactly where we were going. Kelly booked a hotel in St. Joseph and said it was where we went last year for lunch, when we were staying in Grand Rapids. I told her I thought we’d gone to Grand Haven, but she didn’t think so- she thought we’d gone St Joseph, but was picturing South Haven. Are you following me? Yeah, I was confused too. Long story short, she booked the hotel in the wrong city. The good news is that we figured it out before we got there.

We ended up going to St Joe’s (Grand Haven was booked), and I was skeptical when we got off the interstate, but fortunately it was for naught. St. Joseph is a very cute little town, with a HUGE beach. I was shocked. And the surprises didn’t end there – suddenly, the sun came out and it got really hot. 86 degrees hot! Everyone, except me, changed into their swim suits. I didn’t have one, because the rain had beaten me down and I couldn’t imagine the sun coming out. Therefore, I sweated it out on the shore while everyone waded in Lake Michigan.

After the beach, we strolled the streets and did some window shopping. It was a beautiful evening, so we decided to have dinner at a restaurant with al fresco dining. It was very relaxing. After dinner Aunt Kelly treated the kids to ice-cream and then we headed our hotel. We did our usual deal, where my kids took over the pool and made the other quests uncomfortable. Never a dull moment with my crew.

The next day we headed back home – to Commerce Township. It was a tough drive. The rain was unbelievable. Fierce. Kelly’s niece, Jesse, came over with her family and we had a great night. I love Jesse and her family. My kids love hanging out with her three little ones. We had a nice family dinner and chatted until (too) late in the night. After laundry and packing, my head hit the pillow at midnight!

Tomorrow – Chicago.

Quote of the Day:

When we got to the beach, the kids had to change into their swimsuits, because we weren’t prepared for good weather. We changed on the down-low in the beach parking lot. Cammy usually has no problem we being indiscreet – so I was surprised when he provided the following tidbit:

“Um, mom, this is going to be very awkward when everyone sees me naked on the news tomorrow!”