1. Chicago, IL to Kelly’s Island, OH
We started our trip after visiting family
in the Chicago area. The drive from Chicago to Sandusky/Marblehead was quick
and smooth. We stopped at a Whole Foods in Toledo to eat lunch and load up on
camp provisions. We weren’t quite sure what to expect when taking our family,
dog, and car on a ferry across Lake Erie. The Kelly’s Island Ferry Boat Line
was easy to board. We simply paid the round trip fee of about $90 for four
passengers and a vehicle, drove onto the platform, and made it to the island in
no time. Our little nerds were totally stoked to be on such a large craft on a
seemingly endless body of water. Once we were on the island it was about a
three-minute drive to Kelly’s Island State Park.
Our Three Night Stay
The park was busy and had the usual
accommodations. The kids spent hours at the playground meeting all sorts of new
kids while we set up camp and made our meals, and lounged. The fact that we
were on a family oriented island made for a sense of security and we let our
little nerds freely roam the campground. The highlights of our stay were
visiting the Glacial Groove State Memorial, splashing around at the beach,
exploring wooded trails, and of course hitting up the mini-down town scene for
sweets and golf cart rentals.
2. Marblehead, OH to Niagara Falls
This part of the drive was a long stretch
with many toll roads, which we find to be very boring. If you know a more
scenic route, we highly recommend taking it. Once we hit Buffalo the scenery
became much more interesting. Northern Buffalo gave way to smaller vacation
towns. To get to our campground at Four Mile Creek State Park we bypassed
Niagara Falls.
Our Two Night Stay at Four Mile Creek State
Park
This is by far one of the nicest
campgrounds we have stayed, and we have been camping our way across the country
for the past four summers. The campground is huge, sites are flat, and
bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities are in good condition. Again, our little
nerds were over the moon spending hours involved in intense playground games
with kids from all over the US and Canada. The beaches were not for swimming,
but provided hours of nature play and a neat little view of the Toronto
skyline.
Niagara Falls
Some people say, “Oh, it’s just a big washing
machine.” Yes, we skipped the town itself and all of the touristy attractions,
but we did spring for the Maid of the Mist and it was totally worth it! We had
no idea just how intense the falls really feel once you get up close and personal.
Plus, you technically get to be in Canada for a few minutes which our Super Nerd
found to be pretty cool.
3. Niagara Falls to Kent, CT and NYC
The drive through the countryside on the
border of New York and Connecticut was gorgeous! We spent this part of our trip
visiting friends in their country home and then took a train in to their
Manhattan apartment, so we don’t have much advice to give on accommodations.
Highlights: Kent Falls State Park and
Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in Connecticut. Riding the trains, the Rockefeller Center, the
Statue of Liberty, and Russ and Daughters, in NYC.
4. Kent, CT to Cape Cod
This drive started with the beauty of the
countryside and ended with the gorgeousness of the woodsy saltwater marsh ocean
side that is Cape Cod. We loaded up on groceries in Brewster and headed in to
the windy, hilly roads that make up Nickerson State Park to find our campsite.
Our Two Night Stay in Nickerson State Park
In general, the camping was a bit buggy
(watch out for ticks!) and sandy, but the park was gorgeous. We spent one day
at the Cape Cod National Seashore enjoying classic beach activities. On the way
we stopped Sir Cricket’s where the fish and chips were incredible, the
easygoing outdoor seating made for a perfect lunch. Day 2 was spent renting
bikes, including a baby carrier for our dog, and cruising around the paved bike
trails. We escaped the heat of the afternoon by splashing around in Cliff Pond.
5. Cape Cod to Acadia National Park
This was a long drive, but it was a rainy,
cool day so we didn’t mind being in the car too much. On the drive we slowly
began to realize that we weren’t prepared for the cooler temperatures in Maine,
so we stopped at an outlet mall and grabbed a few sweatshirts/pants/scarves
from the clearance racks.
Our 4 Night Stay at Seawall Campground
This densely wooded campground has walk in
sites. Our site was spacious and the trees provided a cozy shelter at windier
moments. The first few days of our stay were cool and damp, but this did not
stop us from exploring rocky beach trails such as Wonderland Trail and Ocean
Path.
Day 3 was especially rainy, so we toured the
Schoodic Peninsula by car and grabbed a bite to eat in Bar Harbor. Day 4 was sunny and warm, so we took the
opportunity to hike around Jordan Pond. Along the way we made a split second
decision to climb the mountain up to Bubble Rock. This was probably the best decision
of our trip. The climb was exhilarating and the view was something out of a fantasy
movie!
To top off the day, we stopped at the Quietside Café and picked up the
most amazing blueberry pie any of us had ever seen or tasted! The pie was
gigantic and was filled with tiny fresh blueberries. The next morning, before
our departure we picked up coffees from Milagro Coffee and took the leftover
pie down to a picnic table near the water for one last Acadia breakfast.
