And I'm not making THAT up. The girl's and I decided to spend our summer vacation driving to North Dakota, to visit Peter Moynihan and his family. Peter is the guy that helped me get off of the streets of NYC, and back into school, by becoming my legal guardian, some 30 years ago. As we planned the trip, I Google Earth mapped our route, and saw some pretty cool sights along the way. On final planning, we decided to try and get to North Dakota as quickly as we could, and hit some of these sights on the way back. We also had to coordinate the route around picking up my various children, because to were at camp, in Apopka, and one would meet us near there, coming down from Ft. Stewart, in Georgia. So since I am a master of logistics, lol, I mapped/planned everything out, as though I was delivering packages.
We set off early Saturday morning, July 16th. We had to pick up Abigail and Julia from camp Wekiwa, between 9 & 10am. Angelica and Emilia were with me already. Emilia had just finished a week at Sunnyside Stable's Horse Camp, in Palm City, while Angelica was hanging with me, at home, for a few weeks. On the way to Apopka, there was a rain shower that seemed like it would never end, though everything was high and dry, by the time we got there.
The Turnpike drive was smooth as could be. We even got to the camp a bit early, so we cruised around, and saw some deer grazing,
which was pretty cool. When time came, we picked up Abbie
and Julia
, crammed their luggage into our REALLY full car, and set off to meet up with Sara.
After a few mixed signals, we finally met Sara, who was being dropped off by her husband, Kenny. Shortly after they said their (awkward to me) kissing and hugging goodbye's, we set off on our trip.
The drive started well, with everyone nestled into their spot, snacks and drinks available, and a DVD playing. We saw a fender bender on I75 that really could have been a bad collision. A tractor trailer carrying automobiles and a small car collided, sending the tractor trailer into a gulley, between the main highway and the woods. Somehow, the tractor trailer driver was able to drive down into the gulley without losing any cars, or causing any apparent damage to the tractor trailer. I found this to be quite amazing.
Eventually that weather passed, bringing much more comfortable temps, and WAY less humidity. There was actually a chill in the air, when the rain subsided, along with a nice breeze, making this trip all the more pleasant. We continued exploring, eventually reaching one of, if not, THE, highest point in the park. 
The pictures speak for themselves, but you could literally see for miles and miles, in any direction. 
We still hadn't seen any wild Buffalo or Horses, at this point, so the family went in different directions, to search for wildlife. The terrain on these Buttes was filled with soft grass and small Cacti, so you really had to watch where you stepped. At one point I was taking pictures and Abigail started recording video of the breathtaking scenery. Suddenly, we heard Julia scream. Angelica and Julia were quite far away, exploring a different side of the Butte we were on top of. They ran back toward where I was, quickly, and explained what had happened. Angelica was telling Julia to watch where she walked, because there were many small Cacti, so Julia, keeping her eye's peeled, looking for Cacti, when suddenly she sees a Rattlesnake, coiled up. She screams and bolts from the spot, all at once, and me, being the curious guy with a camera, says, where, tell me quick, so I can go see the Rattlesnake, lol. Needless to say, after that, we started looking for Cacti, AND snakes!
By this time, I started getting concerned that we would't see any wild Buffalo, Horse's or anything bigger than the Deer we saw with her 2 fawn. We did, however, see plenty of fresh Buffalo poop, just about everywhere.
We set off early Saturday morning, July 16th. We had to pick up Abigail and Julia from camp Wekiwa, between 9 & 10am. Angelica and Emilia were with me already. Emilia had just finished a week at Sunnyside Stable's Horse Camp, in Palm City, while Angelica was hanging with me, at home, for a few weeks. On the way to Apopka, there was a rain shower that seemed like it would never end, though everything was high and dry, by the time we got there.
The Turnpike drive was smooth as could be. We even got to the camp a bit early, so we cruised around, and saw some deer grazing,
which was pretty cool. When time came, we picked up Abbie
and Julia
, crammed their luggage into our REALLY full car, and set off to meet up with Sara.
After a few mixed signals, we finally met Sara, who was being dropped off by her husband, Kenny. Shortly after they said their (awkward to me) kissing and hugging goodbye's, we set off on our trip.
The drive started well, with everyone nestled into their spot, snacks and drinks available, and a DVD playing. We saw a fender bender on I75 that really could have been a bad collision. A tractor trailer carrying automobiles and a small car collided, sending the tractor trailer into a gulley, between the main highway and the woods. Somehow, the tractor trailer driver was able to drive down into the gulley without losing any cars, or causing any apparent damage to the tractor trailer. I found this to be quite amazing.
We got to Georgia pretty swiftly
, and unfortunately, I decided to follow the Garmin blindly, which led us around downtown, but put us into some major stop & go traffic. 
I mean we moved like 1 mile in an hour. Since we were stuck with everyone, we decided to play a game. We looked over in the car next to us, and would guess what we thought the person's name was. Then we would roll down the window and ask, to see if we were correct, lol. This really helped to pass the time, and made us all crack up. We even came across a car of Boy Scouts, who started waving and saying Heyyyyy, as they drove by us.
So we started to do the same thing, as we went by them, back and forth, lol. This really made time go by quickly, though, unfortunately, traffic was still at a standstill. I decided that we would get off the highway at the next exit, which would help us get around this mess, and we all had to pee, as well. So I get off the highway, and go to the first gas station I see, and decide it's not up to OUR standards, lol. So we pull into the next place, I let the girls out to go potty, staying in the car, because apparently, we are in the HOOD. After we're done, we start driving, looking for the end of the highway traffic. The girls decide we need to eat, so I stop at Krystal's for dinner. Between where we got off the highway and Krystal's, I saw like 3 people, in separate instances, getting frisked by the police, while handcuffed. We were definitely, in the hood.
After dinner, which I must say, was quite satisfying, we worked our way back to 75,
getting in downtown Atlanta.
We should have just stayed on 75, instead of going on 475, it would have probably saved us a couple of hours, if not several. So back on the highway, and before you know it, we're in Tennessee. It's dark now, probably about 9pm, and the girls are still awake. They're amazed at all of the mountainous terrain, the lights of Chattanooga and the steep hills the car is climbing. We stop just west of Chattanooga for a final bathroom break of the night,
and Sara asks if I'd like her to drive.
I'm usually the only driver on our trips, but I say, what the heck, sure, I could use a break, so I give her the wheel. Sara drives through the night,
getting us all the way to Illinois.
Anyways, I took over in Illinois, also changing the Garmin setting to shortest route, instead of fastest time, which proved to be a weird situation. The Garmin took us off the main highway, and through some weird towns, that were pitch black with rolling hills, through farm land. Abigail, who doesn't like the unfamiliar, was freaking, saying, Daddy, go back to the highway, lol. I kept course, eventually getting back on the highway, but that was quite the funny experience for 5 of us.
, and unfortunately, I decided to follow the Garmin blindly, which led us around downtown, but put us into some major stop & go traffic. 
I mean we moved like 1 mile in an hour. Since we were stuck with everyone, we decided to play a game. We looked over in the car next to us, and would guess what we thought the person's name was. Then we would roll down the window and ask, to see if we were correct, lol. This really helped to pass the time, and made us all crack up. We even came across a car of Boy Scouts, who started waving and saying Heyyyyy, as they drove by us.
So we started to do the same thing, as we went by them, back and forth, lol. This really made time go by quickly, though, unfortunately, traffic was still at a standstill. I decided that we would get off the highway at the next exit, which would help us get around this mess, and we all had to pee, as well. So I get off the highway, and go to the first gas station I see, and decide it's not up to OUR standards, lol. So we pull into the next place, I let the girls out to go potty, staying in the car, because apparently, we are in the HOOD. After we're done, we start driving, looking for the end of the highway traffic. The girls decide we need to eat, so I stop at Krystal's for dinner. Between where we got off the highway and Krystal's, I saw like 3 people, in separate instances, getting frisked by the police, while handcuffed. We were definitely, in the hood.
After dinner, which I must say, was quite satisfying, we worked our way back to 75,
getting in downtown Atlanta.
We should have just stayed on 75, instead of going on 475, it would have probably saved us a couple of hours, if not several. So back on the highway, and before you know it, we're in Tennessee. It's dark now, probably about 9pm, and the girls are still awake. They're amazed at all of the mountainous terrain, the lights of Chattanooga and the steep hills the car is climbing. We stop just west of Chattanooga for a final bathroom break of the night,
and Sara asks if I'd like her to drive.
I'm usually the only driver on our trips, but I say, what the heck, sure, I could use a break, so I give her the wheel. Sara drives through the night,
getting us all the way to Illinois.
Anyways, I took over in Illinois, also changing the Garmin setting to shortest route, instead of fastest time, which proved to be a weird situation. The Garmin took us off the main highway, and through some weird towns, that were pitch black with rolling hills, through farm land. Abigail, who doesn't like the unfamiliar, was freaking, saying, Daddy, go back to the highway, lol. I kept course, eventually getting back on the highway, but that was quite the funny experience for 5 of us.
When the sun started coming up, quite early,
may I add, we were in Illinois. We stopped for breakfast shortly after daybreak, when we entered Iowa. We stopped at a bagel shop in Iowa City.
We all got out, stretched, ate bagels and drank chocolate milk.
Then, we continued on our ride, cruising through Iowa
and into Minnesota, then finally, arriving in North Dakota
around 6pm
Sunday evening. We checked into the Red River Motel, showered, and set off to Peter's house
for dinner.
Peter's road is under construction, but we were able to park in his driveway. He lives across the street from an elementary school and a park, which we would explore, the next day. The weather in Fargo was unseasonably warm and muggy, but being from Florida, we fit right in. Peter and his Wife Ann,
cooked
for us that night. We tried Buffalo (Bison) burger's, which tasted like.......beef, lol. They're cat brought us a present while we ate out, in the backyard. Cocoa
, the cat, brought us a small rabbit, she had just killed.
Not only did she kill this rabbit, but she began to feast on it, as well.
My girls were creeped out, but way curious, so they watched, as Cocoa tore into her dinner. We weren't outside that long, before the mosquito's started feasting, on us. We quickly moved indoors, where we were joined by Peter's son, Ruairi
, who's summer job, just happens to be with Mosquito control.
We stayed at Peter's for awhile, returning to the hotel for a night sleep, not having to sit in the car.
The next day we explored Fargo
, with Peter and Ann.
Emilia was not thrilled that it was so hot outside, but she did find this Dandelion quite interesting.
The girls were also amazed at the size of the tree's, in North Dakota.
Peter and Ann really love their town
and we found it to be a lovely place as well.
Later that evening, Peter and Ruairi took us to the Fargo Zoo,
where we saw all sorts of animals.
may I add, we were in Illinois. We stopped for breakfast shortly after daybreak, when we entered Iowa. We stopped at a bagel shop in Iowa City.
We all got out, stretched, ate bagels and drank chocolate milk.
Then, we continued on our ride, cruising through Iowa
and into Minnesota, then finally, arriving in North Dakota
around 6pm
Sunday evening. We checked into the Red River Motel, showered, and set off to Peter's house
for dinner.
Peter's road is under construction, but we were able to park in his driveway. He lives across the street from an elementary school and a park, which we would explore, the next day. The weather in Fargo was unseasonably warm and muggy, but being from Florida, we fit right in. Peter and his Wife Ann,
cooked
for us that night. We tried Buffalo (Bison) burger's, which tasted like.......beef, lol. They're cat brought us a present while we ate out, in the backyard. Cocoa
, the cat, brought us a small rabbit, she had just killed.
Not only did she kill this rabbit, but she began to feast on it, as well.
My girls were creeped out, but way curious, so they watched, as Cocoa tore into her dinner. We weren't outside that long, before the mosquito's started feasting, on us. We quickly moved indoors, where we were joined by Peter's son, Ruairi
, who's summer job, just happens to be with Mosquito control.
We stayed at Peter's for awhile, returning to the hotel for a night sleep, not having to sit in the car.
The next day we explored Fargo
, with Peter and Ann.
Emilia was not thrilled that it was so hot outside, but she did find this Dandelion quite interesting.
The girls were also amazed at the size of the tree's, in North Dakota.
Peter and Ann really love their town
and we found it to be a lovely place as well.
Later that evening, Peter and Ruairi took us to the Fargo Zoo,
where we saw all sorts of animals.
This is the closest Abigail has ever been to a bull.
Angelica and a deer, during their staring contest.
This Meerkat had just gorged itself on a bag full of popcorn, that some woman had carelessly dumped into its pen.
Angelica and a deer, during their staring contest.
This Meerkat had just gorged itself on a bag full of popcorn, that some woman had carelessly dumped into its pen.
Emilia was thrilled with this Reeve's Muntjac. This little deer, had sharp tusks, sort of like a wild boar.
After the Zoo, we went to Scheel's Sporting Goods store, one of the biggest, in the world. These president's were all posed outside the store front, so the girls couldn't resist posing with them. This IS NOT the reason we decided not to visit Mount rushmore.
Inside the store was a full sized Ferris Wheel, which the girls and Ruairi promptly took advantage of. 
After the Zoo, we went to Scheel's Sporting Goods store, one of the biggest, in the world. These president's were all posed outside the store front, so the girls couldn't resist posing with them. This IS NOT the reason we decided not to visit Mount rushmore.
Inside the store was a full sized Ferris Wheel, which the girls and Ruairi promptly took advantage of. 
There were also the best animal taxidermy collection, I had ever seen.
Sara and the girls had a blast at the target range.
Sara and the girls had a blast at the target range.
Steve, the hunter! 
We ended the day, having dinner in downtown Fargo, with Peter. 
The next day we were supposed to get up early, meet Peter at his house around 8am, and set off to tour western North Dakota's Badlands, which from Fargo, is about 8 hours round trip.
We ended the day, having dinner in downtown Fargo, with Peter. 
The next day we were supposed to get up early, meet Peter at his house around 8am, and set off to tour western North Dakota's Badlands, which from Fargo, is about 8 hours round trip.
I woke up early the next morning, a lot earlier than I thought i would, checked my phone and saw Peter had left a voicemail at 4:30am, saying that a major storm had dumped tons of rain, flooding his basement, and that he wouldn't be ready to leave until after 10 or 11am. Apparently, tornado alarms were sounding, and we slept right through the brunt of the storm.
Peter wasn't ready to leave until 12pm, and we probably left later than that, not arriving into the Badlands until 3 or 4pm, or later.
During our trip, we saw some of the major flooding that had been happening in North Dakota,
We also saw some weird gas pumps and rest area's,
stopped for eats and treats,
watched my daughter Emilia change, before my eye's, after her treat, lol, 
as well as watched the landscape go from flat terrain, to hilly countryside.
During our trip, we saw some of the major flooding that had been happening in North Dakota,
We also saw some weird gas pumps and rest area's,
stopped for eats and treats,
watched my daughter Emilia change, before my eye's, after her treat, lol, 
as well as watched the landscape go from flat terrain, to hilly countryside.
When we arrived at the Badlands
, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park 
, we quickly saw that it was well worth the drive.
I was concerned, because we had a pretty tight budget, but I still wanted my girls to see the good old U.S.A., and that is just what we did. These pictures are all from different parts of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Here, we're at the outlook, that looks over the Badlands.
, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park 
, we quickly saw that it was well worth the drive.
I was concerned, because we had a pretty tight budget, but I still wanted my girls to see the good old U.S.A., and that is just what we did. These pictures are all from different parts of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Here, we're at the outlook, that looks over the Badlands.
Makes for a pretty nice backdrop for my family.
The park entry was all prairie land, and it seemed that every square inch was covered with Prairie Dog
burrows.
The park is equpped with camping facilities, which is what we planned to do, if we had more time. Once we started to get to different terrain,
we stopped every once in awhile, checking to see if we could find some Buffalo or Wild Horses, which was our goal.. We climbed up butte's,
and down trails, in search of our elusive prey. Peter was pretty familiar with this park, so it was nice having him as our tour guide. The storm that we saw in the distance,
as we got closer to the Badlands, arrived,
and it started to rain as we explored the trails and Butte's. The storm brought rain and lightning, which Peter didn't like, so he sided with caution, preferring to stay in the car, mostly, till the storm had passed.
Meanwhile, Sara, Angelica, Emilia and, I kept exploring the trails.
burrows.
The park is equpped with camping facilities, which is what we planned to do, if we had more time. Once we started to get to different terrain,
we stopped every once in awhile, checking to see if we could find some Buffalo or Wild Horses, which was our goal.. We climbed up butte's,
and down trails, in search of our elusive prey. Peter was pretty familiar with this park, so it was nice having him as our tour guide. The storm that we saw in the distance,
as we got closer to the Badlands, arrived,
and it started to rain as we explored the trails and Butte's. The storm brought rain and lightning, which Peter didn't like, so he sided with caution, preferring to stay in the car, mostly, till the storm had passed.
Meanwhile, Sara, Angelica, Emilia and, I kept exploring the trails.
Eventually that weather passed, bringing much more comfortable temps, and WAY less humidity. There was actually a chill in the air, when the rain subsided, along with a nice breeze, making this trip all the more pleasant. We continued exploring, eventually reaching one of, if not, THE, highest point in the park. 
The pictures speak for themselves, but you could literally see for miles and miles, in any direction. 
We still hadn't seen any wild Buffalo or Horses, at this point, so the family went in different directions, to search for wildlife. The terrain on these Buttes was filled with soft grass and small Cacti, so you really had to watch where you stepped. At one point I was taking pictures and Abigail started recording video of the breathtaking scenery. Suddenly, we heard Julia scream. Angelica and Julia were quite far away, exploring a different side of the Butte we were on top of. They ran back toward where I was, quickly, and explained what had happened. Angelica was telling Julia to watch where she walked, because there were many small Cacti, so Julia, keeping her eye's peeled, looking for Cacti, when suddenly she sees a Rattlesnake, coiled up. She screams and bolts from the spot, all at once, and me, being the curious guy with a camera, says, where, tell me quick, so I can go see the Rattlesnake, lol. Needless to say, after that, we started looking for Cacti, AND snakes!
By this time, I started getting concerned that we would't see any wild Buffalo, Horse's or anything bigger than the Deer we saw with her 2 fawn. We did, however, see plenty of fresh Buffalo poop, just about everywhere.
We even saw this cave,
in one of the Butte's, that was shaped just like a Buffalo. We all stared at the cave intently, waiting to see if it was a Buffalo and if "the Buffalo" would move. We stayed there, staring at this thing, till we saw something fly out of it, it turned out to be a cave, LOL.
in one of the Butte's, that was shaped just like a Buffalo. We all stared at the cave intently, waiting to see if it was a Buffalo and if "the Buffalo" would move. We stayed there, staring at this thing, till we saw something fly out of it, it turned out to be a cave, LOL.
As we rounded the back end of the park, we came upon a herd of wild horses. To the left of the horses, was a lone Buffalo, steadily working its way, as it grazed, toward the horses. The girls, minus Abigail, and Peter, slowly walked closer to get a better view.
I stayed behind with Abigail, taking pictures from where we were parked. The Buffalo seemed to agitate the horses, but passed near the herd with no problems.
I stayed behind with Abigail, taking pictures from where we were parked. The Buffalo seemed to agitate the horses, but passed near the herd with no problems.
We then saw a carload of people who told us we were about to encounter some more Buffalo. Sure enough, as we rounded the bend, we found two adult and two juvenile Buffalo,
grazing in a pasture.
After this, we stopped and found a few male Buffalo,
all off by themselves. Again, we stopped to get a closer look.
grazing in a pasture.
After this, we stopped and found a few male Buffalo,
all off by themselves. Again, we stopped to get a closer look.
At this point we were able to walk down a trail and get really close to some of these Buffalo.
The scenery of this part of the park was absolutely beautiful.
We were even privy to see a Prairie Rainbow.
We were so happy to have experienced so much, in one day.
We stayed at the park till about 9pm, and were able to see tons of the nocturnal animals, like Badger's,
Coyote's, Elk and more.
The scenery of this part of the park was absolutely beautiful.
We were even privy to see a Prairie Rainbow.
We were so happy to have experienced so much, in one day.
We stayed at the park till about 9pm, and were able to see tons of the nocturnal animals, like Badger's,
Coyote's, Elk and more. When we exited the park, I thought it would be cool, since we were only 17 miles away, to cross the Montana state line, and take a picture in front of the welcome sign. By this time, the family was pretty tired, but agreed, after a bit of coaxing. When we got out of the car to take the picture, we were swarmed by bugs. Some were biting, some were just pelting us, but the girls didn't like this, at all. I find it funny, thinking back, how we didn't eat a thing, the many hours we were in the park. After leaving Montana, we headed back toward Peter's house, stopping to get gas and a bite to eat. We didn't arrive at Peter's till 4am, at which time we quickly set up our mattresses and sleeping bags, gabbed a bit about our day and quickly fell asleep. We woke up pretty early the next morning. Peter and Ann made us brunch, we took pictures with our hosts, and set off to begin our journey home. 
3 comments:
no wonder ups ran so well this week
how many women are these kids from
Best vacation EVER!!
Post a Comment