"I've got my swim trunks and my flippy floppies"

Sunday, July 31, 2022 - Tuesday, August 2, 2022

In what seems to be a running theme during summer road trips with two young kids, updates are not as frequent as I'd like. And like in times before, I'm hoping that as the girls get older, I'll find myself with a little more time to update frequently or in real time.

For now, I'm going to take you back almost two years and continue our 2022 road trip through New York and into Vermont. Updates for this trip will be shorter in length for a couple of reasons.

The first reason being the time since the trip (and we've had another one in between this one and spring 2024).

The second has more to do with the emotional aspect of having to type these memorable trips with the family knowing that Lily - truly the greatest family dog in the world - is no longer with us. She ended up showing signs of cancer in the early summer of 2023 and crossed that poetic rainbow bridge in the fall of 2023. As tough as this may be to walk you through these trips, I'm hoping that it is also somewhat cathartic for me to think back on the best of the best with her.

The drive to Scaroon Manor Campground on the shores of Schroon Lake was under 3 hours. That's always a plus for road trips. When we arrived, we did the usual unhitch, unpack, and check out the campground. It was incredibly spacious with open fields and tons of campsites. It was also a non-electric campground, which wasn't the worst considering we'd traveled further north and it was fairly overcast. One of the first things we did on arrival day was to take a short trail down to an open swimming area to let everybody cool off and relax.

After returning back to the campsite and eating dinner, we busted out the glow sticks and made another small hike to some open fields for an evening fairy dance party. This quickly became a staple of the 2022 road trip.

The next day was a full day in the area, and we met up with some familiar faces as Rick brought his boat to the Schroon Lake harbor. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. The perfect day for a trip out on the water.

After the tour of Schroon Lake, we docked and took a dip in the lake at the public beach area for a little while. But the day was getting long, the girls were getting tired, and ice cream was what everybody was craving. So, we walked into town, checked out a few shops and got the ice cream that the people wanted.

We took it easy that evening. I'm sure there was another dancy party in an open field before bedtime, though. I also remember walking to an open area with Cara for a few minutes to check out the clear nighttime sky with little light pollution. Nothing beats that.

The next day was a departure day. We'd be making our way to the furthest part of our road trip: Burlington, Vermont. But the next day was also Cara's birthday! So, what better way to start off your birthday than with a delicious breakfast yogurt bowl and a family serenade of "Happy Birthday!"