Newport to New York and Places in Between

October 25, 2024 / marniesteve / 1 Comment

Our East coast travels are continuing in the most successful way. In Newport, Rhode Island, Steve completed a marathon in his 36th state.

Finish line at the Amica Newport Marathon

Along the way we explored this historic and beautiful seaside town. In our few days there we walked the famed Cliff Walk to view Gilded Aged mansions that have defined the town for centuries. The Breakers, the Elms, Marble House and others offer a unique trip through years of American history, architecture, and landscape design. We didn’t go inside any of the properties, but peered in through the gates as we strolled the Cliff Walk.

Newport is rooted in a seafaring lifestyle. Visiting the shipyards and forts gave us a sense of what drives this beautiful place.

Once the marathon was over we traveled south to another historic seaport town: Mystic, Connecticut. Here we toured the Mystic Seaport Museum to learn about all kinds of ships. Whalers, schooners, steamboats, catboats, tugboats, and more are on display at the nation’s leading maritime museum.

Our friends Cheryl and Alan came up from Old Saybrook for lunch one day and we loved catching up with them. We had lunch in beautiful Stonington and spent all afternoon reminiscing, and of course, planning our next get-together.

Just north of Mystic, back towards Rhode Island, lies the hamlet of Watch Hill. It’s a community for the rich who seek privacy in contrast to nearby Newport. Famous residents of Watch Hill have included Henry Ford, Clark Gable, and most recently Taylor Swift. Her mansion, Holiday House, stands on the highest point, overlooking the sea.

As we moved south along the Eastern seaboard, we couldn’t pass up a weekend in “the city.” Yes, visiting New York City with an RV is a bit of a challenge, but we were up to it. We stayed at Liberty Harbor RV Park in Jersey City, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The views of NYC were spectacular from the waterfront, and it was an easy train ride to the heart of it all.

You may remember that we lived here for three months back in 2016 just after we retired. During that time we did “all the things.” This visit we decided to just enjoy the city, revisit a few of our favorite haunts, and soak it all in. We had a beautiful weekend for wandering and averaged about seven miles each day.

Getting in and out of these big cities can be a little challenging but we are doing it. Sometimes a wrong turn or missed exit results in a nice surprise. For example, the Garmin tried to take us across the Key bridge in Baltimore, not knowing the bridge was out due to a ship strike. Our new route took us right past Fort McHenry in Baltimore. That meant one more stamp in the passport book and a little more history. The leaves are at peak color now and we are soaking it all in.

For the Love of Football and Family

October 4, 2024 / marniesteve / 2 Comments

Our fall travel and marathon season is upon us. Over the next few months we’re heading east and have races and new adventures planned.

We left Michigan and headed to Dayton, Ohio with our sights on the Air Force Marathon.

While in the area we did a little biking and visited the Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical Park. Dayton was home to the Wright Brothers’ cycle shop, and their many accomplishments are celebrated across the town. At the National Museum of the Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, all forms of aviation are on display, including our nation’s space vehicles.

The marathon events began with an expo where we picked up Steve’s packet and took some fun photos. Early the next morning we arrived to the start line on the Air Force base in very warm weather. It was in the 70s at the start.

I took a free shuttle to see Steve at the 15 mile mark and by then the temperature was in the high 80s. The race had issued a red alert, indicating dangerous running conditions. Steve’s heart rate, normally around 130 beats per minute when he runs, was pushing 160. This, along with the prospect of even higher temperatures at the finish line, was enough for Steve to call it a day. Better to be safe than sorry. So, we’ll be back through Ohio next year to do another marathon so he can claim the state.

Air Force took security on the course seriously

From Dayton we headed west a little to position ourselves for Steve’s next Nebraska Cornhusker game in Lafayette, Indiana. While waiting for Saturday’s game to arrive we visited a local Wolf Park to learn a little about these beautiful animals (trained foxes too!)

We also took advantage of the great facilities at Prophetstown State Park where we camped. A great bike/running path took us through the park and was decorated for the season with unique scarecrows presented by local organizations.

The Cornhuskers crushed the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, and Steve cheered them on as he always does.

Ashland, Ohio, my birthplace and hometown, was our next stop. We had not been back since a family reunion over 15 years ago. This stop was brief, but we made the most of it by hanging out with my cousins, Red and Judy, who let us park our RV next to the old barn.

There are still a bunch of Finleys/Shoemakers/Zimmermans in Ashland, and it was super awesome to see everyone. We were especially grateful to see Uncle Shoey, who will celebrate his 95th birthday in January. We even got to join him and Tom at the Dairy Bar for breakfast before we pulled out of town.

Sharon with her girls: Kelly, Laney, Kira, Sharon, and Zoe

And before we left Ohio, we crossed one more National Park off the list. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located just south of Cleveland. We stopped there to explore the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath via bike. Our 15 mile cruise took us along the canal that in the mid-1800s transported goods between East Coast cities and America’s rural heartland.

We’re now continuing our eastward path and have some pretty cool things ahead.

Fun in Northern Idaho

May 29, 2024 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

We’ve been to Idaho several times and each visit we fall more in love. This time we traveled from Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming, through southern Idaho, with the goal of reaching Coeur d’Alene for a marathon in Steve’s 35th state.

First we met up with Steve’s cousin Tracy and her husband Mark, near Boise, for a lunch filled with catching up and reminiscing. We hadn’t seen Tracy in Y-E-A-R-S, so it was long overdue and super fun to see them. Traveling in the RV gives us these opportunities from time to time and for that we are grateful.

From Boise we drove north another two hours to the resort town of McCall. This is a popular area for the city folk from Boise, and we quickly saw why. Surrounded by stunning mountains, roaring rivers, and sweeping views, McCall had us enthralled immediately. We explored the area on foot on the Goose Creek Falls trail, which took us down, down, down to the creek that roared below. It snowed a little bit along the way, but wasn’t enough to deter us.

Even though it was still pretty chilly, we got out on the bikes a few times. First we rode on the awesome paved city trails to the nearby Ponderosa State Park. Filled with incredibly beautiful hiking and biking trails, the park is the jewel in McCall’s crown. It wraps around Payette Lake, which just adds to the beauty. The park was almost empty since it was still early in the season and the weather hadn’t yet warmed up. For us, that’s perfect!

On another day we rode the twenty miles around Payette Lake, which took us through enviable lakeside neighborhoods and then into the State Park again to travel just along the lake’s edge. My new e-bike allows me to keep up with Steve and makes these excursions so much fun!

In McCall we stayed at the McCall RV Resort and from there we could walk to the Broken Horn Brewery. This became our hangout, and one evening we even caught the weekly pickers circle, where local musicians gather and jam for the evenings.

After four nights in McCall, it was time to head north for a beautiful drive up Highway 95 to Coeur d’Alene (CDA). We were here a few years ago and happened upon the CDA marathon. That inspired us to return. Our site at Blackwell Island RV Park was very near the shores of the Spokane River and allowed us to easily get into town.

On a cold but clear morning, Steve finished his 26.2 mile run, mostly along the banks of Lake Coeur d’Alene, while I did the 10K. He has now completed a marathon in 35 states.

Can you find Steve in the crowd at the start line?

We’re making our way to our new RV site in Traverse City, Michigan. On our first road day we stopped at one of the coolest National Park Service sites we’ve visited. Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site, about an hour southeast of Missoula, Montana, celebrates ranching in the west.

It took us about an hour to tour the 175 year old ranch, which was once the largest cattle operation in the country. It is still a working cattle operation, and we visited during calving season. I just kept thinking, “Dad would have loved this!”

We’re now settled in to our campground at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. As you may remember from previous posts, Lewis and Clark are Steve’s favorite explorers.

That’s us! The Trailer Twins on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Tomorrow we’ll take a tour of the caverns and visit a few other historic sites nearby. We’ll keep you up to date on all the fun in our next post.

Marnie and Steve Travel

We're retired! Let's go!

marathon

Newport to New York and Places in Between

For the Love of Football and Family

Fun in Northern Idaho