Dear patient friends and family, we are alive! I am very sorry for the distance between posts. We have had a hard time connecting our ipad to Internet. I wanted to give you an account of our time at Glacier National Park(pictures will follow this post). We made it into east glacier on the train only 6 hours behind schedule ;) instead of camping i had the foresight to just reserve a hotel room so that we could just get a good night sleep and a shower after such a long train ride. The next day we were able to explore the small town that seems to only survive on the tourist who come in to visit the park. There is a beautiful lodge (that we did not stay at) that we were able to enjoy while we waited for the shuttle to take us to the park. They had an amazing view of the mountains and a beautiful post and beam interior any one wanting to look at their web site they can go to: glacier lodge .We made it to Glacier in the middle of the day and set our tent up at Rising Sun camp ground on the east side of the park. We intended to stay in this park for just a few days and then camp maybe on the west side but as the park started filling up for fourth of july weekend we went ahead and kept that as our base camp. As we came into the park the weather was an amazing 75 degrees. We were told that only a few days before it was 50 degrees and so rainy. The first full day at the park we settled in and learned all about camping in BEAR Country!! Our food had to be stored in a food locker that was about 65 feet from our tent, and after washing dishes our waste water had to be brought to the camp sink in the bathrooms that were about 200 feet from our tent. It was a really easy way to spend a whole day learning new rhythms of living. But really it makes you think about the life style that we live in a world of convenience. It was very easy to live this way and to conserve water and spend all our time out doors. The first misfortune that we encountered was that our camp stove broke!! Which was ok when we could cook on a fire but we did have a couple of rainy days. One morning we woke up to really bad rain and heavy winds and i think the kids were really happy that we were able to go to the parks restaurant for pancakes!! We had been living off of oatmeal and a 12 grain cereal which cooked over a camp stove comes to have this lovely smokey taste to it we added raisins, dates, and cashews yum! but i guess after days of this i could see how they would be ready for a change ;) The day before it rained we made it out on a hike to st. mary falls, virginia falls, and barring falls. The pictures will follow this post. The whole hike was about 5.7 miles and the kids did splendid until the last mile hehe alyx is really not a hiker, i put this down to his being so hot blooded he gets sweaty and tired pretty easy. But cedric wholly molly !! he can trek , man that kid was keeping us in line. He kept saying things like I Biggest! I Walking bigger! so cute. I think elijah was bored and ready to get back to his book but he really loved the water falls when we got to them. On the day of pancakes and rain we took the free shuttle that went through the park we had explored this shuttle the day before our hikes and its pretty neat! it takes you up to logans pass right up into the glaciers and the continental divide. We accross to the west side of the park where it was not stormy and sat in their lodge by the lake and just had a relaxing day. We learned a very important lesson that day. People who work at the park do not actually know about the shuttle schedule even when they are working at a booth that says "transportation information"
We were told the shuttles run until 9 pm but when we tried to get on a shuttle back to logans pass to connect with the east side it was only 5:45 and we were told we missed the last shuttle to logans pass!! Well we are veterans of missing our train/bus whatever so we knew there was a way back to our shuttle we just had to find it (hitchhiking is not really an option with kids). So we went back to that information booth and demanded that they bring us to our camp site. We were not the only stranded people and so 3 hours later we had a ride! Not just any ride though we got to ride the red bus!! You can find more info on that on the glacier lodge web site i posted a link to above. I will also post a photo of it in a little while. The universe is not with out mercy. The storm had moved on by this time and we had a nice drive home and we got to see a baby bear! not sure where mama bear was but the baby was poking around on the side of the road. I had really hoped we were able to see a bear and i think from the car at a safe distance is a great way to experience one. The following day even though we had just spent so much time on the west i really wanted to go back there and hike the trail of cedars. The west side of glacier park is made up of the easternmost side of the rain forest that runs from montana all the way to the coast! We hiked a small trail to a large lake with waterfalls coming down on all sides it was beautiful but i was mostly happy to be frolicking through the giant cedar trees! We did this hike on our last day in the park the 4th of July. No fireworks for us but i'd say that we had a special time meeting some amazing people and learning so much about a natural wonder that wont be around forever. I would urge everyone to try and visit there! If you dont want to camp in the park you can stay in whitefish, montana and make a day trip on the west side of the park. Well the next day we were sad to pack up but i think we were also ready for the next adventure, Seattle! But before we get to excited lets remember that we were riding amtrak....we were scheduled to leave at 6:45 pm. However, we did not leave until 2 a.m. because a freight had derailed and put us behind about 8 hours!! We were fortunate to be able to stay at the lodge again while we waited. Clayton and Brian did some golfing on one of the oldest natural golf courses still around. and i did laundry yay!! hehe. The lodge was very sympathetic to our situation and supplied us with coffee and let us camp out on their couches and the boys slept by the fire. It really could have been worse. The train ride was not so bad except that we had the same crew that we travelled with before and i think they must hate their job (i dont blame them). but still they could learn to relax and at least be courteous. Because we were so behind schedule we stopped in spokane and they put us all on buses to carry us from spokane to either portland or seattle. I have to say that sitting on a packed bus while sleep deprived with three kids is maybe not my most favorite things in the world. Did i mention the air wasn't working either? that was a very hot long bus ride but all the folks on the bus were really nice and i think we all had this attitude like we are in this together! We made it to Seattle in the early evening and found our hotel with out to much issue we stayed in hotel hostel in Fremont Seattle which is one of the neatest communities i have ever been in! I am going to leave the story here because i need to go help with dinner. But i will let everyone know more about our time in Seattle soon. Just to let you all know we are on our first farm in Mt. Vernon we are safe we are very happy and all is going well. We will write more soon. Love to you all <3
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Photos
Some photos of union station , Chicago, the view out my train window...and a sweet sleeping boy. We will not have Internet while we are camping in glacier national park so we will be sharing those stories after July 5th! Happy fourth everyone! 
Tut tut it looks like rain!
blog 6/24/2012
we started our journey with crepes and coffee and love from a good sister. Then we had our last good bye from friends sending us off at local sprouts. my mother and sister said goodbye to us at the train station and there were tears and hugs for all. We have a addition to our party!! My brother brian is joining us for part of our trip! We are taking him camping, and then on to seattle where we will stay over night in the hostel and send him on a plane back to maine the following day. We are so grateful that there were so many people supporting us on this trip. i cant tell you how many times i heard people tell us they wished they could come with us, i think it would have filled the train if they all could have come :) We made it to boston and got on the T to our hotel with ease and the boys enjoyed the ride despite the fact that they unanimously had to pee as we were getting on the subway! Thanks to my dad we had a very nice hotel right around the corner from the T exit and with warm weather, travel worn hearts and full bladders, we went up to our hotel. Did you know they have very nice cookies that they give everyone who stays at the doubletree? We were hoping to explore boston but travel at a childs pace is slow and exploratory. we made it to dinner at least! i believe the place was called vapiano and it was amazing and totally changed my opinion about the food in boston which up till now i understood to be greasy and lackluster. after dinner we walked around looking for a bookstore but having no luck decided to get back to the hotel for bed. our last night with lots of fluffy white pillows i was grateful for the rest. Namaste, Nicole
This morning we woke to find that the day looked like rain and we had to boogie out the door if we were to avoid walking in rain . yea that did not happen, more to follow on that note. So we went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant and all ate very well to prepare for the day. everything was going well and we were on schedule until clayton and i got stumped on the packing of food and transitioning some weight around in our packs. however we knew we were only a few blocks from the station and were not panicked. we left our hotel room with half an hour to travel the 10 min. it takes to get to the station...however we forgot about the rain! we tried to get onto the T to get to the station with out getting wet however we could not seem to figure out the purchase of tickets and made the dire mistake of turning out of the station and trying to walk with 3 kids, while wearing heavy packs and trying to use our iphone to navigate unfamiliar streets in one of the worst downpours i have ever been in. I have to say however that i have the most amazing children in the world. Sensing our situation they not only did not complain but they trekked through it all and kept our pace sloshing through puddles! our iphone had a hard time working the gps ( i am assuming because of the rain). So we were having to stop a lot to check it. You would think that some one could have helped us out but we were in china town and the only souls out on the streets were not speaking english! However we made it to the station 5 min. before the train was scheduled to leave and started running. I found out later that clayton and brian got there with the train still there (we were only 50 feet behind them) and the guy said they were not going to wait for us and as we caught up to them the train took off. I realize the train waits for no one but i felt that the early departure and the fact that we were clearly right there was overwhelming. I had never run so hard and fast in my life with an extra 80 lbs of weight on me in the pouring rain in an unfamiliar place with all my little babes did not leave me in a good place mentally i was shaking! and then to find out that the next available train to get us to glacier national park did not leave till the following week put me through a little bit of hell. So i called my mom. There are not many worse things to injure your pride than to be a woman grown and having to call your parents and admit failure due to incompetence. She however has a very cool mind and is a savy traveller. I think i should start asking wwmd from now on. She suggested i rent a car and drive to albany to catch the next train on our route. genius! I called AAA, bless them and after i told them my story they booked a rental for us. So we hopped on the bus to the air port and then caught the shuttle to budget rentals. Easy right? we had 5 hours to drive to albany and it only took three. WELL let me confess my disgust with the way systems work nowadays...you MUST have a credit card. ew. or if you dont you must have good credit ew ew ew. for those people reading this blog thinking that this is some way to protect the car rental companies from harm i would like you to be stranded with 3 kids your husband and a teenage brother that you are responsible for and then tell me what you think when no one can budge for emergencies. Enterprise would have budged had they cars available, i prefer enterprise and tried them first but alas no mini vans! So with some crazy money maneuvering that required me to go to the part of boston that resembled latin america where no one speaks english either but have some big saintly hearts and were willing to help in small ways that made a big difference to me.I was able to fix the situation and get back to my family in rental car land. However, by the time i made it back we lost the opportunity to catch the train in Albany!! Clayton already made this realization and had decided that we were to drive to chicago instead. Mind you this is 16 hours driving straight to make our train the following day!! holy moly batman this is where i am now as i write this, riding into the night with my family. You might say its been a bad day. It was. But the boys are watching movies and we are staying calm with our starbucks and listening to them laugh at scooby doo. I am writing this to you in my notes on the ipad and will post them when next i get to a wifi connection. Wish us luck! ~Namaste, Nicole
Ps, please forgive choppy writing and grammatical errors. I don't consider those things at the best of times let alone the worst.
we started our journey with crepes and coffee and love from a good sister. Then we had our last good bye from friends sending us off at local sprouts. my mother and sister said goodbye to us at the train station and there were tears and hugs for all. We have a addition to our party!! My brother brian is joining us for part of our trip! We are taking him camping, and then on to seattle where we will stay over night in the hostel and send him on a plane back to maine the following day. We are so grateful that there were so many people supporting us on this trip. i cant tell you how many times i heard people tell us they wished they could come with us, i think it would have filled the train if they all could have come :) We made it to boston and got on the T to our hotel with ease and the boys enjoyed the ride despite the fact that they unanimously had to pee as we were getting on the subway! Thanks to my dad we had a very nice hotel right around the corner from the T exit and with warm weather, travel worn hearts and full bladders, we went up to our hotel. Did you know they have very nice cookies that they give everyone who stays at the doubletree? We were hoping to explore boston but travel at a childs pace is slow and exploratory. we made it to dinner at least! i believe the place was called vapiano and it was amazing and totally changed my opinion about the food in boston which up till now i understood to be greasy and lackluster. after dinner we walked around looking for a bookstore but having no luck decided to get back to the hotel for bed. our last night with lots of fluffy white pillows i was grateful for the rest. Namaste, Nicole
This morning we woke to find that the day looked like rain and we had to boogie out the door if we were to avoid walking in rain . yea that did not happen, more to follow on that note. So we went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant and all ate very well to prepare for the day. everything was going well and we were on schedule until clayton and i got stumped on the packing of food and transitioning some weight around in our packs. however we knew we were only a few blocks from the station and were not panicked. we left our hotel room with half an hour to travel the 10 min. it takes to get to the station...however we forgot about the rain! we tried to get onto the T to get to the station with out getting wet however we could not seem to figure out the purchase of tickets and made the dire mistake of turning out of the station and trying to walk with 3 kids, while wearing heavy packs and trying to use our iphone to navigate unfamiliar streets in one of the worst downpours i have ever been in. I have to say however that i have the most amazing children in the world. Sensing our situation they not only did not complain but they trekked through it all and kept our pace sloshing through puddles! our iphone had a hard time working the gps ( i am assuming because of the rain). So we were having to stop a lot to check it. You would think that some one could have helped us out but we were in china town and the only souls out on the streets were not speaking english! However we made it to the station 5 min. before the train was scheduled to leave and started running. I found out later that clayton and brian got there with the train still there (we were only 50 feet behind them) and the guy said they were not going to wait for us and as we caught up to them the train took off. I realize the train waits for no one but i felt that the early departure and the fact that we were clearly right there was overwhelming. I had never run so hard and fast in my life with an extra 80 lbs of weight on me in the pouring rain in an unfamiliar place with all my little babes did not leave me in a good place mentally i was shaking! and then to find out that the next available train to get us to glacier national park did not leave till the following week put me through a little bit of hell. So i called my mom. There are not many worse things to injure your pride than to be a woman grown and having to call your parents and admit failure due to incompetence. She however has a very cool mind and is a savy traveller. I think i should start asking wwmd from now on. She suggested i rent a car and drive to albany to catch the next train on our route. genius! I called AAA, bless them and after i told them my story they booked a rental for us. So we hopped on the bus to the air port and then caught the shuttle to budget rentals. Easy right? we had 5 hours to drive to albany and it only took three. WELL let me confess my disgust with the way systems work nowadays...you MUST have a credit card. ew. or if you dont you must have good credit ew ew ew. for those people reading this blog thinking that this is some way to protect the car rental companies from harm i would like you to be stranded with 3 kids your husband and a teenage brother that you are responsible for and then tell me what you think when no one can budge for emergencies. Enterprise would have budged had they cars available, i prefer enterprise and tried them first but alas no mini vans! So with some crazy money maneuvering that required me to go to the part of boston that resembled latin america where no one speaks english either but have some big saintly hearts and were willing to help in small ways that made a big difference to me.I was able to fix the situation and get back to my family in rental car land. However, by the time i made it back we lost the opportunity to catch the train in Albany!! Clayton already made this realization and had decided that we were to drive to chicago instead. Mind you this is 16 hours driving straight to make our train the following day!! holy moly batman this is where i am now as i write this, riding into the night with my family. You might say its been a bad day. It was. But the boys are watching movies and we are staying calm with our starbucks and listening to them laugh at scooby doo. I am writing this to you in my notes on the ipad and will post them when next i get to a wifi connection. Wish us luck! ~Namaste, Nicole
Ps, please forgive choppy writing and grammatical errors. I don't consider those things at the best of times let alone the worst.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
part the clouds, the sky is still there
Where does the time go? a cliche? Yes. But still, Relevent. We are only a few weeks away from hitting the train tracks and still we have a lot to prepare for. We are officially out of our apartment as of June 1st. and are fortunate to have friends who love us and want to visit with us before we leave. The last few weeks have been a test to my sanity. I mean if trying to let go of ones possesions and planning a trip of these proportions were not enough i am also a mother of three boys so sanity is always questionable. However, there is also Life's sense of humor to deal with. For instance while packing i opened the door to our bathroom to find that it was raining from the ceiling. Not funny 'HaHa'. Oh geez, well that is no longer my concern thank goodness. But then we had the pond that the rain grew for us in my friends back yard the week i was supposed to camp in it...yea i will post pics of that soon. Well if these are the tribulations i face to get closer to the earth and her mysteries i will take them gladly. No matter that i am lonely while my husband stays closer to work i am still resolute in this desicion. Its amazing when you have a purpose in your heart and everything pans out to allow something to happen. You have to just laugh at all the trials along the way. That is life, yes? Do not misread me, it is hard and i am frustrated but i know that these things will pass. A good friend of mine taught me a mantra of 'ease, and abundance' and its that simple. Sometimes you just have to let go of expectations and let life work for you. At the same time planting your seeds and tending your garden. Am i being a little too unclear? It will make sense some day just keep breathing deeply. For now know that i will wander the earth and i would love for you to join me on your own adventure. Until you get to that place when you are able to walk into your own life, i will share my stories/trials/and tribulations with you. With much love for the divine in you, Namaste. ~Nicole G.
Two Lights
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Happy are we!
So we are finished with our farm plans for the months of July & August! whew ok now on to California & New Mexico for September and October. Thanks to the folks who wrote references for us, you are the bees knees :o)
Other than the planning that we have been doing for the actual trip we are also hard at work selling & giving our belongings to people. We still need to sell our car! So lots to do still and its so hard when the weather is this nice ;) at least the boys are out enjoying this spring heat wave!
We have most of our 'gear' (it feels funny saying this after reading Bill Bryson's Walk in the woods hehe) And really only need sleeping bags for the boys and clayton's shoes.. and a water filter...oh yea and...i guess the list goes on.
I am going to try to get in the habit of writing a daily journal on here so that people can know step by step how we are doing things...this may take time getting used to so please be patient. Also, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments section.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
in pursuit of happiness
So far I have gone through the WWOOF postings and narrowed down the farms that wont mind a few children on their farm and who are in line with our personal ethics. Now its time to make the commitment and start contacting each and every one of them. I am happy to see so many in Washington state since that is where i am hoping to spend the bulk of our early summer. It is interesting to note how different the farms are from state to state. We will certainly be getting a broad idea of the country side. I am a little nervous about conntacting people. It feels a little like marketing myself but I am ready to make the leap of faith.
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