Road Trip Recap: Day 1 (Lake Placid, NY)
This journey begins with a shocking discovery. It's an adventure that took our family through both the Catskills and Adirondacks, across the border and back again. One that ended on the Champlain Islands just before our return home.
I'm perpetually amazed at how getting away from daily routines has the ability to settle and center me.
Somehow all the things that are buzzing around and within me seem to evaporate and I'm left with a still mind. I know that the lists of to-do's are waiting for me back at home, but the gift of distance and an altered perspective trick my brain into hiding them behind a curtain until I decide to look behind it again.
Ok, so let's get into the shocking discovery!
Two weeks before our road trip, there was a rather mundane occurrence in our car that went like this:
- My husband, Sean, asks me for a napkin from the glove box.
- Then he says, "Ew this smells gross."
- He strongly encourages me and my daughter, Meadow, to take a sniff.
- I refuse.
- Meadow yelps at grossness of smell.
- I refuse again and say I'll take your word for it.
Ok, let's fast forward to the day we depart and hit the road. Sean again asks me for a napkin from the glove box while driving on a busy, large road in New Jersey.
I open the glove box, YELP, and slam it shut! (insert explitive)
Curled up in the napkins was a decaying and very dead little mouse. Now, if this was my car, I'd be less surprised (I'm looser with rules in my "vintage" ride). But this was our very new, very clean family car - one that we weren't even allowed to eat in (until this trip)!
My astrology friends may like this fact: The event chart of the trip departure featured Mars/Uranus in the 9th opposite the Moon in Scorpio in the 3rd! Quite a shocking start to a journey, for sure!!
After 6 hours on the road, arrival at the High Peaks in Lake Placid, NY was rainy yet exciting. The small lake outside of our little patio room was a gorgeous backdrop to the town.
We hit the game room for a round of foosball (me and Brady won!) before we found our way to dinner and ice cream.
I tell the kids that people go right onto the frozen Mirror Lake in the winter as we walk past the toboggan chute en route to dinner. One of my many YouTube tidbits I picked up in my research. The small churches we pass have signs promoting their "Athlete Blessings" on Saturday.
The Iron Man Competition was happening that weekend, and there was a flurry of excitement as very fit people filled the available rooms for rent.
It's just the first night of eight, and I realize two things before I snuggle into the hotel pillow:
- There is very slim chance that I'll ever open that glove box in the car again, and
- I know this trip will go fast, they always do, so I remind myself to savor each step as much as I can.