I planned this trip out perfectly. An itinerary for each day, campsites booked, everything. And then I mildly sprained my ankle and storms loomed on the forecast. So – perfect day to hike down a gorge and do some camping right?
Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. I woke up on day two with a giant swollen ankle that hurt to put weight on. Plus thunderstorms for our next night of camping. I quickly abandoned ship on that plan. I booked a hotel in Albany for the night and planned to make it a rest day/driving day since we needed to be in Boston in a few days anyway.
First order of business once we hit the road was to add yet another item to the van’s contents…
Morning in Letchworth
We took the opportunity to drive the other half of the scenic drive in Letchworth State Park. We got to sneak in another waterfall and extra playground time.
I started to get a bit anxious in the morning because here we are on our big trip and the kids are just swinging. Like. You can do that at home. But then I have to remind myself that they don’t care really, and are perfectly happy to have the playtime.
We drove all the way to the dam overlook, which was the most underwhelming dam I’ve ever seen. Mostly because the water levels were low, but still. I hyped that pretty hard to the kids.
I bought them ice cream to soften the disappointment, and they both took a bite and declared it gross. Of course I acted like a totally put-out mom, huffed at them for being unappreciative, and took a huge bite to demonstrate how ridiculous they were being.
It was freaking gross.
Whoops.
Cayuga Lake State Park
We continued on our merry way through upstate New York for a couple hours and were in need of a good road trip stop. I saw a sign for Cayuga Lake State Park and figured it couldn’t be any worse than that dam. So off we went on a moderate 10 mile detour. Which turned out to be amazing!
We rounded the corner and saw the most amazing pirate ship playground right next to the water. The kids immediately began freaking out and asking if we could go there. Umm…. duh. Why do you think I brought you here?
Trip Theme – Urgent Bathroom Needs
When I left my home and embarked on this long journey, I had two reasonably potty trained children. At four and six we are well past the potty panic stage – you know, when they give you about a two-second warning before sea world-ing you in urine. Apparently, I was wrong. No one ever has to go… UNTIL THEY HAVE TO GO.
So anyway, the trip to the playground was launched with a massive dash to the bathroom. One kid screaming they were going to pee in the road, the other kid casually picking dandelions, oblivious to her sister’s plight.
Beach Time & Freakout
After playing for a while, we wandered over to the small man-made beach area. Having no toys of her own, but possessing an enviable amount of self-confidence, Olivia immediately befriended another small girl and set to telling her how they would use her wide assortment of beach toys.
When it was time to leave and head back to the car, the sand meltdown of 2019 began. Now. These kids. Have been playing in the sand. For like. An hour.
They are covered. And they don’t seem to mind.
Until you ask them to put their sandals back on. Begging and crying for me to get the sand off them, while standing on the beach. Even when I try to remind them that I can clean their feet, but they still have to walk through the sand to the car… THE HORROR.
I wish I could say I handled this total lack of reason with grace. I did not.
The Hilton Garden Inn broke me
In all honestly, by the time we got to the hotel later that night, I was a little stressed and exhausted. The kids potty antics were exhausting, the sand meltdown didn’t help. I was starting to really worry about my ankle and the implications for the trip as a whole. The kids really weren’t listening to anything I said. I realized I promised the kids swimming in the hotel pool but forgot to pack my swimsuit. It was just a kind of pilling up.
We got to our room, got into our swim suits, spread our stuff across the room, and then discovered (with Abby’s foot) the giant screw sticking out of the floor. We ended up switching rooms, which is a lot of fun to do when you are the solo parent and your kids are bouncing off the walls ready to go the pool. And you are wearing an ill fitting bathing suit because that’s all you could find at Target last minute.
I’m not proud to admit that I may have totally lost my mind on the unhelpful and mildly condescending front desk staff who *shrugged* when I expressed frustration at the situation.
Adult temper tantrums are a beautiful thing. My children are learning so many interesting life skills from me. Great.
Swimming and Redemption
The kids immediately forgave my temporary insanity, mostly because they are not yet old enough to feel embarrassed for me. They proceeded to act like the sweetest angels ever. They played together so nicely in the pool I almost didn’t believe they were the same children I spent the car ride with.
So recap for Day Two – Moments of awesome + WTF is my life right now moments in equal measure.
And also I let the kids eat pizza in bed and watch tv… because my sanity is more important than decency.
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