Epilogue

A few follow-up items that may be mildly interesting. The seeds of the H2Olen Roadtrip were initially planted back in the summer of 1980 when the Olen family did an epic trip across the country. Although the trips were different in many respects they did have at least one thing in common: historically high gas prices. The first graph shows 1980 in historical prospective and the second graph shows the past 18 months of gas prices.

You can also check out the video of the foul ball I caught at the Royals game (detailed here). The quality of the video is not spectacular but you can easily spot me with my gold ASU shirt. My reaction is a little over the top but I was just overcompensating for almost breaking my hand.

Next major blog installment will likely be for our Texas trip in May 2009

Clean Shaven

The vacation beard is gone. I was ready to get rid of it, as I am clearly not cool enough to carry off the image and, frankly, I was not attracting enough babes. I was told that I looked like a video game character (Solid Snake) which was pretty cool but also was called the unabomber (no so cool).

However it was with mixed emotions that I finally shaved off the beard as it was a symbol of the road trip and a reminder that my Clark Griswold days had come to an end. The goal is to squeeze every ounce of joy out of each stage of life and, despite my proclivity to watch old home movies and listen to 80's music, I try not to live in the past. Yet there are moments when you wish you could freeze time and put your life in a bottle. There will no doubt be other vacations (my family gives me grief that I have vacations planned through 2014) but nothing in life is guaranteed. When you are swinging through the jungle of life there is that instant of doubt when you let go of one vine and reach for the next. Did I just leave my last t-shirt worthy vacation ? Will my kids openly despise me during the next road trip ? What if my beard is all grey during the next vacation ? Luckily those fears quickly subside and we begin to enjoy the end of summer and prepare for a busy fall.

The trip was a success on a number of different levels. Most importantly I think is that Karen enjoyed it and it opens to door for the 2010 West Coast version of the great American roadtrip.

Now for some H2Olen stats:

States: 12

Miles: 1,897 miles driven from Boston to Oklahoma (1608 miles from Oklahoma to Boston)

Gas Mileage: 21.8 mpg

Gas Spending: $448

46 mph average (this was significantly reduced due to city driving while in MN)

Top 10 Lists

Bretto's Top 10 Memories

10. Playing (and Losing) in the Ping Pong Tournament
9. Going to the Zoo
8. The Kalahari was really fun
7. Getting a ball at the Royals
6. Riding a motorcycle for the first time.
5. Getting a Delmon Young Bobblehead
4. Playing kubb in Papa Olen's backyard
3. The first stop at IHOP
2. Spotting an Arkansas license plate
1. Seeing cousin Ben for the first time

Kelsey's Top 10 Memories

10. Getting freaked out on the motorcycle ride
9. My Dad catching the foul ball
8. My cousin Caley helping me finish my huge root beer float at A&W
7. My Dad catching a foul ball at the Royals game
6. Doing the toilet bowl body slide and coming down head first and getting water all up my nose and never going on it again.
5. Going to the Zoo and seeing the Grizzly bears
4. Walking on the jetty out on Lake Michigan and trying to prevent Brett from falling off the edge. Glad he didn't.
3. Watching Yo Gabba Gabba with Ben and Lizzy and laughing so hard !
2. Getting my signature from a waitress for the scavenger hunt at my restaurant (Kelseys !)
1. Having a 104 fever and my temperature dropping down in time to go to the Twins game.

Jake's Top 10 Memories

10. Ping Pong in Papa Olens basement
9. First drop down the toilet bowl slide at the Kalahari
8. The first drop at the Rock Bottom Plunge Roller Coaster at Nick Universe in the middle of the Mall of America
7. Awkward Las Vegas type street in the middle of Niagara Falls
6. Brett waking me up in the middle of the night in Oklahoma to say he is going to throw up.
5. Me pushing Ben in the swing in Norman Oklahoma
4. DJ Lance on Yo Gabba Gabba
3. Seeing the ball at the last minute before my Dad caught it
2. Completing the Master Blaster raft ride with Connor to complete all the rides at Kalahari
1. Boogie boarding on the surf simulator



Greg's Top 10 Memories

10. Walking into our smoking room at the Black Lung Motel
9. Winning the final bingo game on the USS Badger
8. Eating Ice Cream at Michigan State
7. The bald eagle at the Minnesota Zoo
6. Watching Bretto be hurled out into the toilet bowl slide
5. The breakfast buffet at the Kalahari
4. Running on fumes through the 'disadvantaged' areas of Buffalo
3. Hitting the detour on our way to Kalahari
2. Hitting Happy Hour at the Sonic Drive-In
1. Catching the foul ball at the Royals game

Karen's Top 10 Memories

10. Meeting my cute nephew Ben or the first time.
9. Getting out of the car in Norman after hours of looking at cows driving through Kansas
8. Brett's new shirtless friends at the Kansas City ball game
7. Riding the Fairly Odd Parents Roller Coaster in Nickelodeon Universe after the kids told me that it did not spin much......liars !
6. Greg and the kids chanting after the Olen's won the final triva game at the restaurant
5. The embarassment of my family hanging on the Bob's Big Boy statue and taking pictures
4. My limbs slamming the walls of the fastest green body slide at the Kalahari resort
3. Shopping at the mall in Toronto with all of my international friends
2. Jake's obession with the wax museum in Niagara Falls
1. My first view of the top of Horshoe Falls.

Day 19 and 20 - The Road Home

The kids were flying out of Oklahoma City at 11:15 and my Dad was flying into Oklahoma City at 11:10 to be my co-pilot on the long road home. The logistic worked out perfectly and my Dad jumped into the Veracruz at 11:30 and we were on our way back to Natick.

Clark: This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy!

My wife thought I was a bit touched to drive over 1600 miles in two days but that was the goal. In order to make it in a day and a half - there was not much time for sightseeing but hitting Pops Soda Ranch on Route 66 was too good to pass up. They have 500 different type of sodas in glass bottles. Way cool....

Sonic is a burger joint that is popular in the midwest and west coast. It is a drive-in (as opposed to a drive-through). We had lunch there and then hit another one for Happy Hour (half-price drinks and slushes from 2-4pm). We need one of these in Natick.

A big portion of the drive was through Missouri and the highways are littered with billboards. Judging from the billboards people in Missouri are really into fireworks and adult movies.

We drove through a pretty major thunderstorm for over an hour but were able to make our hotel in Indianapolis just about midnight.

We had an earlier start on Day 2 of the drive back but had further to travel. I actually relinquished the wheel for a bit on Day 2 and gave my Dad a chance to drive.

I resisted the opportunity and complete the circle and hit the anchor bar in Buffalo for dinner. It was also distressing to see the gas prices creep above $4 in New York (they were about $3.40 in Oklahoma).

We arrived to a heroes welcome in Natick just before midnight (yes the kids were still up).

Overall it was a pretty easy drive and the 1600 miles went by in the blink of an eye.

One more wrap-up post in the next day or so....

Day 18 - Norman

The final full day for the family together on the epic roadtrip. We are already debating the timing of the West Coast version of the trip.


I went on a morning walk through campus and we hit the Sooner mall (as you can imagine this was not on my itinerary). We also hit the local Sonic drive-in for happy hour (1/2 price drinks and slushes) which was on my itinerary.



See pictures below of the cousins Ben and Lizzy. Ben loved the lens - Lizzie was a bit camera shy.

Karen and the kids fly out of Oklahoma City tomorrow morning and I hit the road for the trip back home. My Dad is flying into Oklahoma City and co-piloting on the way back to Natick. This will be a relatively grind as I am trying to make the trip in two days ~28 hours of driving.

Will update the blog on Thursday.

Day 17 - But it is a dry heat.....

Ellen Griswold: Stay in the car! It's hot and dangerous out here.
Aunt Edna: Don't you tell me what to do, I'll do what I want! I should never have come on this trip with you, I should have taken an airplane

102 degrees here in Norman Oklahoma. I love the heat (Karen - not so much) and enjoyed a walk around the campus of Oklahoma University with my brother-in-law at high noon. I also went for a brief run in the late afternoon.

We hit the Schlotzskys sandwich shop for lunch. Schlotzskys is one of my favorites but they are mostly in the western part of the US.

My brother in-law (Dan) and his wife (Christy) have two young kids Lizzy and Ben. They bought a house next to Christy's dad's house. It is a great old house right next to campus. We went over to Christy's Dad's house for a cookout. Christy's sister and brother were also there....

First day that I did not take any pictures. I had the camera out a few times but never pulled the trigger. After close to 800 pictures maybe burnout is setting in.... I have uploaded some of these to my Picasa site.

Day 16 - Oklahoma !!

Our hotel outside Kansas City had a free breakfast and pool - so we did not get an early start on the road to Oklahoma. Right outside our hotel was the once numerous Krispy Kreme donut shop. When I first started planning the trip there were 4 stores on the way to Niagara but all have now closed. All the stores in Massachusetts have also closed. Long live trans fats !!!

"I do not see any redeeming qualities to Kansas"

-Karen Olen

The trip down I-35 from Kansas City to Norman Oklahoma is pretty monotonous. I was very tempted to spend the afternoon at the Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas. How can you resist spending quality family time perusing "old school desks, class attendance records, teacher contracts, antique textbooks, and other artifacts " ?

We made a brief stop in Perry Oklahoma to visit with the former pastor of our church and his wife. He took a call at the First Presbyterian Church in Perry. Perry's main claim to fame is that Tim McVeigh was caught and held in Perry. It was nice catching up with them and seeing their church.

We arrived in Norman Oklahoma at Karen's brothers house in the early evening. Unfortunately we were awakened at 3am with Brett throwing up.... looks like Kelsey did pass her gift onto her younger brother.

Day 15 - Heartland

It was nice to be able to stay in one spot and not have to repack every night but the roadtrip must go on....

We left MN relatively early and headed down I-35 for the long trip through the heartland to Kansas City. Despite a few construction related slowdowns, the drive was relatively uneventful. We stopped for lunch in Ames Iowa and did a brief tour through Iowa State University. I have been pleased with the lack of whining about the long car rides.

We arrived in Kansas City 30 minutes before the first pitch of the game between (Royals vs Rays). We were a bit surprised at the heat in Kansas City (89 degrees at 7pm) but no complaints when it is Buck Night (dollar hot dogs, drinks and peanuts) !!

At the Twins game - I got tickets in the family (no alcohol) section. At the Royals game - not so much. We had a bunch of guys sitting behind us celebrating a 22nd birthday in style. They had apparently been drinking since about noon. Luckily they were actually pretty respectful and took a shine to Brett-O. Of course this makes us worry about his social network choices...

On two occasions I have gotten foul balls at major league games. Once was when I tracked it down after it had rolled over the roof box at Fenway and another was handed to me by a police officer. So I those really don't count as 'catching' a major league baseball. Our seats in Kauffman stadium we at the right field foul pole - 4 rows off the field. In the bottom of the ninth, Alex Gordon hit a shot to right field. I stood up as the ball arced toward the foul pole. A don't think I had to move more than an inch to catch the ball. Unfortunately it was a foul ball but we got a good souvenir and good memories for the kids. My hands still hurt....

On to Oklahoma.......

Day 14 - The Last of the Minnesotans

Our final day in the great state of Minnesota. The kids have been asking to return to the Mall of America because our first visit was focused only on the amusement park aspect of this spectacle of american consumerism. They wanted to hunt for souvenirs and also sucker us into a few more rides in the park. So we picked up my Mom and headed back down for an afternoon at the big mall.

A mall this large quickly runs out of the typical mall chain stores (Gap, FYE, Lids, etc.) and you get into some quirky specialty stores. There was one that was laser focused on the ultra competitive Alpaca clothing market. Sadly the mall had removed one of my favorite destinations - the General Mills store. You could make your own customized cereal box and choose from a wide range of unhealthy options to fill your box.

After escaping the Mall we returned to my Dad's for dinner. We snuck in a few last rides on the motorcycle and a few last games of ping pong. One of the cool features of my Dad's is the custom ping pong table in the basement that is emblazoned with ASU on one end and the University of Minnesota on the other. The kids have really improved their ping pong skills over the past week.

My Dad and his wife Nancy took our kids up to Stillwater for ice cream and Karen and I went out to meet up with my sister Nan for a final goodbye. My brother-in-law, Dave, tends bar one night a week at Sweeneys - so we met up there...

Tomorrow it is off to Kansas City........

Day 13 - The Old Miss

Today is the first day that Kelsey appears back to be fever-free and *fingers crossed* it appears that it was not passed on to anyone.

Each of the towns around here have community centers that make our community center in Natick look like a shanty town. The one in my Dad's town has a giant pool/waterpark (picture here) in addition to fitness center, gyms, snack bars, etc. The kids wanted to go to a neighboring town where they have a climbing structure similar to the one you would see in Chuck E Cheese - except 5 times bigger.

Instead of a classic Vacation quote - you can view this clip.

Our visit to MN coincided with the mid-summer aquatennial celebration in the Twin Cities. Two of the events are a 5K race and parade in downtown Minneapolis. We headed downtown so I could run in the race and then watch the torchlight parade.

On the way into the city - we had to make a stop at Porky's as Jake had declared these the 'Best Burgers in the Twin Cities'.

Before the parade and race we took in some of the sites around Minneapolis - including the Gutherie Theatre - which has spectacular views of the Mississippi and the construction of the new bridge (to replace the one that collapsed last summer). We also went by the University of Minnesota.

I have done two different 5k races this summer. The first I did not feel I ran very fast and had enough energy for a sprint at the end and the second I felt faster but had not kick at the end. Despite the different feelings - I finished both races within two seconds of each other 20:40 and 20:42. Although I had not been running very much on this vacation - I was hoping to improve on the 20:40 time as this race was in the evening and a flat course. Despite feeling like I ran a fast race - I finished in......drumroll...............20:40 on the nose.

Although there was some cool aspects of the parade - for the size of the crowd the parade was a bit subpar. It is not a very long parade route and half the bands that walked by were not even playing. So if you are ever in Minnesota during aquatennial - feel free to skip the parade.

Tomorrow is our last day in MN :(

Day 12 - Zoo

Another beautiful day in paradise. With the exception of a few downpours during our stay at Kalahari - we have has postcard perfect weather during the entire trip.

Motorcycle Cop: Do you know what the penalty for animal cruelty is in this state?

Clark: No, sir, I don't.

Motorcycle Cop: Well... it's probably pretty stiff.

We picked up my Mom early in the day and headed South to the Minnesota Zoo. A good zoo has to perform a delicate balancing act between having visitors be able to actually see the animals and the animals being in a natural expansive habitat. When I was a kid the animals were kept in empty cages smaller than my freshman year dorm room. This lead to great viewing of the animals but caused the animals to essentially go insane and pace back in forth for 10 hours per day. Not unlike me during an ASU game.

We all thought that the MN Zoo was awesome and contained many animals that we had never seen at visits to other Zoos. I was most impressed by the bald eagle - as they had rescued it with a broken wing and it was unable to fly - so it was majestic without having to do much (a quality that I attempt to replicate at work). We were also impressed with the Grizzly. Overall we spent close to 7 hours at the zoo and could have spent more - so it was a great day.

We had dinner at my Mom's place and ended a long day with a bonfire in the backyard and toasted marshmallows.

Day 11 - Hanging Out

The Surro family left this morning for the next leg of their adventure. They are heading to Cedar Point in Ohio - which is the mecca for roller coaster enthusiasts. They will then hit a Six Flags in Lake George NY before heading back to Boston.

Kelsey is still battling the fever - so Monday was another low key day in the heartland. We took her to a health clinic (inside a Target) and ruled out any strep throat or other infections.

For those of you who may be curious - this map shows you where we are staying in Minnesota.

It was another glorious day weather wise and Karen and I have been taking advantage of the nice area and trails surrounding my Dad's house for running and walking. In addition to the kubb and ping pong games, we also went to see the movie Wall-E.

We got the motorcycle up and running and I took Brett out for a spin. As you can image my wife was less than thrilled with this activity. I am not sure what the big deal is - I have only been in one major motorcycle accident.

If Kelsey is feeling better the plan is to hit the Minnesota Zoo tomorrow.

Day 10 - Baby Shower

I put on my best pair of shorts and my only button down shirt and went to my Dad's church with the rest of the clan. We came back and had Swedish pancakes for lunch - yum.

The ladies then headed off to a baby shower for my younger sister (Nancy) who is expecting her first child in September. Needless to say - I was quite happy this was not a Jack and Jill type of affair.

Kelsey has been battling a fever the last few days - and although the miracle of Motrin has allowed her to participate in most of the reindeer games we thought we would spend a more sedate day around the house.

In the evening, my brother Jeff departed back to Boston. The boys and I (along with the Surro family and my Mom) went to my sister Nancys house in Minneapolis for some pizza. The kids have gotten into playing a traditional Swedish game called kubb. As Wikipedia explains - it is combination of bowling and horseshoes. Below is a photo from a hotly contested game that pitted Jake, Brett and Christopher versus Alex, Caley and Connor. Who says Swedes don't know how to have fun ??

Day 9 - Twins Game

My niece Catherine is graduating from college (St. Olaf) this summer - so my mother hosted a gathering to celebrate this upcoming event. Although the weather looked threatening, the rain held off and we were able to celebrate in style. Below is a picture of my 4 siblings and my niece Catherine...

Clark: Oh Ellen, the old west was dirty. Everything isn't like home. If everything were like home, there would be no reason for leaving home. Right, Rusty?

One reason for leaving home is that you can actually take your kids to a major league baseball game without having to take out an unsecured loan. We had good seats to the Twins-Rangers game for $14 and that includes a hot dog and a coke. If that is not good enough - it was also Delmon Young bobblehead night ! As you can imagine Karen wanted to be there right when the gates opened to make sure they got the bobblehead....oh wait that was me. We had 16 people from our family attend the game and the Twins cruised to an easy victory.

Ellen Griswold: Clark, I need my vanity case. We've got to go back and look it. All of my credit cards are in it.

Clark: Honey, we can't. Because A: I already phoned the back and told them that you lost them. B: there's no way we're going to find it when we don't even know were it fell off. And C: I've got my credit cards and we sill have plenty of cash.

Ellen Griswold: No, we don't. You gave a loan of $500 to Eddie, and everything on this safari has already cost us twice as more then you figured out.

The first real bummer of the trip occurred tonight when my sister's mini-van was broken into while they were parked at the Twins game. They took their navigation system, iPod, video camera and some other stuff (including a memory card with bunch of digital pictures from the trip). Very depressing.....

Day 8 - Mall of America

Cousin Eddie: I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than tuna helper myself, don't you, Clark?

Clark: You're the gourmet around here, Eddie.

We had a relatively leisurely morning and then set off for one of the mandatory stops when we come to Minnesota - A&W. Unfortunately for my waist line - the mandatory stops never include places like - The Salad Emporium or the Carrot Stick Hut.

Marty Moose: Sorry, folks! We're closed for two weeks to clean and repair America's favorite family fun park. Sorry, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!

Our next stop was the Mall of America - the nations largest mall - complete with a Nick theme park in the middle. The Nick theme park replaced Camp Snoopy and the new park has more thrill rides for the older kids. Luckily the kids Uncle Jeff was around to do the honors on taking on these rides and I could be the official photographer of H2Olen.

After the thrills at the Mall - the siblings and spouses were able to go out for a nice dinner while the grandparents introduced the kids to an 1980's movie classic - Back to the Future.

Another fun day - although my credit card is beginning to beg for mercy.

Day 7 - On to Minnesota

We spent a good portion of the day at the Kalahari - getting our last slides in before we headed West. Jake was able to finally get some quality time on the wave rider and had a good time boogie boarding.

We stopped at a Target on the way to Minnesota and I was able to acquire another pair of shorts.

One of my vacation rules is that I do not shave on vacation - so I am starting a bit of a beard. This will not be a permanent feature but keeps the ladies off-balance.

Clark Griswald: So, this is the old homestead, eh?

Cousin Eddie: Yeah. I don't know for how much longer, though. The banks been after me like flies on a rib roast.

The ride to MN was smooth (~3 1/2 hours) and we arrived in time for dessert with family. Luckily my Dad has a house that has enough sleeping capacity to easily support my sisters family of 6 and our family. My brother Jeff arrived from Boston (via plane) just before midnight. So the full Olen contingent was now in MN.....

Mall of America is on tap.....

Day 6 - Kalahari !

We hit the outdoor park again with the Surros in the first part of the day before they left for Minnesota. Some thunder storms rolled in the late afternoon - sending everybody inside but surprisingly the indoor park was not mobbed.

One of our favorite slides was the swirls. They begin as a short, steep slide and then dump you into a toilet bowl shaped structure. There is one inside (body slide) and one outside (tubes). This video gives you a sense of the ride but does not do justice to the speed at which you are shot into the toilet bowl.

Our dinner was highlighted by a come from behind victory in the trivia game being played at one of the resorts restaurants.


Clark: [to the campground cashier] 37 dollars for three tents?



The Kalahari resort is similar to Disney in their attention to customer service and their ability to squeeze every last dime from your pocket. They employ the same trick as Disney and allow you to charge just about anything to your room by using your room key. I had signed up for package deal that had provided us with a bevy of game tokens for the arcade and a coupon to allow the kids to do an activity in the clay pottery room - so the damage was mainly done by $4 sodas.

We check out tomorrow but plan to spend a good part of the day in the water. Then we head to Minnesota (about a 3hr drive)

Day 5 - Into Wisconsin

I would have liked to have spent an extra day in Ludington Michigan - there was more places on the Lake Michigan coastal area that I would have enjoyed exploring.

Ellen Griswold: I honestly don't think we're going to find the Grand Canyon on this road. Clark: Jesus, it's only the biggest God-damn hole in the world.

Aunt Edna: Clark, watch your language!

Clark: Make that the second biggest.

Tuesday's mission was to cross the second biggest of the Great Lakes (by water volume) on the SS Badger. We got up bright and early and conquered the hotel's 'make your own waffle' without major injury.

I was a bit worried that the 4 hour lake crossing may be on the boring side but it turned out to be a great adventure. There were enough things to explore on the ship and the weather was great for hanging out on the bow of the ship. The whole family was entertained by the bingo games in the lounge. The 4 hours went by in a flash and it was a good learning experience for the kids.

Ellen Griswold: Clark, let's just skip the house of mud. I think Dodge City was enough for one day. Besides, Catherine and Eddie are expecting us.

Clark: It's living history Ellen. But if you'd rather see your cousins it's okay by me. Personally I'd rather see a pile of mud than Eddie.

We arrived at 11am in Manitowoc Wisconsin and headed southwest to the Wisconsin Dells. I decided to take the back roads instead of the freeway. I found it interesting but I think Karen and the kids lost interest in the small farming communities after about the third one. We also hit a construction detour that added about 45 minutes to our trip.

We finally arrived at the Kahlahari resort in the mid-afternoon on a glorious summer day. If you are a fan of water parks - this is nirvana.

Eddie: I got laid off when they closed that asbestos factory, and wouldn't you know it, the army cuts my disability pension because they said that the plate in my head wasn't big enough.

After we dump our stuff in the rooms - the kids are frothing at the mouth to get out to the slides. When we get to the outdoor portion of the water park - we spot the Surro's (they arrived a day earlier) and we are starting to get caught up. Suddenly Brett (our kid destined to get a plate in his head) says "I've got to go on a slide" and bolts. Luckily I was able to catch him (barely) before he headed down the most intense slide in the park.

The kids had a fantastic time on both the indoor and outdoor sections of the park and were exhausted by the time the park closed at 1opm. We have another day and a half at the resort and we (Karen) is looking forward not having to repack for one night.

View from our room

Day 4 - Michigan

After a quick exit from the Nicotine Lodge, we headed across the bridge to Port Huron Michigan. Our first stop back in the US - was a Bob's Big Boy for a hearty breakfast. Nothing lifts the spirits like spending some time with the Big Boy.

The next stop was a quick tour of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The three mandatory stops on the campus tour were the football stadium, the Spartan statue and the Dairy Store. It was a good mid-day stop on the way up to Ludington (despite what Karen may tell you).

Our next hotel was a big improvement and this one contained a nice pool with a big waterslide. After we let the kids enjoy the pool and slide- we headed down to spend some time at the beach on Lake Michigan. We had a nice dinner at a brew pub downtown and then hit the House of Flavors for our second ice cream stop of the day. Anytime you can get two ice creams in a day - is a good day... Being on the western edge of the time zone was also neat - as the sun did not set until well after 9pm.

Up early tomorrow for the ferry across lake Michigan.

Day 3 - Toronto and Beyond

The 3rd day of the H2Olen roadtrip started with our second trip to Tim Hortons - these coffee/donut establishments are as numerous in Canada as Dunkin Donuts are in the Boston area. We then made the short trip into Toronto. We walked a bit around Toronto before the kids and I went to the Blue Jays - Yankees game and Karen got some alone time to explore Toronto.

The weather for the game was glorious and the roof was open at the Rogers Centre. We had good seats in the upper deck behind home plate. The hometown Jays beat the Yankees 4-1 - so it was a great day at the ballpark (Kelsey's 1st MLB game).

After the game we headed West through Ontario and stopped to visit and have dinner with friends who had recently moved from Natick to near Guelph Ontario. They have a great house across the street from the hub of their community activities (libary, sport fields, community center). Below is a picture with the Schnurr family

We stayed a bit longer than we had planned and hit a bit of traffic on our way to our resting spot in Sarnia Ontario. As it turns out - we should not have been in a rush.

I pride myself in doing pretty extensive research. When scouting for hotels - I look at the amenities, read the reviews and even look at the satellite images on Google Earth to get a sense of location and neighborhood. None of that prevented me from completely whiffing on my pick in Sarnia. Sarnia is the last city in Canada before you head over the bridge to Michigan and it not loaded with 4-star hotels. I knew we would be rolling in relatively late and just needed a nice place to sleep. The Super 8 motel in Sarnia is, as it turns out, not a nice place to sleep.

The front entrance was under construction and was covered with scaffolding. Even though we reserved a non-smoking room - all they had left was a smoking room. Apparently the Malboro Man had been the previous guest in that room. We kept the window open for awhile to air the place out but of course our room faced the road - so we had to abandon that plan after awhile. Luckily we were all pretty exhausted from a long day and fell asleep fast. The free continental breakfast consisted of cheerios and something resembling english muffins. Even if you wanted to eat - they had seating for only two people (no joke !). Overall a disaster. The first real misstep of the trip. On the bright side - we were able to reinforce the evils of smoking with our kids.

Back to the USA.....

Day 2 - Niagara Falls

It takes most adults the better part of an hour to do the thing necessary to face the world (shower, coffee, etc). However our kids went from a dead sleep to plunging down a waterslide in about 10 minutes. I can learn a lesson in flexibility from them....

Ellen Griswold: [leaving the house] I turned off the water, the stove, the heat and the air, locked the door, notified the police, stopped the papers. I called to get the grass cut. Did I put the timers on the living-room lights?

My packing skills and a three week trip are not a good match. Today was the day I realized I only packed one pair of shorts. Karen thinks this is an issue. Me ? Not so much....

Rusty: i think i stabbed my brain

The kids spent the morning enjoying the pool/waterslide with their cousins. The pool features a cool mini-waterfall that likely gave Brett a concussion.

The afternoon was spent exploring the falls - the highlight being on the Maid of the Mist. The boat was packed with 599 people wearing blue rain jackets and one 6 year old in a tank top.

After a great day at the Falls we parted ways with the Surro family and headed North to Toronto. On the way up we hit our new favorite restaurant.

More later....

Day 1 - Boston to Niagara

Clark: Why aren't we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that.

The first day was set up to be the most arduous driving day but it really turned out to be a piece of cake. We hit the road at 5:30am and the first stop was in Albany for some breakfast at IHOP. It was the kids inagural visit to the Internation House of Pancackes and they had a great time. It was a bit surreal as the place was deserted (at 7:45 am). We also had the pleasure of being served by a waitress that looked like she easily could have voted for Herbert Hoover (and clearly was not happy to still be gainfully employed).

Next stop was in Syracuse at the Carousel Center - a shopping mall featuring a.......wait for it.......a carousel. The main reason for the stop was to use several Border book gift cards that we had been hoarding just for this type of entertainment emergency. Of course I get stuck with the smallest horse.

Clark: Roll 'em up!

Our final stop was at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo - where the Buffalo wing was invented. The neighborhoods leading into Anchor Bar featured bars on windows and gangs of youth looking less than productive. Unfortunately at the time I was unwillingly attempting to recreate the Seinfeld episode when Kramer takes a test drive and attempts to see how far he can go with the gas gauge on empty. This led to some marital tension that was resolved by finding a gas station where my chances of getting being personally involved in a drive-by shooting were less than 50 percent. Once we arrived at the Anchor Bar - all was well and we enjoyed the food and atmosphere.

We rolled into the Niagara Fallsview Hilton at 4pm. The Surro family arrived shortly after that and the cousins hit the pool/waterslide at the hotel before we went down to the Falls for fireworks. The fireworks were brief but beautiful over the falls that were lit up at night.

Clark: Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?

Cousin Eddie: Oh, nothing but the best.

We also hit the Clifton Hill section of Niagara Falls that features as many tourist traps and overpriced bad food that could be jammed on a hill. The nice part is that it is all accessed by a sidewalk that is about 4 feet wide . Which is especially fun when certain ethnic groups like to stop and take pictures every 10 feet.

It was a long day and the kids were asleep about 2 seconds after their heads hit the pillows at 11pm.

H2Olen Roadtrip Report - Prologue

The Olen family is hitting the road for an 2200 mile odyssey from Boston to Minnesota and Oklahoma. Nothing says roadtrip like $4.20 a gallon gasoline !

The trip starts on Friday July 11th and will end (for the rest of the family) when they fly home from Oklahoma on July 29th. I will be driving home and arrive July 31st. The map of the route can be found here.

My sister Kathy and her family will also be roadtripping out to Minnesota. They have their own itinerary but we will be meeting up at various points along the way.

I will try and update the blog on a periodic basis as we make our way across the country. The blog, as is the trip, will be inspired by the classic movie Vacation.

Ed: Now, I owe it to myself to tell you, Mr. Griswold, that if you are thinking of taking the tribe cross country, this is your automobile. The Wagon Queen Family Truckster. You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it.

The weeks and months leading up to the trip - I fretted about having enough space in out Hyundai Veracruz to hold the kids and our gear. I wanted to get a cargo box for the roof and spent about 2ox more time researching the options than I spent on shopping for Karen's engagement ring. My main concern was having enough room to fit in some of my favorite beer that can only found west of the Mississippi. And some people think my priorities are screwed up. In the end, thanks to Karen's judicous packing, we were able to fit in all the stuff without the addition of the Thule rack.

We are ready to hit the road.....