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I love that Amelia works on coloring sheets that are both beautiful and motivating just like she is.

Today was a unique day for us as we dropped Jen off at the airport in Atlanta so she could fly home for a couple appointments. It was very hectic at the airport and I’m sure she was a little uneasy leaving the kids and I to fend for ourselves. Of course Molly didn’t mind her not being around.

We headed north from ATL and landed at a state park in Georgia where we were given this beautiful site for the night.

We caught some tiny frogs, some glow bugs and even Molly after she took a stroll through the campground (she was probably looking for Jen).

the kids played in the splash pad as we watched the dark clouds roll in. Just in time we dried off and got back to our site.

This is my stuck inside in the rain face. As we laid in bed I was able to watch the news story for one of the projects I would be working on in Chattanooga TN for the Nation of Makers conference. We would be modifying this wheelchair:

For this beautiful young lady who just happens to also have the name Amelia 😁. Can’t wait to make her an awesome costume for her wheelchair.

we had our rest, toured Savannah and we’re ready to move on. We stopped by Fort Pulaski on Tybee island and did a walking tour with a guide. It was very educational and the weather was perfect.

After the tour we headed to our camp spot for the night. We got a spot right on the lake, but there was no swimming as the water was for the Gators! The weather was very temperamental and several times we had to hide out in the van for the torrents to finish falling.

We were able to knock out showers and laundry here as well as spend some time in a nice splash pad and playground. A pleasant stay for a couple nights for us.

Minnesota was a blur of emotion and family time. Celebrating the life of my grandma Madge who was a wonderful grandma and who’s presence here on Earth I will miss. We spent the night at my aunt and uncle’s in the cities before heading up to the falls which is on the border of Canada.

We even saw some snow as we drove up to the falls which got the kids excited, though we didn’t have enough time to play in it.

The service was great and having everyone together was really nice.

We got to spend some time with auntie KaCe too whom the kids really have missed since we left AZ.

We also got to spend some quality time with Grammy and Papa. The house we stayed at had a golf cart, so the kids got to take turns behind the wheel.

We tried to stop at Voyageurs National Park but picked the day the visitor center was closed. Oh well, we’ll be back up North before too long and can get another badge then.

There’s never enough quality time with Grammy, and the kids and Grammy soaked it up.

On our way out of town, we did stop for a photo shoot with Smokey the bear.

Molly never minds when Jen is out of her seat. As soon as she hears Jen’s seatbelt click, she stands up to jump in right behindJen.

we ended up at a state park in Wisconsin which became the most expensive campsite we’ve been at on this journey. The sites we’re all really sloped, so we moved over to a more level site (this wasn’t an issue as there were only a few other campers.

We checked out the visitor center and would have tried to do a tour, but the ranger said the self guided tour wasn’t available until the paid tours were sold out (found out later this was false).

Henry had a scab on his foot and couldn’t wear anything but flip flops until it healed, so we checked out of our campsite a day early, got back in the van and continued North.

there was a nice playground where we stopped for the night and it was right behind our site. There was also firewood left behind in several of the sites around us so we had a campfire too.

We settled into our boat launch site and today we aren’t going anywhere. We have a sand beach 100 yards away and it’s warm and humid here in Georgia.

We played in the water, had a picnic caught little crabs and snails, and met some new friends. It was a really good relaxing day, so much so that I never had my phone out to take a photo 🤷‍♂️

Tomorrow we’re going to do some exploring around Savannah so I’m sure I’ll get more photos then.

Our night at the boat ramp was quiet and warm. There were a couple people that pulled into the parking lot and left during the night. At 6AM we were woke up by a parking lot cleaner truck which is a combination of vacuum and leaf blower. After breakfast we hit the road and after a quick 30 minute drive we pulled over for our family park photo:

Congaree National Park was one none of us had heard of before the trip, but since we were in the area, we were gong to visit it.

The visitor center was nice, lots of great information regarding the process of preserving this unique landscape and a Jr. Ranger program that was free and fairly easy compared to some of the others the kids have completed. After being sworn in and receiving their badges, we all changed into mosquito fighting clothing, sprayed on some repellant and hit the boardwalk trail. We were blessed to see several interesting smaller creatures along with the unique flora that was surrounding us. It was a great hike and the kids did really well. Legs got tired and stomachs hungry so back to the van we went. Jen made lunches and we all ate while we drove South to our next destination, Savannah Georgia. This is our last state to visit in the Southeast and we’re going to spend a few days here exploring. It looks like the rain is going to be a constant threat, but that won’t stop us from finding some fun things to do while we wait to drop Jen off in Atlanta for a quick trip back to Phoenix.