TravelStream™ news feed for member johnsonfamily on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/johnsonfamily en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:34:52 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsonfamily/1/1211002920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsonfamily/1/1211002920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsonfamily/1/1211002920/tpod.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:34:52 -0400 American History Road Trip

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Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Fort McHenry There on so many historical things to see in the DC area it is sometimes hard to choose which ones to visit. On Becky's recommendation, we went with her to Fort McHenry on a slightly windy Saturday.  Fort McHenry is the birthplace of the National Anthem written by Francis Scott Key during the war of 1812. Seeing an exact replica of the flag waving in the sky over Fort McHenry was inspiring.  Funny how something so simple can represent something as vast as the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.  The fort was a great place to learn about the War of 1812.  This was only one of two stops on our trip about this war so we were appreciative of the education.  The kids were able to laugh and play freely with their cousins Charis and Kailey without the confinement of a museum but an open fort to run and explore.  Kailey even attempted to sing the national anthem (with a little help from her mom)!    
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New York, New York, United States

The big apple It is hard to imagine that many people in one place, but if you have ever been there, it is not that hard.  We arrived in Jersey City, New Jersey at our RV/Marina campground which consisted of a gravel space which we shared with 60 other camp spots.  The draw for this RV site besides being the closest to NYC (of course there was not a RV park in the city!), was that we could see the Statue of Liberty from our RV.  The night we arrived we walked to the Jersey shore to view Manhattan.  The next day we walked to the subway station and took the subway right over to the trade center site.  We walked through downtown Manhattan to the piers to take a cruise around the harbor.  The cruise gave a great view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the skyline.  We walked back through the financial district, around ground zero and back to Jersey on the subway. The sites and sounds of the city were a great experience for all of us, but the problem with so many people in one place is that you start to see them as objects, something to maneuver around, and something to pass when walking.  No eye contact, no smiles, people become objects.     A brief look at the Big Apple We arrived Monday afternoon in Jersey City, New Jersey.  People always ask how we are going to see the big cities with a motor home and no car.  We always said we would rent a car where necessary, but we have not had to so far.  We were able to find a RV park in Jersey City just a ferry or subway ride away from the city.  We even had a view of the Statue of Liberty from our motor home!  You couldn't ask for much more than that in the city (well, maybe room service, warmed towels and a pool!).  After catching up on some work and laundry, we walked down to the Jersey shore and enjoyed a great view of downtown Manhattan.  The weather was perfect and it made a great night.   Tuesday morning we missed the ferry so we took the subway into the city instead.  It ended up being a better option.  It was much cheaper and the kids were able to experience the subway.  We were also able to walk around the city a little before we made it out to the pier for our harbor cruise.  We knew we did not have a lot of time in the city so we chose the cruise to get a quick glimpse of everything.  It was very enjoyable.  We were able to see the Manhattan shore line, the Jersey shore line, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  We thought we should indulge in the NY tradition of a hot dog from a street vendor.  It was not all it was cracked up to be for the adults, but the kids enjoyed theirs.  Our subway stop was right in front of ground zero so we took the opportunity to walk around it.  We had reviewed it with the kids before hand so they could understand what went on there, but even for us it was more like a huge construction site.  The memorials are not in place yet so it took a bit of imagination for them to realize what had really happened there.  A quick subway ride brought us back to our RV site to pack up and head off to Massachusetts.    
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Fort collins, Colorado, United States

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Keystone, South Dakota, United States

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De Smet, South Dakota, United States

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Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

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Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, United States

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Dearborn, Michigan, United States

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Niagra Falls, New York, United States

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Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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