THE LAST AND FINAL.

This whole road trip has been a memory that I will never forget and will be talking about for multiple years to come. We were talking and came up with a conjoined list of our favorites:
-Whale Watch
-Diver Ed ocean expedition
-Mount Katahdin
-Driving through states with "new driving rules"
-Biking in Acadia
-Niagara falls
-All Ivy League schools (I think Dartmouth was the prettiest)
-9/11 memorial
-Most of all, ALL THE TIME IN THE CAR TOGETHER.
Thank you to everybody who read this blog to keep up with us or even is just visiting now to see how it all turned out. Don't hesitate to ask us about it if you see us at school, work, or just casually walking the streets. I'm so glad I got this last chance before having my own license to spend this time with my dad. It was a great ending to our road trip journey and as for the rest of our lives, The Adventure is Only Beginning.

Day 32. Kinda.

We saved the best for last! Which is what my lovely sister wanted to start this blog with. We are nearing the end here folks. Before the noon hour today we went to a creamery in Penn State which is not an Ivy League college so it was less interesting and exhilarating. Then we went to the last thing on my dads list of "Things I want to do on our road trip" list. It was the flight 93 crash sight of 9/11. It was very moving and impacting so see all of the heroes that lost their lives. We think the most touching one was a lady who had to reschedule from the day before for thunderstorms to this flight. Right now we are spending some time with my sister, Liesa, Niall, and the boys, Aram and Reijer. I am typing while they battle away at the toy lego video game?... Classic. Hang in there everybody who is reading! It is almost the end.

Day 32. Kinda

DAY 30!!!!!

Me and my father have been on this glorious trip for a month now! It has gone SO fast and has been filled with memories I am sure not to forget. This afternoon we went into town to rent some bikes. We then took those bikes on an approximate 15 mile ride in Acadia National Park. It was so fun to do something different and be outside by the lakes and trees. After we got back we had to go back to some stores we had gone yesterday to look for my moms sunglasses. Now after getting back to the hotel we realized we hadn't found the sunglasses but had gotten more clothes... We then went on a kind of boat excursion with a man called "Diver Ed". He would actually go down to the bottom of the ocean with a camera and show us the creatures he was finding. And then he would bring them up to the boat so we could see them closer and he would describe everything. He was so crazy and wack, just like my daddy. It was so entertaining and really fun for all ages. He also somehow found out it was my birthday recently? Thanks dad. So I got a toy lego set and a crab on my head.

Day 30

Day 29

Well this magnificent trip is winding down. Sad face. So yesterday we drove 15 hours up too Bar Harbor, Maine so we are pretty tired for today (well at least me). It's great to have mom here because we can go shopping! We also had a great conversation at breakfast about the dating life of Jane and Paul. It was quite interesting, and entertaining. After that, we took a bus tour around the town and up the Cadillac mountain. Which is the SECOND tallest mountain in Maine behind Katahdin, the one we brutally climbed. We got to go up to the ocean and it's so great to just listen and be near the smells of the ocean, I absolutely love it. After we were done with that, we were all pretty tired. But me and mom were not to tired to do some shopping to end the day.

Day 29

Day 27. (August 19)

I added the date because 16 years ago on this day, this lovely publisher arrived into the world. If this was my dad typing he would probably go into multiple different renditions of different "sweet 16" songs. But don't worry.  Well at the beginning of the day I didn't really know what was happening, so we first stopped off at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Which means that besides Hawaii and Alaska, me and my dad have only not been to about 6 state capitals. After that we went to the Three Mile Island, which my mother was interested in. It was apparently some nuclear power plant explosion in the ancient times? Then we came to our hotel in Harrisonburg, Virginia where we opened some presents including my car keys! (scary) Then we headed to their county fair. We are missing our Steele County Free fair in Owatonna so it was fun to be there but I didn't really get why it was so special... until they told me there was a concert. WE SAW THE BEACH BOYS! They are pretty old men but they can still sing! They have so many great songs and it was so much fun. I had a wonderful birthday and I have the best parents in the world.

Day 27

Day 26

JERSEY SHORE BABY! It was sad to have to leave this morning, but we had some good morning boardwalk time in before we departed. On our way to the airport we stopped at "Dickie Dee's" a Road Food diner known for their unique hot dogs. We then arrived at the airport where we waited for Mom/wifey/(Jane)! (Where we did various activities.) She will be a good edition to our adventure. Then my lovely parents surprised me with a trip to Hoboken, New Jersey, home of the Cake Boss! Probably my favorite Cake making Italian family surprise show EVER! We got to the line and thought to ourselves "Oh hey, for being such a popular show this isn't so bad." So after a half hour when we were almost in the door, an employee THEN comes around and asks if everybody has their tickets... we reply with "No?" And he proceeds to tell us that the line really starts across the street. Well another 2 hours later we got in the shop and made our purchases, including my lovely looking birthday cake for tomorrow. It was definitely worth the wait!

Day 26

Day 25

I am living the Jersey Shore experience! This morning we were still in Atlantic City and coincidentally there was an air show that was going on this morning so we walked out to the beach and watched that with our feet in the ocean. We then traveled the short hour trip to Seaside Heights, which is, for those who don't know, the home of the Jersey Shore cast. I really can't tell you why I am fond of this show but this is someplace I quite wanted to go! We visited their cast house, their favorite club and the T-shirt shop that they work at. Fascinating! And if just walking along the boardwalk isn't enjoyable enough, going along with our luck there was also a firework show tonight that was very fun!

Day 25

Day 24

Well the hobo looking man I have been traveling with was in much need of a good ol' fashioned shaving. So we headed to a little town with a local shaver-y and he was a new man! We then started our way to Atlantic City in New Jersey. Unfortunately I am not aloud to gamble :( but the show must go on. So we walked up and down (and under) the boardwalk for a long while, also walking along the beach. It was a very fun experience and very beautiful.

Day 24

Day 23

Let me just start this post by saying WE LOVE RAIN. It has pretty much been raining non-stop here on the Eastern Shore the past couple days. But do we get lazy and not participate in events? The old boring and tired Paul and Abby, maybe? But not these guys! Yesterday we were at Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world. (For you, Mom). Then today we started the morning by driving to the tip of Cape Cod and went on a whale watch. It was definitely up there on my favorite things of this trip so far. It was so fun, just the boat ride itself was worth the price of admission. We got some great pictures of the whales that were just so friendly and show-off-y today! They would literally swim right next to our boat and wave at us. You have to see these pictures. Then we had the Cape Cod experience and ate lunch at a little local cafe and walked around the crowded streets to the local shops in Provincetown.

Day 23

IT'S DAY 21.

This is just the best day ever! You know why?????... Because there is not really a reason but you get to read this well published blog anyway. (: So today we are still staying in Kingston with Margaret and Pat and we have had some DELICIOUS home-cooked meals. We went to the farmer's market this morning and got some strawberries and raspberries along with some other goodies. We were her on the right days because that market was amazing. After that we went to the home of FDR which is right near there in Hyde Park. We toured his home, saw his grave, and if you look at the pictures even got to have some tea with the man.

Day 21

Day 20

We manged to get out of Boston this morning with the lack of delays. After that we headed to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island so we of course stopped at the capital for a photo op. On our way to Yale we also stopped at the Liberty Elm Diner which was featured on the Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". All of their food was organic and locally grown.. and DELICIOUS! After the beautiful Yale we drove to Kingston, New York and we are staying with Paul's step-sister tonight for that much needed "Home feel".

Day 20

Day 19

So we have been in Boston since yesterday but today all we did was sight-see. This is such a history filled town with so much to see! We stopped by the capital, got a harbor boat ride, got some good eats, and toured Harvard. We felt very smart there. My only complaint is the lack of shopping skills within my dad (but maybe it's good on a different account). I am loving this beautiful city!

Day 19

Day 17

"SCOOOOOOREEEE!" Can you imagine my father yelling this in a nice little museum? Well I can. We started the day going to The Basketball Hall of Fame. I'm not really a "museum person" compared to my dad who loves them and wants to read everything but this museum was pretty interesting with a lot of fun little gadgets to play with..and the learning part, that was fun too. Then we went to the Six Flags in Springfield, Massachusetts for just about an hour and a half before it started down pouring and all the rides closed. But for some reason after that hike a couple days ago we feel like we can do anything. Even ride roller coasters in the rain.

Day 17

Day 16

We treated ourselves to sleeping in this morning after getting in at 12:30 last night and being very sore. We had fun today by challenging each other to see who could put their hands over their head, poke their legs, and walk down the stairs the fastest. Well after that fun we headed to Concord, New Hampshire and Dartmouth College, the smallest of the Ivy League schools though it was very quaint and beautiful. We stopped at a local cafe by the college and got some tea and cookies. We then drove to Richardson's Candy Kitchen in Deerfield, Massachusetts which was on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, a show on the Food Network. They had the BEST chocolate we have ever tasted.

Day 16

Day 15

Today we woke up bright and early in a little town in Maine. It was the closest town to the Baxter State Park which was where we got to hike to the northern terminus of the Applachian Trail! Now, you may be thinking that this was just similar to the southern terminus earlier in the trip.. well you are surely mistaken. There are about six trails that go up to the top of the mountain and of course, being us we signed up for the "shortest one" but that was not so obviously the steepest one. We are talking about one notch lower than mountain climbing. Fallen rocks going straight up the 3.8 mile trail. It really tested what kind of shape we were in. I personally really liked it and unlike father, he got a little sick on the way down and would probably rather chew glass than do it again. I difinitely hope I get to do it again sometime in my life. And just in case you haven't caught on how bad it was, we started at 7AM and completed it at 5:30.

road trip 2011

Day 13

The best thing happened today, we went to the center of all cheeses! It was Cabot, Vermont and it was a beautiful plethora of the most amazing cheese in the world. I was a happy lady today. Then we headed to another beautiful place, but a different kind of beautiful, Mount Washington. That's the highest mountain in the northeast but it definitely seemed higher than some of the other mountains we've been upon. Probably because we got to about the sixth mile of the ride up we would took to our left and only see white (because we were in the clouds, if you were confused). It was one of the most beautiful experiences ever so sorry for the excessive amounts of pictures of the mountains. At the top of the mountain it was down about 20 degrees and it reached the all time wind high of 231 mph in 1934. But we were not fortunate to get that delicacy.
We then went to the A1 Diner in August, Maine which was a tiny diner with big deliciousness. Then we of course went to the lovely capital and called the day a wrap.

Day 13

Day 12

We began the day with lots of driving. Good story. We ended up at Albany, New York to get some photographs and then off to Montpelier, Vermont. It seems that we always catch the capitals when their under construction.. But then on to my favorite part of the day, The Ben & Jerry's factory! We got to go on a tour and got  some free samples. The only part I remember of the tour though is that the employees get 3 free pints of ice cream every day they work. I bet they have a lot of friends.

Day 12

Day 11

Sorry about Day 10 for you avid readers. I neglected to write because our day consisted of driving and an amusement park where we DID get to ride the Kingda Ka which is the tallest and fastest coaster in the world! But that's all that I would have been able to say, I hope you didn't get too stressed out.
Now on to today. We began this lovely rainy day with a trip to Cornell college and it was just beautiful despite it being atop a hill with most roads under construction but we got there nonetheless. Then onto a local "good foods" deli where we got their famous (ish) pizza on bread thingy? well whatever it's called it was delicious. We then headed to the great Niagra Falls, where neither of us have been before. We rode the Maid of the Mist right to the center of the falls where it didn't matter if it was raining or not. And let me just say it was an amazing experience! We ended the day with the Anchor Bar, the home of the buffalo wild wing located in Buffalo, New York coincidentally. It was a very adventure-filled day.

Day 11

Day 9

This morning we awoke to a lovely fire drill (which was deja vu from four years ago when this happened previously in the middle of the night). On that lovely note we departed and went to Dover, Delaware on our long list of capitals. Then we hit up a restaurant called Charcoal Pit which personally had the BEST hamburger I'm pretty sure I have ever had, along with a delicious old fashioned malt! We then headed north to the University of Pennsylvania. College visits are something I am very interested in doing on this trip so we will see how many we can get out of it so we explored the beautiful campus. We then headed to Trenton, New Jersey and Princeton University that was close ahead. Now since we are in New Jersey I really want to hit the Jersey shore and possibly meet my favorite cast members but I do not believe my father is quite into that.. but leave a comment and give me support!

Day 9

Day 8

We started off the day with a Gettysburg tour. It's about time that we got some real educational value on this trip. I love learning.. HA. But it was a very thorough tour and I DID actually learn some new things. We got to see where the battle actually took place and to picture the whole ground covered in bodies along with seeing the cemetery. Then we drove to Mitchelville, Maryland, right outside of Washington D.C. and went to a six flags amusement park and ended the night with an amazing Italian restaurant.

Day 8

Day 7

Well I knew there would be one of these days that consisted of just driving. But we entertained ourselves with multiple various activities. Just see for yourself, go slideshow for this one.

Day 7

Day 6

Today we started driving the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a 400 mile road along the crest of the Appalachian Trail. There are many trees, overlooks, and..thats about it, on this road. It is very beautiful though. The sight of the mountains just to the right of you never gets old. We also stopped by the town of Mt. Airy or "Mayberry" as some Andy Griffith watchers might call it. My dad is very into this town and got quite excited which was cute and as for me I just know the theme song.

Day 6

Day 5

We drove to Clingman's Dome today, which is the highest point in the Smokey Mountains, standing at about 6,650 feet. When we got there we had to walk up a paved road that claimed to be .5 miles, but since it was going upwards seemed much longer! I for one, was panting. Great Smokey Mountain National park is the #1 most visited national park in the US, even before Yellowstone. After the park we drove through North Carolina again to Tennessee to the wonderful place of Dollywood! They had the best wooden roller coaster I believe I have ever been on. I was air born for most of the ride. They also had some amazing little food shops with red potatoes, BBQ, and warm cinnamon buns. We can't tell if we are eating more or exercising more? After waddling into our hotel room I'm starting to believe the first one.

Day 5

Day 4

We finally got our ribs! We went to a local Georgian restaurant called Johny's and it was amazing with its specialty vinegar barbecue sauce and all. So that was the beginning of our day, the rest of the day went a little more "un-smooth". After about four hours of driving in the morning we got to Amicalola State Park, the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. After asking three different people whom each gave us different directions, we found out that we had to go back out of the park and drive 45 more minutes. Now you must know that me and my dearest father are not the best at remembering directions. So we spent a good two hours on the same road looking for the little sign that would read "Springer Mountain this way." Well we finally found it with the help from the locals and got to do our mile hike up to the official start of the Trail! It was exciting. Getting out of the park was a different story. Our GPS was apparently over-heated and kept wanting to send us in circles. FYI for the future: Don't go on gravel roads with wire and large rocks that say Dead End/WARNING/Private Property with your low slung car.

Day 4

Day 3

Today we realized it's harder to get ribs in North and South Carolina then you would assume. We tried three places that were rated very greatly for their amazing BBQ and they were either boarded up or "out of ribs". One coincidentally was open every day besides Tuesday.. But other than that, I GOT TO DRIVE TODAY! (That's for you, Mom.) It was quite an experience. Our GPS told us to take the ferry over the bay to get where we were going so I got to drive onto the boat. I also ran over a black snake? Quite random and scary for the driver.  So besides those attractions we went to Raleigh, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina.
P.S. Click on the picture albums for enlargement and a greater multitude of photos with captions.
P.P.S. Check out the video from yesterday. ;)

Day 3

Day 2

We spent this lovely (or so we thought) day in Williamsburg, Virginia, the home of Busch Gardens. This amusement park has been rated #1 as the most beautiful park for the past 25 years and it sure was! It had a very different (clean) feeling then yesterdays. It seems that it was more about the experience than the number of rides at this one. Our favorite ride was the Griffon, when you're approaching the 90 degree angle drop it stalls you there for a couple seconds before dropping. SCARY. So the rides were quite spectacular and for some reason we have been really lucky with the "line" situation. They haven't been any! This was also the first day we got annoyed with each other and this will be the only count you will get because I'm already starting to lose track. Anyhow it started down pouring near the end of the day and they wouldn't let us leave the park? Who does that? But we got home eventually after two hours and I enjoyed the rain and the re-rides the whole day so it was a good one.

Click below for video. Day 2 From Day 2

Day 1

Alright. I'm considering today as the first day of our long and exciting trip. Two days ago my dad picked me up after my amazing mission trip, in Annapolis, Maryland. So we stopped at the capital and went to Chick and Ruth's Diner which was great and served pickles for appetizers! Today and yesterday we stayed in Doswell, Virginia in a hotel that was right next to King's Dominion amusement park. Our favorite ride was the Intimidator 305 which was how many feet the highest point was. I blacked out every time we went on it (which was about 10). We finished off the day with a rib joint called Ronnie's, located in Richmond in the middle of nowhere in a trailer home. Sadly they were out of ribs but I must say they had the best pulled pork I have ever had. Don't judge by the location. Great start to our trip!

Day 1

WELCOME.

I, Abby Krumrie will be using this blog to keep a record of our long and amazing trip through the Appalachian mountains. Now usually when we say this people are astonished that we will be hiking the whole trail in 1 month. But not to be confused, we are driving! (I wanted to hike it but he wouldn't let me..) And nonetheless it will still be quite as amazing. Come here every day as I will post pictures and videos of that days attractions, a detailed description of what we saw and interesting things said in the car. With us in the car for the majority of the day, I hope we can handle it.. Our journey begins on July 24th. So return to see all of the FUN that will be happening!