Yum, yum, yum!

So, has the suspense been killing you? Hope not, I would really hate to think I had that much hold on my readers ;o)

When we last met, I was going on and on about our first night in Atlantic City. After we checked in and before we went swimming, we checked out the BEST restaurant around for a quick hamburger and fries. I must say it again, THE BEST!!

Warning....viewing the next few photos may cause your arteries clog and mysterious weight to attach to your behind!



If you haven't cheated and looked at the photos yet, I'm talking about 5 Guys.

We are the type that always like to try new things when we are on vacation. You can find the golden arches or little red-headed girl everywhere, but sometimes you are in the mood to try the local cuisine. We actually stumbled on this place while trying to turn around and get over to a gas station. At this time of night we were just hungry and were not in the mood to get all fancied up for a sit-down.


Inside the 5 Guys restaurant of Atlantic City.

Walking in, the place was very clean and organized. The menu board was simple, but not the decision. There were a lot of combinations and choices, but we just couldn't decide. We had to ask for recommendations. The guys (and gal) behind the counter really gave some super suggestions. Now for the wait.


Here's the crew...these guys ROCKED!

While you wait, there are boxes of shelled peanuts for the customers to snack on to get things started off right. We really only had to wait about 5 minutes or so while our order was made. Brown-bagged and ready to go, our order was up! Imagine our delight when we opened up our foil-wrapped sandwiches...


Please, don't drool on your keyboard!
Here's the burger Matt had--what a monster!

And the fresh-cut fries! She literally gave us a grocery sack full of them!

The fries...wow! These were just like the heart-attack fries you get at the fairs and carnivals. I don't know if she made too many or if she thought we needed them but I noticed the woman working just scooping the fries into a brown sack. It seems when she finished filling the cups that she didn't need the rest she dropped, so just our luck :o)


Taylor was a happy camper!

Two thumbs up! We even chatted up with the crew a bit before we headed back to our rooms. 5 Guys...we will be back!!

If you'd like more information about this and other 5 Guys restaurants, please CLICK HERE.

Have a favorite local restaurant? I'd love to hear from ya! Who knows, we may stop by sometime!

Until next time...

Up, up and AWAY!

When I last left off, we were heading south on the Garden State Parkway towards Long Beach Island. There is only one way in and out, so to get to our next stop, the Barnegat Lighthouse, we had to drive 20 miles past it and back-track on the island to it.

Crossing the causeway was very beautiful. It felt as if we were entering another world. Island life has a feel all it's own; from the laid-back lifestyle and beautiful scenery, it's no wonder that's where everyone wants to be. We passed some very beautiful yet very expensive beach homes along the way.

After traveling about 20 minutes back on the island, we finally made it. The Barnegat Lighthouse, aka Old Barney, was very beautiful poking out from behind the trees. Before we even left home I was determined THIS was going to be the light I climbed. Now, facing my fear head on, I was not quite so sure.


Barnegat Lighthouse "Old Barney" as others know it as.

Pulling into the State Park, Taylor of course had to use the potty. I have been on potty patrol all day, thank goodness this time she asked for daddy to take her. It gave me a few moments to walk around and snap a few shots while they were busy. When they found me near the museum, Taylor was overcome with excitement. No, not for what you may be thinking, but because while she was in the potty a bird decided to land on top of the skylight and peck at the glass. To a 3 year old, this is a HUGE deal! She said she tried and tried to yell at him but he just wouldn't move. Oh my, you gotta love her!

Back together again, we went into the museum. There was loads of information inside. Life-like models showing the old light, old keeper's quarters, as well as diagrams showing how they are desperately trying to save the light due to shore erosion.


Taylor standing by a photo of the Barnegat Light.

As we were leaving the museum, I was talking with an older gentleman who was working at the counter. I told him I was wanting to climb the tower, but was unsure if I could make it. He told me how many times he himself has been to the top and how beautiful the view is and so forth. OK, if he can do it, I can do it. Plus, he said he would give me a certificate when I came back down.


So there he is...I'm going up HOW FAR??

Admission to the lighthouse was a bargain, only $1! Matt and Taylor chickened out and were going to stay at the bottom and look for me at the top. Shaking, I handed the gentleman my dollar and up I started.


How old are these stairs, and HOW MANY??

Starting the climb wasn't too bad. I started off counting all of the steps; 1..2..3...about every 30-31 steps there was a landing at each window. When I got up to about 50 or so I couldn't do it anymore, I was going to drive myself crazy trying to count all the steps to the top. ALL 217 OF THEM!! Giving you a bit of an insight, I've already chickened out on the climb up to the top of Marblehead Lighthouse numerous times (a mere 65' tall compared to the nearly 172' "Old Barney".)


One of the first views from the top.

I was almost ready to give up. My body was really starting to shake with nerves, and it took all I had not to look down, let alone think about it. What in the HECK was I doing??? The climb to the top took about 15 minutes. Finally, there I was at the top. Boy was that ever windy! As soon as I stepped out onto the ledge, a huge gust of wind came and nearly pushed me over. All of a sudden there was a group of smart-a$$ teens that thought it would be hilarious to start pushing each other and clowning around on the very narrow walk. Great. I just moved my way around them (definitely giving dirty looks) and got to a quiet area of the tower.


What a sight!

OK, now I'm here, but how long was I going to stay. The wind was really strong and I did what I set out to do, I made it to the top! Now the challenge was to get back on the ground in one piece. I snapped a few more photos then decided one trip around the top was the most I was going to push myself to do. Circling back to the door, I was on my way back down. To be very honest, I thought I was the slowest one going down. One step at a time, and don't look down!


DON'T LOOK DOWN!!

When I got down to the first landing, I ran into a mother and her two children. They were in the same boat I was, so we decided safety in numbers! We began as a train of slow moving traffic back down the staircase. Every so often we would have some thrill seekers pass us on the stairs which was nowhere near wide enough to do this.


Another view from the top!

The mother was kind enough to keep track of how much further we had to go (since I was not looking!) Sweet sound to my ears, she said we had two more landings to go. By the time I made it to the bottom my shirt was soaked with sweat and my heart was pounding 100 miles a minute. BUT I DID IT!! Now I was so overcome with excitement I wanted my official "I climbed Old Barney" certificate and I was ready for a drink.


I still can't believe I climbed to the top!

Matt and Taylor were waiting for me on the ground, what a sight for sore eyes! We continued to walk around the park, checking out a very nice concreted boardwalk around the inlet. It was getting time to move on, and since Taylor had been very good all day, Matt had a trick up his sleeve for a treat.

On the way to the light, Matt seen a Dairy Queen a few roads up and thought it would be a good stop. A treat for me for overcoming my fears and Taylor for listening very well and having no accidents so far on the whole trip. Taylor and I both got small size slushies mixed with soft serve ice cream. Matt got a medium size pineapple milkshake. Now typically at our DQ, this would've been $4.55 or so for our whole order. You should have seen the sticker shock on Matt's face when the woman asked for $12! You heard me right, $12! When Matt got back to us in the car he commented we better enjoy these to the last drop, because we weren't buying anymore ice cream on this trip!


Here's a bit of advice; if you stop at this Dairy Queen, just hand over your wallet!

OK, so this ice cream must have been made with a golden spoon, but we weren't going to let this bring us down. One more stop before we left Long Beach Island (LBI), a souvenir shop. Taylor's little cousin, Shelby, was going to be turning 7 next week. We wanted to get her and Nana a little gift from our trip. We were in luck. We found a very nice little local shop that had just the right gifts we were looking for. Matt found a pair of swim trunks 60% off and Taylor picked out shells for Nana, Shelby and herself. I thought the shark's tooth in a jar was pretty cool, but opted for the shells for the girls instead. As we were shopping a small storm was passing through. You should have seen everyone scramble to get indoors! Unless I missed something, I didn't think one little dark cloud warranted a full-fledged panic.

We finished up on the island and continued to head south towards Atlantic City. Taylor really wanted to stay on the beach longer, but we really wanted to find a room earlier than the previous night. Looking through my Roomsaver coupons, I found a motel not too far from Atlantic City for only $33 a night! They sounded pretty respectable, and were in a good location in Absecon. Boy were we in for a surprise!


First glance, things don't look too scary. Wait...is this where we're staying the night?

Pulling off the freeway, I spotted the sign right away. As we got closer, Matt noticed the windows were boarded up as well as the symbol painted on the side of the building. The back building looked as if it was recently on fire! The sight was such a shocker we had to turn around so I could get a couple of shots, unless you were there with us, no one was going to believe this was the place we were going to stay!

We laughed it off and moved on. Lucky for us the whole strip was filled with motels all competing for visitors. There were a couple we considered, but finally locked down a room at the Quality Inn. The kicker...the Waffles! (long story...but rest assure, we know how to make waffles!)


Our "Home" for the night as Taylor would call it.

After unloading, we headed to get dinner from a hamburger joint down the street. (More info on that to come!) After dinner we headed back to the room. The outdoor heated pool closed at 8pm, the time...7:55! I told Matt they wouldn't kick us out if we got there in a hurry, so off we ran!


You can see our room in this photo.

Boy that water was HOT! I would guess the water was nearly 95 degrees, we're talking bath water! You could see as we were getting in, a motel owner/worker was waiting around like he wanted to lock the gate, but once we jumped in, he gave up his mission and walked back inside. The pool itself was pretty neat and toddler friendly. The "shallow" end was a very gradual slope from 1.5' to a max depth of 5' in the "deep" end. The pool was perfect for Taylor. For almost a year now she has been taking swim lessons at the Sandusky County YMCA, but mommy always worries. This was the first time she could touch bottom and walk around. All Matt and I had to do was stay in the center where the floor started to drop off to remind her where she had to start swimming. It gave her a chance to build up some confidence (more for mommy's sake) that she could be in the pool and not be "hovered" over.


The pool or bath, your call.

While we were enjoying the water we couldn't help but notice 3 or 4 mini vans pass with children pointing out the window at us. Well, not us exactly, but they seen us in the pool and were trying to convince their parents they wanted to do the same. Sure enough, within 10 minutes we had 4 families in the water with us. That was until "the big" one came through. A storm rapidly approaching made the sky very dark and distant thunder could be heard. Everyone started to hustle a bit faster when the first flash of lightning lit up the dark clouds. It was time to move. That night I do remember hearing a bit of the storm pass through, but all was well by morning.

I promise to tell you where we ate and what excitement we had, but for now I'm gonna leave you in suspense.

Until next time...

Sandy Hook, yes it is.

After leaving the Navesink Lighthouse, we headed across the bridge over to Sandy Hook. The traffic leaving the state park was backed up over a mile, everyone by this time of night was trying to leave. We on the other hand, were trying to get in!



Sandy Hook Lighthouse

We traveled about 3/4 of the way out the peninsula and finally found the light. Wouldn't you know it, the same family we met up in the Highlands were following us to Sandy Hook as well! We couldn't believe the traffic, wonder how long it was going to take us to get out? (keep in mind, we still have no place to stay tonight!)


More of the Sandy Hook light

We stayed a bit and snapped a few photos before we decided to move along and try our luck on one of the beaches. We came across these "battery" is what the sign said. They really peaked our interest. If you'd like to know more information about the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and surrounding area,
please click HERE or click HERE!


battery, I think?

We really struck gold on the tip of Sandy Hook. Wow. It was a long, long trek in some very soft sand. In the words of Taylor, my 3 year old, "Mommy, this is like exercise class!" It was horrid trying to walk through that, but boy was the view worth it! From the beach we got some awesome closer views of the NYC skyline, as well as two more lights, the Romer Shoal Light, and the West Bank Lighthouse.


Romer Shoal Light is only located 2.4 miles due north of the northern tip of Sandy Hook in Lower New York Bay.


West Bank Lighthouse is west of the Romer Shoal Light in the Lower New York Bay.

While enjoying the view, we were surprised by an unexpected visitor that came passing by...



...this HUGE Ocean Liner came cruising by, nearly 100 yards off shore! The wake alone created a tsunami effect that sent us running back from the water's edge.

We gathered some shells, but left this "shell" alone. At this point we didn't know what we had found yet, but we would learn later on the beach in front of us was loads of Horseshoe Crab. As much as Taylor wanted to pick them up, we had no way of transporting that thing.


A female Horseshoe Crab Carcass on the beach.

Time was slipping away, and we had the task of finding a place for our heads for the night, one last shot of the beautiful bay, then off we went.


The calm before the storm.

If you refer back to my post about the Navesink Lighthouse, this lighthouse and surrounding military base is definitely in the same category. It is on my list of places we need to visit again! Maybe if (or when) we visit NYC we can make a stop back here?

So now we're driving into the night. GPS both helps and hurts. No matter if we used it or not, we could not find the motel we were planning on staying at for the night. When the GPS said we arrived, we were in the middle of a mall parking lot. Humm, maybe its under that asphalt?

Plan B, find a different motel. After getting the jerk around by Red Roof Inn* (litterally, the "boy" was a jerk!)we found our haven....Days Inn in Neptune, NJ.

*ok, side note...why publish coupons when you are NOT going to honor them?? I had 3 Red Roof Inn coupons and the "dude" behind the counter didn't know how to use the computer, so he didn't know how to enter the codes in to give us the discount. Come on?? The only code he said he knew was the AAA discount. He was such a tool, I took my coupons and left, thank goodness I did!

Drum roll please....THIS was WAY better than Red Roof Inn!


Days Inn...our #1 pick, look, our room was so cute!

The staff, the price, the location, brand new rooms...all were an A++ here! It was late, almost 9:30 pm, we haven't ate since lunch at noon, and we are DEAD TIRED! The woman behind the counter gave us a super great rate and even pointed us in the direction of our favorite pizza splurge..Papa John's! She even gave me a great map and directions for the following day on short cuts to the best beach!



Papa John's Pizza...the good ole' days.

Hands down, Days Inn in Neptune, NJ. If we're in the area again, we will look you up! I even told the woman we'd see her next year as I took a business card. So the end of the day, all is well that ends well.

Up and at them at 7 am for a super breakfast, and it was free! Off to the beach we go for a relaxing day in the sun, but that's for later!

Until next time...

Spring is in the air.

Last weekend the family loaded up in the Jeep to take a little day trip to Sandusky Ohio. We met early that morning to enjoy breakfast at Pond-a-cow (aka. Ponderosa). Funny story, growing up our family used to frequent Ponderosa for any type of family gathering/dinner/holiday and had many, um, experiences. There was one Easter everyone in our family had to rotate in and out of the bathroom after our dining experience. Imagine, a family of four taking numbers to use the only bathroom in the house! Yeah, it took us a long time to go back! My mother would make comments that it was like feeding time at the zoo when she walked in there, stuff yourself til you puke!


Ponderosa (aka. pond-a-cow) a great place NOW for breakfast!

Jumping forward about 20 years, we have grown more to enjoy their new Sunday morning breakfast bar. They really have cleaned up their act. It helps a good friend of ours is also a manager there, so if we EVER have a concern, Cheryl will take care of it! Today's breakfast was filled with pancakes, waffles, french toast and custom-made omelets. Taylor even had a bowl of ice cream to top it all off! After breakfast we headed off to Sandusky. My mom had picked up free tickets to the Kalahari Home and Garden Show saving us a boat-load of mulah($6.00 each savings)!


Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio @ dusk.

Walking into the beautiful conference hall, the smell of fresh blooms filled the air. Patience, we will get there soon enough. If you'd like more information about Kalahari resort and their WONDERFUL water resort, check out their ad on my side bar (then I'll get credit for your click, hehe)or you could CLICK HERE!


Kalahari Resorts...someday we may even stay the night!

We made our way around the halls of the conference hall, picking up an array of freebies; candy, pencils, business cards, magnets etc. The coolest freebie, cash! One of the credit unions booths was even giving away "green bags" cloth grocery bags. Of course I wanted one, but there was a catch. You had to sign up for, wait for it, a drawing! Almost always followed by the annoying telemarketing calls-yuck! Cool part was they had a big basket filled with green plastic Easter eggs that you also got to pick out of after you signed up. Cringing, I did it anyways, and checked the do not call me box very clear. I didn't want to be the only one having all of the fun, so I pushed Taylor towards the basket and told her to pick out an egg. Yay for Tay, my lil bug opened an egg with a dollar bill in it, $1.00 hard cold cash for her piggy bank! You would've thought she won the lottery, she was hooting and hollering like it was a million. My mother, on the other hand, opened one of the MANY dud eggs. Oh well, we all can't be winners!


Aahh..take a deep breath, I've turned on the scent just for you!

Next, we walked into the long awaited "nursery" rooms. These side meeting rooms are filled from top to bottom with beautiful trees and blooming flowers galore. Usual centerpiece is a stone or brick patio, but a really neat addition this year, the water fountain wall. I could hardly keep Taylor's hands out of it.


Taylor playing in the water, surprise, surprise!

We loved walking through here, dreaming, and the fragrance was unbelievable! Taylor wanted mommy to take her picture next to every single flower in the room. I only picked a couple, she literally took dozens! I can't help it though, she is such a camera ham!


Taylor posing...and posing some more!

Overall, it was a very good day. We got to see what everyone was offering in home improvements out there, as well as really get some spring in our system. I didn't mind getting out of the house too. Someday we may stay overnight and check out Kalahari's huge indoor water park, but for now we'll just admire it from a distance.

Until next time...

Lighthouses and fish...what a day!

Looking through some more photos I came across one lone little lighthouse, The old Port Clinton Lighthouse in Port Clinton Ohio. We often refer to this city as the "gateway to the islands". From Port Clinton/ Catawba you can catch the two main ferry services over to the Lake Erie Islands and Put-in-bay.


The Jet Express and The Miller Ferry, the easiest way to the islands!

Today's trip we didn't venture over to the islands, we just stayed on the mainland. Today we were searching for the Old Port Clinton Light. Many guides I had referred to placed this light somewhere on the Portage River in a private marina. If anyone has ever visited Port Clinton, you know there are literally dozens upon dozens of private marinas along the Portage River and lakefront. Our first stop was the Yacht club. I must say, even though the light was not hiding here, they were very helpful in pointing us in the right direction. They were so welcoming, we didn't feel the least bit out of place!

With better directions, we weren't too far from the light, or remnants of it. This light long ago was much taller and located on the breakwall at the mouth of the river. Story goes it was moved in the 60's to its present home in Brands marina after years of bickering over the light.


The Old Port Clinton Lighthouse @ Brands Marina on the Portage River.

We captured a couple of photos of our "little" light then voted on where we would go for lunch. There was no argument, Jolly Rogers Seafood Restaurant is the hands down local favorite for fish. A bit pricey, but very good. We usually make a couple of trips for lent (to start the season off right), and another trip during the summer (though the wait is sometimes unbearable).

photo uploading shortly
Jolly Rogers Seafood Restaurant in Port Clinton Ohio.

The end of a great day; another lighthouse visit and full bellies, what else could you ask for! I'll keep looking through my photos, I'm sure there are plenty more to come!

Until next time...

It's a Detroit thing, everybody.

Detroit Skyline from Belle Isle Michigan.

The Motor City, home of Motown, the Automobile, even the ice cream float-- what a city of so much diversity! But first, we've got to work our way there from Harsens Island. Continuing on from our last post, we had started the day in Port Huron Michigan, working our way down the St. Clair river to Lake St. Clair and ending on the Detroit River in Detroit.

We had our sights set on making it to the ferry over to Harsens Island to see The St. Clair Flats South Channel Range Lights after leaving Port Huron. Getting hungry we grabbed a pizza and headed over to the ferry docks in Algonac.


Guess what we pizza we haven't had in a while?

For our Jeep it was $7.00, not too shabby for a round trip! But to show you what type of day I was having, I forgot to get cash at an ATM on the mainland. So here we are, counting out CHANGE to go across! You should have seen us scrounging in the coin cup. When we got to the island, we drove to the furthest point you can drive on the island and got a couple of distant photos of the lights.


The St. Clair Flats South Channel Range Lights offshore of Harsens Island.

With the reflection of the sun, the photo isn't as good as I'd wish, maybe next visit we can find someone who wouldn't mind taking us on a boat ride out to get a closer photo? Know anyone?

After stopping at the community park on the island to eat our pizza, we headed back to the mainland to finish up our journey. Next stop, The St. Clair Lake Lighthouse.

Well...there is a light out there, not much else. As we were coming Lake St. Clair Shores and Grosse Point Shores, we found the park I had wrote down from my google map, Lakefront park. Unfortunately, I didn't look into this park any further than it's location. When we arrived, we found the park is a "private" park for residents of this very, very well-to-do community. We were very fortunate that the guard understood what our mission was, and after we surrendered our driver's licenses, she allowed us to drive back and snap a photo or two of the off-shore light out in the middle of the lake.


Lake St. Clair Lake Lighthouse....yeah, its out there!

Ugh, what in the world? We were doing so well, but now it seems like we were striking out getting good shots of these lights. Nonetheless, we continued on to find the Windmill Point Lighthouse. Heading south on E. Jefferson Avenue, we turned into a residential area towards the junction of Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. You could tell we crossed the tracks (if you know what I mean). We literally went from multi-million dollar homes to run-down apartment buildings and duplexes. All the same, we weren't there to look for a home, just see the lighthouse.


Windmill Point Lighthouse at the mouth of the Detroit River.

One last stop before sunset, we headed over to Belle Isle to see the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse. Now this park was interesting! With so much to do, you could hardly believe you were in downtown Detroit. To see more about the "beautiful Island" please visit The Friends of Belle Isle Website.

I got some good shots, but with every passing second it was harder for me to get any shots without camera jitters (it would've helped if Matt had stopped the jeep too).


The William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse on Belle Isle in Detroit Michigan.

You guessed it, another add to our Need to return list. We're planning another trip this spring/summer sometime when the weather starts to get nice again.

Until next time...