Day 10: Back on the road again...

After our long day of walking yesterday, I think we were all looking forward to spending a good part of the day SITTING in the RV today!  We did some laundry, packed up the RV and were navigating the streets of NJ by 9 am.  A time which the nice manager at the campground assured me would be after morning rush hour.  Yeah.  Not so much.  Couple the traffic with a few missed turns and some panic about thinking we were going to end up in a tunnel to Manhattan in a 35 foot RV.... and we'll just say getting out of New Jersey was a teeny tiny bit stressful!!  GPS redeemed herself somewhat today and found us an alternate route that kept us out of too difficult of a situation.  I won't say she is fully forgiven for the disasters of night 7, but she is somewhat back in our good graces!
 

View of the Statue of Liberty from the 'campground'

 

Told you it was a parking lot!

One stop that Michael had requested when we were planning the trip, was to visit Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, NY-- home of the "American Chopper"show.  He was excited to see the incredible motorcycles they've produced over the years as well as get a look into their shop to watch them working. 

 

 

The FDNY bike

After a quick lunch at Five Guys (and shout out to the sweet girl working there who blessed us with free drinks!), we were back on the road again.  The theme of today was "toll roads".  None of them were outrageous but they definitely add up when you go from toll road to toll road.  Michael said the $5 toll on a NY bridge was totally worth it because it was SO much easier to drive than the bridges in NJ!!!

 

As we were driving, we noticed that the leaves were getting progressively more colorful. 

 

 

We arrived in Scusset Beach State Park in Massachusetts around 6:30 (it is near the beginning of 'hook' of Cape Cod) and had just enough time to walk out to the beach (which has rocks instead of sea shells!) and dip our toes in the (cold!!) water before the sun was completely set.  We have plans to visit it again in the morning.

 

From what we've been able to gather, it seems unlikely that the National Parks are going to be open any time soon... so we've been discussing changing some of our plans to reflect that unfortunate reality.  Any of you who know me well, know that this just about gives me hives.  I've spent MONTHS researching and planning this trip (campgrounds, activities, roadside attractions, routes-- okay, well, not so much routes as evidenced by the Squirrel Spur Road incident!!).  But a lot of time has been put into making sure that most, if not all, of my bases are covered.  With each progressive road trip that our family has taken, I've been learning just a little bit more to hold my plans more loosely and to try to let go of them when time or situation requires it.  This is SO very hard for me.  I am not very successful at it, but I think God is teaching me flexibility and more reliance on Him through all of this.

 

So, while we are in the process of adjusting our plans, I am in the process of adjusting my attitude and learning some grace and flexibility.  Where we will end up during the last 10 days of our trip remains to be seen.  I am trusting that God will show us where we are to go!