Category: travel

Weekend Getaway: Pt. 1 Books and Baked Goods

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn books and reading, travel16 Comments

Hello everyone!! We had the most fun on our little trip. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, none of our trips are, but we had a very good time. We had a bit of a crazy start though to our journey!

I planned this trip because I was looking for a train ride that wasn’t too short or too long. Wyatt loves trains and it seemed our options were the train at Greenfield Village, which is like 15 minutes of train ride, or taking a train to Chicago, which seemed much too long of a ride for Wyatt to stay seated the whole time. Like most travel and wheelchairs, once you are in your seat, that is it. No getting up! (as an aside, did you know that airplane bathrooms are not even wheelchair accessible?) So when I found the train that runs through Cuyahoga National Park, which is a two hour round trip journey, I knew it was perfect. The Akron area is about two and a half hours from our home, so not even a bad drive. I booked an Airbnb in Parma, which was a nice distance between both Akron and Cleveland, giving us plenty of options for other things to do as well.

Thursday morning we loaded up the car, and I plugged the directions into my phone – for Columbus. Not Cleveland. Our first stop was supposed to be the Cleveland Museum of Natural History – unfortunately, I set our GPS to the Columbus Museum of Natural History. We had driven about an hour and some change before we realized the mistake, and reset the directions, which put us an hour behind schedule! We weren’t in a hurry but it was still a bummer.

Then at a stop at the gas station for a fuel up and provisions, Wyatt gagged on a gummi bear and you guessed it, threw up. Yay. I happened to be in the back with him and was totally freaking out as I do, but everything was fine really. But, we had to get him cleaned up and changed, putting us more behind. Although, I was infinitely more grateful that Wyatt was ok. Obviously.

We hit the road again, this time in the right direction, with a freshly changed kiddo who was forbidden anymore gummi bears and made it to our Airbnb, about two hours behind when we had anticipated arriving. We decided it was too late to try to hit a museum so we settled into the house for about half an hour or so, and then got back in the car, although none of us wanted to, so that we could find somewhere to eat and something to do. Wyatt was all about shopping and wanted to get a book, so I googled bookstores nearby and found one about twenty minutes away.

First though, we stopped in at this little old Polish bakery and take out restaurant called Rudy’s Strudel Shop, and sort of went bonkers since we were hungry wolves, as Wyatt says.

We did try to show a little restraint. We managed to get out of there with only an apple strudel for our breakfast the next few days, a loaf of butter crust bread, a small bag of sprinkle cookies for Wyatt, and a chocolate dipped peanut butter cookie for the three of us to share. (it was huge)

We drove through steelyards and neighborhoods and found our way to the very magical bookstore called Loganberry Books, in the Larchmere neighborhood of Shaker Heights, Ohio. From the front, it seemed like a small, quirky bookstore.

However, once you enter it is like it magically becomes much much larger. Like a Tardis. Or one of those tents from Harry Potter. It just keeps going and going, with room after room of books. They sell both new and used books, and had so many cool looking vintage books and beautiful architectural details!

Wyatt and I might have picked up a few books.

We walked up and down the streets of the little neighborhood, poking our heads into different stores and then strolling around the Fiddlehead Gallery. The two (I am assuming) owners were the nicest people! They gave us so much good information about the Cleveland area, and it was nice to chat with them. We purchased two mugs, because we might have a mug addiction, and left knowing a bit more about the area, which was nice. When we finally piled back into the car, we were all running out of steam a bit. So we nixed our plans to go out to eat and to go grocery shopping and picked up burgers on the way back to house. And that was the end of our adventure for the night! It was good we had an early night anyway, because the next day was our train ride and we had to be up early!

And I will post about that tomorrow! I just have too many photos of the next few days to put it all in one post.

My Sorta, Kinda, Camping Shopping List

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family, travel11 Comments

My husband was bound and determined to get us in a tent camping this summer. The idea did not thrill me, I am not a camper. It’s too much outside. Like, I like to be outside and do outdoors things but at the end of the day I like to be in a house or a cabin or a lodge or hotel room or something. Not a tent that is basically like being outside, where it is hot and stuffy or cold or just smells weird or bugs can get into or bears can take out the side with one swipe of a mighty paw. But… the guy puts up with all my whims with barely any complaints so… I made a reservation for a campsite through hipcamp. Baby steps guys. This one is on a farm nearby and looks super cute, and is only two sites, and they are not close to each other. I thought it would be a good starter camp for us – well, Wyatt and I. Billy camps all the time. Just not with us.

Of course, this meant though that I had to browse the internets to see if we needed anything for our overnight camping trip. Which led me down a path of adding things to a camping list. I mean, we don’t need all this for our intro trip, but if it goes ok and we do more camping, we may need to add to our stuff. Billy has all the actual things we need, those things that are useful and actually needed for camping – my list is more…. extra.

Note: This list does contain affiliate links that would provide a small compensation to me if you were to purchase something, at no extra cost to you.

This nifty neat picnic table cover that is fitted is calling my name. I love a citrus fruit pattern in the summer, and I am always a bit squeeged out by picnic tables. They always have yuck on them. This looks perfect to cover up the yuck and keep the table area clean while we are camping.

Um, fun right? I would like to see unicorn flames in our fire. Not like burn a unicorn obviously, but just pretty unicorn and mermaid colors. These magical flames would probably be cool for Wyatt to see too!

If you read here, you already know that coffee is an important part of my morning. I am a literal zombie until I get at least a cup in me, so the coffee situation needs to be a high priority. I really like this percolator! I love that it is stainless steel, a good sturdy material, has a lifetime replacement guarantee, and the company is veteran owned. This is something I am probably going to get for our upcoming trip, for sure, because I think we could even use this on the stove in our kitchen, so dual purpose! Or what about in case of a power outage? We could make a fire in our firepit in the yard and still make coffee! Coffee is so important! LOL.

So this is something else I am thinking about getting before our little trip. I can’t decide though between the quippy little phrases or the names. I think it would be a fun surprise. I mean, it would be even better over magical flames, do you agree?

Remember, I said this list was going to be a bit extra. Look at this! A cutesy little s’mores caddy!

And for a little in-tent comfort…. a tent fan and a giant mattress. Confession: Billy purchased a giant mattress already for camping. He did it last year in hopes that I would agree to go. So we do have this already. He used it alone on his last camping trip and he said it was really comfortable!

And of course, one of my own camping journals!

And just for me things! If I make it through this camping overnight, I could definitely wear that shirt. The headband might be a necessity though! With my insane hair I will 100% have camping hair and sometimes I just don’t feel like braids or a pony.

So are you a camper? Or an outdoorsy non-camper like me? Or are you more of a city or beach vacationer?

Mini-Trip: Part 2 – Wolves!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn travel21 Comments

I left off yesterday just as I got to the wolves, because this part of the trip deserve its own post.

I had made reservations for Wolf Park way way back at the beginning of the year. Our original plan was to go for Wyatt’s birthday trip and as his gift – however, Wyatt ended up having three emergency shunt revisions instead. Both the Airbnb and Wolf Park rescheduled our dates for us and were amazing to work with. I had purchased the insurance for the Airbnb on a whim, and I am glad that I had that little nudge from within to do that because otherwise I would not have been able to do so. Anyway, our trip changed from March to May, and to be quite honest, the weather was a million times better than it would have been, although we could have done without the surgeries obviously!

Wolf Park was started in 1972 by Dr. Klinghammer who wanted to study and research wolves’ behavior, and create a dictionary of human to wolf behaviors, called an ethogram. Over the years, the methods and research has continued to evolve and grow, and the park is currently home to six wolves, a herd of bison, two red foxes, two gray foxes, and a box turtle named Clementine! There is also acres and acres of protected land surrounding the Park, and this is home to many other wild species of birds and animals.

In addition to all of the scientific observation and conservation efforts, Wolf Park is open to the public, so that we all may learn more about these magnificent creatures, become wildlife advocates, and to dispel the myth of the “big bad wolf”. They offer so many different programs, from the evening wolf howls, photography tours, field trips, birthday parties, bison tours, and private tours, as well as many more. Because Wyatt loves wolves and this was his gift, we made reservations at the wolf howl in the evening, and then also a private tour.

Our first event up was the wolf howl! Guests have the option to explore the grounds, shop in the gift shop, poke about in the buildings, and hike a little on the trail in certain areas before the program starts, which we did. We stopped and looked at the foxes and I exclaimed over how adorable they are, we ducked into the nature center building where we learned about the different wolf howls, depending on the number of wolves (solo, duet, rally, chorus). Then we decided to check out the seating, since kiddo was in his wheelchair. They have stadium type bleachers in front of where the program is held, but also had a few regular benches as well, and those worked perfectly for us. Then we just had to wait for it to start! Waiting was way easier than it normally would have been, because the wolves were front and center, walking a path around the front of the enclosure, getting ready for their demonstration and the howl. And probably the treats they knew they were about to get!

Want to see the wolves?

The howl started with educating the crowd a bit on wolves, wolf behavior, wolf howls, and what they do at the park. It was very interesting, but Wyatt loved when the howling began, as did just about every other kid (and maybe adult!) there. Sometimes the wolves howl, sometimes they don’t. It just depends on their mood, and when we were there, the wolf in front of us, Khewa, was giving a low howl, and it was so adorable. She was so close to us that we were clearly able to hear her.

We ended up leaving half an hour early, but not because it was boring, but because Wyatt was tiring out and we still had an hour drive back to our rental – then we had to get up early and do the drive all over again! That was ok though, because the next day was our private tour!!

After a solid night of sleep and dreams full of wolves, we returned to the park for our private tour. Nikki, our education docent, met us at the door and they were all ready for my little guy. Since we were the only people there, we were able to just leave his wheelchair in the gift shop while we were on the tour, since the gravel path was too much for its wheels. However, Nikki had secured the use of a golf cart (also reservable with the tour) and had it all backed up and waiting for our little family. We were all so excited, but no one was as excited as Wyatt.

Wyatt is a loud kid, but only with people he loves and trusts. Generally, when he is with new people or in new situations he is pretty shy and quiet. So that is what Billy and I expected when we booked this tour. We were absolutely shocked however when Wyatt was a wild child on this tour. I think Wyatt just had a lot of excitement going on! He loved the golf cart, he loved Nikki, and would not stop trying to talk to her and stand up to be near her. He seriously did not pay too much attention to the tour, but Billy and I did and it was fascinating. Nikki drove us around all the enclosures, stopped and shared information, answered our endless questions, and handled Wyatt’s chatter all very well. She definitely has a gift not just for animals but with children as well, the sign of a very good person in my opinion. She gave off just a very calm, upbeat vibe. Nikki was brought in to work with the bison, so they are her favorites on the property. We learned not just a lot about the wolves, but also about bison! It was really cool.

Our tour finished up at the foxes and with Clementine. When we pulled up at the foxes, we were just in time for the keepers to work with them so we got to watch the feeding and working demonstrations and I loved it!! Wyatt could not get over how stinky they were, because dang, foxes stink y’all. Very musky. We also got to see Clementine and learn about box turtles!

What a great place to work!

After our tour we shopped, and since we were the only people there, had the shop to ourselves which was neat too. We picked a few souvenirs for ourselves and then for our four nieces as well.

Overall, this was 100% worth the effort and money spent, even if Wyatt did not get the “full experience”. He was just so very overstimulated and excited I think by being there, but it is still an experience he will remember forever, his vacation with the wolves. Billy and I got a lot out of the tour, which was amazing and I highly highly recommend booking the private tour if you are visiting, especially if you are driving a distance to get there. If we lived in the area, this is a place that we would visit all the time and probably visit for all the fun different events they have, like the upcoming picnic and the more seasonal holiday type events, as well as the howls.

The staff was amazing, from start to finish, including when I was emailing back and forth to ask about accommodations for Wyatt, rescheduling, and then finalizing our reservations. Just a great all around experience!!!

You can see the wolves and other ambassadors here, and then explore the website for more information, because if you are a wolf lover, or know one, then this place is a definite must visit!

You can read about the first part of our trip here.

Mini-Trip: Part 1

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn travel8 Comments

This weekend was a blur – we were on the move! We took a quick road trip to Indiana, with a special destination in mind – Wolf Park!

Our journey started though with a blur of farm country out the car window, as we hit the road and drove the four hours or so to where we were staying. However, we did make a stop halfway through our drive, in Fort Wayne.

My late stepfather was born and lived in Fort Wayne, and although he moved away to Michigan as a young boy, he was a Hoosier in his heart forever. His love for Indiana, his home state was deep and he loved going back to visit family and to explore his beloved Indiana. So our visit was special for me as well, like a connection to my stepdad.

We had planned to spend a little more time than we did in Fort Wayne, but ended up just hitting our main goal – to see the Johnny Appleseed gravesite. Our family holds John Chapman as one of our favorite historical heroes, for his way of life, respecting nature, making peace where there is war, sharing what you have. (although he did have some strange religious views that I discovered when researching him). So, when we learned we would be near where he is buried we thought we would make a stop.

It was quite a lovely and peaceful spot, on top of a hill by a park. The other side is a giant arena so maybe not so much when that is in use but time moves on I guess. But when we were there it was quiet and peaceful.

Then we got back in the car and made a choice – mess about in Ft Wayne a bit longer or get the rest of the drive over with. And we opted to get to our Airbnb, and get settled. So we hit the road, again! We arrived to our Airbnb about an hour and a half later. I love an Airbnb. I feel like it gives Wyatt a lot more freedom, with more space to move and get his energy out, especially after being cooped up in the car, and because he can be loud if he wants. That being said, you never know where you will end up sometimes, neighborhood-wise or city wise even at times, unless you know right where you are going. I tend to focus on what the house itself looks like in the photos, how it is set up, if it looks clean, and also I look at the reviews and rating. So the house we ended up at was super cute and clean and tidy and it appeared to be in a small town that was experiencing some revitalization which is awesome. The house we were at was completely refurbished and updated, comfortable, tidy, with seriously the most comfortable bed we have all laid in ever. And since it was vacation, we often chose to be super lazy and lay in bed and watch television instead of hanging out in the living space. Because why not?

The next day we had some different options for our day. We had our wolf howl in the evening and we had to be there by 6:45 and it was an hour from our rental, so we had to keep that in mind, that we had a two hour round trip drive in the evening. So did we want to spend the day driving to different places, or stay local and have a more chill day? We decided it would be best for Wyatt to have a chill day and not wear the kid out before the wolf howl, so we explored the local area and had a very relaxed and fun day.

It was free comic book day as well! We found a nearby comic book store that Wyatt could get his free comics, and then explored the rest of the city as well. We were in Kokomo, Indiana, and it was a cute little town with a quirky little vibe, with “Geek Street” and art alley. Geek Street was a fun stop. We stopped at the comic book store, Comics Cubed, picked up Wyatt’s free comic, and purchased their souvenir pin while we were there as well. Then we headed next door to Kokomo Toys and Collectibles, which is massive and if you are any kind of toy collector this would be a mecca to head to! SOOOOOOOO many Funko Pops! It was unreal. Mermaid Girl’s head would have exploded in there since she does like to collect them. And there were literally hundreds! Wyatt however, found a different something that he loved. A tiny collectible Bob Ross! He LOVES Bob Ross and that was his pick. I was happy we found that there, because we had considered heading to the Bob Ross Experience in Muncie, an hour south, to tour the Joy of Painting set but ruled it out due to the driving and Wyatt’s tolerance for being in the car another day all day, especially since we were going to be at least 5 hours in the car the next day. Maybe another trip to Indiana we can do that.

From there we headed to Chapter 2 Books, a simply beautiful used book store! It smelled good, like wood, and that is due to the fact that it is in fact, all designed from fresh wood. It was so pretty in there! The shop keeper was super nice, and… there was a store cat named Nancy Drew! She was beautiful as well. We ended up getting a book to read together later this year, in October, and the shopkeeper gave Wyatt a Pete the Cat pin as well, and some stickers from The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I certainly appreciated. LOL.

We continued to poke around, visiting a crystal shop where I picked up a strawberry quartz because I liked the name and it was pretty, and a jasper arrowhead for our nature cabinet. Then we grabbed a pizza from Pizza Co. to take back to the rental for a late lunch, early dinner. It was completely handmade, and it was delicious. We have a tradition of trying to find a non-chain pizza place to get a pizza from on vacations so this one was a happy find!

After our afternoon of exploring and pigging out on pizza, we took a quick little disco nap before we had to get ready for our wolf howl! Tomorrow, I will talk all about the wolves…. but let me tell you, it was awesome!