Author: admin

Endless Caverns

From Gettysburg, with the boys still in Blue Knob with Pap and Gran,  Obie and I set out south into Virginia.  Our Campground in called Endless Caverns in New Market, Virginia.  It is close to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.  We took advantage of one more day kid free and did some longer hikes.  We explored Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park and then entered Shenandoah National Park from the North.  We hiked about 8 miles throughout the day and saw some beautiful vistas.  We had a picnic dinner while we watched the sunset from our truck.  It was an awesome day doing more than we could have done if the boys were here but we are ready for them to be back!

Isaiah here, I’m BACK! 

The prime aspect of our campground was the caves you could tour there. We took a tour, our guide took us underground into the cave system, he said it was the biggest cave system in Virginia, people still don’t know where it ends hence the name “ Endless “. People have only explored 7 so far! The temperature difference was crazy too, outside was 80, and the temp in the caverns was 55! Every season it was 55 and every part of the cave was 55! They said that you could survive a nuke in the caverns and pretty much everything. Our old babysitter Kacie from  Ohio came to visit us . She is now a nanny for a family in Washington D.C. she joined us on the cavern tour and lunch at the southern restaurant in the town of New Market, VA.it was cool to see her after all these years.

We took a hike to the sign next to our campground that said endless caverns, like the Hollywood sign but it said endless caverns and it was way less famous. The hike was only .4 miles but it was still challenging because it was uphill. It was cool because the sign was located in the campground. We also had a jump pad and a playground right next to our camper which we played at a lot! 

We were told about the route 11 chip factory that we had to go to, you got to see how they were making chips, they started with 100 pounds of potatoes and brought them though the slicer which cut them into their distinct chip form. It cut 100 pounds in 8 seconds! Then they funneled into the kettle cooker where there were these big tubs of hot oil and they cooked them in 10 minutes after cooking they went into a conveyer that took the chips to the hand inspection station where they hand pick all the chips that are misformed or discolored and they fed those to the local cows down the street. Then they continued up the conveyer to the seasoning station on the second level, they had season every chip. Then they move to the bagging station on the first floor they fall into the bags and once they hit the right weight the machine it cut the bag into the right size. We got to eat a mini bag of every flavor they made for free, we tried them all and they were delicious and my favorite was the salt and vinegar. We got to eat the salt and pepper chips that they were making fresh that day!

Current leg: 127

Total miles: 1482

Gettysburg

(One more Mom Authored Blog)

Sadly Moochdocking could only last so long, so we set off to Caledonia State Park which was just a short distance away.  Our agenda was to explore the Gettysburg area and learn about the civil war battle that occurred there.   First day was super special because both sets of grandparents came to visit us at our campground and we started our exploration of Gettysburg.  We started out at a cool museum called Beyond the Battle.  It was focused on the history of the region before the war and then about the people of Gettysburg and what it was like when the war came to their front door. They had exhibits of trees and houses that had both bullet holes and cannon balls left in them from the battle. They had games that kids played in that time like a dice baseball game which we got to try out.  The last exhibit was a simulation where you went inside a house and could hear what it felt like to hear a battle raging outside your doors.  It was a little intense to hear and feel the shaking but definitely gave a unique perspective!  

The boys split this trip with going back with Pap and Gran to Blue Knob for a week while Obie and I did more of a deep dive into Civil war history.  If you are ever in the Gettysburg area, I highly recommend doing the private tour of the battle field. It was cheaper than a bus tour and our guide Bruce, drove our truck and took us on a tour of the battlefield.  He tailored it to our interest.  You get out of the car at certain spots.  Ours ended up being 3 hours and 45 mins and I swear it felt like 30 minutes.  It was so interesting and actually being on the battle fields while he spoke gave such perspective.  Since we were kid free, Obie and I tried some local hard ciders which were delicious.  We ate at O’Rourke’s restaurant which was named after James O’Rourke, an officer that fought at Gettysburg—he was in the same class at West Point as General Custer.  O’Rourke was first in his class and Custer was last, graduating a year early.  We saw a monument for O’Rourke on our tour and the legend is that you get the luck of the Irish if you rub his nose.  

Current Leg: 53 miles

Total distance:  1,355 miles

BONUS POST By Isaiah

Travel log “ Ritchey Boys Excursion”

We went to the grandparent camp at Blue Knob, PA. They have a dog named Maia and she’s an English Mastiff and she weighs more than me! She’s big but super sweet. Our favorite activity was playing in the yard and going for walks.

Pap rented a pontoon boat for the day at Lake Galiztin State Park. The day was sadly cold and windy but we still got our fishing in, but we still did not catch anything. Gran packed us sandwiches and chips for lunch.

My pap had a Jon boat that he hadn’t used in 15 years. So you can imagine how much work it took to get it ready. We cleaned it up with the power washer and the hose which took multiple days. Finally after multiple days and some hitch problems, we got to go to the Willmore Dam and I caught 1 fish. It a 3 pound smallmouth bass🎉.

And on the final day we went to the Altoona curve game which was a great game and the curve won 7-6 against the Richmond flying squirrels.  We got to meet mascots Steely McBeam, Al tuna and Loco when I yelled “PLAY BALL” at the beginning of the game on the field. I also got a signature from the catcher of the curve. I ate a burger and fry’s for my food. The game was 9/10 the food was great and the mascots were cool.

We also kept up our National park stickers while we were at grandparent camp. Gran took us to the Lemon House. It was a tavern for people who rode the trains newly built Allegheny portage Railroad. For 30 minutes they ate and got the trains repaired if needed.

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Cousin Time!

Isaiah here: 

We are mooch docking at our cousins’ house! (definition: staying at someone’s house and using their hookups such as electricity). The first day we got there we just took some time to say hi because we haven’t seen them in a while. They also have moved into a new house so we got the grand tour!  We took a late night swim in their private pool! It had a basketball hoop and a blow up volleyball net. My cousin Molly and I competed for the title of “best volleyballer “. Then we hit the hay for a big day ahead. 

We woke up to go fishing with my grandpa, my cousins and my uncle.  Unfortunately, we caught nothing💀!  Then we headed to a fundraiser lemonade stand that Molly’s friend was doing to support pediatric cancer. This is her fifth year doing a lemonade stand for this cause. It was important to us because our other cousin Harper is currently fighting cancer at just 4 years old so we made sure to support. Her fundraising goal was $2,500 but she raised $3,133🎉🥳!!! We went back to swim in the pool yet again and have a cookout and s’mores!  The next day we woke up to my uncles famous homemade donuts, they were the best donuts I’ve ever had! They were made hot and the powdered sugar ones were the best in my opinion.  Sadly it was time to get packed up but we snuck in one more swim while my parents went to get the camper ready to leave.  

Next stop in the trip is Gettysburg!

Current trip: 134 miles

Total miles:  1,302 miles

Guest writer today of Mom.  We have been having a lot of fun and so busy that we got a little behind on blogs updates.  I am going to help Isaiah get caught up and then hand the reins back to him!  We are starting our home schooling on Wednesday Sept 10th.  His writing will be a part of his school for the year so we hope to stay current!  

We drove from West Point campground to Mount Poconos Campground in Pennsylvania.   Every time we get into a new state, Eli yells from the backseat “NEW STATE UNLOCKED!”    We are keeping a sticker board of the US and we are adding a sticker of the state every time we camp in a new state.  

This stay was a little different.  We had some extended family needs that took me to Pittsburgh but Dad held down the fort while I was gone. 

[BREAK-BREAK! Guest-Guest Paragraph Writer Dad, here!] We had a fun couple of days trying to keep from missing Mom too much while she was in the ‘Burgh. We found a really fun animal rescue/zoo with monkeys, bears, alligators and turtles—of course they had a nice paid upgrade to be able to feed the animals and of course we couldn’t say no. Best part was the lizards licking up the meal worms but the monkeys grabbing fruit thrown at them was a very close second. 

It was crazy busy—and a good value for all the animals they had to visit…We snuck out after to head up the road with our pick-a-nick basket and enjoy the Delaware Water Gap NP. Boys got their stamps and it was one of the better educational setups we’ve seen with many examples of wildlife found in the area. Even better were the deer back at the campsite though, who didn’t seem to mind we were about 20 yards away on the walking trail. Eli liked the deer—and Isaiah thought they would be delicious.

[BACK TO REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING.]

I arrived back at the campsite just in time for our final full day in the Poconos.  Uncle Ryan recommended we go to Old Forge, PA for pizza.  It was just like the pizza they used to serve us in elementary school or you got at the store in the white box.  After filling our bellies, we went to the Steamtown national park in Scranton, PA. We enjoyed learning all about trains and the history of the railroad.  We got to tour a caboose and engine car.  

We were super excited about our next destination… our first attempt at Moochdocking.   That is defined as parking in someone’s driveway and using their amenities instead of a campground.  Stay tuned!  Isaiah will be the author of that adventure.

Current log- 94 miles

Total distance- 1,168 miles

West Point- Round Pond

We are in West Point Fam Cam for a 4 night stay. Getting in was a little bit tricky with a 20 degree slope and lots of winding roads💀. We got in and the whole campground was wrapped around a small pond. The key place we were going to here was West Point military academy.  At the visitor center, there was a movie about the work it takes to go to school there.  They wake up at 5:00 am and go to bed at 10:00pm! They have a very structured schedule. There was also a museum about the history of West Point. The school is set in the mountains above the Hudson River, so there were some beautiful views. However, my dad told me to wait until we are out west to see what a real service academy looks like 😂. GO AIR FORCE! 

The next day, we took a trip to another local pond but not just any pond.  It was a pond with a giant inflatable obstacle course.  They had a small one for Eli and a big one for me 💪. There was a set of cylinders in the water that you had run over and not fall down into the water.  A climbing wall, a slide, and a place to jump off of. The place was fun and we stayed for a couple hours. After swimming, we went to the best ice cream place yet! It was called The Ice Cream Shoppe and were making fresh waffle cones on the spot. I got mint and cookie dough it was a ♾️/10 the warm waffle cones with the perfect amount of dough in the cookie dough go was perfect 👌.

Next adventure is to explore the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania!

Current log: 204 Miles- longest travel day so far!

Total Miles: 1,074Miles

Newport 

We are staying in Newport for a 4 night stay. Right next to the rv park was a small pond. I caught 4 bass and a bluegill while fishing in the pond. The campground was cool. There was a playground but that’s just about it.

Our first adventure in Rhode Island was to actually go back to Massachusetts to the whale museum in the town of New Bedford. We did the National park before the museum and got another stamp for our book. At the museum, there were big models to show the sheer size of blue whales and humpback whales. There was also a bunch of pictures on the wall of people who whaled. My favorite part was the model of a whale heart that you got to climb inside because it’s that big.

Next up was touring the USS Nautilus, which was the first nuclear powered submarine. There was a whole museum on the ground about how they made the torpedoes and what they were used for, but then you also got to go inside the US Nautilus, which was my favorite part. You got to see how they got to live in a submarine.  What was crazy is the regular soldiers only got like 2 feet of space between their head and the ground yet the commander got his entire own room to him self.

Our last adventure of this stop was to go to the town of Newport, RI.  We did the famous cliff walk which was beautiful but very busy with lots of people.  We trail is along a cliff and in front of these huge mansions.  We could tour the mansions but mom and dad didn’t think we were up for that.  We ended up in downtown Newport and got their famous Frozen Lemonade at Del’s.  

Current Log: 60 Miles

Total Miles: 870 Miles

We are in Sun Retreats Cape Cod for a 4 night stay. They have a fishing dock, a pool, and a jump pad. I was most exited for the fishing dock. Pulling into our site was a struggle, we were on a massive hill and it was too tight to fit, but somehow, we figured it out after 30 minutes of straight stress.

I went fishing almost every day, though I did not catch anything😭. I was using a bait caster and a spinning reel to target those hungry bass hunting near the lily pads.

I did a bike ride with my family to Woods Hole National Institute. There was an aquarium and a small town where we walked around. The aquarium was cool because the marine animals they had there could all be found in the ocean right next to it. There was also a seal named Bubba, he was a 4 year old harbor seal who they had in an outdoor exhibit all to himself. We got ice cream at the Woods Hole Market And General Store where they were out of all flavors except like, 3 my mom kept ordering different ice cream flavors and every time the vendor said “We are also out of that.”😂. I got a cookie dough milkshake which was a bad call, it just tasted like sugary milk that was a little bit chunky🤢. It was 1/10.

Our family took another bike ride to the cape cod national seashore. There was a bike path and a NPS ( National Park Service) visitor center. We ate lunch at the visitor center and inside we watched a short movie about great white sharks in cape cod. Then we took a bike ride to coast guard beach. We walked down and put our feet in the water. It was the coldest yet! Then we bike rode back.

The last day was a chill day where we played and went to the kids party where we got to make our own sodas and out of polar unflavored sparkling water and then add soda flavoring, mine was on point👌. We watched a movie and played pool the rest of the night. There was also an outdoor jump pad that was like a trampoline, we played on that more than anything else.

Next adventure at Newport RV park in RI 

Current log: 51

Total Miles: 810

On A Cliff

We are at 4th Cliff RV park for 4 nights. The view was the best so far. There was a sunset on the first night which was the best I’ve ever seen. We were overlooking the ocean and a river.

We checked out Plymouth rock which is the spot where the pilgrims landed when they came over from England. Supposedly they stepped foot on that very rock but there are some conspiracies about if it was actually the right spot. Over the years, the rock was moved for different reasons and each time it cracked or split, leaving the rock in its current form.

We ate at a place called the Bridgwaye Inn in the town of Humarock. The food was honestly not bad. I got the burger which was a 8/10. My parents tried to make me eat calamari but I refused, I was not about to eat an octopus. We did have some live entertainment at the restaurant where some local teenagers were jumping off the bridge into the river. My mom said to never do that.

We took bike rides almost every day and had some crazy views such as a beautiful view of the town. I went fishing in the brackish water. I thought I would catch something but nope. I didn’t catch anything except a crab who mistook my lure for a small fish. I hooked him on the edge of his shell, I kept trying to get him unhooked but he kept trying to pinch me 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️. It was right next to the ocean so it was where the river meets the sea.

We went to the local beach for a beach day! They had some big waves so I was working to body surf on them. Eli and I met some kids who had a medal detector. It looked like a lot of fun but they didn’t find anything. They did go in the ocean with me to ride some waves 🌊. They had boogie boards but I did not, so I body surfed the waves. We also looked for geodes by smashing small tan rocks but unfortunately they all looked the same inside plain tan.

Next adventure is Cape Cod!

Current leg: 54

Total Miles: 759

Air Force Base

We are in Hanscom Air Force base Famcamp for 4 nights. We didn’t do a lot at this stop due to the weather and also we were all pretty tired after our week at Old Orchard beach with our friends. The weather was crazy hot for 3 days and then pouring rain. We were right next to the runway and every few minutes a you’d hear a plane take off, the location was awesome

On Gran’s last day went to the North Bridge National park. This is famous for “the shot heard round the world.” It was where the revoluationary war started. We read about the midnight ride of Paul revere and how he was a messenger to let people know if the British were coming by land or by sea, he hung 2 lanterns if the British came by land and 1 lantern if they came by sea.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Gran but we will see her and other family next month when we are in Pennsylvania. We also checked out the Concord museum. The coolest part was this big screen with a timeline and a map that moved and showed how the first 24 hours were of the revolutionary war. There were many pieces of art dating back to the war and much earlier.

Next adventure, we are headed to Fourth Cliff Park!

Current Leg: 99 Miles

Total Miles: 705 Miles

Old Orchard Beach 

Mom and Dad told us that we needed to get some sleep because there was a surprise at the next campground.  Driving into the campground, we saw three kids who recognized us immediately.  The surprise was that we were spending the week with our friends from Boston that we met camping last summer!!!!  They also have a camper and were going to camp with us for the week and they were parked close by.

We spent a lot of the time riding our bikes, playing basketball, swimming in the pool and hot tub.  The campground even had an arcade with a claw machine that you won a ducky at every time.  Two different nights we did family wiffle ball games. 

The other big highlight of this week was that Gran came to visit! She took a flight to Boston and then a train that took her all the way to Old Orchard Beach where Eli and Dad picked her up.  We did lots of stuff with Gran such as our beach day, checking out the LL Bean Flagship store and eating lobster.  

On the third day we had a beach day. We went swimming, the water was freezing cold which was refreshing at the start but once you got in you were freezing. We also got to play with sand toys and make a grave for a dead lobster we found 💀🪦.The highlight of the beach was the shaved ice 🍧, it was delightful to have on such a hot day . I got tigers blood with blue raspberry and the honest review is a 10/10 . The coconut (a part of the tiger’s blood) was the best part . Then we took a trolley back to the camper.

We traveled one day to the most photographed lighthouse in Maine that is part of Fort Williams. It was awesome to see this lighthouse up close and it was by far the best lighthouse yet.  There was a lot of history behind it such as; a shipwreck where the ship drove straight into the rocks right next to the lit light house. Our guide said there are rumors that it might have been on purpose but that might be local legend.  We also got to see these big cannons that there ammo was as heavy as a cow! They could launch almost 14 miles out from shore which at the time of world war 1-2 was impressive tech but now we have much more crazy tech then back then.

We got custom hats at the pier where they airbrush designs onto hats that you want I got a sea turtle with my name on the side on a teal hat 🧢 My friend Nick got a matching hat and Eli got his favorite, Bluey!

Next is the Famcamp at Hanscom AFB.  

Current leg: 189 Miles 

Total miles : 606 Miles