Thus far on our trip, we’ve done an uncharacteristically good job of running a loose schedule. This is partly by design, and partly because the RV allows us to move in a self-contained system. We had one main stop for the day, combined with transiting back across the state to reach Niagara Falls.

Our objective was to have breakfast and get on the road by 8:00am to make the 10:30am Mass at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. Armed with yesterday’s provisions, from muffins and bagels to new wiper blades, we work up begrudgingly at 6:15am and got moving. With good hustle, we ate breakfast, got dressed for Mass, and rolled out of the KOA 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

It was a quiet drive through central New York, along the banks of the Mohawk River. We passed, from afar, St. Kateri’s village again, and saw The Coliseum and Hill of Torture that we visited yesterday. It’s remarkable, though not surprising, that the life of St. Issac Jogues ended a full ten years before St. Kateri was born, but in the village of his death, St. Kateri first heard the Gospel from her mother. As we drove on the New York Thruway, across the very path his captors dragged his body to throw away into the Mohawk River, I reflected on the unceremonious burial at sea St. Issac received. Despite its cruelty, his martyrdom permitted him to die with the people he loved most.

We arrived in Stockbridge right on schedule, ascending Eden Hill just as I remembered it from our visit last year. The Shrine and its grounds are nestled on a hill in the Berkshire Mountains, and were surrounded by the verdant canopy. It was temperate and dry outside, but a cool breeze kept rolling through, reinforcing the sense of peace.

The building grounds adopted a Bavarian style of architecture, which make the setting even more enjoyable. It is a quaint look that is right at home among the rolling hills and soaring peaks. Walking up the path from the parking lot to the Shrine, the Church and attached house come into view in the most perfect way.

It was the first time the children visited the Shrine, and our time began with Sunday Mass. The Shrine, though small, was mostly full, and the liturgy was excellent. The children had their normal books and, despite their overall tiredness, did at least as well as they do at any other Mass. The Communion rail experience was new for them, but I was right next to Lucy when the Priest asked if she could receive Holy Communion. I happily said yes, a small reminder of how quickly my children are growing. Back in the pew, Lucy looked up at me and said, “Jesus is moving in!”

Mass ended at 11:30am, and the children were famished, so we made our way back to the RV for lunch. Along the way, Veronica found plenty of distractions from food, including a nearby fountain. She showed the statue of Mary the many new brochure acquisitions she made just moments before, including one with a similar Marian statue on the cover. She ran all over the grounds and generally enjoyed herself.

With lunch out of the way, and the energy levels of all restored, we headed inside to the gift shop. By far the most robust of our trip, the children found plenty to look at. They were very well-behaved, and only required minimal negotiation.

Before ending our visit, we hiked back up to the Holy Family Shrine & St. Joseph Plaza. Alison and I did not visit this part of the grounds on our visit last year, but I saw it from the walking path and wanted to check it out.

The building was beautiful. There was a large water feature with two springing jets in the middle, surrounded by bushes and mini roses in white and yellow. The Shine was an open air building, with pergolas on either site. Four total statues were placed around the structure. On one exterior wall was a recreation of the Visitation, with Mary and St. Elizabeth happily greeting each other. On the opposite exterior wing was the Holy Family, with an elderly St. Joseph instructing the child Jesus. At the main entrance overlooking the pond was St. Joseph holding the Christ child, and inside in the main room was the Holy Family. What was best was that these four moments cemented the life and story of the Holy Family, offering moments of pause to reflect on the family.

The girls very much enjoyed their time running around the plaza and playing with the water, and after some restful prayer, we made our way back to the RV, changed, and headed out.

Our transit across New York took us once again through the Mohawk Valley for a final passing of the holy sites in the lives of St. Issac Jogues and St. Kateri. We stopped at the nearby Mohawk Valley welcome center to get an up close view of Lock #13 on the Erie Canal/Mohawk River, and some playtime on the playlet.

As I looked out on the waters, I once again thought about the fact that these were the waters these two saints knew, drank from, and transited on. It’s incredible to have this treasure so close to home.

The rest of our drive was eventful in terms of weather. Storms rolled across the state, and we punched through them all. The windshield wiper blades performed much better than their predecessors, and we pulled into camp near Niagara Falls just after 8:15pm. It’s a much bigger campground than last night, but they make it easy to find your site when you check in late. We’re once again right in the action, but it was time for us to go to bed almost right away after the early wake-up and long day.

Yesterday’s storm and cold front broke the heat and humidity and we were able to wake up with the windows open. It was a nice start to the day, with pancakes and bacon for breakfast before disconnecting the RV and heading out for our day that the entire trip was planned around.

The cool wind blew down the river and across the hills, and we started our drive with the windows down. We are several miles north of the Interstate, and we navigated the undulating green hills of Upstate New York. It was a beautiful June morning.

It was just under an hour before we pulled into the Shrine of St. Kateri parking lot. The Church was a two story barn, built on the site of the first Catholic Church in the area, and just under half a mile of forrest path from her village. The upstairs was a Chapel, with the lower level serving as a museum to St. Kateri’s life and the Native Americans from Upstate New York and Canada.

At the top of the hill, and across a country road, was a large open field filled with stakes. The outer perimeter was mowed, with the inner perimeter more rustic. A series of silver stakes outlined where the village palisades once stood, with red stakes in long rectangular patters where the Mohawk longhouses once stood. It was comfortable outside, but wanting to stay out of the sun, we found a tree casting a large shady spot within the palisade boundary.

We stood under the tree for several minutes, enjoying the stirring breeze passing through the leafy treeline and moving the grasses. We were standing in the exact place that St. Kateri spent much of her life, a small spot of land that was intimately hers. We began our rosary, and then prayed as we walked through the village and passed into the forest along a short path to a natural spring.

The spring was very close to the village under dense forest canopy. A natural spring, it provided water for the village and was used for St. Kateri’s baptism. After several more minutes enjoying the space, we went back to the village for a little more exploration and reflection before walking back down the long hill for lunch in the RV.

Our next stop was just 11 minutes away, a few miles down the road and across the Mohawk River. The National Shrine of the North American Martyrs is built near the village where. St. Kateri was born. It was also the site where St. Isaac Jogues was imprisoned, enslaved, tortured, and martyred, along with several companions. There is a chapel built overlooking the hill that his body was dragged down to the river banks after his martyrdom.

Just over 90 years ago, a large church was built on the site, aptly called The Coliseum. It is circular, and massive, and tells the story of the North American martyrs.

With our planned activities over, we drove to Walmart to get some provisions and back to camp to set up for the evening and make dinner. I built a fire and grilled burgers.

We had dinner together on the picnic table, followed by some play. Benedict and Felicity rode the bikes around camp, we had some ice cream, and enjoyed music outside in the cool evening air. I even had a chance to ride around.

As the evening wrapped up, the girls went with Alison and I for one more trip to Crayfish Island before heading back to the RV to pack up camp for the night and play some evening boardgames before lights out.

By 7:12am, everyone was awake. Not ideal, but it’s how the cookie crumbled. The forecast today was for high humidity, dew point, and heat through the evening, so we got through breakfast quickly and got ready to head over to the mines.

Before we did, Benedict and I went to the camp office to check in. Since we arrived so late, they left our paperwork on the late arrival board last night. It was a quick process, we checked out the store and asked a few questions, and made our way back to the RV by walking on the road along the banks of the river. The girls were basically ready when we got back, so we crossed the street to the mines.

A school group arrived just before us, and the air was moist but not uncomfortable (yet). We managed to get our waivers signed and tools assigned before heading to the mines to look for quartz. The quarry was very rough, and the work was hard. There were several professional mining bros with full setups and we, the uninitiated, out baking in the sun. Thankfully there was some shade and no one skied down a cascading wall of rocks.

After an hour, we had a few nice rocks, no life changing fortunes, and we headed back to camp. We decided to rent a golf cart, so while the girls dropped their findings at the RV, Benedict and I went to camp HQ to rent a golf cart. I was expecting something basic, but this one was fully loaded, including a bluetooth audio system. I turned on the Sneaky Sasquatch soundtrack to enjoy.

We drove back to the RV to pick up the girls. It was a tight squeeze, but we all made it in. The windshield folded down, music on, we drove around camp. The site is right along a bend in a river, so our first stop was to the upper entrance to the river. There were some rapids, and just the right sound profile, which I really love. The banks were teeming with trees and leaves, making for a very nice view.

Further down the road, and river, we spotted two geese and their gaggle of five goslings out looking for some food. A few more minutes, and a couple more laps, and it was time for a picnic lunch.

Our campsite is right under a huge tree, so there was plenty of shade. We had sandwiches, potato salad, and chips. With lunch over, and a pop-up storm approaching, we cleaned up and went into the RV. The air conditioning was running all morning with our electrical hookup, and it felt amazing inside. We did some tidying and then had a few minutes of quiet time while the storm rolled through dumping plenty of rain on the campsite. In less than an hour, the cell had moved on and it was time for afternoon fun.

A stray storm cell rolled through just as lunch ended, which left us inside for about an hour. It was good to have quiet time, and even better to have a full up air conditioner making it so comfortable inside. I sat at the table with my laptop and took care of a few things.

First up after the rain, we went to the pool. The campground was still mostly quiet when we arrived, and the pool water was very cold, although it felt good once the initial shock wore off. As we were swimming (and water dancing), more and more RVs rolled into camp. Before long, people were joining us at our private pool party. Benedict didn’t want to swim in the cold, so we got a bag of sand and crystals for him to prospect nearby.

With swimming over, and everyone changed, we went over to the Camp HQ and rented four human-powered go carts. The kids rode them around the camp while Alison and I followed behind in the golf cart. With the big 3 running around and Alison watching Veronica, I went to start a load of laundry and get ice.

The cart rentals were just for an hour, and we’d already spent lots of time outside in the sun, so we turned the bikes back in and got ice cream to eat in chairs outside of the RV. Lucy and Veronica begged me to take them in the golf cart on an “adventure,” and Felicity asked to join too, so we headed out. We drove all over camp, checking out the river, looking for the goslings, and having fun.

We arrived back at the RV in time for dinner. The kids got cleaned up one-by-one and we cleaned the kitchen and the RV. It was so nice to have everything contained in one space. With that done, it was time for evening games before a family Rosary, during which Veronica fell asleep.

Nothing ever goes according to plan, you just really have to do your best.

After yesterday’s weather surprise, and a very late night, we had a super early start this morning. Felicity was first up at 2am, and Benedict joined her at 4am. The allure of the RV was stronger than their need for sleep, even though Benedict was up just as late as us last night.

I got up at 6am, got ready for the day, and started on my final checklist. Everyone was up shortly after, and in a very positive and helpful mood. That was a very nice thing. Just after 7am, we were ready. We did final checks, at Benedict’s direction, to ensure that the RV was ready to go, and we drove to Chick-fil-A. We ended up about 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled departure.

We fueled up the RV and ate breakfast in the parking lot. It was time to drive. Things went pretty well. Traffic was light for most of the day, and with my lack of sense of urgency, I was able to safely meander on our route.

Our lunch stop on the Ohio Turnpike had us at a dedicated RV space separated from the car and truck traffic, and adjacent to a large field of crops. There was a cool, dry breeze that felt great under blue skies.

RV parked for lunch

The children migrated between seats at the table and couch throughout the day. They played, read books, and chatted with each other. Benedict enjoyed being able to sit in the Navigator seat for some of the trip.

We made many stops, longer than usual, which made for an easy pace but a long day.

Veronica keeping a close eye on my driving

Most of the bad weather avoided us, which was nice. But our leisurely pace and destination meant that sunset was earlier than at home, and we arrived to camp in the dark. It was a harrowing final 14 miles of drive, but we made it. Benedict helped me get our registration paperwork, hopped out of the RV to find our campsite, and held the flashlight while I connected the RV to the hookups.

Sunset after the storms

No doubt it was a long day, and getting the kids in bed meant it was two late nights in the row. Perhaps, with all of us sleeping in the same space, we’ll sleep in for a while tomorrow?

Nothing ever really goes according to plan. The best you can do is try hard and roll with the punches.

A mix-up with the dog boarding drop-off hours left us scrambling. We headed out just after lunch to pick up the RV. The girls were dropped at their grandparents’ house while Alison, Benedict, and I drove 30 minutes to get the RV.

It was a mom-and-pop operation and they were very nice. The RV was older than expected, but ready for the journey. After a walkaround in the unseasonably warm June afternoon, Alison went to pick up the girls and Benedict and I drove the RV back to the house.

Despite more than an hour going though all of the systems, there was no discussion about how to drive the RV. This is baffling, but I adapted my default driving behavior: be confident and hope for the best.

There were a few miles of quiet country roads before the four lane highway, so I was at least able to warm up. Then, it was right into the mix of late Wednesday afternoon traffic. It was technical and challenging, but a great way to get my feet wet.

We were heading to the store to pick up some last minute items when I realized Alison would be cutting it close for getting home and getting the dog to boarding. So we diverted home, dropped the RV, got the dog, and drove her to the boarding house. She did not want to go, and planted herself firmly on the sidewalk outside until two menacing Chihuahuas scared her and she ran inside.

Benedict and I drove to the store and spent 45 minutes trying to find the RV toilet paper, with no luck, so we went home. Alison had dinner ready as soon as we backed the RV into the driveway. We ate, and as dinner was winding down, a severe thunderstorm warning came across. We ended dinner and took loads of supplies out into the RV so that we could unpack while the rain passed through.

Just before 7pm, the girls went inside and I left Benedict in the RV to finish putting some things away. Steps away, the first strong gust came. It was strong, but the trees in our neighborhood get this regularly and I wasn’t concerned. Then, almost immediately, the second stronger gust came through. I ran back out to the RV, only a few feet away, to find a massive tree trunk came down in our driveway. The main trunk was six feet from the RV, but large branches pressed against the side. I ran to the drivers door, opened it, and got Benedict out.

The RV after the storm

The storm moved through quickly, and I got out the chainsaw. With Alison’s help, and just a few cuts, the RV was free to move. I got it into final position, got the girls down for the night, and turned on the generator and AC on the RV for Alison and Benedict to move in.

It was a late night, much later than anticipated, but a memorable start to our vacation and first RV trip.