Back from the edge

We pulled back into Sunnyside around 3pm today after a wonderful trip out to the edge of the island. Apart from our little trip to DC recently, this was the first time we've gone away as a family and stayed in a hotel and done, well, touristy things with Elisa. She still likes to nap twice a day and it's sometimes hard to envision doing a big trip knowing her stamina is not up for all day outings. But it felt like she could enjoy some of the things we had planned, and hopefully she would go with the flow or maybe even nap on the fly (I know, who are we kidding?) if I was really lucky. And to be honest, she did great. Yes, she got tired and beastly a few times, but she did take some catnaps and really seemed to enjoy the ergo carrier we borrowed. She fell asleep hiking both days that we used it and I was more than happy to keep walking just to prolong that nap a bit more.

Here she is passed out on our walk along the dunes, missing out on the great morning.
The views from the top of the dunes were beautiful and it felt so peaceful to be up there walking with no other people in sight.
Elisa awake in the afternoon and enjoying the tour of Montauk Point with the lighthouse behind her (still closed for the season--boo!)

We didn't have a big plan of what we wanted to do, but somehow we got to see the highlights that I'd read about. The walking dunes in Hither Hills State Park were amazing and very different. Basically, the sand has covered entire groves of pine trees and the winds keep shifting the dunes making them drift from year to year. It is tick season right now and I have to admit I was a bit paranoid about getting a bite. But we've been checking ourselves (and Elisa) every day and I think we're in the clear. Well, except for Nacho coming down with a crazy red rash but we think that might be from the softshell crab he ate. Hmmmm...I guess more than anything, I felt like we got to enjoy a place we'd been talking about for a long time and we did it the way we've always traveled--with an outline but no plan. Having Elisa along for the ride made it more challenging no doubt, but we've also tried to incorporate her into our plans without sacrificing too much. Yes, we would have walked further and maybe enjoyed a more leisurely dinner, but it was nice to be there as a family. She won't remember dipping my pancakes in ketchup or dancing around the hotel in her diaper and tennis shoes, but we will. And that's why we took lots of pictures.