Day 7 - Bethlehem, PA to Shelton, CT

Today we drove from Bethlehem, PA to Shelton, CT. We were in four states today: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. There is a lot of traffic in this part of the world! We ended up at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT. We didn't know that you had to have a permit to get into Connecticut beaches, but they showed the WBR some "Connecticut hospitality" and let us in for free, and even gave us a police escort through the park to get to the parking area for the bus. Seaside Park is on the Long Island Sound, so there was a nice flat beach with smooth water! The ringers got to swim, build sand castles, make ringers into sand sculptures, and even see LIVE horseshoe crabs! Tonight we played a concert at Huntington UMC in Shelton, CT where Tim's uncle is the pastor. The potluck dinner was outstanding, the concert went well and the ringers and chaperones got to stay with some very fun folks. Tomorrow we drive up the coast to Gorham, Maine for the next concert.

Notes from the ringers: 

The beach was so incredible! Let me tell you if you have never seen a horseshoe crab, you haven’t seen anything! Imagine a giant cockroach but on a beach. We even got a police escort to the beach! It was so great. The concert was really good too, (almost) no mistakes! –Mady

 

We went to the beach! It was so amazing to see the Atlantic Ocean. We got to see a bunch of horseshoe crabs! I got buried in the sand and turned into a mermaid! Then we played a concert at Tim’s Uncles church. It was a great concert! I now have pictures of a police car in every state we have been in. I’m excited to get home eventually but tour is so soooooo much fun! – Corey

Today we made it to the Atlantic Ocean! It was so much fun to have a day to just run around and have fun with friends. The water was not very cold, so swimming was enjoyable for much longer than I expected. A large group of us played with Chris Castleberry’s “waboba,” a small water proof bouncy ball. It was a lot of fun both in the water and on the beach where we used it to play a game of Jackpot. We also played some football, and Frisbee which all made for a very fun day. That night we played at the church where Tim’s uncle is pastor. The concert went very smoothly and we all gave 100% of our energy to the music! – Forrest

I had a great time with my non bells family. It is always nice to catch up and laugh together. Now I’m off to see my gram. - Tim

 

The police escort into the park was pretty cool!

The sunscreen patrol in action.

To see a live horseshoe crab in its natural environment was a first for most everyone.

Meet Don, our bus driver, sometimes known as Double D or the Master of the GPS.

Corey gets the thumbs up from sister Catherine for his new figure.

Tim and his Uncle Tim and cousins.