The boys are getting older so there wasn’t very many day trips. Let’s take that back – We’ve done day trip. I’ve done some road trips with each of them individually.
The Memorial Day tornadoes change the dynamics of my summer. Even though it didn’t directly affect me, it affected the area I teach in so that made me upset.
It was not until our Youngest was 5-years-old that Hubby and I dared to take a trip away from the boys. In 2010, we drove to St. Louis for a few days to let us be a couple instead of just parents of our two boys.
A few weeks ago, the Youngest and I embarked on his 14-year-old trip and my EPIC trip with my friend. I made the decision for us to all ride the Maid of the Mist.
The Maid of the Mist is in the New York side of Niagara Falls. We were staying on the Canadian side of the Falls. We were left with 2 choices: drive to the Maid of the Mist which on my GPS unit said was 10 minutes or walk which was about an half hour.
The GPS saying that it would take 10 minutes did not take in account of us probably getting turned around, going through border patrol, and trying not to hit all of the tourists. So it could have taken us about the same amount of time as walking.
So we walked over to there. The Youngest took a point off the experience of going to the Maid of the Mist because of the walking.
I’ll save my story of going through border patrol for another time.
We got to the Maid of the Mist as they were getting ready to depart. We were told to HURRY and get on the boat so we didn’t have to wait for the next boat.
Trying to get the poncho on, take a few photos of my friend, and then put my DSLR camera in ziploc bags inside my backpack under my poncho was a feat.
Luckily my phone is water resistant so I was able to get photos and videos until we were under the Falls. Once the water was coming down us in buckets, my phone was put into another Ziploc bag and put into my pocket under my poncho until it was safe to bring it out again.
The Youngest stood at the very front of the boat for the majority of the trip. He enjoyed getting wet and the whole experience.
When it was time to depart, he was ready at the gate. As he was standing there trying to wipe of the water from the gate in front of him, one of the workers was also doing the same thing as him. I don’t know if the Youngest noticed but I did. I thought it was cool.
After we got done with the Maid of the Mist, my friend and the Youngest got rid of their ponchos. I still have mine.
Oh and the Youngest gave the Maid of the Mist a score of 9 out of 10. The only point off was for the walk to and from the attraction.
During Spring Break 2019, we traveled down to Chattanooga. While there, we enjoyed the scenic views of Lookout Mountain. We also visited Ruby Falls, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Chattanooga Zoo. We also looked for ghosts and ghouls on a ghost tour. Enjoy our spring break/ 20th wedding anniversary trip.
During Spring Break 2019, we traveled down to Chattanooga. While there, we enjoyed the scenic views of Lookout Mountain. We also visited Ruby Falls, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Chattanooga Zoo. We also looked for ghosts and ghouls on a ghost tour. Enjoy our spring break/ 20th wedding anniversary trip.
The next morning, we headed out to the Mean Mug Coffee Shop. We ended up driving past the shop and when we realized it, we parked the car and walked back to the coffee shop.
I’m currently on a 14-year-old trip with the Youngest. HE turned 14 on Saturday. When his brother turned 14 two years ago, he went on a trip to Hershey Park.
Back in March, I asked the Youngest where do you want to go? He had 3 criteria – a foreign country, a beach, and Disney. We almost had a beach and Disney but those plans fell through.
So we decided we were going to road trip to Canada. He has a youth passport that allows him to travel to Mexico or Canada by land or Bahamas by sea.
He then decided he wanted to see Niagara Falls againso we are going to meet up with a friend at the Falls.
On Friday, we are traveling to Erie, Pennsylvania for his beach visit.
We found a Disney Store in London, Ontario so he did get his Disney fix. He doesn’t ride the rides so just having some of the magic helps.
Onto my story:
When planning out our trip, I noticed we could go through either Detroit via the bridge or tunnel or travel north for about an hour or so to Port Huron. There is a beach there so we would be able to fulfill his wish.
I pulled up to the gate and noticed that it would cost me $20 to use the beach because I was from out of state. We were only planning to be there for such a short time. It was basically a rest stop on our trip.
I explained to the young lady that we were on our way to Canada and that we were only going to stop there for a little bit. We had never been to Lake Huron and hadn’t had a real get out and walk stop since the Michigan Welcome Center. She allowed us to go on in without the payment.
I thanked her and let her know we were only going to be there about half an hour which we adhered to that promise.
Sometimes kindness goes a long way.
If I didn’t have that time, I wouldn’t have gotten this shot of my Youngest. We are going to print it out and frame it.
During Spring Break 2019, we traveled down to Chattanooga. While there, we enjoyed the scenic views of Lookout Mountain. We also visited Ruby Falls, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Chattanooga Zoo. We also looked for ghosts and ghouls on a ghost tour. Enjoy our spring break/ 20th wedding anniversary trip.