Niagara Falls Iconic Attractions

We finally made it to one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. Niagara Falls has been on our list and now it has a ✔️ next to it. We left Traverse City after a wonderful summer and crossed into Canada at Port Huron. From there we ventured across southern Ontario and camped at a KOA on the Canadian side of the falls. 

They say you have to see the falls from both sides, so we did. Early on our first day we crossed back into the USA and set out to explore Niagara Falls State Park, the country’s oldest state park. From the park we were able to access our top priorities: Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds. 

Maid of the Mist

The iconic Maid of the Mist first launched in 1846 to operate as ferry across the Niagara River for stagecoaches and carriages.

Now the all-electric vessels shuttles over 1.5 million visitors each year to the base of Horseshoe Falls. We donned the signature blue rain slicker and still got pretty damp. The mist from the falls is no joke. 

Cave of the Winds

After our experience on the water, we walked across the park and onto Goat Island. Here we found the next attraction: Cave of the Winds.

The original cave behind Bridal Veil Falls was discovered in 1834 but was destroyed in a 1954 rockfall. Now you go through a tunnel and elevator and walk on a boardwalk that takes you right up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. 

Honestly we were not prepared for how wet you get on this attraction and the flimsy yellow slickers didn’t help much. Still, we loved climbing the wooden stairs up to the Hurricane Deck which is the closest you can get to any of Niagara’s three waterfalls, with powerful winds and water crashing around you. Our shoes were sopping when we finished but the exhilaration was worth it!

Video from the Hurricane Deck

Skylon Tower

On the Canadian side you get a direct view of the falls as opposed to a side view from the US. We opted to view the natural wonder from above.

Skylon Tower was built in 1965 and shows its age. Still, the revolving restaurant at the top provides some of the best views as well as a great deal on an early bird fixed-price dinner.

While enjoying a three course meal featuring prime rib for Steve and salmon for me, we slowly rotated roughly 52 stories above the falls. As you can see we got some great photos! We highly recommend seeing the falls from Skylon whether you have dinner (make reservations early) or just head up to the observation deck. 

There’s a ton more to do in this area including wine tasting around Niagara-on-the-Lake. But we have a few more stops to make before Steve’s next race.

Michigan Summer with Poppy, Family, & Friends

We’ve neglected our regular blog posts in favor of enjoying the summer here in Northern Michigan. Between our new puppy Poppy and a slew of visiting family and friends, it’s been a busy few months. Now that we are on the back side of Labor Day and beginning preparations for fall travels, we thought it was about time to provide an update on our summer fun.

Poppy
When we last posted we had just returned from a two-week exploration of Italian highlights with our niece Brynn. Within 24 hours of arriving to the USA, we picked up our new 10-week old baby Poppy.

She is a sweet toy poodle that is ALL puppy. Much of our summer revolved around introducing her to new toys, places, friends, and adventures. You can see from the photos how much she changed just over a few months.

Family visits
This summer we were lucky to receive numerous visitors to our lovely, adopted city of Traverse City, Michigan. First to visit was Steve’s brother Brian and his entire family (plus partners) plus Steve’s parents, Judy and Larry. In total there were 14 of us together for the 4th of July week.

Our time with Brian’s clan included the usual excursions like golf, lighthouses, farm markets, dune climbing, and wine tasting.

It was fun to have everyone together, especially since we got to celebrate Judy’s 80th birthday!

On the heels of Brian’s visit we welcomed my sister Mickie and my niece Lauren and her “boyfriend” Caleb. Together we hit many of the same spots (dunes, wine, shopping). It was a fun, busy few days.

What we didn’t know was that Lauren and Caleb had a secret. A few weeks after returning home to AZ, they surprised us all and got married! So, unbeknownst to us, we kinda celebrated their honeymoon here in Traverse City! Congrats kids!

A couple smiling and embracing each other in a sunlit outdoor setting, captured in black and white.
Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Next to swing through town was Steve’s brother Gary and his two kids Brynn and Hudson. We were sorry sister-in-law Kristy couldn’t make it to share in the fun. The group went fishing one morning and caught a bunch of lake trout and Brynn and I spent another day shopping in downtown Traverse City. The kids also did the dune climb with Steve, which was his third time in three weeks.

We had a quick visit from my cousin Red and Judy. He was in town to watch his granddaughter McKenna compete at Flintfields, the world-class equestrian center that’s right next to our resort. We didn’t get photos of the group but McKenna was a big winner, which was fun to see.

A young equestrian stands between two horses, proudly displaying ribbons on their halters after a competition.

Mitch made his second visit to Traverse City in early August and stayed with us for a week. We kept busy with visits to farmers markets, a distillery, wineries, and a day on a pontoon in Torch Lake with our neighbors Norb and Linda. Mitch got to know the neighbors and a good time was had by all!

Mitch was also helpful around the house, helping Steve with the installation of new furniture and a few other projects.

For the fourth summer our dear friends Dave and Peggy Armstrong joined us as part of their summer vacation. We were excited to show them a few of our favorite parts of Traverse city. The guys caught lake Michigan salmon, Peggy and I hiked, and of course we visited the wineries with Kunio and Michelle.

Our summer was also dotted with fun social events here at the Traverse Bay RV Resort including a fun progressive dinner and numerous happy hours. We also made two trips to Shipshewana, IN. Once to have a new refrigerator installed and once for the National Grand Design Rally where we had additional repairs made to our home on wheels.

The summer fun is not quite over, but we are winding down and getting ready to head east for the fall marathon season. More blog posts are forthcoming, so please stay tuned!

Brynn’s Italy – Part One

As DINKS, we didn’t have the normal expenses that accompany children. And, as you know, we value travel as an educational experience. As such, we have offered all of our nieces and nephews a trip of their choosing when they turn 16. Our latest adventures are with Brynn, Steve’s brother Gary’s sweet daughter.

Brynn told us several years ago that Italy was her choice. Our two week trip takes us to Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast. This post will cover our first week.

We flew from Kansas City to Rome with no delays or issues. Our driver was waiting for us in Rome and took us directly to our hotel in the Trastevere neighborhood. From there we wandered a bit, trying to shake off the overnight flight.

Though we were jet-lagged we booked a golf cart tour for our first afternoon to give us an overview of the key sites. We’ll return for a more in depth look at Rome at the end of our trip.

The golf cart was a perfect way to get oriented and see the major sites. From the Trevi Fountain to the Colosseum and from the Vatican to the Spanish Steps, we caught glimpses of the most famous of Rome’s landmarks.

The next morning we took the train to Levanto, a small city on the northern border of Cinque Terre National Park.

The next morning our wonderful guide, Stefano, led us back to the train station and through the two of the five quaint, picturesque, seaside towns that make up Cinque Terre. Our first stop was Vernazza, with its small, protected harbor and its church dating to the 11th century .

After a walking tour up and down the steps of the town, we took the train to the village of Monterosso. Here we wandered the narrow lanes and ancient landmarks until we came to our lunch restaurant.

Pesto is a specialty in this region of Italy, so we took a lesson in pesto making before being served lunch. Steve got the sauce started by crushing fresh basil and pine nuts. Brynn finished, using her muscles to create a fine sauce.

Stefano left us after lunch and we explored two of the remaining three villages on our own. By the end of the day we had walked over 20,000 steps and climbed over 40 flights of stairs. We felt like we earned our gelato!

Our second day in Levanto was just as active. In the morning we borrowed bikes from the hotel and rode north on an old, seaside, rail trail to the villages of Bonassola and Framura. We couldn’t pass up a stop on the beach for a little dip.

After our picturesque ride, we met up with our guide Luca for a paddling trip down the Ligurian coast. The cliffs that make these ancient villages so pretty also make for a scenic paddle. Since the water is still a bit cool in late May, our wetsuits were appreciated. This was Brynn’s first time paddling in the open ocean and she did great!

We moved on from the beautiful Cinque Terre for a quick stop in Florence. We only had a day and a half in the city, but we crammed in as much as we could.

Even though we are early in the season the crowds in Florence can be overwhelming. Our museum guide, Fillipo, made it easy to skip the lines and the crowds at the Accademia. He guided us through the galleries, providing just enough detail and background to understand the most important works. Of course, we were most interested to see Michelangelo’s David. Considered one of the most important works of art on the planet, it truly takes your breath away.

After our museum visit we spent most of the rest of the day wandering the streets and alleyways of Florence, stopping frequently to shop, eat, or check out a market.

We found our way across the Arno River to the Piazzelle. Michelangelo where Steve, my mom, and I visited in 1999. It was fun to recreate our photo of mom in her honor. Steve gets credit for both photos.

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary while in Florence with a great meal and a bottle of wine. Thanks to Brynn for being our photographer!

We’re heading south and will post a recap of the second half of Brynn’s Italian adventure next week.