Trip to Palmyra and Niagra

What I love: Road trips. Especially now that the kids are older. I actually like that they have no access to computer or TV and have to come up with other means to entertain themselves. Tritan reads his Calvin and Hobbs comic books out loud to the entire car, and does the voices and expressions so well, we don't need to see pictures to get the jokes. He can entertain the entire car for an hour or so.

What I love: Red Robin. There was one in Rochester where we had a hotel for the first 3 nights. We ate there the night we arrived. They need to expand to South Jersey...


What I love: Vacationing as a family. It was really neat to visit the Church history sites as a family. We saw the Hill Cumorah, the Smith farm, the Sacred Grove, and the Grandin Printing Press where the Book of Mormon was printed. Athena had some really great spiritual moments and got to be one of the sister missionary's companions and bear her testimony. Paris enjoyed being the go-to guy for answering questions. And Tritan enjoyed the Sacred Grove. I'm glad Mom and Dad planned this trip; I would've thought the kids would be bored with all the historical stuff, but they really enjoyed it.

Hill Cumorah

Smith home

The Smith frame home

Sacred Grove

Sacred Grove

Grandin Printing Press--Athena being a "companion"


What I hate: When people prey on others. Mom and Dad's rental car was broken into and their camera and GPS was stolen at the restaurant we ate at Wednesday. It was frustrating to have that happen on vacation, and I feel bad for Mom and Dad. They were able to get a new rental car on Thurs. but their insurance didn't cover the stuff that was stolen.

The theives shattered the window and took the good stuff

What I love: Hotel pools. Hotels are magic for kids, and hotels with pools are the icing on the cake. We had some down time on Thurs. between visiting the Martin Harris home and the Whitmer farm in Fayette and going to the pageant that night so a-hotel-swimming we a-went.

What I hate: Hotel pools. When the ambient air is only slightly warmer than the air-conditioned lobby and yet the pool is only 70*. Everyone freezes.


What I hate: When your kid gets hurt. Apollo got his finger caught in the back of the van door as we were unloading at the pageant, and it quickly plumped to the size of a large purple grape. We saw an EMT truck so we took him there, just to make sure it wasn't broken. They gave him the all-clear, gave him an ice bag and a stuffed kitten, and Apollo was able to muster a smile.




What I love: The pageant. It is amazing to think that they pull this off year after year with volunteers and a couple of days rehersal. It was so well done, and the spirit was strong. It was really amazing.





What I love: Tours. We saw the American side of Niagra Falls on Friday. We signed up for a tour which was great, since we got to see all of the sites, and have someone else drive us around. We saw the dams which take half of the falls' water, rode the Maid of the Mist(a boat that goes right by the falls) , and touched the Bridal Veil on Hurrincane Harbor (our favorite attraction on either side). We grabbed dinner at the the casino and then watched the fireworks.

On Maid of the Mist

American Falls and Bridal Veil with Niagra in the background

Mom and Dad at Hurricane Harbor

What I hate: Having to have a passport to go to Canada. What the deal, eh? I stood in line all day on Monday at the Philadelphia Customs House, paid double for the cost of a passport, and then they didn't even stamp it when we passed into Canada!! On Sat., Mom and Dad went on to Ohio to see the sites in Kirtland, and we went to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls.

What I love: Seeing the falls from every possible angle. The Canadian side does have a better view, and the illumination at night shows up much better on that side.

The Falls from the Canadian side

Illumination on the Canadian side

What I hate: Not planning well enough. We paid twice for parking, and walked 1 1/2 miles just to learn that the attraction we wanted, the White Water Walk, was actually 9 miles away, so we ended up taking a taxi. The White Water Walk was wonderful though. (notice the allteration).

What I hate: Kitsch tourist traps. While the American side was a little depressed, the Canadian side was sort of garish. Every store was either a theme restaurant, tacky souvenior store, wax museum or thrill ride. I felt like I was bleeding money.


What I love: Coming home after vacation. I actually miss cooking dinner and grocery shopping.