Toronto, Canada

On Sunday we rested and schooled some more and then headed back into Ontario, Canada and drove to Toronto.  We found a campground right on the outskirts of the city called Indian Line. We decided to just hit the hay when we arrived.  Have I mentioned that we have all been very sick?  Well, I've had this for over 3 weeks and I seemed to get sicker and sicker.  I was quite the mess and then after talking to my parents I realized that I happened to have a full prescription of Amoxicillin (which was what the Dr. had prescribed my parents when they went in) right in the RV.  I started on the meds immediately and by morning I was already feeling a little better.  I'm still congested and coughing like a life-long smoker but at least my sore throat and ache body are a lot better.  The kids and Dave are also on the mend.  Praise God! 

Anyway, back to Toronto.  So, Monday Sept 29th we drove into the city and headed to the CN Tower.  We had many suggestions from my facebook friend Cindy (from high school) who lives in Canada.  One, was to eat lunch at the top of the tower.  Since you have to pay $21 per adult $15 per child to ride the elevator up it is worth it to pay a little extra and eat at the 360 Restaurant (if you eat at the restaurant you don't have to pay to go up, but you have to order a full meal which started at $36 adult $16 per child).  It was a very expensive day but we all agree it was well worth it.  The restaurant rotated a full rotation every 72 minutes.  It was definitely the nicest restaurant the kids have ever dined in.  It was well worth the price and the food was excellent.  The whole experience was absolutely incredible and a "top 5" highlight of our trip so far.  

I forgot to mention that the CN Tower is currently the tallest structure in the world at 1,815 ft.  They are building a taller one in Dubai 2,684 ft, but according to the Canadians it doesn't count yet since it is still under construction.  Plus they say the CN Tower will still have the highest observation deck in the world.

The coolest thing about the tower (according to the boys) is that on one of the observation decks there is a glass floor.  Yes, the floor is literally made of glass (well, it's probably a lot stronger than traditional glass).  You can walk on it and look straight down.  There was a lot of people there that were way too freaked out to even take a step out on the glass to see through the floor.  They were probably even more freaked out when they saw our family practically doing handstands on the glass.   We all thought it was way cool.  There is solid line that connects the glass panels.  It is almost more freaky trying to balance walk across the beam.  You feel as if you fall off of it you will fall to the ground.  We spent a lot of time playing and taking pics on the glass.

This was taken from the outside observation deck.Dave was trying some creative photography.  
This one was tough because the camera was on the floor so you could not look thru the view finder to see if we were all in.  We got close!
This is the one headed, 4 legged monster of Canada. It kept following us around even though we tried very hard to lose it :-)

This is in front of the fountain in front of the CN tower.
This is a rare picture of the 5 of us.

After we left the city we went and found a Canadian pharmacy and bought some more flu drugs for the boys and then headed back to the RV.  We spent the night and got a fairly early start for our drive to Ottawa.  We got a lot of homeschool done along the way.  I have to mention how beautiful the fall leaves were along the drive to Ottawa.  Wow!  I can't wait to see them in full color next week in Vermont and Maine.  Well, I am finally totally caught up on the blog!  Yeah! We are at Walmart for the night and I made a big RV made lasagna dinner.  Tanner is on the other computer as I type practicing his Spanish (which he is getting very good at).  Dave, Peyton and Sterling are playing a game of Basari at the table (competitive Sterling almost always wins every game).  Tomorrow we will take a drive around Ottawa.

I love reading everyone's posts!  Kathy, it was cool to read about Chuck and your time out here. Thank you all for your comments, it keeps me motivated to keep writing. 

Niagara Falls

Words cannot describe how majestic and beautiful Niagara falls are.  You immediately understand why this is one of the 7 Wonders of the World the minute you lay eyes on God's amazing creation.  Even the kids were speechless when they saw the 150,000 gallons of water per second fall off the 176 foot cliff, and that's just the American Falls.  Horseshoe Falls dumps 600,000 gallons of water off its 167 feet.  The mist from the falls looks like a mass of smoke billowing up way over 300 ft in the air.  You can see it from many miles away.  The sound of the falls thundering and crashing into the rocks below is so profound that if you were blind you would still fully grasp the greatness and power of the falls.  The thought of the crazy people throughout history who have dared to challenge this force of nature by riding down her face sends shivers down my spine.  We actually saw a movie that talked about some of the people who have survived.  One was a boy in the 1960's who went down by mistake when his parents boat engine failed.  He was wearing a life jacket and was pulled out of the water by tourists on the Maid of the Mist boat that was below the falls.  Another was a lady (in the 1800's) who decided that a barrel ride down the falls would bring her fame and fortune.  She was quite bruised, broken and banged up but she too survived.  Was it worth it?  Do you know her name? The boys and I have decided that nothing would coax us into taking that insane ride.

 

After we spent quite a while in awe of the falls we headed down the 20 floor elevator to the base of the falls to board the Maid of the Mist boat tour.  We put on our plastic rain gear so that we could match the other 100+ people, on board and headed out past the American Falls on our journey to the Horseshoe Falls.   


The rainbows along the base of the American falls were spectacular.  They looked like they extended from the top of the falls and then plummeted beneath the Niagara River.  You could see why the Native Americans believed that their Gods lived under the falls.  

The red railing was where the Cave of the Winds tour took place.  We did this tour a few days later.

When you get under the Horseshoe Falls you are so encompassed by mist that you really cannot see the falls.  The kids were having so much fun getting soaked that they didn't really notice.
After a half day at the falls we headed back to our campground.  We all have been really sick and outings wear us out a lot quicker then normal.  We actually canceled all our plans the next day and stayed in the RV and rested (actually, we got caught up on some home school and then tried to rest.  If you have ever tried to rest in a really small space with 5 people, 3 being kids, you know how much rest we actually got).  The following day we got a really slow start (it is the pits to be sick)  but eventually headed back to Niagara for another look at the falls.  This time we took the Cave of the Winds tour.  In this tour you not only get to wear another really cool rain coat, you get funky matching sandals.  Once you put on your sexy, yellow outfit you head down another elevator to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls.  You walk along the red wood trail until you are standing under a tidal wave.  It is actually partially under the falls, but you might as well stand in your shower fully dressed with a rain poncho on.  I have to say although you get very soaked it is really cool and quite an experience.  If you have a chance to take this tour and you don't mind a lot of water, I highly recommend it!

This is a picture from the top of the falls looking at the Rainbow Bridge which takes you into Canada.
Look carefully at Tanner's shirt.  This cracks Dave and I up!
One sick family trying to look heathy in front of the falls.

If you look closely you can see the Maid of the Mist at the bottom of Horseshoe Falls.

This is the first time we have ever seen a black squirrel.  They are actually all over Canada.
Later that day we drove over the bridge to Canada.  We actually got busted at the border and had to turn around and come back into the States (long story) but we did head back in later that night (and made it in).  This is the view of Horseshoe Falls from the Canadian side.  Isn't that mist amazing.
That night in Canada we decided to go to Rainforest Cafe for dinner.  Although Rainforest Cafe is usually a great choice for families with kids, without getting into it, I do not recommend this one.
All in all, experiences like seeing the falls are why we took this trip.  It is something that I believe God created not only to bless us, but to constantly remind us of his amazing beauty and power and how the two of them they can join together in such perfect harmony. 

New post

I finally was able to post Dave's post from last week. Check it out! It is right before the Pittsburgh post! I'm working on adding pictures (they are coming from the other computer). I will try and get the Niagara Falls post out tonight if I can post from Canada (I need to check how much roaming charges are). We have all been very sick and haven't had much energy. I was sick when my parents were here. I then started to get better and went to Tulsa for a GMS show. I unfortuanately got really sick again when I returned. This time Dave and Tanner and Peyton caught it as well. When I post I usually stay up really late to write it. Since I have been sick for over 3 weeks I now have no energy and hit the bed and crash (I even have put my jogging on hold). Im starting to get energy back and was hoping to post tonight. We are in line for Canada now and I should know soon whether I get charged more or not. Love you all and thanks for the recent comments!

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Please note:  Dave has written a post before this post, but he wrote it on the second computer and we need to get to a wireless area before we can post.  Keep looking back for it, as it will be posted as soon as I can following all these pics.  I was holding off this post until that one got posted, but I was getting too far behind.

None of us had ever been to Pittsburgh and I had heard a ton of great things about the city so we were all very excited to check it out.  The boys picked me up at the airport around 4:30 pm and we decided to go into the city for dinner and a ride up the tram to get an amazing view of the city.  We went to Market Square and ate at Houllihans.  It turned out to be a very yummy dinner.  We then headed to the Duquesne Incline.   

It was a very fun ride up, but the best part was the view from the top.  It was so amazing!  There was a bunch of restaurants on top of the hill that had decks and huge windows.  I decided that, that would be an ideal place for a date (it's been a while since I have had a real one).  

We made our way back down the tram and called it a night.  The next day we went to the Carnigie Science Museum in downtown Pittsburgh.  It was an amazing place.  The first area we explored was the sports area.  They had a trampoline and a orbitron that was free with our museum pass.  We all went on them multiple times.  One of the best things about home schooling is that you can be places on weekdays when there are no lines!  Not sure what the kids learned on the Orbitron besides that you don't get motion sickness if your stomach stays centered, but we did have a blast!  We then exlplored the other 4 floors of this great museum.  We saw a robot machine that shoots a basketball and never misses, a earthquake cafe, a live show on kitchen bacteria (the good bacteria in yogurt and the bad bacteria you find in a cracked wooden spoon) and 100+ other cool things. One of the highlights was a tour aboard a US Navy submarine built during World War II.  I have decided that I would rather fall off the face of the planet then live aboard a sub.  It was so small and cramped in there.  No windows, 1 small toilet room and 5 bunks in a room the size of my guest bathroom at home.  

After the museum we headed downtown to Primanti Brothers for lunch.  We had heard that this was a must stop while in Pittsburgh.  After receiving our sandwich I could see why.  The deli sandwich comes stuffed with coleslaw and french fries.  It was very good, but a little too big if you want to pick it up to eat it.  After a late lunch the kids found a fountain to play in and they ended up soaked.  We had a great time in Pittsburgh.  It is definitely a place I would come back to.

24 States, Northeast to Pittsburgh

That's right... can you believe it? Cindi, the kids and I have been to 24 different states in the USA! We live in a great country and we have been reminded of that fact over and over and over again.But before we get to Pennsylvaia we need to do a little catch up... again. After the nice relaxing stay with Cindi's folks in the cabin in Gatlinsburg, TN and a full 2nd day in DollyWood we crashed at an RV Park in Pigeon Forge, TN (the same city as the amusement park). The next morning we headed to Knoxville, TN and quite frankly didn't do to much aside from homeschool, Urgent care for Mom, eating, sleeping blah, blah then stayed at another RV Park north of Knoxville. The next morning we headed to Lexington, Kentucky the "horse capital of the world." Cindi found a great place to stay at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground. The campground was djacent to the Kentucky Horse Park which is the site for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.  To say this is a big deal for Kentucky is an understatement. There were signs everywhere. I should also mention Kentuckians were very proud to be hosting the 2008 Ryder Cup Golf Tournament which was taking place when we were in the state (different city though). I wore my 2000 US Open Pebble Beach hat that Cindi and I went to where Tiger Woods destroyed the field by 14 strokes... I degressed there. Anyway we had a great day at this campgroud. The kids and I enjoyed playing tennis (finally used the rackets we've been lugging around). I can't remember when I actually played tennis with my boys prior to this trip, so another small victory.After a cruise around Lexington and the University of Kentuky (more known for their baketball teams not football) we headed east toward Charleston, West Virginia.For those keeping track this is the town we hung out in for a few days about a month ago. Remember the story of Cindi's blouses getting sucked through the engine fans? It's worth going back and reading if you need a laugh. Anyway, for those really keeping track this is the 3rd time we actually crossed our own path. The other 2 times were in Little Rock, Arkansas and Chicago, Illinois. For those of you who get that... good. If you want a better explaination call me at (916) 705-7005. If you really don't care, then smile and just keep reading. As we entered WestVirgina Cindi's dad had to led everyone in John Denver's rendition of "West Virginia, Mountain Mama???, Take Me Home, Country Roads..." We did buy Sterling a Marshall University football in Huntington, WV where the university is based. We are Marshall... good movie. For those of you who don't know Sterling is collecting footballs. This had to be his 15th?
Eventhough we already had celebrated Peyton's birthday, when Saturday (his actual birthdate) rolled around we had to celebrate some more. It could have been tough for a 7 year old to be away from "home" on his birthday so we really tried to make the whole things special for him. Plus, "home" is really where your family and freinds are and we had some extra family with us to celebrate. I did have to drop Cindi off at the Charleston Airport that morning to get to a Get Motivated Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma but then Grandma, Grandpa joined us at Chuck E Cheese's. We all had a great time recelebrating Pey's special day. Grandma and Grandpa once again spoied the boys with a ton of extra tokens. After then getting Cindi's folks to their flight (we already miss Grandma and Grandpa) the 4 of us heaed northest to Pennsylvania. This is the 24th state we have visited on this incredible journey. We are halfway to seeing all 48 states. I had picked out another Yogi Bear Campground in Mill Run, PA as the kids seem to enjoy these. We arrived late Saturday night but the next morning we were up to join the scavenger hunt which turned out to be "boring" according to the kids. The most boring part is that things are starting to shutdown as summer is ending. The water slides were closed down, pool was locked and activities were limited. We need to hit the Notheast before the weather turns and all the RV Park are done for the year. We managed to have some fun anyhow but decided to spend our last night without mommy at a KOA Campground southeast of Pittsburgh (mom called in with a anti-bordom plan for us). They had a JUMPING PILLOW! Lots of homeschool, laundry and jumping! On our way to the Pittsburgh Airport the next day to pick up mommy we stopped at the BigMac Museum which justed turned out to be a unique McDonald's with a lot of BigMac memorabia.