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A classic line from one of the all-time greatest movies, “The Breakfast Club“. I was thinking this would be a cheesy tourist trap and that the falls would be nothing but some rapids falling over small cliffs. Much to my surprise, I was wrong. The falls were pretty cool and my kids had an awesome time peering over the edge as the massive gushing water fell what seemed like a couple hundred feet.

I also realized that my kids (maybe all kids) have no fear of heights. They’d run up to the edge and almost climb the guardrail to peer over. Drove Katie and I a bit crazy but the kids loved it. We visited the American side, even though almost everyone we talked to said to go Canadian. The fact that we didn’t have our passports made it an easy choice. The views were still spectacular. We started at the Goat Island lot and hiked our way around to the main area from there.

Map of Niagra Falls

The Goat Island overlook allows you to get right up close to where the water drops from the cliff. (only like 5 feet away!) You could really hear and feel the power of the falls.

We ended up, as I’m sure most do, at the pay-to-play 200 ft. high scenic overlook and Maid of the Mist boat ride. The scenic deck sits over 200 ft. high and juts out over the cliffs in midair. Awesome views!

We next went down to the Maid of the Mist and donned our protective rain gear to prepare for the ultimate splash ride. Though it wasn’t nearly as wet as I would have liked, we had a blast. I got a sickly sweet touristy euphoria while feeling the spray of millions of gallons of water crashing down around me. I felt a little dirty for enjoying it so much.

Thus ends our excursion for the day to Niagra. I recommend to all that it’s worth a visit, even if just to the American side. Here are some final pics of our adventure.

Camp Life

Camping for three days is a first for our kids, and oh my they loved it!!!  Long hikes, campfire cooking, hammocks, and belly laughs for hours.  We decided to ease them into it by renting a rustic cabin instead of a tent which was perfect.  I don’t know what it is but bunk beds make kids happy.  Freedom makes them even more happy and they had the campground to themselves to wander.  There were long games of Harry Potter (lots of wands hidden in the woods) and many trips to the bathroom.  Matt and I enjoyed moments of silence around camp as the wild ones wandered and all was great!

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The Gorge

This place…WOW!  Its almost as if you landed on another planet.  Suddenly, and it happens fast,  you look around and are surrounded by the tallest swirling walls of rock and looking ahead this is all you see.  On a short hike you can view 19 waterfalls which all are spectacular in their own way.  Get ready for lots of stairs, some steep edges and cool splashes from the falls.  The kids loved walking under the waterfalls and finding small plants, mushrooms, and a frog along the way.  For the adults this natural sculpture water has carved throughout time is incredible and the moderate hike is great for a family adventure.

Day Trip – Cornell

When Cornell is so close why not check it out.  So we ventured on our 1st college tour,  and now at least two of our kids want to go to school here, which is great motivation for homeschooling! haha  It is a beautiful campus, with a George in the middle, and a suspension bridge, what?!?  So if you study hard enough to get into Cornell wow you deserve such a beautiful place to attend college.

 

7 hours later and Buffalo, New York greets us with an intense storm followed by sunshine revealing a rainbow.  This is a good sign.  The day we left our hometown of East Jordan, Michigan there was a full rainbow which we took as a good omen to start our adventure and now another!  Maybe we should be searching for the pot of gold.  Today we were in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.  The kids thought this was pretty cool, we look forward to many more to come.

Home away from home: Buffalo, New York – Airbnb

Our Airbnb home away from home was an instant hit with the kids mainly due to its bright orange hue.  Deemed the “Orange House” for the rest of our stay, it was spacious, and had a beautiful backyard.  A short walk away were two AMAZING bakeries and I don’t even think amazing gives these places enough accolades, they are that great!

Bread Hive

If home is where the heart is Bread Hive is home.  The love in this space is comparable to my mother’s kitchen.  Simple perfection with each pretzel twist surely holding a piece of the baker’s soul.  Everything looked like it needed to be eaten immediately, and what we did sample lived up to the visual appeal and smell, simply delicious.  Get there.  Bread Hive – 402 Connecticut St., Buffalo, NY 14213

Five Points Bakery and Toast Cafe

A slice of heaven in the form of bread.  Yes, the bread gods have sprinkled some magic dust on this bakery.  “Toast Bar” really?  Combinations including  Apple Cider – with triple cream brie, Cinnamon Swirl – with vanilla icing, and Vollkornbrot – with sauerkraut and raclette for the more adventurous.  Generous portions served on eclectic pantry dishes by the kindest of hands.  I could spend a day here eating bread in such a peaceful environment. Five Points Bakery and Toast Cafe – 44 Brayton St. Buffalo, NY  14213

Albert-Knox Art Gallery

When on your first day in Buffalo you discover the Albert-Knox Art Gallery has a homeschool class on landscape painting you know the day is going to be great.  Bonus, while Colette and Sienna painted away the rest of our crew could wander the galleries for free.  I filled my neglected art soul while we tried to keep hold of Lennox.  He was a big fan of Shark Girl, good tastes little man.  Albert-Knox Art Gallery – 1285 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY  14222

Eternal Flame Falls

Great hike to a natural gas-fueled “eternal flame.”  The hike down is a beauty, a clean well traveled trail takes you  to a stream which you hike along until you reach the falls.  When we arrived the flame was out and nobody had a lighter, I’m sure this is a novice mistake but even without the flame it was beautiful.  My puddle jumpers were especially fond of the squishy sections and opportunity to splash as always.  Eternal Flame Hiking Trail

Buffalo’s Original….Yes Buffalo Wings! (Anchor Bar)

It’s not Buffalo without wings.  We had to swing by Anchor Bar and give them a try.  Thumbs up from the McLeod’s and the place is pretty fun too.  Anchor Bar – 1047 Main St. Buffalo, NY  14209

 

Let’s just start by shouting “THE CAR IS PACKED!!!” at the top of our lungs.  Yes, this is really happening.  (jumping up and down arms flying through the air)  We’ve been thinking, planning and dreaming for far to long and today is the day.  Really, how much time can you spend packing?  Lets just say far to many of my lifetime minutes have been spent on this task I loathe.  So lets shove everything in, cross our fingers and hit the road.  I’m ready!

Saying goodbye is never easy for me and to see your kids shed a few tears when saying goodbye to their comfort, friends, family, toys, home.  Basically everything they have known in their entire existence on this planet it’s a little tough.  The good thing is we are all super excited for our adventures to begin.  We have been talking about this for a long time and I think the kids are most excited to get to the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory tour.  Anything sweet has that enchanting allure for them.  As much as I try to avoid this reality, the fact is kids are driven by sugar.

We’re on the road, hitting four states in 1 day is pretty impressive and a airbnb in Buffalo, New York is waiting for us with comfy beds.  Goodbye home.  Hello adventures.