GVO... and some tangents

GVO. That's what I'm calling my recent trip: Girls Vacation Out. It went beyond a GNO (Girls Night Out), because it lasted a week. And it included a young boy, Kyle. The trip came about after almost a year of planning with two good friends of mine, Colleen and Christine, both of whom live on the East Coast. Originally Christine's husband, Jay, was going to be in Toronto on business, and we thought we could all meet and tag along. Fast forward, and it wound up being Niagara Falls 11 months later.

My first tangent will be how we all met. In February 2005 I learned I was pregnant with Kyle. Thirsting for information, I Googled everything pregnancy and landed on Pregnancy Weekly. The site included message boards called birth clubs, and you would join the board for the month you were due. This way, you could post messages and reply to messages with a bunch of women going through all the same things at the same times. My. Board. CLICKED. So much so, that eventually close to 200 of use moved to a private message board that only we could access.

Now, more than six years later, I am no longer active on the message board, but I am still connected to probably 50 or 60 of those women on my Facebook page. I've met many of the women in the Midwest, and Colleen came from New York to South Haven two years ago to visit. A couple others have also visited me in South Haven.

So a trip was planned with Colleen, her nearly six year old Megan, and Christine, and her nearly six year old Olivia. We also made plans to meet another friend from the original message board, Sara-Jayne, her nearly six year old Aeva-Grace, and her husband and son. Sara-Jayne lives in Canada, but I had been lucky to have met her twice before already.

August 3

Departure Day! I was worried about driving by myself with the kids for the entire eight hour drive (plus add in meals and potty stops), so I decided to stop and spend the night with my cousin Kathy in Rochester. This was a great plan, because I love Kathy and so do my kids!! We had a great time hanging out with her for a bit, and she made our trip so much easier. Thanks, Kathy!

August 4

We left Kathy's just after 11, aiming to hit our 4:30 check-in time. We rented a condo so that we could all seven enjoy the space. This would also help out with costs since we could eat in when we wanted to.

Even though Google Maps and my GPS said to go through Port Huron, I decided to hit the Windsor tunnel. (Tangent ahead!) I remember as a child traveling between Canada and the US frequently, and we would take the tunnel one way and the bridge the other way. My kids love tunnels, and I wanted them to watch for the flags in the middle and shout we were in another country -- just as I had as a kid.

The kids did amazing for the whole drive. It helps that we had picked up the newly-released movie Rio just as we hit the road. They watched it all but one hour of the trip. Again. And again. But it entertained them.

We got to the condo all about the same time, and got all of our stuff unloaded. Then the seven of us grabbed pizza by the slice on the corner for dinner. It was good, and it hit the spot after a day of traveling.

August 5

Our day to meet up with Sara-Jayne and her family. We decided to explore the Clifton Hill area of Niagara Falls. This was a lot of fun. We first rode the Sky Wheel and got a great view of the area and the falls. The kids loved it! Then there was tons of fun to be had... mini-golf, arcade games, and a walk along the falls. Walking along the Horseshoe Falls cooled us off, in a soaking wet kind of way, lol, since the mist is like rain. We had a super day.

We headed back to the condo to relax and make dinner, then headed out again to the same area to see the falls lit up in a variety of colors, and to watch fireworks. Unfortunately, after waiting patiently, the message went around that the fireworks were cancelled that night.

We walked back through Clifton Hill and hit some stores, like the Hershey Store. We got the kids home close to midnight and they fell asleep soundly. Colleen, Christine and I stayed up watching DVDs of Friends episodes -- oh how that show can make me laugh!!

August 6

The falls up close and personal! We crossed the border into New York to take in all the views from the American side at the Niagara Falls State Park. While Canada offers a wider view of the majesty of the falls, taking in the size and scope of them, America offers a up close view of their power and the gushing water that leads to them. Both countries show their awesomeness and beauty.

We took a trip to the base of the Horseshoe Falls on the Maid of the Mist. The kids loved the boat ride, and loved our blue raincoats. Nothing like getting rained on by the mist of the falls to make a kid happy! We also walked out on the observation deck for some great views.

Next we grabbed lunch (gotta love a $6.95 hot dog) and watched the IMAX movie Niagara Falls: Legends of Adventure. The kids all did well through the 40-minute trip through 13,000 years. I was impressed with how attentive Kyle was, he was so into the history of the falls and the story behind it. He mentioned things to me later that let me know how much he was really paying attention.

Next up, a trolley ride and the Discovery Center. The trolley ride was a great way to see the rest of the park, including crossing over to Goat Island, the island that divides the Upper Niagara and creates two distinct water falls. The Discovery Center was interesting, but maybe a bit above our kids' level. They had fun, though, and enjoyed the walk back to the car. We were able to go under the Rainbow Bridge, which was cool.

We ended our day earlier than we had previously -- at about 6 -- by stopping at the store for food to cook, The Beer Store for drinks, and then home. Erin fell asleep in the car, I carried her in, and she woke up the next morning!! We made pasta and salad for dinner. The joy of a condo -- the $10 we spent stretched to feed seven of us two nights in a row! And then more Friends with friends. :)

August 7

We began our day in New York again, going to the Niagara Aquarium. We planned our trip so that we would be there for the most interesting activities -- the penguin and seal feedings and the sea lion show. The aquarium was small, but packed in a lot of fun for the kids. As we left the aquarium we sadly said good bye to Christine and Livy, who headed back to Rhode Island.

Just as we buckled in the kids, the skies opened up into a downpour. Not too discouraging though, since we were going to look for a place to eat and then go on the (wet!) Cave of the Winds tour. We hit McDonald's, and then back into the state park. We suited up in yellow raincoats this time, and even got souvenir flip flops. An elevator took us to the base of the Bridal Falls, where a walkway took us the rest of the way.

The views of the crashing water, and the rocky waterfalls beside the bigger falls, was breathtaking. It was awesome to look up at their greatness. And we walked up and up, closer to it. We were able to stand close enough beside the Bridal Falls that the water for the falls pelted us -- in essence, we were standing under the falls.

We explored more of the park after that, going around Goat Island for different views, and walking across the footbridges of the Three Sisters Islands.

After a trip back to the condo for a quick nap, we headed back down to Clifton Hill for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Then -- as Kyle begged -- we played more games. We went on a 4D ride that Kyle and Megan loved. Your chairs moved, it snowed on us, and wind rushed onto us. It was great! We also went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, which was interesting for all of us (well, except for Erin who slept soundly through it in the stroller!)

We were able to see fireworks that night, timing our arrival perfectly. We walked to the falls, picked a spot, and they started!

August 8

Departure day. By the time we all got up and packed, check out time was upon us. We gave hugs and kisses in the parking lot, saying we needed to do a get together every couple years. Colleen and Megan had a full day of driving to get back to Long Island, while our journey was just to Mount Clements, outside of Detroit.

Our trip through Canada was easy, and we were at the Port Huron border before we knew it. It took a half hour to get across the bridge, then the GPS said it was only a half hour to my college roommate's house. I didn't believe it, but sure enough, it was right!

Charlene has three boys, and those boys have four cousins next door who are all boys, so Kyle got a big fix of boy fun after a vacation with all girls. The kids had a blast!! I had a great time catching up with Charlene, and another college roommate, Amy, joined us for dinner.

We had not been together since Amy's dad died three years ago. I wrote about our friendship in a blog post then, but we share a great bond. We were such good friends through all four years of school, and now, 20 years later, I know I can step right into the friendship with ease every time I see them. I love those girls!

August 9

Home day!!!! After a week away from home, and from Mike, we were ready. One more stop, though. I couldn't pass through Lansing without a stop on the Michigan State campus. I took the kids pictures on the field I used to rehearse on for the Spartan Marching Band, we took pictures with Sparty, we ate ice cream at the MSU Dairy Store, and we hit SBS (Student Book Store) before getting on the road again.

Between Lansing and South Haven the kids slept. It was literally the only part of the entire trip they slept in the car!! Thanks goodness they were good all those wakeful hours!

We pulled into South Haven after 6, in time for dinner, baths and beds. Whew. What an amazing trip!

PICTURES...

Again, I have posted albums on Facebook, and have linked them below (you need to click both to see all the pictures.) Even if you are not a member of Facebook, this should be a public link that will allow you to view the pictures. You can see the entire album in thumbnails, or click each picture through as a slide show. Most of the pictures have captions that you can see when they are clicked larger, or when you hover over the picture.

Niagara Falls Trip, Part 1

Niagara Falls Trip, Part 2