The Falls

Well we woke up early as usual and I took Jasper outside and sat on the patio and just enjoyed the cool crisp air. Something that we have been in very short supply back at home. The yard that I was sitting in is actually part of the very place where the battle of Lewiston was fought in the War of 1812. The Americans came across the river and invaded but ultimately lost the battle. You can find out more about it here.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Queenston_Heights 

After getting ready for the day Lyn and I headed out to Niagara on The Lake. We wanted to see the shops and flowers and really check out the area. It was raining by the time we got there but we headed out anyway and really enjoyed going in the shops and checking out the flowers. After a few hours we headed back to the house and picked up John for a guided tour of the falls and the rest of the Niagara falls downtown area. By now we were already friends and it was great to have someone that knew the lay of the land with us. We decided to walk right through the heart of town. We referred to this area as the “cheesy” part of Niagara Falls, it had all the trappings of the usual beach scene with gift shops about every 20 yards and lots of rides and attractions. We were on the look out for a pair of sunglasses for Lyn and John and after trying them on in just about ever store we actually had some luck. We walked down to the falls again and got to see both falls from different angles. It is truly beautiful. If you get a chance to go it is definitely worth the trip. (By the way if you are wondering you could be there in about 12 hours if you drove straight from Greensboro. Then we headed back downtown and had some lunch.) Lyn and I had Fish tacos again yum yum. After that we walked around a little more and stopped in a new Mexican restaurant for a couple of beers. After talking to the waiter we learned that the actual owners were from Serbia and France. Interesting combination. Not sure how they ever came up with the idea.  Finally we drove back to the house and just hung out with everyone for a while. We instantly felt like we were staying with family and have been invited back in the future. After another great dinner we went back to the falls around 10 to see the Fireworks and to see the falls lit up. Jasper stayed home and slept on the couch. While John and I went to see the falls Terri and D went to the Casino. The fireworks were awesome and the colors that lit up the falls were beautiful. We tried to capture it with our cameras but it just did not do it justice. The fireworks are displayed every night and defiantly worth staying up for. When the show was over we headed back to the Casino and decided to get a coffee. While John and I got the coffee Lyn went to get a seat. When we turned around Lyn was surrounded by about 8 new Filipino friends. They were on vacation together and some were from Canada and a few from the states. As luck would have it one of them had just returned from the Philippines and had a big bag of  Sampalok with her that she shared with everyone. Mmm Mmm Good! (Sampalok is a fruit that is similar to a fig.) This was extra special because they all spoke Ilokano, Lyn’s home dialect. Well of course good fellowship was shared along with names and telephone numbers. What a small world.  We got home around midnight and had another great nights sleep. This was one of those days were we felt blessed from the beginning to the end. Tomorrow we plan to head out to Toronto and stay in our first Air BnB. Good times are around every corner. 

Niagara on the Lake.

Niagara on the Lake.

Shopping

The Falls

Dinner at Terri's house!

Out and about.

The Falls

New Friends.

John and Lyn.

Canada Eh?

So we had a great night sleeping on our new queen size inflatable bed. Much better than the piece of vinyl that we had last night. We got up around 6:30 and proceeded to fix breakfast break down our campsite and then head for the showers. It was around 10 AM before we left for Niagara Falls. I had been to the falls before but it was just a one day trip so I was looking forward to showing them to Lyn and getting a better feel for the entire area. We have a good friend Val that we know through working with the MS Society. As luck would have it she had a twin sister that lived right outside the falls area. Val told us to call her sister (Terri) as she would love for the three of us to stay at her house for a couple of nights. Yes she was not only a dog lover but had three dogs of her own. One that she actually showed in dog shows. She told us that we were welcome to stay with her for the two nights that we would be in the area. We had about a 6.5 hour drive ahead of us that would end with us crossing the Canadian border right before we got to Terri's house. Crossing borders always make me a little on edge. In the past we had to cross borders with Lyn's Filipino passport which always made things a little more stressful. This time she would be crossing with a US Passport which should make life just a little bit easier. This time I was actually worried about Jasper. We had heard people say that sometimes they just waved you across and other times they might give you a hard time and there was always the possibility that they would not let him in. Anyway to make a long story short we were asked a few questions and waved right on through. After that we just had anther 10 minutes to terri's house.

The house was located in a town right outside of the Niagara on the Lake area which is a super nice area. Her house actually backed up to the Niagara river and was only about 15 minutes from the falls. We pulled up to a beautiful house with a fantastic back yard area. Terri, her son John and a friend Dee live there. I am not really sure how to describe this place but it is awesome in every way. It was built in the 30's and has a very craftsman feel about it. Terri, John and Dee were very friendly and from the moment we stepped in the door we felt at home. Jasper went into super cute mode and won the hearts of everyone straight off the bat. We sat around and talked for a bit and then were treated to a gourmet dinner complete with blueberry pie for dessert. After dinner we  went up to the falls to see them first hand. They are beautiful and you can really feel the power of the water as it moves over the falls. After that we went to Niagara on the Lake and got a tour of places that we could go back and see on the next day. Then we went home to have some more great conversation and then went to bed around 10. The night was cool so we could sleep with the windows open and the fresh air felt great and made for a great sleeping night. Tomorrow we will tour the area and maybe go back to the falls at night and see the when they are lit up completely. Fun times for sure.

EH!

Backyard of our Terri's house.

Cable car ride.

Fantastic dinner!

At the Falls.

The Dutch Country

Well last night was interesting. We went to bed about 10 and about 30 minutes later a huge thunder storm rolled through. It dumped a lot of rain on us and really gave us a show. Somehow the thunder is much louder when you are in a tent. (Imagine that!) We felt like we were really out in the elements. Actually I guess we were. The tent did great and kept us safe from the rain and maybe we were just lucky with the lightning. About an hour after that we noticed that our air mattress had lost some air. Lyn had told me to check it out before we left on our trip but of course I said everything would be fine and now our mattress was obviously dying. Anyway about an hour later we were sleeping on the ground with just a piece of vinyl for a bed. When we finally got up Lyn gave me a look that had "I told you so" written all over it. We got up around 7 had breakfast grabbed a shower and headed out about 9. We decide to go to two local towns. "Bird in Hand" and "Intercourse" I have no idea where the second town got it's name and I did not dare ask. Anyway Lyn was determined to see some Amish people and also see their farms. It did not take long to see them riding around in their horse drawn buggies. We went to a few stores and sampled a lot of great foods. We also drove out in the country and checked out the farm land. It was beautiful! Large farm houses everywhere and huge fields of mainly corn. It was really neat to see them working the land and not using any modern technology to do it. I am really not sure of all the rules that they live by but obviously no cars or anything mechanical. We saw a lot of the kids riding scooters. Not just for fun, but as their main mode of transportation. It was a little like stepping back in time and waking up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Anyway I admire them for sticking to this basic lifestyle but I think I will stick with my Townhouse no grass cutting lifestyle for sure.

After we toured around we went to visit a friend of mine that I used to work with back in my printing days. She lives in Litiz, PA which is right outside Lancaster. This town has a very cool vibe for sure. Patty was nice enough to invite us to lunch at her house and give us a sampling of some local foods that were delicious. We had not worked together in over 12 years but had kept in touch through facebook. It is really one of the most positive aspects of Facebook for sure. After lunch we left Jasper on her back porch and she took us to see a covered bridge and a local produce market. The bridge was very pretty and still being heavily used. We took some pictures and then headed back to her house. Thanks for the hospitality Patty! It was great to see you!

Next stop was Hershey. This is where the Hershey Chocolate is made. I wanted to take Lyn through the town and make a stop at the Hershey hotel. The town has Hershey kisses for street lights and has great street names like Cocoa Blvd. We left Jasper in the car with the AC on and toured the hotel and the gardens. It was very nice and we would both like to stay there one day. Anyway on our way out we ran into Mr. Reese's PB Cup himself and had our picture taken with him. We headed back to the campsite with a quick stop at Walmart to buy a new and improved bed. We also picked up some Shoo-fly pie which is a local favorite. Yummy! Lyn fixed another great dinner and as usual we were ready for bed around 10. This time sleeping on a fully inflated Queen size bed. Tomorrow we head out for Niagara Falls.

Amish

Family transportation

Scooter transportation.

Bird-In-Hand

Enough said!

Patty's deck!

Hershey

Hershey Hotel

Mr. Reese's PB Cup

Shoo-Fly Pie!

Dinner time!

Heading to Amish country!

We got up and finished packing. It is really hard to pack for a trip like this. We want to take everything we might need for three weeks but every item we take makes less room in the car for us. It also adds to the clutter to the trip so less is always better but it is a balance that we struggle with. When were about ready to go we noticed that we had a lot of room left in the car. This means one of two things that we are actually getting better at this or that we have forgotten a few much needed items. I guess only time will tell. (Fingers crossed!) We were heading for Lancaster Pa. and decided to stop by Roanoke and see my Aunt Peggy. (My Dad's sister.) I wanted to visit my Grandparents grave sites and then we would have lunch with Peggy and be on our way. It was raining off and on the entire way there. We decide to go by my other Grandmothers (Nanny) site first and then meet Peggy. When we got there it was pouring down rain and the man that attended the graveyard was out of his office so we could not find out where the grave site was located. I did my best to find it but was unable to so we decided that would be better left for a later trip. We went and meet Peggy at her house and then decided to head out for lunch. Peggy's two favorite places were closed on Mondays so we went to another one that had something special going on and was closed for lunch as well. We ended up going to Wasena City Tap Room. It had a really cool vibe and Lyn and I had sword fish tacos that were delicious. After that we went to the cemetery to pay our respects to my other grandparents (Mama Bea and Papa.) The bottom dropped out right as we got out of the car but we were still able to go to the grave site. Being back in Roanoke really made a lot of childhood memories come back remembering all of the great times I had with all of my grandparents. If I could go back in time and see any one, it would be them for sure. Hopefully a little of their skills rubbed off on me and Bobaloo and Lola can create great memories with one Spencer Jane Miles! (Our granddaughter.)

After saying our goodbyes to Peggy we headed off to Lancaster. We drove in and out of rain storms almost the entire way but as luck would have it the sun came out about the time we reached our campground. We are staying at Country Acres. It is a family campground that is very well taken care off. Lots and lots of beautiful grassy areas and plenty of flowers to boot. They really take pride in this place and it shows. I set up camp and Lyn started setting up the kitchen area and made us a great meal. We are both a little rusty at this camping thing but it will come back to us pretty quickly I am sure. After dinner we took Jasper for a walk and took in the sights. It is kind of like stepping back in time. Fireflies campfires and kids playing outside on an actual playground. We went to bed around 10 with thunderstorms on the horizon and a nice cool breeze. Feeling blessed to be on the road again.

Lunch with Peggy!

Swordfish Tacos!

County Acres Campground

Home Sweet Home!

Cooking with gas!

Here we go again!

Well it is that time of year again and we are about to head out on our third annual summer trip around the country. This time we will head north to Lancaster Pa. and then on to Niagara Falls. After that we will travel east through Canada meeting friends and relatives along the way. Then we will meander back along the east coast of the good ole USA and head home. We will travel over 3000 miles and see everything from big cities to national forest. We will be camping again with the occasional stop at friends houses and few stops at Air BnB locations. We have been looking forward to this trip for the entire year and are very glad that it is finally here. Feel free to follow along we will enjoy the company!

Home Sweet Home!

Finally today is the day we head home. While we still have colds they seem to be getting a little better as of this morning. We set the alarm for 4AM and were already down in the lobby by 4:30 to grab a take away breakfast and grab a cab to the airport. We arrived at the airport at 4:55 and as I should have guessed the lines were already out the door. We were able to make it inside and then Lyn had to pay a travel tax to be able to leave the country and we both had to pay a terminal fee. These were small amounts for sure but it does seem like they always have to get you for something. Once we were done with that we got in the Delta line and made it through in about 20 minutes. Then we had to go through Immigration and then finally through security. We made it to our gate with time to spare so overall it was a good experience. Our first flight was to Tokyo and would be just under 4 hours. As luck would have it Lyn got to sit next to an older lady that spoke Ilokano. (Her native language.) It was nice for them to be able to chat she found out that she would be sitting with us again on the long NYC flight. I noticed that Lyn was helping her with everything. Showing her how to use the video controls making sure she had everything she needed and just talking with her in general. She later told me it felt like her Mom was with her on the flight. God works in mysterious ways, many we may not understand but we will always appreciate them. We arrived in Tokyo on time and had about a 45-minute layover. I enjoy walking in the stores here, as everything is different from home. Our next flight to JFK would be just under 12 hours. This is the one we both dreaded. It is hard to sit in those seats for that long but we were able to get up occasionally and walk around. If money was no object those 1^st class beds sure look good up front. But wait we did get to ride in 1^st class on the bus I guess that will have to do. After watching several movies and having several meals we finally landed at JFK. (One movie was especially good. It was called The Lunchbox. You can check it out here. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/ )

We got off the plane and went through immigration. We both realized that this would be the last time that Lyn would have to do this using a Green Card. The next time we do this she will be a full on U.S. Citizen! The immigration officer was very nice which is not always the case. After we collected our luggage we had to recheck it to our final destination Raleigh, NC. My daughter Chelsea and son-in-law Justin were going to meet us their with our car and Jasper so we could drive straight from there.  We had about a 3 hour wait for our plane but finally we boarded the final flight. Surprisingly one of our stewardesses was Filipino. She talked to Lyn in Tagalog and asked me if I knew any. Of course I used my handy dandy phrase “Hindi ko alam!” which means “I do not know.” Ha Ha. I did manage to say “Salamat Po” on my way off the plane, a very fitting way to end the trip. Justin and Chelsea greeted us and after getting our luggage we were actually driving our car on I-40 heading home. It seemed like we were flying going 70 miles per hour. After about an hour and 15 minutes we were home! It felt so good that we just sat there enjoying the moment. We went to bed about 1AM with the windows open and enjoyed the cool 68-degree temperature. It seems like a lifetime ago that we started our summer vacation with my Dad and Joanne. I would never have predicted when we were standing on the snowfields at Glacier Park that a week later I would be riding a trike in Solano Nueva Vizcaya. Life can sure throw you curves and difficult situations but as long as you have friends and family you can make it through just about anything. We were blessed in so many ways on this month long odyssey. So many people went out of their way to help us, gave us encouraging words or put us in their prayers. (Way too many to name here.) But from the bottom of our hearts we thank you all!!!!! Next years vacation?!?!!? Not sure yet but as long as I have Lyn by my side it is guaranteed to be an adventure! See you in the Bye and Bye!

In Tokyo.

Frog pocket books.

Crazy sign!

Manila airport at 4:55AM.

Tokyo sign.

Great snack.

Tokyo trash can.

Heading home!

On the way to Manila

We woke up about 5 am with the same colds hat we went to bed with. Uggghhh! Our bus to Manila was scheduled to leave at 11:20. We decided to have breakfast and then walk back to the market to visit the coffee shop one more time. We wanted to get a little more before we headed back home and really any excuse to walk through Burnham Park is a valid one. We went down stairs to breakfast about 6:30. The guy that greeted us in the lobby said that breakfast would start at 7. We decided to sit in the lobby and enjoy the wifi that is much quicker than the wifi in our room. After about 5 minutes the man came back and said they would open the kitchen for us early and we could now have breakfast. I had bacon and eggs and Lyn had hot dogs sliced with eggs and rice. (Hot dogs are served all the time over here and are a part of many dishes.) This meal was not only delicious it also was presented nicely as well. After breakfast we walked to the market. We cut through Burnham Park and saw that it was alive with families already enjoying the bikes, playgrounds and boats. It was a school holiday and so everyone was free to enjoy the park. We went to the Market and bought more coffee at the same store that we had purchased it at the day before. That market really has a life of its own and could walk around it all day. Since we had a bus to catch we caught a cab back to the hotel and packed up our things. Today’s bus ride was going to be about 5 hours long. Once we arrived at the Victory Liner station we were greeted by three guards that helped us get our luggage in. We already had our tickets so it was really just a matter of waiting on our bus to arrive. We had splurged and paid for a luxury bus, which was only about $17 per person. This was about $8 a person more than the regular bus. For this price we were treated with bigger seats that reclined more, a bathroom, wifi with charger and a stewardess that handed out light snacks and water. The bathroom would enable us to arrive in Manila about two hours faster than the regular bus because we could go non-stop. And once again we had seriously strong air conditioning. The ride out was really curvy at first as we left Baguio. Our bus was passing everything in sight and seemed to have no problem doing that on blind curves as well. After about an hour it flattened out and we just sat back and watched the countryside and enjoyed the wifi. The plan was to go to the Pasay terminal, which would be near our hotel and very near the airport. Eric’s Mom met us there and rode with us in the cab to make sure that we got in a good cab and did not have any hassle. She actually offered to let us stay with her again but we were just too sick to be around anyone. (Thank you Eric and Russelle for making our time in Manila hassle free. It really took the pressure off our travel there!) We look forward to going back there when we have more time. Once we checked in we basically crashed on the bed and fell asleep until dinnertime. Our colds were getting the best of us and tomorrow would be about 36 hours of travel. Yikes. Hoping for better health, as this trip is not easy on the best of conditions. Tomorrow we have the alarm set at for so we can leave the hotel at 4:30. This should get us to the airport at 5AM, which will give us enough time to get through all of the craziness. Hoping for a smooth day tomorrow.

Breakfast at the park View Hotel!

Guard at the Manila bus station.

Luxury bus.

Snack

Bathroom on the bus.

Stewardess

The bus.

Along the way.

Snack