We were total touristy nerds and tried to cram in as much at the falls as possible. We rode on "The Maid of Mist" boat tour, which was really fun. It took us right up to the falls and got us soaked. They cram TONS of people on these little boats and honestly, it made me a little nervous. I could just see our little boat getting sucked under the falls never to resurface, but thankfully we survived! I was grateful for the lovely blue ponchos they gave us to wear...but must say that they are definitely not the most flattering item of clothing to don as a pregnant woman.
After the boat ride we put on ponchos again and headed on "The Journey Behind the Falls." We went on a long elevator ride down to the base of the falls and once again got soaked! Sam loved splashing in all of the puddles, and we loved the view. Just beautiful! 
We stayed on the Canada side of the falls and loved it. We spent time strolling in the park overlooking the falls, where Eric took TONS of pictures. The weather was great. Not too hot, not too humid. I'm convinced that June is the time to go!
Stop #2: Palmyra, New York!
The drive to Palmyra was a little interesting...thanks to Mapquest. We got lost on some absolutely gorgeous country roads, and ended up arriving a couple hours later than planned. I just loved Palmyra though. Our first stop here was the Smith Family Farm and the Sacred Grove. It was amazing to be in the place where Joseph Smith lived, worked, and most importantly received the First Vision. The spirit and feeling in the Sacred Grove is overwhelming. What a beautiful place! We then headed to Hill Cumorah. Another beautiful place...and quite the little workout to walk to the top of that hill! :) Last stop...The Gradin Print Shop, where the first Book of Mormon was published. Sam was a little restless at this point, so Eric and I missed out on a lot of the info given on this tour, but it was another great stop. Palmyra is such a cute, quaint place.
On the road again...
Stop #3: Scranton, PA??
We had no idea we'd be driving right through the hometown of Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert, and Pam Beesly! That's right, for all of you Office fans, we drove through good old Scranton. Now we thought for sure we'd find something to do with The Office here, but it was a struggle. The only thing we found was an ugly display set up at the mall....too bad!
Stop #4: Hershey, PA
What could be better than stopping at the Hershey Chocolate Factory?! We took a quick trolley tour of Hershey, let Sam assist in packaging chocolate Kisses, and ate our fair share of free samples! YUM! 
Stop #5: Lancaster, PA
We had to stop and get a little look at the Amish while we were in Pennsylvania! I just loved the countryside in Lancaster...the city itself was pretty ugly and run down, but the Amish farms were just beautiful! We took a ride in an authentic Amish buggy, ate some good Amish cooking at a family-style restaurant (where we dined at the same table with complete strangers), and decided that life with electricity suits us well! It was fun to see all of the buggies on the streets and Sam was in love with the horses.
Sam also persuaded us to go for a train ride in Strasburg, PA. It took us through more of the Amish countryside, and Sam was in absolute HEAVEN!
Stop #6: Progressive Field in Cleveland for a little taste of baseball!
Of course when Eric heard that his beloved SF Giants were going to be in Cleveland we just HAD to go. We were late to the game (another thanks to Mapquest), but there ended up being a rain delay so all was good. We only stayed a few innings, as we still had to drive home that night, but the game was fun. Sam loved looking through the binoculars. GO GIANTS!
We had a great trip and thoroughly enjoyed being together! Here's to retirement! :)
15 comments:
What a fun trip, Linds. Your pictures are awesome. It looks like you guys had a great time.
I hope you have some fun alternative plans for the 4th. Is is supposed to be rainy all weekend?
that all sounds fun! baseball games are the best!
What a great trip! Great pictures, too! I would love to do that route someday! Hey...do you wanna hang out next week?!!xoxo
What a fun trip! You saw so many things. Crazy that Scranton didn't have anything "Office" related. I would have tried to look for the building and train tracks (Even though they wouldn't be there)
And yes, it would be nice if Eric could already be retired, but he needs to make some money first to pay for the fun adventures!
How fun! You were able to do a lot in a short amount of time. I think the retirement thing sounds great! Wow, you weren't joking about the pool being full of mud but I didn't realize it was so flooded. CRAZY!
it looks like a wonderful little vacation! we may have to get your maps (the ones that didn't get you lost!) and take the same trip sometime!!
what a great trip! how fun to be able to live close and explore that part of the country! :)
That is the vacation I wanted to take this year, obviously I did not win that battle. Next year though! And hopefully we will have invested in a GPS by then so we don't have to take Mapquests word for it!
What a fun trip! We did that road trip last year and it was great! (except we didn't do PA-we will have to do next time.)We also stopped into Kirkland and Clevland on way back.
Glad your enjoying your summer break!!
looks like you guys are having a blast this summer! so glad you get some time together.
What a really fun trip! I am a big believer in being a tourist in or near wherever you live. Espcially if you don't plan to live there forever.
Scott Brown was just telling me about a book that encourages taking mini retirements (a few months off at a time) beginning when you are early in your career. It's a great idea!
We very nearly took off on a spontaneous road trip on Friday based upon your obvious family fun.
You diehards really went to visit Scranton? You guys are hilarious. Glad you all had a great time. Palmyra is my 2nd favorite Church History site. I love how the area is still remote and similar to how it could have been in the 1800s.
That looks like y'all had a GREAT time!!! It's nice to have some free time right? And vacationing is ALWAYS the best way to use it!
I'm with you, ready to retire before ever starting the career! What a fun adventure! You saw so many fun things. I love that you stopped in Scranton. I can't believe all they had was a mall display. I want to go on a road trip!
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