Tag Archive for: Niagara Falls

Our road trip is going very well.  We encounter both the expected and unexpected each day, which is part of the adventure.

We spent a very wet morning, visiting Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls

The falls are truly magnificent and pictures do not adequately describe the beauty and power of the falls.

Niagara Falls

And, no – we didn’t fall in 😉

We visited the Canadian side, which has a better view of the falls.

Niagara Falls

The ground was so wet from the mist generated from the falls.

tulips

These tulips didn’t have a chance with the sopping wet soil.

I also had to be careful with my camera because of the mist.  I would take a photo quickly and then cover up my camera.

After spending the morning at Niagara Falls, we headed toward the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is in the central part of the state.

On our way, we saw a sign for an Amish swap meet.

traditional' flea market stuff.

So of course, we had to stop by.

There were many different vendors and we saw some very nice items along with the more ‘traditional’ flea market stuff.

I had fun seeing all the food choices there.  It reminded me of ‘fair food’.  Here is a sampling of what we saw…

Gramma's Butterflied Potatoes

“Gramma’s Butterflied Potatoes” are basically a huge mound of freshly-fried potato chips covered with cheese.

My favorite food

My favorite food in the whole world is bread and when I saw this sign, I must admit that I was sorely tempted…

Road Trip

But, I resisted the temptation.

Road Trip

The Belgian waffle also looked good.

Next, we headed to the plant section…

beautiful container combinations

Spring is in full swing and there are beautiful container combinations everywhere you looked…

beautiful container combinations
beautiful container combinations

It was a hot day…about 89 degrees and a bit humid, so I took the opportunity to sit for a few minutes on an ‘Adirondack’ chair.

Adirondack' chair

I admired the fresh vegetables…

fresh vegetables

Before leaving, we stopped to buy fresh bread from an Amish woman and her little brother….

Amish woman

We bought a inexpensive foam cooler for the car where we keep some fresh Amish cheese, fruit and bread for snacking on.

We arrived in Geneva, which is in New York’s wine country.  Geneva is located right on the shore of Seneca lake.

Because there were many different wineries, we stopped by one to buy some wine for my youngest sister and her husband.

While my mother tasted the wine and made her selection, I headed out to a small garden I saw next to the store…

Wine Country

Wine Country

Wine Country

Wine Country

Prickly Pear

Did you know that there is a species of Prickly Pear that is native to New York?  According to the sign above, there is.  

succulents planted

I just loved seeing succulents planted in an old pair of boots.

Dicentra

I love Dicentra, don’t you?

poppies

The poppies were huge…

Road Trip
Road Trip
Wine Country

Wine Country

Grapevines and the beginnings of grapes…

Wine Country

The water from the lake helps to keep the vineyards warm enough to grow grapes.

Wine Country

As we left the winery, we spotted a red fox trotting by the roadside.

He was awfully cute and since we don’t have foxes where I live, we stopped by the road to watch him.

He didn’t care that we were nearby – he was concentrating on catching dinner…  

Road Trip

He did catch dinner while we watched and swallowed it in one gulp.

We had a fabulous day 🙂

Our next stop is to the historical places and picturesque towns of upstate New York.

In just a few days, I will be boarding a plane with my mother as we embark on our second road trip together.

Last year, we toured the Midwest.  We started in Holland, Michigan and ended up in Springfield, Missouri. On the way, we visited Indiana, Illinois and Kansas.

Visiting Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Illinois

Visiting Lincoln’s tomb in Springfield, Illinois

Our goal for road trips is to avoid major highways and take smaller highways.  The reason is that major highways are often screened on the sides with walls or trees and you don’t get to see the surrounding area.

My mother and I have road trips planned for the next few years – each one focused on a geographical area of the United States.

So this year, we are traveling to the……

Northeast!

 

geographical area

We will fly into Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday and will end up in Kennebunkport, Maine at the end of our journey.

On the way, we will visit:

Amish Country in Ohio

Washington, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh)

Niagara Falls, Canada

Geneva, NY

Potsdam, NY

Burlington, VT

and

Kennebunkport, ME

Although I have visited the Northeast before, my visits were usually confined to the coastal cities.  So, I am very excited to see all of these places.

Have any of you traveled to these areas?

Or maybe you live nearby?

What do you recommend we do?

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I will be bringing my laptop and camera along with me and will be blogging from the road.

I hope you’ll join me 🙂

Road Trip: Day 1