Year: 2011

I was looking forward to more camping but I guess this will do. I LOVE our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Niagara Falls. This is the view from our 17th floor room overlooking the falls.

We checked in to the hotel and then went out to wander and see the falls. We opted to take the Maids of the Mist tour. Ten minutes and a little walk later we were in the line for the ship!

We put on our blue rain ponchos.

All aboard! I really wanted to stay dry.

Heading towards the horse shoe falls.

Soaking wet! I tried to hide in my rain poncho but I still got wet. The wind was amazing.

Looking at American Falls from the Maids of the Mist.

Another look at Horse Shoe Falls.

After the boat trip we were hungry, as we missed lunch. We grabbed an ice cream cone and wandered along the water front to see what was around.

It was so pretty.

Dad and I zipped ahead while Mommy and Emmerson lagged behind. The mist coming up from HorseShoe Falls was insanely high.

I wanted to go up in the Skylon tower.

What an amazing view!

There is the tower. We rode up in the yellow elevator! (Sorry about Mommy’s thumb in the photo)

We walked all over the place. From the Skylon tower I saw these huge dinosaurs and we had to check it out.

It was a putt-putt golf place!

They had a HUGE ferris wheel. It was to expensive for us to ride, $10 a person!!

I found a neat shop that had dinosaur toys. I opted for a bug in glass but then cried because I really wanted the dinosaur too. I eventually got the dino the next day!

In front of the hotel there was a beautiful park. We had fun exploring.

Being silly!

I thought this tree was pretty spectacular.

That is our hotel in the background!

Running through the park. You can see the American Falls!

Another shot from our hotel room.

Looking down onto the park in front of the hotel. We hung out in the hotel for the evening. We had a nice buffet dinner where I had scallops and pasta. Then we curled up on the sofa in the room and waited for the fireworks at sunset. It was awesome!

After our hotel stay we visited the hydroelectric plant. This was one of the turbines.

They had a neat visitors center that had interactive displays. Daddy taught me a lot!

looking out at the power plant.

Niagara Falls was so much fun. I can’t wait to explore more of Canada someday.

Our third Jellystone Park Campground is upon us. We are really in the woods this time. Bugs and nature is all around us. We were camped right near the old part of the campground. They have a fancy new pool area on the other side. We were pleased that we were in a quiet shady area after all the direct sun at the last few places. This is Boo Boos pavilion. We did lots of crafts and games here.

I loved playing the games. They were short and kept my attention.

I liked trying to protect the bottles.

I got a lot better as we played.

They had a train ride each day and we raced to get on it!

Silly but super fun.

I wanted to ride the little carousal every time it was scheduled to run.

I liked riding the sea horse.

It was a bit chilly compared to the other places we had been so far. But I still wanted to get into the pool.

After swimming we hustled back in time for a firetruck ride. They really had a lot of fun things for kids to do!

Our cozy campsite. I got a tick on my shoulder one day and it ruined my life! Not really but I was not happy about it.

I found all sorts of bugs and caterpillars. Stuff not sure what this is?

We had something you add to the fire to make it colorful.

More things I caught. I kept running to the campsite next door and showing off all my finds.

We took a day trip out to Ohio Pyle to see the little water fall.

Mommy and Daddy said this is noting in comparison to what we will see at Niagara Falls.

On the way back we visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water.

I thought it was pretty neat looking. I liked the waterfall.

In the gift shop I found a Lego set of Falling Water. I thought that was pretty cool that they made a Lego of it. I think at that point I understood it was a pretty important building.

We had a great time in Pennsylvania just camping and enjoying nature and relaxing. Off to Ohio in the morning to drop off the pop-up and then head up to Niagara Falls.

We arrived safely in Mammoth Cave in Cave City, Kentucky. Again we are at a Jellystone Campground. It is beautiful. A bit hot… but beautiful. We had a surprise when Grandma Jo and Grandpa Howie showed up to visit with us. The first night we watched a movie at the campgrounds and chased lightning bugs. I made lots of new friends and had a great time playing with kids for a change. The next day we got up early and went over to Mammoth Cave to take some of the cave tours. On the first tour we saw a deer REALLY close!

The caves were HUGE!

I was so amazed that this could be under ground!

I thought this looked like a dragons mouth.

Water dripping in and making more of the cave structures.

This was called Frozen Niagara.

I guess it kind of looks like Niagara Falls but I don’t know for sure.

We took a guided hike to learn about the history of the caves and what they were used in the past.

I was hot and tired and miserable. My behavior crashed and Mommy had to walk me off for a “lecture”.

On the third cave trip I found a salamander, cave crickets and a bat!

Amazing that this used to me a mine of sorts.

After the caves we cooled off with a dip in the pool and family time of the HUGE water slide. The pool was so crowded because it was so hot outside! We enjoyed the rest of the day and the next just relaxing and enjoying the camping experience.

Next we are off to Mill Run, PA!

Well, we ended up outside of Jackson, Mississippi at a Jellystone Park Campsite. Daddy spent the vast majority of our Mississippi stay at the car dealer getting a new windshield and then two trips for new tires. We were plagued with car issues. All is fine now though.

Day one Daddy took off early to go to the car dealer and Mommy, Emmerson and I had an easy morning. We leisurely ate breakfast waiting for quite hours to be over.

Daddy rented us a golf cart so we could get around better since Mommy still had a sore ankle. We had an amazing campsite away from the noise of the common areas.

We grabbed the fishing poles and bug containers and headed out to the dock to start the day.

I found so many bugs but this centipede was my prize possession. It was about 4 inches long!

We hung upside down dipping into the water for a few hours.

We found these cool mud boils. I have no clue what made them but I collected about 20 of them from all around the campsite.

When the campgrounds was finally awake we went and saw Yogi Bear.

and Boo Boo too!

I had to have a picture with Yogi’s picnic basket!

We did crafts.

We played putt putt and then went swimming.

When Daddy got back we went to the Petrified Forest.

I thought it was cool that wood could turn into rock!

I saw a huge salamander and then found this cool funnel spider!

After our hike we panned for gems.

I was pleased with my rocks.

There was a rather scary museum and I am not sure what this was supposed to be.

We stopped by Bass Pro Shop and the power went out. We did a craft in the dark and then hit the road to beat the storm back to the campsite.

We had a blowout on a back tire on the way back so Daddy was off to the dealership again in the morning to get two new tires. Mommy took us to the lake and we played in the muck and collected clams and bacteria! We enjoyed the huge swimming area and water slides.

Tomorrow off to Mammoth Caves!

Welcome to New Orleans. We left a day early so we could actually enjoy a bit of New Orleans on my 6th birthday. I am SIX! wow! First stop, Hansen’s Snowblitz for snowballs. I chose a chocolate cream.

Then we parked near the water and wandered around the French Quarter. I enjoyed looking at the Mississippi river and even learned how to spell Mississippi.

Wandering downtown not knowing what was over my shoulder!

HAPY BIRTHDAY at Cafe Du Monde.

Beignets.

What six year old wouldn’t want beignets for his birthday! Better than cake!

Finishing up my second plate full! My tummy will hurt later.

Happy birthday to me!

Afterwards we wandered the French Quarter some more and then took a private horse drawn buggy ride. I loved seeing all the different buildings in the French Quarter. Everything was so beautiful.

Day 2 brought us to the Insectarium. I have been talking about this for over a year. I love bugs to much. We had to wait a little while for it to open.

First in the door and off to touch BUGS! Daddy walked away when we pet the hissing cockroach.

The bug tunnel was fun but a bit terrifying.

You could pop up in the dome and see the…

COCKROACHES!

Daddy convinced Mommy to eat some bugs. E and I joined in after Mommy gave a big thumbs up.

Chocolate and vanilla covered crickets.

Chocolate Chirp Cookies.

Yummy?

Actually, YES!

Lubber grasshopppers!

I became a bug boy.

I found a blue morpho butterfly. I had no idea it was this big! It was bigger than Daddy’s hand!

Getting a closer look.

We watched a 4D bug movie and I didn’t like the smell. I stuck my fingers up my nose and gave myself a nose bleed. After Mommy got me calmed down and cleaned up we headed out to ride the streetcars.

Super fun to zip down the roads and see all the Mardi Gras beads still hanging from the trees.

We visited Story Land at City Park. It was so hot outside so we didn’t stay long.

Daddy got the car and came and picked us up and then we went out for a crawfish boil. Sadly it was the end of the season and they cooked them in too much Old Bay. They were a bit spicy for me but I tried them anyway and then helped Daddy peal a bunch to eat.

Day three we visited a plantation house.

It was so hot outside. I could not imagine working and living without air conditioning.

I thought the whole slavery concept was interesting. This was one of the few plantations where slaves could buy freedom, own land and have more freedom.

After the educational part we headed down into the bayou. It was pouring down rain and the mosquitoes were the size of small birds! I swear!

We wandered the paths and saw tons of birds and alligators. The alligators were actually up on the boardwalk in some areas. Daddy kept me to the safe side but we were all still a bit nervous.

As far south as the trail went. That is the Gulf of Mexico through the swamp behind me.

After a fun day eating, being a tourist and getting soaked, I was glad to get in my jammies and hang out in the pop-up.

Snuggling with Daddy after our long visit in New Orleans. Hitting the road in the morning.