A Roadtrip and the List

We wanted to visit an island.  We wanted to do nothing but sit on the beach and sip fruity drinks.  That didn't happen.  Though we talk about truly relaxing all the time, we came to realize our ideal vacation is one where we are busy.  We want to see everything, experience it all.  So, back in October, Dan and I took a break from all the house updates and yard work for a little road-trip.  

In our almost 8 years together, this was the first time we really hit the road.  I was hesitant at first - me, the hubby, alone in a car for 7 straight hours with nothing but an arsenal of cd's, snacks, and each other - how would we ever make it through?  But we decided that the timing was right and if we could survive this, we could pretty much conquer the world! 

So, on a quiet Sunday morning, we loaded up the car and headed north to Niagra Falls.  The drive was one of our favorite parts of the adventure.  We chatted for hours, played games, and listed to old school mix cd's.  

 
And then, as we approached the falls, we were able to cross something off the good old Life List.  Yes, we crossed the Canadian border - something I've always thought would be interesting.  Technically, we did cross the border into British Columbia on our trip to Alaska, but that wasn't as exciting.  I loved the idea of being in one country one minute and another the next.  This was pretty cool and something I'm glad we got to cross off.

Just after crossing the border into Canada

Before we left, everyone told us how beautiful Niagra was and how we would spend our days just staring in awe.  It's just water, I thought, how great can it be?  Well, it turns out, they were right.  Wow, was it spectacular!  We had a fallsview room at our hotel and the view was breathtaking. 

Our view!

Amazing!  While there, we did manage to save a few bucks too.  After all, what's a Cohen vacation without some money saving tips?  We purchased the Adventure Pass from AAA which included four attractions - Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, Niagra's Fury, and White Water Walk.  We knew we wanted to do everything we could when we were there, so we saved $54.72 by purchasing the package ahead of time.

Fury

Journey Behind the Falls

Maid of the Mist

White Water Walk

Each attraction was its own unique experience.  My favorite was Niagra's Fury - a 4D platform show depicting the creation of the falls with temperature changes, rain, snow, and wind.  The hubs loved the Maid of the Mist.  A little too Perfect Storm for me, but absolutely worth it.  We also used coupons at the gift shop and for the Skywheel.  We definitely made the most of the money we spent!

On day #3, we took a little road trip further north into Toronto to visit...drum-roll please...the Hockey Hall of Fame!  Dan and I are huuuuuge hockey fans (let's not discuss the current lockout) and this was someplace we've always wanted to go.  Toronto is less than 2 hours from Niagra and after the 7 hour drive, that felt like just a skip down the road, so we journeyed on. 

 

Maneuvering the city was a bit difficult due to the construction in the area around the Hall of Fame, but the visit was a must for any true hockey fans like ourselves.

 

We've seen the Stanley Cup up close before, but being in its presence, in its home under the lights was perfect in the eyes of these hockey fans.  

Our last stop of our road-trip was in Cooperstown, New York.  The hubs really wanted to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Though this wasn't on my list, it was pretty cool to see two of the four major sports Hall of Fames in one trip.  While we were in New York, we visited the Farmer's Museum, one of the oldest rural life villages in the United States.  With a barnyard area with chickens, turkeys, and sheep, we crossed New York off the "zoo" list.

I always feel my best when I'm being productive, even on vacation, so this was the perfect blend of relaxation and sight-seeing.  Overall, it was a great trip.  

Be well,