Spectacular 10th Anniversary Vacation Extravaganza!!!

It's been a good couple of years since I've posted a blog, and we have continued our family adventures, I may go back and post what I can recall. 

June 27, 2023 marked 10 years that Kate and I have been married.  I really can't believe that it has been a decade already, but we do have a 8 year old together so I shouldn't be that surprised.  We delayed going away for our 10th because Wesley attended Summer Camp in New Hampshire for a week and that seemed like the perfect time to go.  

July 23rd we dropped Wesley off at Camp Calumet at the earliest time we could, 2pm.  We got his set up in his cabin, he chose a bottom bunk by the window on the lake side.  He didn't seem nervous at all and in fact seemed excited for us to leave.  

By 230pm we were back on the road and heading east to Niagara Falls, Canada.  The route we took traversed 504 miles to our hotel in Canada and the first near 200 were cross countrying it across New Hampshire and Vermont into New York before we hit the interstate.  Once we hit 90 it was smooth sailing.

We arrived at the hotel at midnight, very fast border crossing at that time. We were on the 7th floor and had a nice big corner room with balcony and a giant jacuzzi tub.

Monday the 24th we struck out early getting Kate a perfect Tim Horton's iced coffee and drove the very short drive down to the falls parking area.  My big complaint about Niagara Falls is that it's extremely touristy and you have to pay for parking EVERWHERE.  We parked on the lot near the falls which was $35.  I really wanted to do the Journey Behind The Falls tour, so we did.

Don't get me wrong it was cool, but it was not what I expected.  You take an elevator down and walk down these narrow tunnels to an area where you are behind the waterfall, but the water is crashing over so hard and fast, you're just behind falling water, there is nothing that stands out.  This tour does get you access to a viewing platform that is very close to the falls and allows for great pictures, as you get covered in mist.  

Buying tickets for the Journey tour we learned about the Tunnel, and I must say we both found this to be FANTASTIC!! The official name is The Tunnel at Niagara Parks Power Station, and it is the old hydroelectric power station that was in operation from 1905 to 2006 when it was decommissioned.  It opened as a tourist attraction in July 2022.

The water would be pulled into the plant from above the falls, run through the turbines and whatnot to generate the hydroelectricity and then be flushed out a 2,200 foot tunnel back to the river below the falls. You take a glass elevator 180 down that allows you to quickly view the layers of the powerplant and at the bottom you can walk through the old tunnel to a view platform that gives you a unique from the base of the falls.

After getting out fill of the falls we hit a local grocery store to get some Hawkins Cheezies and a few other Canadian treats.  Then lunch at the A & W, we always seem to hit one when we are in Canada they are consistently good.  

Later in the day we went to Clifton Hill where they have mini-golf, rides, arcades, Ripley's and all the tourist trap attractions.  We really weren't interested in any of it, but we did go on the Sky Wheel Ferris Wheel.  It's a completed enclosed air conditioned or heated cars with audio for music or the sight seeing narration.  At it's peak it is 175 feet high and gives grand views of the area, specifically Niagara Falls.

We walked to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville which was just a short stroll from the hotel for dinner.  We ate outside and enjoyed the beautiful shaded weather.  We also got a show from the birds eating leftovers off plates that hadn't been bussed from the tables, it was funny!

We utilized the giant tub in the room, I haven't taken a bath in over 30 years, the water got real hot and the jets were awesome! 

When we planned the trip we knew where we were staying each night except Tuesday, the reason why is we weren't sure where we going to go.  An  Erie Canal cruise was planned for the morning but after that we hadn't decided if we were going to go to the Museum in Syracuse for the Corning Museum and Factory in Corning.  Monday night we decided to skip both and go direct to Albany for 3 nights instead of 2, I couldn't add a night to our previous reservation so I booked us a Ramada Plaza in Albany.

Tuesday the 25th was saw us hit the road early and after a Tim Horton's stop we crossed back over into the States.  We headed to Lockport, New York for a stop at the Erie Canal Discovery Center.  We got there right when they opened and the employee asked if we had seen the lock yet, we had not, so he directed us across the parking are to where historic Lock 34 & 35 were located.  We never did get a chance to look at the museum because he, essentially, didn't let us.

It was very cool walking around on the locks area.  This is the only location on the Erie Canal where the original 1825 locks are still on the Canal, they now act as a spillway, and the 1903 barge canal locks, which are currently used today.  We took a moment to grab a picture with some new friends. 

We had a 10 am reservation for a canal cruise with Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises. The 2 hour cruised took us through locks 34 & 35 and also under the upside bridge and a lift bridge.  The boat we road on was the Lockview V, and double decker boat that can hold up to 125 passengers and previously was used a whale watching boat out of Boothbay Harbor.

The locks system is cool, the double locks of 34 & 35 are the only two connecting locks.  When traveling east you enter the first lock, it raises you 25 feet, you enter the next lock and again raise up 25 feet to continue down the canal.  And of course the same going west, just going down 25 feet at each lock.  It takes about 10 minutes in each lock to raise or lower the water level.

It was a lovely cruise on the canal I would recommend taking one yourself.  

Next stop was about 20 minutes down the road to Medina where Culvert Road runs under the Erie Canal.  It is the only place in the 363 mile canal where a road runs under it.

We had a late lunch at the Burger Bar by Wegmans.  Kate had come across this on some internet list  and we put it down to try and check it out.  Glad we did as it was damn good.  Wegmans is supermarket chain based out of Rochester.  This location was enormous and aside from the Burger Bar they also had the market cafe that had literally any kind of hot or cold food, snacks or deserts that you could think of ready to eat.  Also so much fresh cut fruit and other vegetables.  They really put any grocery store in our area to shame.

We rolled into the Ramada Plaza in Albany and the outside of the place was a bit sketchy, but it's a Ramada and to me it's a brand name that carries weight in the hotel business like Hilton or Marriott.  In my mind I held it in higher regard that other chains.  We had just stayed at a Ramada in Niagara Falls.

After checking out the room, we just couldn't stay there for 3 nights.  If this was going to be just one night then yeah sure we'd make do.  But for 3 nights and one of them Kate was going to be alone while I attended AEW wrestling, it just wasn't happening.  

So we left, tried to go to Chick-Fil-A but it had it's grand opening a few days before and to say it was mobbed was an understatement.  Kate found us a Jersey Mike's, it was fantastic!  Alternate lodging was limited for 3 nights, but we found a Howard Johnson across town.  When we got there we asked to see the room first, which they allowed us, and it was TREMENDOUS improvement!  

It was extremely nice to get settled in the room after a long 330 miles travel day. 

Wednesday the 26th was a day of Hall of Fames and Museums.  

We headed north to Saratoga Springs and the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame.  I didn't realize this but Saratoga Springs is a huge horse racing town, the racetrack opened in 1863 and they run racing there early June through early September Wednesday's through Sunday.  Of course Kate knew.

We drove by the track and it's a big set up with parking issues and what not.  The museum is right down the street from the track.  It's a very nice museum celebrating and honoring horse racing through the years.  They have a very unique presentation to the video they play about the Hall of Fame.   You sit against the outer wall and in the center a screen lowers on all four sides for a portion of the presentation and then a larger set of screens lower, and then the screens raise and the feature is projected on the walls.  It's very cool and all encompassing.

They had a special exhibit on display about Secretariat including a video compiling his 1973 Triple Crown races.  It was all very cool!

Our next stop just outside Saratoga Springs was at the X-Files Preservation Collection.  This museum dedicated to the AMAZING television show the X-Files!  It opened in 2022 and they have curated a collection of props and other artifacts from all of the shows seasons.  They have appearances from former cast members, writers, props, and even Chris Carter on opening weekend.

With such a niche market they are appealing too I decided I had to find a way to visit them this year because who knows how long they will be open.  It just worked out that I was able to go on our vacation.  

We had lunch Hot Dog Charlie's.  First opened in 1922 they specialize in mini natural casing hotdogs made by Sabrett frankfurters.  They have three locations around Albany.  We both got two mini dogs, onion rings, and curly fries with a cheese sauce.  Fantastic!

It was still early in the day so we headed over to the New York State Museum.  There was a lot of traffic and they were setting up for an outdoor concert that was happening that evening, because of this the majority of the public parking was closed off for it, which was frustrating. 

The 4th time we drove around the loop we finally found a parking spot, and I'm glad we did.  The Museum is 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space and is so impressive!  We have visited a few State Museums and regardless of the size we are never disappointed.  

There were so many cool exhibits including a very large area dedicated to the September 11th attack that was very emotional.  The 4th floor has a carousel that was very cool!  Here are a few pictures...

AEW Wrestling announced a show in Albany for Wednesday the 26th and knowing we were going to be in the area,  I wanted to go to the show.   I checked for tickets weeks and days before the event and ultimately decided to buy my ticket day of at the box office.  

At 430pm we were in the van leaving the Museum and heading over to Defazio's pizza to get Kate her pizza for the room.  That was the deal, I go to rasslin's she gets a pizza for the room.  Waiting to pull into traffic I pulled up ticketmaster to look to see if anyone was selling a good seat last minute, what I found was a front row seat being sold from Ticketmaster at face value, I mean a good one!!  With Fee's it was $131!! 

I dropped Kate at the room and headed back to the venue only 15 minutes away and got parked in a parking garage right across from the venue for only $10.  The International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame is located the MVP Arena and is not open to public, however, as AEW was in town they did open for the evening thus making it my 4th museum of the day.

They had so many cool wrestling memorabilia on display, ring used championship belts, ring gear like trunks, boots, robes or jackets.  It was so awesome.  Dave Dwinell, a referee with the New York State Athletic Commission for 32 years was there to talk to fans.  They had a couple copies of his book on hand and I got one signed.  Indie wrestler Kayla Sparks was also there and I got a photo with her as well. 

My seat was amazing, the fellas around me also bought there seats last minute like I did.  They were holds for comps that no one wanted so they were released for sale.  It was a great night of wrestling!  I'll write about that on another blog.

Thursday the 27th we decided to go to the Phoenicia Diner, located 75 minutes south of Albany in the Catskills.  I had been following them on Instagram for several years, and Kate had recently found them as well.  We had talked about going on and off leading up to the trip but has decided it was just too far out of the way.   In the end he said eff it, we would be disappointed if we didn't go. 

The drive down was fantastic and very picturesque.  They serve breakfast and lunch all day and there were so many great items on the menu it was extremely hard to choose.  In the end Kate got the corned beef hash skillet, and I got the turkey club with onions rings.  Kate also got a side order of pimento cheese that I must admit was quite tasty.

Everything was fantastic, truly worth the drive for the experience.  The BEST onion rings that I have ever had!  I can't wait to go back someday.  The only disappointment was on the menu they advertised a oatmeal pecan cookie that piqued our interest, however they were sold out.  After we got home Kate ended up making some making up her own and they are tremendous!

We took a different route on the drive back, a bit longer, but with what would have been amazing views if the torrential downpour hadn't obstructed my view.  We relaxed back at the room before going out for the night.

A couple weeks before vacation we discovered that we both really like the band The Heavy Heavy, they have a show coming up in Maine at Thompson's point, we like the venue but hate the parking.  Kate said let's check and see if they are playing while we are in Albany, and sure enough they were.  Right then I bought us two tickets, $49.10 total. 

The show was at a small venue called Lark Hall that opened in 1916 and has a capacity of 300.  That night about 75 people had and amazing experience and got WAY more than their money's worth.  The opening act was a band called Free Range, they were okay, a little too emo for me.

The Heavy Heavy played an outstanding 60 minute set, they sounded phenomenal.  We were only a few feet from the stage and we had a truly unbelievable time.  After the show the Georgie Fuller and Will Turner the two main members of the band went to the merch table and I bought their album and got it signed.  Kate told them that she loved "Go Down River" and how it might be her favorite song, Georgie commented on how she saw us signing along with gusto.  It was so awesome!  We can't wait to see them again. 

Friday the 28th we hit the road for out long 223 mile drive to Tamworth, New Hampshire for our final night of vacation.  It was mostly side roads but it was broken up  by some interstate driving.  We stopped at this roadside stand called the Popcorn Crib in Hoosick Falls, NY and bought a glass jar of their own popcorn.  I have never seen anything like that before.  We popped some up recently and it was damn good. 

We stopped at the King Arthur Baking in Vermont for some lunch and Kate picked up some supplies for Tree Street.  You should go check out the reel that she made for the Tree Street Bakery Facebook page.  We splits fresh mozzarella & tomato on a baguette with balsamic reduction.   Delicious! 

We stayed at the Day's Inn in Tamworth, it is only about 10 minutes from Wesley's Summer camp so it would be a short drive in the morning to get him.  We got Chinese take out for dinner at Songbird, it was fantastic! 

We went to the Barnstormers Theatre to watch a play based on the Agatha Christie's The Stranger.  The theatre was opened in 1935 by Frank and Alice Cleveland, the son of former president Grover Cleveland, and their friend Ed Goodnow.  It's located in a nice village that back in the day must have been a very hopping place.  You can see where all the former store fronts use to be. 

The theatre is very nice, and the play was quite good.  There was an excellent turn out as well. It's nice to see so many theater companies are still around and weren't wiped out by the pandemic.  There was a good half dozen places we could have gone in an hour drive from the hotel to see a play.

Saturday the 29th we were ready to go pretty fast.  We attempted the continental breakfast at the hotel and it was lacking what we wanted.  A short drive away and on the way to the camp we had breakfast at Deb's Landing, it was tremendous.  I had an egg, home fries, bacon, and toast, and it all tasted so good!  

We got to the camp right at 930am to earliest we could pick him up, he said he did not miss at all which was fantastic to hear!  It means he had a great time and he said he wanted to go back next year before we even got in the van. 

We stopped at a store in Kezar Falls, a village in the town of Porter, to get him a snack, he chose a slice of pizza and a slush puppy.  We got home before noon and immediately threw stinky boy in the shower.  He loved camp, but his least favorite thing was the car wash game.  It where they have them get in their bathing suites, take them in the shower, soap them up and hose them down!!

Saturday night Canaan and I went to Limitless Wrestling in Yarmouth. 

It was a fantastic vacation, and the first time Kate and I went away for  a week alone since our honeymoon.  It was fun traveling to all the different places even if we did drive over 1600 miles. I hope we don't wait another 10 years to do it again. 

Until Next Time