Day 2 - Niagara Falls!

We decided to sleep in today and didn't start showers til after 9:00am.  It was a great way to start the day.  

The kids were eager to hit Tim Hortons (Canadian favorite) so we decided on donuts for breakfast.  We also made a quick stop at Starbucks to get some caffeine for mom.

Next we walked along the trail that follows the Niagara River with beautiful views of first the American Falls and then the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.  We stopped for lots of photo ops and selfies and just enjoyed the stroll together.

As we got closer, the mist kicked up and with overcast skies it got a bit chilly.  The weather is forecasting a high of 67* today.  T-shirt weather when the sun is out but sweatshirts are needed in the shade.  It's honestly perfect for our plans for today.

When we arrived at the Table Rock Welcome Center, we grabbed tickets to do Journey Behind the Falls.  It's an elevator ride down into the cliff next to and under the Horseshoe Falls.  By walking through these tunnels cut in the stone, you can pop out in two different places to view the cascading water through 6' portholes behind the falls.  

Then we went out on the observation platform to see the falls up close.  It was pretty incredible. Overall I was a little nervous that we'd get down there and have long lines to wait but we must have timed it just right because at almost every stop, it seemed the lines just disappeared.  As we would leave, we'd see long lines waiting to get in and it was a reminder how well it worked out.  (Thank you God).

After we wrapped up, we started the walk back toward our hotel and stopped for the iconic boat ride on the Canadian HornBlower.  We were at the back of the line and wondered if we'd even get a spot near the edge to see but honestly, we had tons of room.  We stood along the outer railing on the port side of the boat which gave incredible views the entire way.  We were so impressed by the power of the turbulent water and even the thick mist that made it difficult to see and left us drenched.  

Once we finished the boat ride, we decided to head back up for something to eat.  We decided on appetizers at Hard Rock Cafe which is next door to our hotel.  It was a fun stop with a quick game of Ticket to Ride, and then we headed back to our hotel room. 

Tyler worked on grading some projects for class, I started planning our activities in Boston, and Sammy watched videos on YouTube.

At 6:00 pm, our tour guide picked us up in the lobby.  He drove us back to the Table Rock building for dinner in the restaurant.  It was a limited menu of three courses included in our package.  We all found something we enjoyed.  

After dinner, our tour guide Oscar picked us up and drove us just up the road to the Niagara Falls Power Plant.  This was built in 1901 following the designs of Nikola Tesla but closed in 1961 when all three power plants were decommissioned and the water rerouted to another more modern power plant further down the river.  In 2010s, it was updated and reopened for a few months to accommodate a power shortage.  After around 49 years, it needed only a few modifications and ran with just two on staff.

Because we visited at night, we missed the audio tour but could look around the exhibits and could take an elevator ride down one of the shafts only to walk the tunnel all the way back to the river where the water was returned after the falls.

Once we finished at the power plant, we got a private tour of the illumination station - the LED lights that shine on both the American and Canadian falls to change the lights displayed after dark. This was definitely a bucket list visit and ended with us getting to change the colors on both falls.  The employee was incredibly kind and answered all of our questions.

Oscar drove us back to the hotel just before 10pm.  It's been a big day with over 15,000 steps.  But Sammy wasn't done yet, so she and I ran to the Skywheel while Tyler headed back to our room.

We had a nice ride and then grabbed a snack to bring back and share with Tyler.  We are all ready for a good night's rest!  A big driving day tomorrow as we make our way to Boston, MA.
  

Day 1 - Travel Day

We weren't quite ready to leave when we woke up this morning, so after saying goodbye to Scott we packed and prepped some snacks for the drive.  We finished our prayer and were pulling out of the driveway by 10:30am.  Tyler wanted to drive which worked out well as I finished up some projects for church.  He actually drove the entire way today!

We stopped around 11:30 for some lunch at Hardees and Subway and proceeded to Port Huron.  We stopped here to charge (only around 12 mins) as it looked like the border had a long line up.  It took about an hour to cross the Blue Water Bridge and clear customs.  The only other time we were near this bridge was about a year ago when we were cruising under it when we were bringing home our new boat.

The car converted to kilometers per hour and the kids got a kick out of seeing the spedometer read triple digits.  Tyler did a great job at customs and driving internationally!  A big first for him today!!

We stopped to charge again around 2:45 and then proceeded to Niagara Falls.  We are staying in the Sheraton Hotel on the Ontario side and have a great view from our room.

Once we were settled, the kids decided to stay in for dinner so we had a pizza delivered and then just took it easy.  It was fun to see the falls change color after dark and then a short fireworks show at 10:00 pm.

I spent some time planning more of the details of our trip.  We watched the National Treasure movies on cable and took the opportunity to talk through some of the places we will visit on this trip.  After that it was getting hard to stay awake...

The Plan - Eastern Road Trip

Sometimes we take trips to get away or find some sun.  Sometimes it's to make memories or share time with friends.  This one feels a little different as we pulled it together last minute but it doesn't mean we won't still have an incredible time!

The kids and I leave in the morning for a roadtrip to the East Coast... stopping at Niagara, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Hershey and then Kalahari on the ride home.  We have a tentative schedule for the next 17 days but are holding it loosely.

Off we go!

Day 4 - Heading Home

Last night at dinner, we shared that the weather wasn’t looking favorable for our return on Sunday.  So we pitched the idea that the Wielhouwer's take the train home Sunday evening and the Breens return home by boat on Monday.  We decided to wait til Sunday breakfast to decide, so right away when we woke up this morning, Scott and I started checking the weather.

It looked better than it did last night, but still not ideal.  However, we decided to make the run home.  Winds will be out of the north so we will be bucking the waves the entire way.  We are expecting four-footers which wont be a comfortable ride.  

We made a fast breakfast and were pulling out of the slip by 9:30am.  We had to run down to Burnham Harbor for a fuel up and were heading out to open water by 10:30 am.

 

The trip got progressively worse was we proceeded.  The winds were higher appx 20km from the north.  We were in 4-6’ waves with an occasional 7+.  It was sunny outside so most of us were able to sit on the back sun-pad and enjoyed the ride.  Scott took the brunt of it in the cockpit.  We couldn’t keep our heading toward Grand Haven as we needed to take the waves from the side. As we approached the Michigan shore, we were just north of Holland.  At this point, we had to slow our pace significantly and ran the slow 10mph the rest of the way home.  Tyler filled in so Scott could take a well needed break out back in the sun. We pulled into Grand Haven at 4:25 pm.

We pulled into our slip at 5:00 pm.  We packed up and said our goodbyes and were leaving the marina by 6:00 pm.

It was an incredible trip - one we all enjoyed and will not forget any time soon!

Day 3 - Chicago Air & Water Show

 We met for a 9:00 am breakfast again.  It’s a beautiful morning!

Then we prepped to leave the slip to find our spot for the day.  Today, we decided to stay within the break wall, a little further from show center but still in line with the flight path and likely a calmer anchorage.

The show started at 10:30 am.  It was incredible!  We enjoyed the water, the planes, lots of food and fun.  It was a fabulous day.

The show wrapped up around 3:30 pm and we headed back by 4:00 pm.  We have reservations at 5:45 but the forecast shows a storm system moving through right at the time we’d be walking to the restaurant so we cleaned up and headed out early.  We went to Chef Art Smith Reunion, which specializes in fried chicken and other southern cuisine.  It was a great meal! 

After dinner, we found Starbucks and Kilwins on our walk back through Navy Pier.  

Then we spent the evening indoors watching the movie Midway and admired the lightning show outside.  It was a fun way to wrap up a great day!

Day 2 - Air Show Practice

We agreed to be up by 9:00 am for breakfast.  So we slowly started trickling upstairs beginning at 7:30 am.  We served up scrambled eggs, bacon, and some amazing coffee cake that Mary made.  Shortly after we got cleaned up, the practice began.  The Thunderbirds performed first so we got a little distracted and stuck around until they wrapped up.  

Soon after, we pulled the lines and went out to the viewing area.  Laid out our anchor and prepped for the day.  We spent the next four hours or so enjoying the sun and floating behind the boat while enjoying the show.  

For lunch we had French Dip sandwiches, chips and veggies.  Then after a little more time in the water, we decided to head back to our slip.  

We took a short break on the back of the boat, enjoying the last few acts of the air show.  Then we got cleaned up and headed out to dinner.  We had an Uber scheduled to pick us up at the front of Navy Pier.  He drove us to RPM Steak.  It was our first time here are we were super impressed.  

We ordered everything family style and then shared it with the table.  Here’s what we ordered:

Appetizers: Pork Belly, House Rolls, Rosemary Popover Rolls

Sides: Japanese Sweet Potatoes, Vintage Prairie Roasted Sweet Corn, Rosemary French Fries, and a House Special Parmesan Risotto

Steak: 4 oz Chateau Uenae Snow Beef (Japanese Wagyu - So incredible!), 48 oz Westholme Wagyu Strip Steak (Best steak we’ve ever had)

Dessert: Sugar Donuts, Blueberry Cheesecake, Coffee Crème Brulee, Cookies & Cream Sundae, Carrot Cake

Honestly, it was an amazing meal!  None of us had ever had anything like it.  We were so satisfied afterwards.

JC loved the sauce that came with the donuts.  

After our meal, we grabbed another Uber and headed back to the marina.  Scott and I took a walk to find an outgoing mailbox. After going to three locations, with no mailboxes present, we stopped into the lobby of a high rise condominium community and the kind security guard let me use their outgoing mailbox.  

Then we headed back to the boat to enjoy the evening again on the back of the boat.  We decided to call it an early night and all the adults headed to bed before 9:30 pm.  Our bodies are tanned, our hair is wind blown, our tummies are full and are hearts are too.  It was another great day!

Day 1 - Lake Crossing

The Wielhouwers met us at the boat a little after 9:00 am.  We got them settled into their stateroom and then prepped to leave.  By 9:30 am, we were pulling out of our slip in Grand Haven.  We needed to stop for a full up before the trip, but there wasn't a line so we made good time.  By 10:30 we were passing the lighthouse and leaving the channel.  

We set course for a straight line straight to Chicago, estimating it would take approximately 4 hours to make the trip.  

We lost sight of shore a little south of Holland.  It was a beautiful day on the water with waves under 1 foot and a clear sky.  The winds are 5-8 mph so we aren't concerned about the seas for the trip.

Around 12:30 pm, I prepped tacos for lunch.  We stayed on course and up at speed so we didn't lose a second.  

It was a gorgeous ride down.

 

We caught sight of the tops of the buildings about 35 mins from shore.  I called ahead to see if we could get into our slip early and they were happy to accommodate us. 

The marina is brand new this year with slips directly off the north side of Navy Pier.  Each slip is 180' long and can hold several boats our size.  When we arrived another boat was in the back spot so we had to slide in to get ahead of them.  

As we were pulling through the break wall, we were greeted with the sudden roar of planes overhead, practicing for the airshow.  It scared me so badly.  I couldn't even hear Scott's voice as he spoke through our headsets.  It made docking really challenging - partly because of the sound, the startle but also the distraction.  They were so close!

We were in slip 6E and connected to power by 2:45 pm and were all gathered on back of the boat to watch the planes over head.  It was so cool!  If this is the practice, we cannot wait for the airshow!

We hung out on the back of the boat all afternoon.  It was comfortable temps and had a nice breeze.  The planes quieted down around 3:30 pm. but our conversation continued.

We had reservations at Offshore Rooftop, a restaurant on the end of the pier.  It was a beautiful spot with a view of the water and boats in all directions.  The food was good, the music was loud but we had a great meal together.

Afterwards we walked up Navy Pier to the stores and got Kilwins ice cream, Tyler's favorite, for dessert.  Then we walked back to the boat.  Tyler headed down to his stateroom for work while the rest of us relaxed on the boat and enjoyed the night air.

We grabbed some blankets as the sun went down and enjoyed the stories and laughter.  We did our best to stay awake til Tyler got done with work (10 pm) and soon after headed in for bed.

It was a fabulous day in so many ways!