SUMMER GETAWAY

We just got back from our trip to Niagara Falls and Philadelphia. In Niagara, we stayed in Canada side and did the "Maid of the Mist" boat tour. It went very close to the Horseshoe Falls and it was impossible to take a picture because of the mist. After this tour, we walked across the Rainbow Bridge to go to the New York side. We have to show our passports and for the kids, their birth certificates are enough. We did the "Cave of the Winds" tour in New York side. From my research, this is a much better tour than the Canada's "Journey Behind the Falls." Well, we had so much fun here. We got directly underneath the Bridal Veil Falls through the Hurricane Deck. The name speaks for itself. The thundering sound and the torrential downpour of water made my kids so excited. They love to stay under the falls while the rest of the crowd just zip through it. I stayed on the deck's perimeter because I'm protecting our passports and camera from getting wet. There is no locker available in the facility. However, they give special sandals
to use.

Maid of the Mist Boat Tour

Niagara Falls illuminated at night

Lots of action here in Clifton Hill. The street is lined with things to do. From Ripley's Believe it Or Not, Haunted Mansions, Wax Museum, Ice Cream shops, Fudge shops, T-shirt and other touristy knick knacks, you name it, they have it. Tacky yes... nevertheless, I like it. The more people, the merrier.

Day 1 To Salt Lake City,Utah

It's nice to finally made it passed the security checkpoint. Only 1 casualty....my Peter Pan peanut butter jar. I am addicted to peanut butter and I have it anywhere I go. I packed it in my carry on and was confiscated because it's like a gel. Oh well. We ate dinner before boarding the plane because they only serve drinks now. We also have to pay $15 per checked in luggage. I almost forgot that we're only allowed 50 lbs per checked in item , international is 70 lbs. Always good to check the carrier's website. It was also cool that we only paid $30 total for our airfare because of AA's Frequent Flier mileage and Thank You Points from Citibank. Up in the plane, it was nice to see the sunset.

Day 2 Temple Square at Salt Lake City

This is the Assembly Hall

We toured the Temple Square and had a wonderful free tour by the LDS member. They were good and the LDS had an amazing history.

We heard an organ recital at the world famous Mormon Tabernacle and it was awesome. The girls loved listening to the organ pipes. The recital was 30 minutes. We also went to the genealogy center and was able to find out info about my great granparents. Wish we have more time to research more about my family history. The services are also free.

This is the LDS Temple. It took 40 years to built this church. Only LDS members are allowed to enter here. It's mainly used for weddings, conferences or a place for peace.

Day 2 Drive to Moab

This is our drive on the way to Moab. Ok, we live in the midwest and driving in the snow is not a big deal but on a winding, cliffside road?.. I was a trainwrecked. We've seen car accidents along the way. Bill was ready good. He made us safe. My husband, I am proud to say that he had drove some of the scariest roads in America and Ireland too.

This is the first hike we took. It was the Neck Springs Trail which is going down the canyon. It's isolated and we're the only ones on the trail. There were rocks piled on top of each other called "rock cairns" and it's the "only" marking for the trail. We hiked down for 1 hour and decided to go back up because I got spooked when Bill mentioned that there were animals here somewhere because there's dried poops all over.

It's funny how I have winter coat on and my husband in T-shirt and my kids in light sweater. I can take the hot weather but I hate to be cold. Bottomline is, dress in layers and bring lots of water. This time of the year that we went, the weather they said is unusually cold here (we actually liked it, I can't imagine how hot it can get in the summertime) . As we're driving, we even experienced hail for a short time.

This is what my kids love. We went to get a Junior Ranger book at each park (available at the visitor's center) which they have to answer and after our visit, they present it to the ranger and they get a badge and a certificate with the park's stamp. The rangers were excellent. They were so good teaching and asking the kids what they've learned.

Day 4 Arches National Park

Welcome to Mars! Except there's actually life forms here. I feel like I am in another world looking at all these rock formations. The bottom picture is the Fiery Furnace which we want to explore next time. It's like a giant maze and you need a permit to go inside there. The tour is about 3-4 hours long and you can book a tour with the ranger which sells out right away or you can pay for a private company led tour . We'll do this next time. The one on the very top is the Balancing Rock and Park Ave. in the middle .

This is the Landscape Arch. The arch is very thin and some say that this may collapse in a few years. A 60 foot long rock slab already peeled on its right side a few years ago. We stopped hiking here and didn't continued on to see the other arches in the Devil's Garden because the kids are tired already. We did the 3 hr. hike to the Delicate Arch this morning and have hike a total of 4.5 miles in the last 5 hrs.

The hike to Delicate Arch is the highlight of our trip. The hike is 3 miles and 3 hours (r/t) long. The only thing that got me a little worried was the wind. On the last leg of the hike, there is a narrow curve that you must turn to and it got really windy that day. Also, imagine this, the arch is like, in the middle of the bowl and you have to climb the rim of the bowl (it's about 3 feet high) but it slopes down after you climb the rim. My daughter got a bit scared whenever the wind blows. I was fine until we went under the arch and there is nothing to hold on to when the wind blew hard. Thankfully, it was only a short gust of wind. Regardless, this is one of the best hikes we took. It took my breath away. I didn't imagine it so big. It was all worth it.

Day 5 Mesa Verde

The drive from the entrance of the park to the visitor's center is about 40 min. The park is isolated with lots of winding road. The first dwelling we visited was the Spruce Tree House which is a self guided tour. It is the best preserved cliff dwelling. It is nice that we're able to go inside the "kiva" or underground chamber. The hike is pretty steep but also easy. There's only 2 dwellings that are open during this time of the year. As we drove around the park, we could see the other dwellings as well.

Second stop is the largest dwelling called the Cliff Palace which is a ranger led tour. You have to buy a ticket in advance. The hike to this place is really not bad. The vertical ladder is not that steep although it looks deceiving from afar. My girls naturally love the climbs. The ranger gave a good information about the Native Americans and also answered lots of questions.

Day 6 Durango, Colorado

We did the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad excursion today. It was a 5 hr. (r/t) tour. Our final destination was Cascade Canyon since this is still considered a winter season. During the summertime, the train ride continue to Silverton which is a cute mining town. Of course it is a longer trip and doesn't stop at Cascade. Since it is not crowded, after the conductor checked our tickets, we were allowed to move to any vacant spot. The weather was beautiful so we decided to stay in the open air gondola. I was worried about the soot and the cold weather at first but turned out to be the best seat. The tail of the train gives the best view esp. when the train turns to the cliffs. The whistling sound of the old time train made me travel back in time during the 1800's. What an awesome experience we had (and no soot in my nose and clothes..ha!)

The train ride was truly an adventure. The train going through the breathtaking cliffs and the rocky mountain is enough to give you me an adrenaline rush or it's just that I have such a wild imagination. Even my daughter got nervous when everyone went on the right side of the train where the sight is most scenic (on the way to the canyon). She thought the train might tipped over so she refused to move when we were calling her.