Our Trailer

By this point in our trip you are probably wondering if we are still as happy as we were when we left.  The answer to that question is YES!  Even more so because it is working.  We are getting to explore the United States with our younger children while living in our "home".  If you haven't seen our trailer, you are probably wondering how it works as our home on the road.  I am going to share some pictures of our trailer with you, kind of like a virtual tour. These pictures were taken when we first purchased the trailer in August 2011.  It is a 2012 Catalina by Coachmen, Model 28DDS.

The couch and table both fold down into full sized beds.  Since the boys have their own area and Amada just sleeps on the couch (until she wakes up and climbs into our bed), it's nice to not have to fold out and make beds every night.

Alex sleeps on the top bunk while Johnathan and James share the bottom bed.  Ironically it is exactly how they slept at home.

Daniel stores all of our outside chairs, BBQ/charcoal, swimming pool gear, tri-pod for his Directv satellite dish, and clothes drying rack in this compartment.

The trailer is truly perfect for us and even works when the older kids go on short trips with us.  We tow the trailer with our 12 passenger van (minus one of the bench seats for extra storage room).  We store James' wheelchair, Amada's stroller and our collapsible wagon in the back of the van.  We keep a cooler between the front seats for beverages, snacks and sandwich fixings.    

In another post I will share some of the organizational tips and tools I have found to be very helpful.

Nicole

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is the oldest State Park.  It was established in 1885.  It is easily accessible for those in a wheelchair. (James was in his wheelchair so I know from personal experience.)  Everyone we encountered was exceptionally friendly and helpful.

After scoping out the falls last night we decided that we would buy the Discovery Pass which allows entry to the Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, the aquarium, an Imax movie, and unlimited rides on the trolley all day.  We figured we wouldn't use it for all of the attractions but it would still be a money saver.

The ride on the trolley was very accommodating for James and the tour guide was friendly and informative. We found out that it is only illegal to try to go over the falls if you survive and the fine is $10,000.  The first person to go over the falls was a 63 year old schoolteacher who went over the falls in a barrel in 1901.

We rode the trolley around to the Maid of the Mist as we decided this would be our first attraction.  There was practically no wait.  You can feel the force of the falls in the water as the boat sways back and forth.  As you approach the falls, the cool mist from the falls is enough to cool you down.  Johnathan loved this part.

After the Maid of the Mist, we decided to get some lunch then head towards the Cave of the Winds tour.

Daniel said this was probably the most exhilarating feeling he's ever experienced.  This part of the tour is called the Hurricane because of the wind and water that is produced from the waterfall.  Alex actually fell while going up the stairs.  Of course John loved it!  Daniel, Alex and John did it twice while I waited at the lower section with James and Amada.  

We enjoyed some ice cream before leaving.  The kids wanted to take their picture with this statue.

We headed back to the KOA for more swimming and the kids made some friends at the pool too.

We leave in the morning to head to Lake George, NY where we will visit the Six Flags and hopefully get to see the Statue of Liberty.

Nicole

 

New York...Introduction to Niagara Falls

As we were leaving Ohio, we had nasty weather to contend with.  We actually had a tornado warning come up on the GPS, but Daniel did a great job getting us to New York safely.

We chose to stay at the KOA campground in Grand Island, NY because it is located only 7 miles from Niagara Falls.  Since we had a short "driving day" the kids were ready to check out the pool.  This KOA had many amenities and activities which we didn't even take advantage of because the kids didn't want to leave the pool.  Can you blame them though?

After the kids had some time to swim, Daniel decided he wanted to scope out Niagara Falls for our visit tomorrow.  I'm really glad we did because it helped us formulate a plan for the following day and we were able to see the falls at dusk.

We were able to walk across a bridge that crosses the water before the falls.  The water is flowing very rapidly.  We found out that this water has already been through four of the great lakes and after it goes over the falls will flow to Lake Ontario.

Once you walk over the bridge the American Falls and an awesome view of the Rainbow Bridge into Canada await you.

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day because we are planning a trip aboard the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds tour.  Hopefully there won't be a two hour wait like there was tonight!

Here is a fun picture of what was parked next to us at the KOA.  The kids were pretty excited to see it!

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Ohio

I was born in Ohio, but moved to California when I was six years old.  Most of my family remained in Ohio for many years.  The last time Daniel, I and our older kids were there to visit was probably twelve years ago. Our younger children have never visited.  Since then, my maternal grandparents and my paternal grand-mother have passed away, and other family members have moved to different states.  

I still have two aunts (my mom's sisters) and their families and my paternal grandfather who live in Ohio so we stopped there for a couple of days.  Even though we haven't seen each other in quite a long time,  it was easy to pick up where we left off.  We had a nice family dinner at my Aunt Nancy's house and the kids enjoyed swimming in her pool.  We did have to take a break from swimming at one point due to the thunderstorm. I think the kids are becoming desensitized to thunderstorms because we have experienced so many of them on this trip.  My mom was visiting from California so she was happy to see all of us.

My grandfather has been ill and was recently released from the hospital into a rehab center where we were allowed to visit with him.  He was able to meet our younger kids for the first time.  My dad was also in Ohio for a visit during this time so we were able to visit with him.  This was our first time visiting since my grandmother passed away and it just felt like something was missing.  Grandpa did tell me that grandma would have loved to have had the opportunity to meet our younger kids.

The only house they lived in as long as I've been alive is now empty and for sale.  We actually lived there with them for a while when DJ was a year old.  That was 20 years ago!  While we were visiting we walked through the house briefly and let the kids run around in the back yard picking up sticks.  It brought back a lot of memories from when I was younger and also when DJ and Adriana were younger.  I am immensely thankful that I had this opportunity to visit this summer.

Nicole

St. Louis Riverboat Cruise

After we experienced our Journey to the Top of the Arch, bought some souvenirs and checked out the Museum of Westward Expansion, it was time for our Riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River aboard the Tom Sawyer.  We purchased our tickets online a day in advance and qualified for a bundle discount.  This also gave us free parking in the arch parking garage.

The day was extremely hot and humid, so we were thrilled to find out there would be refreshments, restrooms and air conditioning on the boat.  Obviously the views aren't as great from the inside so we began the cruise from the top deck while we snacked on hot dogs and sodas.

 

While we were waiting for the boat to leave the pier, we spotted this fountain.  We were told it shoots off everyday at noon and that it goes as high as the arch.  Pretty interesting.

 
Daniel and I both enjoy listening to the audio presentations of the history while we sightsee, however, today the kids were not thrilled.  Even the promise of going swimming when we arrived back at the campground was not enough to entice them.  We finished the cruise on the inside of the boat in the air conditioning.

And when we returned to the KOA campground, we did go swimming.

Tomorrow is a driving day.  We are headed to Ohio to visit some of my family members and meet up with my mom and my dad.  I am excited because this will be the first time our four younger children will meet my side of the family.

Nicole

St. Louis Arch

The morning of our planned visit to the arch was met with some trepidation. The last time I visited the arch I was six years old.  I don't remember much except being scared to death and shedding a lot of tears.  I am thankful there were no tears this time (from me or the kids).

When we were talking about visiting the arch in St. Louis I received some very helpful advice "buy your tickets in advance".  We went online the day before we planned on visiting and purchased tickets in a package deal at a discount (Captain's Combo).

We allowed plenty of time for traffic and finding parking.  Even though it was already hot and humid, the walk through the park was pleasant because of the shade provided by all of the trees.

When standing next to the arch it is so massive.  We pointed out the windows at the very top, 630 feet up, to the kids and explained we were going to go inside the arch and look out those windows.

We went inside and were ready to begin the tour.  There are only 5 seats inside the capsule but we agreed to have Amada sit on my lap so we could all go together.  When the doors to the capsule opened I wondered how we were all going to fit inside, but we managed.  I was thankful there were windows on the door of the capsule so it wasn't too claustrophobic.

Once at the top I was so relieved when the capsule door opened.  There were people waiting on the stairs to ride the capsules back down.  When we arrived at the viewing area it was amazing! The kids were so excited and wanted to point out everything they saw.  We weren't at the top for very long before riding the capsule back down.

We had reservations for the Riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River in an hour and a half so we had time to kill.  We visited the gift shop and gave the kids snacks/drinks.

Then we spotted the Museum of Westward Expansion and decided to check it out. We were met by the Ranger who informed us the kids could participate in the junior ranger program. We gathered the necessary materials and began the activities.  This definitely made the museum more interesting for the kids.

When they completed all of the activities in their handbook we returned to the information desk and the kids all received junior ranger pins.  They were so proud of themselves!

Nicole

I apologize for the delay...

While I was hoping to post more blog entries on this trip, I haven't had great internet access despite staying at campgrounds that offer free wi-fi.  I do have internet on my phone however and I am trying to keep up with Facebook updates on our latest whereabouts.

Thanks for your patience.  I have so much to share.

Nicole

Six Flags St. Louis

Johnathan is our resident roller coaster expert, in fact, he is a bit obsessed.  Since we have season passes to Six Flags and knew we would be taking this cross-country trip, we planned to stop at as many of the Six Flags locations as we could.  {We've already visited both of the Six Flags parks in California.}  Once Johnathan found this out, he insisted on figuring which rides were at specific parks and what the height requirements for each of the rides were.  We actually printed him a list for each of the Six Flags parks height requirements and highlighted all of the ones he was tall enough to ride. He even looked up each of the rides on YouTube to see what they do.

We were extremely pleased when we arrived at Six Flags and were able to park in a handicapped spot in the first row. The way this specific parking lot is in relation to the front gate, there is no tram and really no need for one. We stopped at Guest Relations first to get a disabled pass for the boys, which allows them access to the rides without having to wait.  Since we have James' wheelchair/stroller, it is much easier getting on rides through the disabled entrance.

Our first ride of the day was American Thunder, a wooden roller coaster.  I thought this was fun, fast and smooth.

It was a hot and humid day, but we had a blast!  Both Daniel and I remarked at how friendly and helpful everyone at the park was.  Amada kept insisting she did not want to get wet, so Daniel took the boys on the log ride.

All 4 kids were able to go on Pandemonium so we let them ride without us.  It made it even since each car was able to hold 4 riders.  Well, as the kids were at the end of the ride it broke down.  I felt SO bad since neither Daniel or I were on the ride with the kids and they were stuck in the sun.  Luckily they weren't even stuck for 5 minutes.  And they didn't care because they asked to ride it again later in the day!

We decided maybe that was a sign we should stop for lunch.  After lunch we went on a dizzying ride and Alex wasn't feeling too good.  The ride "Dragon's Wing" was also in that area of the park and Daniel decided he wanted to go with Johnathan.  Amada really wanted to ride too and unbelievably she was tall enough. Alex wasn't too happy about not getting to ride even though he still wasn't feeling well.  I was able to take this video of them on the ride.

Daniel and the boys also braved "The Boss" which is another wooden roller coaster. However, it is taller and faster than American Thunder and more jerky.

Daniel and the boys rode several more roller coasters before I was exhausted.  We decided to give our feet a break from walking and try to cool off so we rode the train around the park. It was also something we could all go on together.  Towards the end of the day all the kids wanted to go on the giant ferris wheel, Colossus, which once again we were all able to ride together.  We enjoyed the beautiful views from WAY up there.

Before we left the park, we decided to get on the big inner tube water ride to help cool us off.  Amada went kicking and screaming, but was happy once she did not have to go under the waterfall.  We were done at the park by about 5pm, just in time to discover Steak 'n Shake {yummy!} before we headed back to the KOA for a swim.

Tomorrow we will head into downtown St. Louis for a tour of the Arch and a Riverboat Cruise on the Mississippi.

Nicole