KIRTLAND & NIAGARA

So Kellen had a few days off that he had asked for before I had a job, so my schedule conflicted with his vacation time. But we still managed to do something fun. We took a long weekend and drove over to Kirtland, Ohio, and then over to Niagara Falls in New York, then we came back through Canada back to Michigan.

We drove out to Kirtland Thursday evening after I got off work and spent the night in a cheap motel. Shade loved it and asked if we were going to live there :) The next day we went to see the sights. I have never been to Kirtland before, Kellen went once about 11-12 years ago with his sister who lives in Chicago (before she had kids). It was very beautiful there - very green. The LDS Church historic sites were pretty cool. There were 2 sister missionaries there who gave us a tour - and of course they bore their testimonies at every stop - which made it an interesting and spiritual tour (walking/standing where Joseph Smith walked & temporarily lived, being in the same room where Christ once stood, etc). Then we went over to the Kirtland Temple - not owned by the LDS Church anymore (owned by the RLDS Church, now known as the Community of Christ). We also took a guided tour, but it was very factual and completely different than the first tour, even though Christ appeared in that very place before too. Interesting difference.

Family picture attempt / NK Whitney store


...Corn Checkers / Joseph Smith's office (w/his original table)

NK Whitney home / Johnson Inn


..."Stoney creek" - the bottom is mostly rock

Sawmill / Ashery (Only Ashery existing in US - how they made money to build the temple, ect(used to make gun powder, soap, alkali, etc))



Shade's interest in the tour...until he saw an ant on a bench!


...and a butterfly!

Kirtland Temple


...there was a sidewalk in a circle, and of course Shade had to do a few laps!

That night we drove out to Tonawanda, New York, and "splurged" on a nice hotel room (still half the price of the hotels close to Niagara Falls). We had planned on camping, but decided to get a good nights rest instead - good call. Plus, we figured this was the only vacation we would get to do around our Anniversary this year (and this summer). And it was nice. Shade and I went swimming and got to play in a jacuzzi and Kellen got to go running at a gym. Interesting, though, how the cheap motel had a microwave and a fridge, but the more expensive hotel didn't. Just saying.

Anyway, the next day we went to Niagara Falls. We got a discounted package deal to see the local sights (don't trust anyone who tells you there is no discounted package and you have to buy from one of the bigger dealers) and Shade was free. We saw the IMAX story of the Thundering Waters and went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride that went up pretty close to both the American falls and Horseshoe falls - where you get a good mist shower. We should have done that one first, we waited in line for an hour and it was over 90 degrees with no shade - but I suppose that made the mist that much nicer. Shade basically just let me hold him, the heat made him tired, so at least we didn't have to chase him around. We also got to climb up some stairs afterward that took us pretty close to the waterfall. After that we went to the aquarium - and Shade LOVED it. He was so excited to see each new fish - no matter how small or normal it seemed. But he got to see some seals get fed and do some tricks, some sea lions play with a ball, some fish that didn't have eyes, and some flat fish that were as big as he was. After that we went to the Discovery center (pretty lame). There was a trolley that took people around to the different sights so we didn't have to walk too far, which was nice. We also had tickets to go see the "Cave of the Winds" which basically goes right up next to the American Falls, but we decided we had had enough by then and needed to go get dinner and find our campsite for the night.

Niagara Falls!



Maid of Mist Boat ride - Shade LOVED getting drenched in the stinky waterfall mist



Observation Tower


...Rainbow Bridge to Canada / Small waterfall - Shade was just as excited about that one :)

End of ride...


...After the ride, hiking up by waterfall / Horshoe Falls from Canada view

These are pictures from friends who went on the Canadian side


...at night

Only pictures from aquarium that turned out...


We camped out that night in Youngstown, New York at Four Mile Creek (a state park) - which was AWESOME. It is right on the shore of Lake Ontario. It is a big campsite and was a bit crowded, but we still got a cozy little spot tucked back in the trees so we could hang our hammock. We also brought our bikes and rode them around a bit - Kellen was supposed to do a biking activity for the scouts and wanted to get a bike. Of course we thought it would be nice if I had a bike too - so we could do family stuff together. So we got ourselves some nice non-brand name bikes from a wholesale bike distribution site (at about half the price as it would be at a store). We have already used them a lot. We like to think of this as an investment in our health, in our family time together, and in gas savings... Plus, now we can enjoy what Michigan has to offer even more. I got my first paycheck just in time :)

Camping / Lake Ontario


...Shade had a lot of fun when he would stand there and the waves would come up to his neck

We came back through Canada. It was quite a wait to get back into Michigan, but at least our passport cards worked and we didn't have any problems crossing the border!