Other pictures

 

On to Cleveland OH

 

We were raised in Cleveland, left in 1979 to work in Greensboro NC, what a culture shock (but that is another story)

Cleveland home of:

The Cleveland Indians baseball team

The reconstituted Cleveland Browns (the original left to go to Baltimore The Ravens)

Lake effect snow storms

Great food

Friends and Family

West Side Market

The market attracts tourists from all parts of the United States, who tour the market and learn about its history. Guided tours are offered. Its national profile has been boosted in recent years by coverage on various programs produced by the Travel Channel and Food Network.

Many stalls have remained under individual family control for much of the life of the Market, in a few cases dating back to its 1912 opening. The market's tenants and sellers reflect the cultural diversity of the surrounding neighborhood and Cleveland as a whole. The current roster of tenants includes those of Irish, German, Slovene,Italian, Greek, Polish, Russian, and Middle Eastern descents, among others.

In the September 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine, the West Side Market was named America's "Best Food Lovers' Market."

We had a great visit, staying with friends / neighbors in University Hts.  Parked the rig near Akron at a really nice KOA that only charged us a few dollars a night to store it.

On to Niagara Falls

It has been 40 years since our last trip to Niagara.  We are staying in a “motel/campground” on the American side of the falls.

In reading about the Falls it appears that they have receded about 35 feet since our last visit, so if you want to see them be sure do it soon.  In 50,000 years they will be gone!

Going across the rainbow bridge to Canada was a study in slow motion.  Cars were backed up at the border, took us 45 minutes to make it to the Canadian side.

We took a long stroll along the parkway that parallels Canadian Falls.  The landscaping is beautiful, exotic flowers and lots of park space.  We were both pleased that it had not befallen the fate of other attractions we had seen.

The next evening we spent at the “American Falls” stayed to after dark to watch the sunset and the falls lit up .

Finger Lakes New York 08-22-2011

We are staying at a nice campground at exit 41 of the New York thruway.  It is , mostly seasonal, but with large sites and very clean. Our site is well shaded and the price is right, $32 per day.  It is about midpoint (just north) of the lakes.


 

The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York. The lakes are long and thin, each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in America. Both are close to 40 miles  from end to end, and never more than 3.5 miles wide. Cayuga is the longest (38.1 miles, ) and Seneca the largest in total area. Seneca is the deepest (618 feet), followed by Cayuga (435 feet,), with their bottoms well below sea level. These largest lakes resemble the others in shape, which collectively reminded early map-makers of the fingers of a hand.

The Finger Lakes area is New York's largest wine producing region. Over 100 wineries and vineyards are located around Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, Keuka, Conesus and Hemlock lakes. Because of the lakes' great depth, they provide a lake effect to the lush vineyards that flank their shores. Retaining residual summer warmth in the winter, and winter's cold in the spring, the grapes are protected from disastrous spring frost during shoot growth, and early frost before the harvest. The main grape varieties grown are Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and many Vitis labrusca  varieties or cultivars.  Wineries are a major growth industry of the region, not merely contributing to the economy through production, but increasingly because they attract large numbers of visitors who support other components of tourism.
Our first day out we discovered an amazing country store. Sauder's Store is an authentic Mennonite market, with Pennsylvania Dutch meats and cheeses and hundreds of bulk containers brimming with baking supplies, candies, and spices. The eclectic inventory mix includes fresh produce, children's books, simple toys, and wooden sheds. Young people in traditional Mennonite garb staff the store, which John Sauder's family has run for decades. The prices are lower on most of the items than we have found around home.  They are very customer oriented, Barbara wanted nutmeg, but she did not want the 8 oz that came in the package.  The clerk said no problem, a few minutes later she brought the exact amount Barbara wanted.


 

The bakery items are terrific, this morning we shared some sticky buns made fresh by locals.  They were as good, or better, than any we have every had.  If you are in this area this is a "must stop".
We also hit the 3 Brothers Vineyard and War Horse brewery. Barbara is the beer person, found a great ale and riesling beer.




From the winery we purchased a "Jazz Infusion".  It is equal amounts of Cabernet, pinot noir, merlot, and chambourcin. It has a "bit" to it, but the taste is amazing.
We will be in the region thorough Thursday, time enough to do some serious wine and beer tasting.
The weather here has been terrific, almost forgot what "crisp" weather was like.  70 during the day 50 at night, low humidity (in spite of nightly rain) and a "Carolina blue" sky during the day. 

8-20-2011 On our way to Finger Lakes

It is now 8 PM just got off the road after 10 hours of driving. We are now in  a Super 8 motel in Amsterdam New York.  We left Saco Maine at 10AM this morning, expecting a long but easy trip.  The Mass turnpike was mostly a parking lot for over a hundred miles, no particular reason except very heavy traffic it was start and stop, hard on the brakes.  About half way through the trip I got a warning light from  the brake system, it had overheated. There are no rest stops on the turnpike and service plazas are a joke,  not enough room for the trucks to park.
 
 

We pulled off the highway, turned on our blinkers and waited until the brakes cooled down.

If that was not enough, when we went through the toll booth, it was not wide enough and the passenger side mirror was pushed out of alignment.  Again there was no place to stop, I was blind on the passenger side. I turned on my turn signal to get to the side of the road, but could not tell if there was any traffic.  Mom went back to the window and stuck her head out to see, waving at the drivers to please let us move over.  After several minutes she finally gave up,  so I started to edge over slowly  hoping the cars would get the idea and let me in.  It was not a pretty sight, lots of "hand messages" from the drivers.We made it over and adjusted the mirror as best we could.

The truck stop we were going to stay at for the night was not where google maps said it was, we missed it by several miles.

So, it's good to know that tomorrow will be a better day, it can't get worse!

Change of Plans

Bet you think we are in Quebec, wrong!  We  headed back to the US and stopped for a few days in Maine, Old Orchard Beach.

We discussed the issue on the way to Quebec when we stayed overnight in a Fredericton NB campground.  It was yet another example of what I disliked about the campgrounds in many of the Atlantic Provinces.  Overcrowded, noisy, and difficult to get in a out of.  That night someone decided to park a car and boat in front of our site.  We were stuck that morning, could not leave till it moved.  No one knew who's is was.
I took another looks at the campground situation in Quebec and Montreal, and determined they were just like many of the campgrounds we found difficult.  Too many seasonal, small roads in and out, and lots of kids running around.

I know Barbara was disappointed, but I promised  her we would return someday, perhaps fly up and stay at hotels.

We both love the Maine coastline, and this was a chance to see more of it.  We are staying in Saco at the Silver Springs Campground.  It is an older park, but they have added very large big rig sites with full hookup, easy in and out.  Most of the camp are seasonal, but sites are large and you don't feel crowded in. It is also clean, quiet, and inexpensive.

Saco has a lot of tourist feel, but it is home to General Dynamics Armament Systems (also known by its former name, Saco Defense.

Last night we went to Palace Playground, an amusement park right on the waterfront in Old Orchard.  What a mob scene!  We realized we should not have tried to drive there, will take trolley later today.
 
We will leave here Saturday and travel to the Finger Lakes region of New  York, then back up into Canada to return to Toronto.  It has been over 30 years since we have been there.  We used to camp with the kids, and all of us had a great time.

PEI day 5 08-11-11

Today, The College of Piping is also a premiere cultural tourism destination on Prince Edward Island, attracting a lion’s share of travelers to the summer-long Celtic Festival. A 600-seat outdoor amphitheatre has become an extension of the classroom, giving aspiring performers the opportunity to perform with faculty and other Island talent. In 2002, Attractions Canada named the Festival as the top cultural event on PEI, as well as the “Event of National or International Interest”. The following year, Festival and Events PEI named it the “Top Festival and Event”. In 2008, The College was designated as one of only two Signature Attractions on PEI

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This morning, decided to drive to Charlottetown to pick up some bagels and supplies. 
We then proceeded to a fishing town on the eastern coast of PEI, Montague. Established in the late 1700's it is on the Montague River.  With a population of about 5,000 the town still relies on fishing, as well as logging.

That evening we headed back to Summerside for a performance of Scottish dance and music by the students and staff  of the College of Piping.The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada, established in 1990 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, is an international school teaching Highland bagpiping, Scottish-style snare drumming, Highland Dancing and Step dancing.  Beginning with only 30 students in 1990, The College’s student body has grown to over 350 year-round students and 200 summer school and workshop participants.


The performance was spectacular, with a finale that brought the audience out of their chairs.
Made it back to camp about 10:30 PM tired but with another great day in PEI behind us.