Waltham - Northampton - Niagara Falls, Canada - Detroit/Royal Oak, Michigan - Northfield, Ohio - Erie, Pennsylvania - Watkins Glen, New York - Northampton - Waltham
Starting odometer - 28, 730
Ending odometer - Approx. 30, 500
Total miles: about 1,770
GPS journey voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Cheapest gas: $1.99 near the Michigan/Ohio border
July 30, 2015 - Northampton
-Stayed over with Jenny, Bil, and Rupaul Toad Robin Williams Barbra Streisand Krichevsky
-Highlights: talks with Jenny and Bil, cuddles and playtime with Ru
July 31, 2015 - Niagara Falls, Canada
-Stopped for a couple of hours, saw American Falls and Horseshoe Falls
-Bought drinks and pastries at Tim Hortons, got traditional and Bacon cheeseburger poutine at Smoke’s Poutinerie (not as good as anticipated, but Bret thinks my memories of poutine as a child put my expectations too high)
-Highlights: feeling the mist from the falls on our faces on an otherwise very hot day
Royal Oak, Michigan
-Stayed at the Hampton Inn Detroit/Madison Heights/South Troy
-After arrival, took a swim in the hotel pool to move our bodies a bit
-Grabbed dinner at the Royal Oak Brewery
-Highlights: making up resistance exercises in the pool with Bret, the Friday night vibe of downtown Royal Oak
August 1, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan
-Walked along the Detroit riverwalk
-Walked around Corktown neighborhood, including checking out the old train station and the old site of Tigers Stadium
-In Corktown, got lunch at Slow’s BBQ - I had Buffalo Trace bourbon, pulled pork enchiladas, and a side of mac and cheese - we both loved their apple-based bbq sauce
-Highlights: talking to a local on the riverwalk who feeds the fish there every day and hearing his stories, delicious lunch at Slow’s!
Royal Oak, Michigan
-Attended college roommate Katie’s local wedding celebration to Murray (their actual wedding celebration was where they live in South Africa) - it was held block-party style in Katie’s childhood neighborhood
-Highlights: annual water balloon toss (even though I got soaked), Katie’s cousin (who was like 8) who seemed wholly unhappy with the whole affair until the water balloon toss/dancing/sparklers, everyone sharing memories/advice with the couple, watching the wedding video from the celebration in SA, re-uniting with Murray’s and Katie’s families (I got to spend time with all of them when I visited Katie and Murray in SA a few years ago), playing in the neighborhood playground with Bret and watching the fireflies after dark
August 2, 2015 - Northern Ohio
-stopped for lunch in Peninsula, Ohio, right in the heart of Cuyahoga Valley National Park - cute little town - ate lunch at the Winking Lizard and then stopped for candy at Yum Yum Sweet Shop
-Checked into the Inn at Brandywine Falls in Northfield, Ohio - a bed and breakfast run by Katie and George Hoy, a couple in their 80s whom you just can’t help but want as your grandparents - we stayed in the Simon Perkins room in the main house
-Wandered through the gate in the front yard to arrive on the hike and bike trail surrounding Brandywine Falls - Walked some steps to the viewing areas of the fall, then walked through the trail in the woods to end up about a mile down the river - then strapped on our water shoes and hiked the mile back IN the river to the waterfall (forgot the camera for this whole walk, so we just enjoyed the moment)
-We didn’t have the energy or the hunger for dinner, especially since most places closed early on a Sunday evening, so we would have had to put in extra effort - instead, we took advantage of the homemade cookies and tea offered at the Inn around 8:45
-Over a nice conversation with George, he offered to bring us on his nightly rounds of tending to the various animals - we said hello to the pygmy goats and, while George was moving their water in the pen, one escaped and I was able to grab it’s collar - when George grabbed it and the collar slipped off, I managed to grab it from behind (I might have some experience having to do this with the dogs) - meanwhile, the other goat escaped, so Bret managed to wrangle that one - we got them both back in with minimal injury - Next, we were introduced to the chickens in both chicken coops (I never realized there were so many different kinds of chickens!) and picked up a few additional eggs - Finally, we got the deaf and blind dog from the barn and took him on his nightly walk through the woods - the cat joined us because George gives them high-value treats along the way
-Highlights: the relaxing vibe at the Inn, standing directly underneath Brandywine Falls to feel the mist, our adventure walk with all the animals, hearing George’s story of the pencil people who used to live in the woods
August 3, 2015 - Northern Ohio
-Ate breakfast at the Inn with Katie and George and two other couples who were staying there
-Hugged Katie and George goodbye, bought the two books they’ve written, and got George to sign them
-Explored another part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Ledges Trail
-Highlights: amazing breakfast including homemade oatmeal with fresh fruit and homemade granola to top it, omelette with some of the best cheddar I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot), homemade oatmeal bread - great breakfast conversation with Katie and George and the other guests, walking through caves and small openings on the Ledges trail, and finally getting to the Overlook on the Ledges trail
-Checked into the Spencer House Bed and Breakfast - stayed in Mary’s Room
-Signed up for sunset paddle board yoga, but it got canceled due to the threat of possible thunderstorms
-Went to dinner at the Sloppy Duck Saloon on the bayfront - I had a Sloppy Duck cocktail and it was delicious
-Outside the restaurant was a car show, so we walked around there for a bit and then walked out to see the lake again
-Then we drove to Sara’s and got milkshakes, then drove down Presque Isle (a little peninsula state park that jets out into Lake Erie and has lots of different beaches and boat launches) - we found a beach to sit on and watch the sunset while we drank our milkshakes
-Lastly, we went back to the bayfront to try out the Rum Runner drinks at Cove Rum Runners (but Bret had a Corona)
August 4, 2015 - Erie, Pennsylvania
-Had breakfast at the B and B - good but not as good as the Inn in Ohio
-Went to a bait shop on the pier to rent some fishing poles only to find out they no longer rent them - they said we could go to the library across the street and sign up for a library card and then get a fishing pole - We were only able to get one because I was the only one with an ID with our current address - after getting one from the library, we went back to the bait shop to get a fishing license and some bait - then we finally got to fish off the pier for a couple hours, only catching a little sunfish!
-After returning the fishing pole, we headed out to Lake Erie Outfitters to rent a kayak - We got a tandem kayak that we were able to load right onto my car - the guy there directed us to a nice lagoon area off of Presque Isle, so we did that for a few hours
-Stopped at Steve-O’s pizza for lunch
-Stopped at Romolo Chocolate (local company) and bought iced coffee, a cookie, and chocolates - also sampled their specialty sponge candy (must have this again and also try their sponge candy ice cream)
-Highlights: enjoying a quiet moment fishing off the pier, feeling the sun on our faces while kayaking, everything at Romolo chocolate
Watkins Glen, New York
-checked into our cabin at Seneca Lodge, right next to the entrance of Watkins Glen State Park in the finger lakes region of New York
-After dropping our stuff off, we went to the campground’s restaurant for steak dinners (yum) and planned out the next day - also stopped at the campground’s bar for a night cap
-Highlights: price of our cabin given the super awesome place and location, delicious steak, laid back campground bar
August 5, 2015 - Watkins Glen, New York
-woke up nice and early (6 AM) to grab breakfast at the campground’s restaurant (we were the only ones there the whole time we ate)
-After breakfast, we headed right over to Watkins Glen State Park to walk the Gorge Trail, which is 1.5 miles uphill (800 total steps!) along a naturally-formed gorge with various pools and waterfalls along the way - we walked all the way up to the northern entrance (including a sprint up the ending stairs that ended a little early when I realized just how many there were) and then walked all the way back down
-Had time to shower before checking out of our cabin (thank goodness)
-Headed over to the downtown area to walk around and kill some time - went in some kitschy shops and bought some caffeinated beverages and pastries
-Drove over to the Castel Grisch winery in Watkins Glen and had a wine tasting - we then ate lunch at their restaurant with a great view of Seneca Lake - I ordered grilled cheese and was very disappointed - I didn’t think grilled cheese could be bad, but I was wrong
-Highlights: the entire Gorge Trail, ESPECIALLY waking up to see it before everyone else does (we saw it get SUPER crowded later on - starting at 9 AM they have a shuttle that runs from the north and south entrances so you only have to walk one way) - we really got to enjoy it pretty much alone the entire time, which made it even more breathtaking - trying ice wine (although I didn’t love it, it was totally different than anything else I’ve had, so it was a cool experience)
Northampton, Massachusetts
-We ended our trip by taking Jenny and Bil out for dinner at my college favorite, Judie’s - they changed my favorite menu item slightly, however, and I wasn’t a huge fan (I’m just now realizing I didn’t have good luck with my meals that day!)
-We stayed overnight again in Northampton before heading home the next day
-Highlights: seeing Jenny and Bil, and more playing and cuddles with Ru
