Niagara Falls is one of those bucket list destinations that we had to include on our route to Ottawa. Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half drive (2 hours, depending on traffic) from Toronto so we reckoned (yes, throwing in a little Arkansas lingo to stay with the Arkansaw-to-Ottawa theme:) that our last “day” in Toronto would be spent at the glorious falls. I’m happy with how the day turned out, and if you have limited time in Toronto, but want to include Niagara Falls and the Niagara on the Lake area as a day trip kind of situation, I have some tips about how to make the most of your time.

Since Josh and I did NOT have kids with us, there were a few areas that were super easy to avoid. One being, this li’l area which is where we parked: (see photos below)

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I get it, Canada. It’s Niagara Falls and half the literal world is bucket listing its way here to see them, so why not stick a wax museum there? Also, a Ruby Tuesday’s would be nice. You know, people have to eat. If my son were here with us, he definitely would have begged to go to the wax museum and every 6D ride experience imaginable, and we would have said no. All the touristy commercialism reminded me a little bit of Branson, Hollywood, and Disney combined.

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It was annoying but expected considering the high volume of tourists that visit this location each year. Passing up these spots was easy with out kids, though. So, we made our way down to capture the magnificent falls from the Niagara riverfront walkway.

Niagara Parks has a ton of options to explore the area, like the Hornblower Niagara Cruises ($25.95 Canadian), in which you can ride a boat as close to Horseshoe Falls as possible, the Journey Behind the Falls ($21.95 Canadian), where you can walk underneath the falls, and much much more. If we had a bit more time, we probably would have taken the cruise, but we decided viewing the falls from the riverfront walkway did the trick for us. They only send one cruise out at a time, and, we saw huge lines of people just purchasing their tickets. I imagine there are ways to avoid lines and crowds, and if you can figure it out, do it!

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A few fun facts:

• Niagara Falls sits in the middle of New York, in the US, and Ontario in Canada. This means that people can visit from either (or both) countries. In New York, tourists can see the sights from the Prospect Point Park Observation Tower, and from Ontario (where we are), there is a range of large tourist areas which visitors can use to access Niagara Falls.
• Niagara Falls is actually the collective name for three different waterfalls, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls and the three cascades form the second largest waterfall in the world (after Victoria Falls in Africa). Horseshoe Falls is the longest and the tallest of the three!
• 2o% of the world’s fresh water lies in the four upper Great Lakes: Michigan, Huron, Superior, and Erie. All of the outflow eventually flows over Niagara Falls.
• Niagara Falls occurs on the Niagara River, a 36-mile channel that connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and separates New York from Ontario. 
• It is estimated that around 30 million people visit Niagara Falls each year, with numbers rising all the time. 

Based on our experience, I highly recommend taking in the views from the Canada side. Get your passports!

We said bye to the falls, and started our route to Ottawa, which included some wineries along the way. Looking back, it seems our logic was to pull over whenever we saw a place that looked the most like a Tuscan vineyard! When we passed Colaneri Estates, I really did forget I was in Canada for a second. Our luck running into this place represents the things road trips are made of -spontaneity, flexibility, and a little serendipity.

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Each winery has its own unique story. Colaneri preserves the legacy of Joseph Colaneri and his wife Maria, who fell in love and started a family in Fosolone, Italy. Their sons Michele (Mike) and Nicola (Nick) came to the U.S. in 1967 with big hearts and even bigger dreams. Mike and Nick married sisters (Angiolina and Liberina) and after many years of hard work, they acquired the 40-acre vineyard where Colaneri Estates now stands. Later, with their children, Tara, Michael, Nicholas and Christopher, they continued to teach the importance of hard work and dedication. Their passion for family, tradition, and hard work was evident throughout wine-tasting! Photographs of the family documenting their journey decorated the walls – even the design on the wine bottles illustrate aspects of their unique journey. Learning about this family’s inspiration to share their passion for life and tradition is part of what made this wine tasting feel really special. For their whole story, click here. The $10 (Canadian) tasting fee is waived if you purchase a bottle, which is a win-win!

The staff at Colaneri actually recommended another winery/restaurant for us to visit (Caroline Cellars), which was really helpful since we needed to make the most of our time. Note: as I mentioned before, all of the wineries are different. Some serve food; some don’t. At this point, we needed to eat before a long drive to Ottawa.

The Farmhouse Café

The Farmhouse Cafe is an extension of the Caroline Cellars farm and winery. Here, they offer complimentary wine tastings, which we took advantage of while waiting for our food to be served. The food is fresh, local, and delicious (and reasonably priced). I ordered the fish tacos and Josh ordered the frittata. The cafe closes at 4 p.m., so plan accordingly! (Or don’t plan – like us). I found the story of this winery on their website, and I’m quoting it here, because I love the language they use – especially the last sentence.

In 1978, Rick and Frieda Lakeit purchased a 50 acre vineyard on Line 2 in Niagra on the Lake, with some help from Rick’s mother, Caroline. At the time, Rick and Frieda were in their early 20s, but both had grown up on local vineyards and had a passion for the industry and a vision for their own farm. After more than 20 years of caring for this land, their vision came full-circle with the opening of Caroline Cellars. Our wines are an expression of our love and dedication to the land and our family – past, present, and future.

So, to conclude, Toronto and Niagara Falls, and wineries – all in a day’s work. It can be done! Josh and I finished up at The Farmhouse Cafe and made our way to Ottawa that evening. It was a LATE night drive, but we made it!

Given the chance to be in Toronto with a limited amount of time, I have some suggestions for how to tackle the area. I know one could spend weeks there and still miss the fullness, but 2 (and a half) days was the most realistic for us!

One of my favorite things to do first in any large city on a body of water is to find a water taxi and get a view of the skyline from the water. Like Hong Kong, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco, Toronto has one of those skylines that is distinguished by a few landmarks that make it really stand out in my mind. It only costs $10 Canadian a person to take a water taxi to a park on Toronto Islands, which has a boardwalk overlooking Lake Ontario, bikes to rent, a marina, and a huge green space with gardens to enjoy. The ferry took about 20 minutes to get there, and we spent about the hour at the park walking around. There was some flooding on the island on the day we were there, but it didn’t keep us from exploring most of the island by foot.

Next, the CN Tower is another iconic landmark from which one can get the best views of Toronto. We bought our tickets earlier in the day and waited until about 5 or 6 p.m. to actually ride the elevator up to the Glass Floor and Outdoor Sky Terrace, which are about 342 meters up (1,122 feet).

The CN Tower is actually 553 meters or 1,815 feet, making it the world’s 9th tallest free-standing structure. It held the title for tallest for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

My next suggestion for taking in the fullness of Toronto is going to vary. Josh and I found ourselves in the midst of a very festive atmosphere as Raptors fans congregated at Jurassic Park for the upcoming Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs. It reminded me of any time I’ve been in a city when the atmosphere, whether it be sports related or whatever, unites everyone! I think if you can catch these vibes somehow, do it! Whether it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey), the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball), or the Toronto Football Club (soccer), make your way to the streets of Toronto, Jurassic Park, or better yet, go to a game! We witnessed a live sports broadcast happening inside the practice court of Scotiabank Arena, which was really fun. Go Raptors, go!

The night of the actual game, there were long lines to get into any restaurant with a tv. Listening to one of the local radio stations as we drove around kept us posted on updates and set the tone from the point of view of a Raptors fan, and it was so fun!

It was pouring down rain, and so we found cover in one of the restaurants in The Distillery District, which is the my next area of recommendation. This area of Toronto is near downtown, and it receives a high rating by me. It is a collection of Victorian Industrial buildings that were pronounced a national historic site but recently transformed into a walkable village of one-of-a-kind stores, shops, galleries, studios, restaurants, cafes, theatres and more. It has a blend of industrial architecture with the hip and cool dynamics of a trendy urban neighborhood like NYC’s SoHo or Chelsea. I wish we would have had more time here!

In the Distillery District, we chose Madrina, a Spanish tapas restaurant, and the food was so tasty! I recommend the huevos estrallados (scrambled eggs) con chorizo, which they presented to us in a bowl resting on a “nest”. The soup-y texture was made by potato foam and poached and seared duck egg. The chorizo bread crumbs sprinkled on top complimented this dish with the perfect amount of crunch. The server “scrambled” the eggs in the soup when he presented it to us.

I also recommend the avocado salad cannelloni, which was equally delicious!

I would add that there are several other neighborhoods walking or even driving through. Chinatown is always important for me, because I love to try authentic Asian cuisine. This trip was no different. Asian Legend was our restaurant of choice this time, and I would give it 5 stars! Also, Josh and I wanted to visit the Ontario Legislative Building, just to see what it looked like. The building is surrounded by Queen’s Park, and a quick stroll through the park leads you to University of Toronto, with its towers and green spaces. Graduation had recently taken place, and there were signs and tents around reflecting the ambiance of that occasion.

You can drive through Yorkville to see the old houses and take a stroll through Lawrence St. Market after this, where you can find a Whole Foods if needed. These were quaint neighborhoods, and if we had another, we would have gone back to explore more.

Last but not least, it is possible to make a day trip to Niagara Falls during your Toronto stay. The drive from Toronto is about an hour and a half (3 hours round trip). If you have plans to be in the area, it isn’t necessary to book separate lodging accommodations, if you are crunched for time. For our Niagara day, Josh and I actually left around noon from Toronto and made it back around 7:00 p.m. I am saving details about Niagara Falls for a separate post, because they deserve their own post, but it definitely fit into our Toronto experience.

The most ambitious of our plans was trying to make it to Toronto, Ontario from Pictured Rocks in one day! Taking the northern route into Canada appealed to us because we wanted to hug the shoreline of Lake Huron and take a different route out of Michigan.

There were a few stops we would add to complete our Upper Peninsula experience, and I will detail them here! As mentioned in the previous post, the twelve mile beach is a must see/do.

From there we hit Tahquamenon Falls, where we lucked out with visiting on a free entry day. These falls are two different waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River. The water is brown from the tannins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains. The upper falls are more than 200 feet across and drop 48 feet, making them the 3rd most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi River after Niagra Falls and Cohoes Falls in New York.

Our next stop was Sault St. Marie (pronounces Soo St. Marie, I think?) to visit Soo Locks and cross the border into Canada. We watched a barge with windmill parts come through the lock system to pass from Lake Huron to Lake Superior. Fascinating!

Crossing the border was simple with no traffic. Now we had a little over 400 miles to get to Toronto if we made no stops, which of course we did! It was hard not to pull over and stop every time we had a view of Lake Huron (our 3rd Great Lake of the trip). Here is our first stop along the shoreline at Bruce Mines.

Toronto-bound with complete with Lord Huron playlist and other podcasts to entertain us!

So, I might have mentioned that there was one night that was up for grabs on this li’l adventure to Ottawa (and back). This is an important element in “planning” the not-so-perfect, but-still-perfect road trip. It makes for more spontaneity, the opportunity for more stories, some discomfort, more opportunities to find the silver lining, and so on and so forth. I wouldn’t trade these random nights of lodging for the world and I think they add to the whole experience. Once, Josh and I paid $25 to sleep in a tent in someone’s backyard in San Luis Obispo. Like many airbnb situations, on this occasion we had the opportunity to meet the host, who was a fashion designer for activewear. He traveled to Bentonville once to make a deal with Wal-mart on his product. Small world! Our tent had a blow-up mattress, wifi, and more! Glamping!

So, Thursday night, we stayed in Traverse City, Michigan (highly recommend this area in Michigan, btw) after our lovely Sleeping Bear Dunes climb. I think the “victorian loft” is maybe the favorite airbnb I’ve ever stayed in. Located within walking distance of downtown, it reflected the charm of the city but was immaculate and decorated simply and tastefully with books, art, and plants. Included were wifi and a tv for us to watch after a long day of driving, hiking, and dining. Complimentary coffee the next morning. All things that can not be taken for granted with airbnb lodging (as we found out later).

Side note: I’m looking at this airbnb listing again and it the rates are now MUCH higher than we paid for one night. Josh and I normally can’t take advantage of off-season rates, because we are parents and teachers, but for this particular trip, Michigan schools were still in session, which means, apparently, we paid way less for our accommodation this night. I’m sure other aspects of our trip were affected by smaller crowds, especially in the Upper Peninsula.

Friday night was the up-for-grabs night that I keep talking about. Where will we sleep tonight? Who knows? We loved the drive from Traverse City to the Upper Peninsula. Complete with scary bridges, pasties, which are basically a handheld pot pie, scenic overlooks, and playlists, this leg of the journey had all the makings of a whimsical summer drive.

We made a few calls (when we had phone service) to settle on whether we would see “Pictured Rocks” by kayak or by guided boat cruise. We settled on the cruise based on the cost of a kayak guided tour. After seeing the people struggling with their kayaks in Lake Superior, we realized that we made the right choice for us. Stretching for about 15 miles along Lake Superior, the bold and colorful cliffs of Pictured Rocks range from 50 to 200 feet and jut out directly from the lake. The 2 and a half hour boat cruise was definitely the route for us because we were able to see ALL of that; however, if we were spending more time in the Upper Peninsula (like two weeks or a month), kayaking might be a fun avenue. The most popular kayak tour is a 6-hour “sunset paddle.” SIX hours.

We arrived at the dock at 4:45 which was the same time the cruise started to board. We quickly bought our tickets and grabbed our sunscreen and headed to board the boat. The rest was 2 and a half hours of pure beauty. See pictures below!

We now had one last box to check for the day. Find a place to sleep. Our cruise tour guide had some recommendations for camping as well as hikes to “do” the next day. He was very helpful! Based on his recommendation, and after refueling at Main Street Pizza in Munising, MI, we embarked on our campsite mission.

We pulled into the site where various sizes of RVs and pop-up campers populated the horizon of Lake Superior. We quickly located what seemed like the perfect spot for our tiny two-person tent, and Josh dropped me off to pay for it. Of course, it was already reserved according to the clerk at the clerk in the campsite office. The sun is quickly setting at this point, although in the Upper Peninsula, this happens much later (around 10:00 p.m.). The only other option is site #43, which is $41. The cutest little Upper Peninsula lady (if there can be an “Upper Peninsula lady,” she was it) was oh so not disappointed to tell me. Oh. $41. I thought it was $25. Long pause. I felt like she was telling me there was no room for us in the inn. Sun is still setting. The only $25 sites are ones you hike to. Well, we weren’t going to to that. We were were already here. They’re way over there. Another long pause. Pause. Pause. Now, we DO have our “overflow” sites. THOSE sites are $25. Ah. overflow sites. Who knew? The UP lady asked me to check it out. Come on, “we’ll go take a look at the overflow site.” Like a puppy dog on a leash, I follow the lady and hop in her golf cart to drive 50 feet to the left of the office. She shows me my potential abode for the night, and I willingly agree to reserve the “overflow” site which is really just a spot with grass on which one could throw a sleeping bag or tent (isn’t that what camping is, anyway?). Looks good to me. Done!

This was not the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. Not even the second best. But, I do know that when I fell asleep on Friday, June 7th, Lake Superior was within a few footsteps of my tent. We woke up with the sunrise and headed out to explore the twelve mile beach of Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. That morning Josh and I were the only people for miles and it was so worth the 4 hours of sleep, the puffy eyes, and the mosquito attacks on the hike to get there.

First of all, some songs on our road trip playlist have been accompanying us in a thematic way. When a song about Michigan magically pops up on my playlist, and all of a sudden I finally understand what the lyrics are about because I just experienced them- that’s what road trip playlists are all about! I see the serendipity in these moments. I can’t help it. Listen to the lyrics about this sweet song by The Accidentals that became the soundtrack for our Michigan experience. I actually saw them perform in Arkansas before I realized they were from Michigan!

Michigan and Again

Home of the water, Canada’s daughter, nestled in the crescent moon’s grin. Michigan and again…

I love it.

Soft shoulders of sand dunes.

Perfect.

We wade out to the knees- the water, 45 degrees.

Yep. That’s what we did in Lake Michigan after hiking over 9 hills of dunes. This reward punctuated our Sleeping Bear Dunes Climb.

I really cannot believe how amazing this place is!

One really great thing about driving instead of flying is getting to be spontaneous and adventurous along the way. I should mention the reason this whole road trip idea came about. Josh is presenting at a conference in Ottawa, Ontario on the 13th, and I am along for the ride. Lucky me! So, we looked at several potential routes we could take to Ottawa, and honestly, we are still piecing together legs of this journey. Chicago. Grand Rapids because Josh has a friend there. We have an Airbnb reserved in Traverse City. We have one night that is up for grabs, so it has been kind of fun knowing there is some flexibility.

We stopped at Notre Dame on the Chicago to Grand Rapids leg. Pictured below are some photos on campus and catching up with Josh’s philosophy bud, Jeff, in Grand Rapids. He took us to dinner, showed us around the city, and hosted us in his home. Thanks, Jeff!

The last time we drove to Chicago was in 2013. We brought the kids with us and celebrated the Fourth of July.

I keep thinking about this trip and remembering how much we made them walk everywhere and do everything! I miss them.

Super excited to see Chicago though! Josh and I knew we only had a few hours in the city, because we needed to get to Grand Rapids by dinnertime. We stayed with a friend I’ve known since 2010 when I went on a teacher study tour to Germany! She even let us use her membership to the Art Institute if Chicago, so that was our first stop of the day. Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, O’Keefe, Seurat, just to name a few of the artists on exhibit there. We also found Andean textile exhibit which was really cool. We, of course had to check out Millenium Park and the bean before heading out of town again! Loved this day in the city.

Hi! It’s me again. I have a handful of blogs I’ve started over the years, and looking back, I am realizing, they all started in the summer and came to an end around the time school started. I first got a hankering for a little blogging back when I was a stay at home mom wrangling my 5 year old red-head and her blue-eyed little brother. “Ramblings,” I think it was called? It was purely anecdotal, and I don’t even know if it can still be found on the internet.

Update: I just found it. It took a while, but I found it. Let’s Talk about Our Likes and Our Dislikes and A Real Live Cow-man were a couple of my first posts. I’m pretty sure this blog reached widespread audiences (like my mom and dad), but the truth is, it’s still out there for all the world to see. Yikes.

Anyway, back to the summer blogging point I was trying to make. I started another blog when I traveled to Germany with fellow educators (in the summer of 2010) and followed up with it in the summer of 2014. Then, in the summer of 2017, I blogged of my time in the Andes on a Fulbright-Hays seminar in Ecuador and Peru.

Needless to say, summer is a time when, thanks to the best job ever-teaching, I’m able to rest, reflect, refresh, and apparently blog. I decided I wanted to document this summer because it’s a little more unique than some of the ones we’ve had, in that Josh and I are taking a road trip sans kiddos. Looking back at my first blog (which I quite literally just looked at), we took one of our first trips without kids in 2008. To Italy. I think this is pretty much the first time SINCE THEN we have gone on a trip with out them. That alone is unique. Plus, it’s summer. And, our children are at an age when, it seems like everyone is a going a million different places at once and it would be helpful if there were two of me. And two of Josh. As with any time parents go on trips without their kids, there are a lot of moving parts to make it happen.

So, here we are. In this blog, I plan to highlight everything I think is meaningful, random, pretty, or just plain cool, like my Spotify playlist, which I am slowly developing as we go along. First stop, Chicago.