Jace Vacation Destination #3 – New Hampshire – The Drive Day

After a wonderful stay in Niagara Falls, it was time to head to more familiar territory for Barbara and me – central New Hampshire. Specifically, Freedom, NH and a stay at Danforth Bay campground in the Lake Ossipee area. Historically for us (and Jace), this campground was the first extended stay of more than a night nearly four years ago when we headed out on our first trip in our new home. Fittingly, Jace was with us for THAT trip as well, but he was barely more than three years-old at the time.

But first we had to get there.

As with many people my age, sleep doesn't come in 8-hour increments anymore. Getting a good night's sleep for me means maybe 3-4 hours, then up for another 3-5 hours, then back to sleep for a few hours more. Being retired, this doesn't hamper things much, except on drive days. Perhaps some of you readers have noted that when you wake up in the morning, there's a new post waiting for you. Most of my typing and posting comes between the hours of 1:00 am and 4:00 am in the intervening hours between sleep.

On the rare drive days that will take a minimum of 12 hours if everything goes well, this can be a problem.

So it's important for all of us (especially me) to “strike while the iron is hot” so to speak when approaching a long drive day. That means that when I get up, EVERYBODY else gets up so that we can get on the road and arrive in one piece. For Barbara and Grover, it's not a big deal. Both can nap if they need to, and certainly do if I have interrupted their sleep cycles. But now we have an almost 7-year-old with us, and there's no telling how that's going to work out!

I'm up at 11:45 pm, and by 12:10 am we're pulling out of our campsite in NY. Everything but shore power had been disconnected before we went to bed, so it was a simple task to take Grover out to do his business, unplug from the pedestal, bring in slides and jacks and strap ourselves in. For Jace, this meant no car seat for the early part of the ride. He's a very good sleeper; going right back to sleep if he wakes up in the middle of the night. So Barbara came up with a solution to just loosely strap Jace in with a seat belt on the couch, give him his pillow and cover him up. Given his propensity to roll around in his bed at night, I wasn't too sure how well this would work, but he slept pretty much straight through until around 7:00 am (his usual wake up time). And he didn't fall out of “bed”.

Jace let me take a 2-hour nap in the back bedroom while we parked in a Mass Pike Service area, we grabbed a surprisingly well-prepared McDonald's breakfast and it was back on the road to finish our drive, arriving at Danforth Bay at 2:00 pm. Thank goodness we have a motor home, as setting up is pretty automated except for attaching water, sewer and electric, since I was pretty wiped out after 600 miles, 2 stops for gas, and one 2-hour nap. Longest drive day ever for us.

But we got here.

Just a couple of points to note about the drive:

I-90 through New York State is long, but in remarkably good condition for a highway in the northeast. A lot of recent repaving has resulted in a very easy and relatively quiet ride in our motor home. I honestly wasn't expecting that.

The tolls on the early part of this trip have been BRUTAL due to the direct nature of our trip planning. Three weeks of motor home travel in West Virginia, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have resulted in approximately $80 charged to our EZ-Pass thus far, with travel to and from our Maine destination and more Massachusetts driving yet to come . . .

The Mass Pike has completed some really nice improvements to their service areas along the entire length of the roadway in recent years. New buildings, and more importantly, new gas and diesel pumps designed for large trucks and RV's. Instead of RV-ers like us having to potentially block the access ways by the gas pumps in front, they have installed 4 long pull-through lanes accessed via the rear of the building which allow fill-ups without blocking traffic. More importantly for us gas motor home owners, there is a single gas pump in the left-most lane of those four lanes that makes my life easier. Sure, you'll pay the higher than normal price for gas on the turnpike, but the ease of pulling straight in and out more than makes up for the higher prices.

Up next, will New England weather interfere with Jace's vacation plans?

Jace Vacation Stop #2 - Niagara Falls!

“Slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch . . . !” - Hat tip to an old Three Stooges routine.

We could have done the drive from Beckley, WV to our site in Wilson, NY in a single day, but the drive would have been close to 10 hours with tight local roads at the end of the drive, so prudence kicked in during the planning stages to find a boondocking site in between the two for a free night's stay. Originally it was going to be a Cracker Barrel in North Canton, OH, but a closer view using Google Earth didn't fill me with confidence on the amount of space and ease of egress for that site, so we pushed onward a bit to do some J-Docking at a Flying J in Austinburg, OH.

It was to be our last cheap gas for the rest of the trip (nothing is cheap in New York or the Northeast states) and as with almost all Flying J's, there was a Denny's attached where we could get a good breakfast the next morning. The gas WAS cheap; the Denny's was, shall we say, operating under “flexible” hours. Apparently, the management has a “We'll open when we're ready” policy for every mealtime, and that morning they just weren't ready.

By 2:30 we're pulling into our site for the next 8 days at Daisy Barn Campground in Wilson, NY. It's about a 30 minute drive to all the Niagara Falls attractions, and is situated right on Lake Ontario. A small park containing less than 100 sites, it does contain a community fire pit, a much-needed playground for Jace to work off some energy, and a soon-to-be-opened pool later this year.

Not wanting to waste any time as this was one of our shortest stays with the most attractions nearby, we headed to Niagara Falls the very next day. Just for a little background on this trip, we had asked Jace 2 years ago what he wanted to do on his summer vacation that year. His response to Barbara was that he wanted to see a waterfall. We had already made a few reservations for that trip last year before gas prices spiked into the high $4 per gallon stratosphere, which made that trip – along with the usual costly camping fees in the Northeast – impossible to afford. Fortunately, the parks where we had already paid deposits held them without penalty for as long as it took to get there, so after canceling that trip we didn't lose any money (even though it WAS being held for us in the future).

Anyway, if Jace wanted to see a waterfall, by God, Mimi and Papa were going to take him to see a waterfall!

His first experience was to see the falls from the top. Barbara covered his eyes and shuffled him forward until he could get a good view overlooking the American falls, and I positioned myself with cell phone ready in front of him to capture his reaction. Priceless!

This picture says it all. Worth the trip just for this!

 

After that, we walked around Goat Island to catch various views of both the American and Canadian falls. Jace was suffering a bit of sensory overload by the time we headed back to the car. Our next day, we planned to hit the Maid of the Mist.

Jace at the Canadian side of the falls

 

The Maid of the Mist is the name of the tour, not the boat. The boats on the American side have been upgraded in the past few years to be all-electric, making them both eco-friendly and quieter than past versions. Our particular cruise boat was appropriately named for Nikola Tesla. For 2 adults and 1 child the cost was approximately $80, which got you the boat ride to the bottom of both falls, access to the observation tower and a free and very attractive blue rain poncho.

Of course, the best spot on the boat is the upper level and up front. We got a place about 20 feet away from the front on the top deck. At this time of year, there is very little “mist” and a whole lot of deluge due to this Spring's run-off. The falls are simply roaring right now, and the result is a super-soaker experience that is far beyond what most people get to have! They take you slowly past the American falls where you feel as if you're in a hurricane with horizontal and vertical downpours.

Then they park the boat at the bottom of the Canadian falls for at least 5 minutes, inching the boat closer and closer. Once finished, they use the powerful current to turn the boat on it's axis in about 5 seconds, and then rocket away from the maelstrom. A quick curly-q past the American falls again so that both sides of the boat get a great view, and it's back to the dock.

Barbara and Jace at the base of the Canadian Falls on the Maid of the Mist

 

Two thumbs way, way up from Jace at the

 end of the Maid of the Mist cruise

After docking, there's a short climb to the “Crow's Nest” lookout about 2/3rds of the way up the American falls for Jace and me (Barbara's shoes were too wet and slippery to make the attempt), followed by an elevator ride back up to the Observation Tower and the ubiquitous trip to the souvenir shop where Jace got a magnet and we got our New York Christmas ornament.

Jace at the Crow's Nest, about 2/3rds of the way up against the American Falls

 

Our next visit in the Niagara area was Lockport, NY, site of the last operating lock on the original Erie Canal route. It is also the location of the “Flight of Five” locks constructed back in 1838. As opposed to the current system raising tour boats in two larger steps through metal doors, the original Flight of Five once cycled boats in shorter steps using wooden doors. Pretty impressive to watch the lock in operation as it brings tour boats up from the lower river approximately 50 feet, and raises them high enough to allow the upper deck of the tour boat to rise above eye level. It gives you the chance to talk with the passengers for a few minutes while the lock does it's thing.

A cruise boat entering the lock at Lockport

Barbara and Jace in front of a restored lock boat.

 

Our final destination on this short week was to take Jace to the Cave of the Winds, bringing us underneath Bridal Veil Falls on the American side. We met our good friends Byron and Lynn Hill who were glamping nearby at a state park, and drove the 30 minutes to Goat Island, home of views of both the American and Canadian falls from above, and the entrance to Cave of the Winds. Dropping 175 feet down from ground level, an elevator takes you to an opening in the rock face, where you pick up the ever-present bio-degradable poncho (this time in not-so-stylish yellow) for a stroll along platforms erected each year that allows visitors to experience the waterfall up close and personal. There is no way to say it any clearer – you WILL get soaked on this tour! A couple of places on the decking brings the discharge from Bridal Veil Falls past you, but ultimately the platform brings you to your end goal – The Hurricane Deck!

The bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. Doesn't prepare you for what comes next!

About the midway point up the decking heading to the Hurricane Deck. Getting a feel for the power of the falls!

 

The Hurricane Deck is where you can literally stand below a small portion of the power of Niagara Falls. It's attenuated somewhat by a large boulder that reduces the incredible onslaught of water dropping down that 175 feet, but there's plenty of power remaining to hammer you with the winds generated by it's downward movement and the sheer force and weight of the water hitting you! I was able to stay under it for a couple of minutes while Jace moved in and out in at least five shorter duration's. Barbara was finally able to get a picture of the two of us together while I kept Jace from being swept towards her!

It's not just the water literally hammering you from above. It's the waterfall-generated winds blowing down on you! Welcome to the Hurricane Deck!

 

We had a ball! Every place the poncho didn't cover was dripping wet; our sleeves, our hats (the winds being generated kept blowing the poncho hoods off of our heads!), our pant legs and our footwear. But it was worth it! I'm pretty sure that our Niagara Falls visit with stay with Jace (and us) forever.

But now it's off to our next destination, the White Mountain region of New Hampshire on Lake Ossipee. Unfortunately for me, it's a 600-mile, 12 hour drive day, something I am loathe to do, but unavoidable in this case.

Look for that next installment in about 2 weeks!

Jace Vacation Stop #1 - West Virginia

An early morning departure from our spot in Bolding Mill COE began with the requisite trip to the dump station to clear tanks before a big drive. It's always a good thing for gas mileage if you travel with tanks as empty as needs be. We typically travel with just a ¼ tank of fresh water for use in the bathroom and for any emergency stops, and empty our black and gray tanks. And for a trip over the mountains entering Virginia from North Carolina, plus our first foray into West Virginia, as little weight in the coach was a necessity! We've driven the bulk of this portion of the trip many times, but turned northeast-ward most every time before. This time, we continued straight north on I-77 into the mountains of West Virginia Not the worst elevation changes, but constant ups and downs and pretty tight turns for an RV. Plus a couple of tunnels to drive through. Beckley, WV, is a small city in the heart of coal country. Our destination was the Exhibition Coal Mine Museum. The museum has 17 full hookup spaces for RV's situated right next door, with a pathway connecting it to the museum grounds and a city park on the other side. So besides the historical attraction, there was plenty of things to keep Jace busy. The Exhibition covers the history of WV coal mining in general, and highlights the day-to-day living and working conditions coal miners experienced in the “pick and shovel” days. Needless to say, it was grueling, backbreaking and incredibly dangerous work. One feature of the visit was a tour of the now idle Beckley Coal Mine. It's a drift mine, meaning it travels horizontally into a mountain rather than being dug vertically. You get to tour the mine in a couple of wagons being pulled by an electric hauler used to drag coal cars through a mine, and your tour guide is a retired coal miner with decades of knowledge to impart. It's about a 45 minute experience which covers a lot of information, leaving you the rest of your visit to tour the various housing used, a church, a school, an outhouse and the ubiquitous visitor center's gift shop. Jace got a coal miner hardhat with light, and we continued our tradition of finding Christmas ornaments representing each state we've visited by finding a carving of Santa's face out of a piece of coal!

Jace and Mimi on the way through the mine

Our coal mining guide demonstrating an older-style lantern just before plunging us into total darkness!

Great idea . . . Let's put Jace at the controls of a mining car!

Mining hat and lump of coal. Who could ask for anything more?

While touring the on-site superintendent's house, one of the presenters gave us a great idea for our next day's travel in the area. Just about 30 minutes away is the New River Gorge Bridge, an imposing span crossing one of the oldest rivers in the world; the New River. Kind of odd to name such an old river “New” isn't it? The span is just over 875 feet above the river. Our understanding is that once a year in the Fall, one span of the bridge is closed for a base jumping festival! At the top of the gorge, there's a set of stairs you can descend to get a closer view of the bridge from the side. Grover and Jace enjoyed the 178 steps down and up, while Barbara and I enjoyed only the down portion. Jace met a new friend (Zoe) at the viewing platform, and they stayed together the rest of the way up.

New River Gorge bridge. Even Grover was impressed!

The simple way to leave New River Gorge is to just reverse direction and head back over the bridge, but being explorers, we decided to take a small, winding road down the gorge to visit Florence Station at the bottom of the gorge. The road is one way at times, narrow, and had many switch backs to navigate, but it takes you under the bridge in two places, and gives you a great view of the bridge from ground level. It also requires you to cross the New River on a reinforced wooden bridge! Train tracks run alongside the river, and Jace got to see a huge train go by, carrying what he described as “unknown tons of coal”! It was a perfect circle to see the mine, and what other mines produced being transported.

The view of New River Gorge bridge from below. Kinda scary and noisy crossing that wooden bridge, though!

One of the best views of the bridge from ground and river levels.