That's One Way To Put It

We went mini golfing today, and Charlotte got her first hole in one.

"Dad!" she exclaimed,  "This is my favorite putthole!"

Canada Vacation '18: Niagara Falls

We planned this trip to Canada by ourselves. Daphne booked a hotel room in Niagara Falls, and we used airbnb.com to rent apartments for our stays in Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, and Quebec City. 

We were going to rely on public transportation, so we knew we had to pack light. You don't want have to drag much luggage around if you're hopping on and off the subway, buses, and trains. Since three of the apartments had washer and dryer units, we restricted ourselves to about four outfits. Daphne could run a load of laundry while we were out sightseeing. 

It makes sense on paper, but it is hard to restrict yourself to so few outfits. We also had to check the forecast and make educated guesses on what clothes would work best. Here's our luggage for the entire trip:

Also, here are a few of our secrete travel weapons for Charlotte. My old MacBook plays DVDs and has decent Wi-Fi reception - it's a great time-killer in airports and on trains. I bought the dogeared copy of The Essential Calvin and Hobbes at a Goodwill for 79 cents- 254 pages of good times that she read at least twice. Let's not forget a jar of peanut butter. Peanut butter toast sure takes the edge off in the morning before we leave for the day. It's the breakfast before breakfast and/or a great late night snack. 

Just don't expect to bring an open jar back into the USA. In fact, I call these secret travel weapons because I wouldn't want to lose them, but if we did, we wouldn't be out much money. 

Tuesday, July 10, was an early morning for us. Our first flight was at 5:40 AM. Charlotte was in great mood in the car at four in the morning, but she was pretty crabby once we got to the airport. She likes flying as much as I do. Daphne does a great job of keeping Char occupied during the flights.

We were in Buffalo, New York after two, hour-long flights. The best value for crossing the border to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is to take a taxi from the airport. The ride took 45 minutes and cost a flat fee of $85. There was quite a traffic jam at the border, and I was glad to let someone else do the driving.

I was amazed that we were in our hotel room before noon. Here is our room's view of the Horseshoe Falls.

We were leaving for Toronto the next day, so we had to make the most of our one day at the Falls. To do this, we bought Classic Adventure Passes.

With this pass you can can experience the Niagra's Fury, the Journey behind the Falls, ride on the  Hornblower Niagara Cruise, and take a White Water Walk. The young lady who sold us the passes assured us that we could do all four in about five hours, and she gave us a schedule to follow. I'm happy to say her schedule was spot on.

Our fist stop was the Niagara's Fury experience. "Re-live the formation of Niagara Falls with this exciting 4-D experience, perfect for the whole family."

We were given plastic ponchos and then ushered into a standing room only area.

The title screen in the viewing room looked formidable, but we were rewarded with a cartoon about a chipmunk in detention. He falls into a book and time travels through the events that created the Niagrar Falls. Char thought is was okay; I was pretty bored.

The second part of the experience takes you into a large round room with screens surrounding you. You stand on a moving platform that is surrounded by a moat. The platform shakes as water sprays and rains on you. The light show was impressive, and the sound effects jarred Charlotte. I had zero expectations, so this 4-D show about the formation of the Falls was fun. I wouldn't do it again, though.

According to the schedule, our Journey Behind the Falls was next. "Traverse the network of tunnels and make your way to the base of Horseshoe Falls to enjoy one of the world’s most remarkable views."

The water falls so hard you can barely see through it. I suppose that is remarkable.

When you are done traversing the tunnels, you can stand on a platform that gets you up close and personal with the falling water.

It was then time for our Niagara Cruise on the Hornblower. "Sail into the heart of the Horseshoe Falls on this thrilling boat tour. This gentle mist will transform into a downpour as you approach the spectacular Canadian Horseshoe Falls!"

Char wasn't as excited about the cruise as Daphne and I were.

It was time to put on our third plastic poncho. The 20-minute cruise first takes you past the American section of the Falls.

Then the boat turns towards the Horseshoe Falls. You cruise closer,

and closer,

and closer,

and closer,

and closer,

and closer

until you are getting soaked, and you're afraid you'll ruin your phone, so you put it away and just enjoy the show.

On the way back you are treated with a rainbow. (The guy on the left was really nice. He enjoys riding his motorcycle from Canada through various U.S. nation parks. My Yosemite t-shirt started the conversation.)

The cruise looks like this from above.

I could have sworn that our boat got closer than that, but I think the water rushing by the boat makes you think you are moving towards the falls even if the boat is stationary.

Our last adventure for the day was to take a White Water Walk. "Experience a first-hand lesson in the raw power and peril of the Niagara River’s Class 6 white water rapids." The White Water Walk is truth in advertising. You walk on a wooden path that flows along side the rapids.

This is my favorite picture from the day:

The rapids' waves reach a height of 6 feet. I can't imagine anyone trying to navigate that water in a boat, but people have tried.

We swam in the hotel pool for awhile after dinner, but we made sure were in the room by ten o'clock to watch the fireworks show above the falls.

Char had been awake for 18 hours by the time the fireworks were over. It was time for her to go to bed. I felt the urge to to text a few pictures from my phone to my laptop and then maybe start a blog post. But since I couldn't send a text in Canada, I went to sleep, too. 

It was a big day, and we still had nine ten more days to go.

Home Again

We've been on a vacation in Canada for awhile (10 11 days), and it will take some time to assemble my thoughts and memories, but it sure feels good to be back home in Iowa.

We traveled from Niagara Falls, to Toronto, to Kingston, to Montreal, and then to Quebec City (seen below). It was like five vacations rolled into one. Each city experience was new and unique.

Now that I have my phone, email, and text services back, I'm looking forward to writing about our trip.

The 27th 4th

Rob Moeller and I spent the 4th of July together for the 27th time. Rob and his wife, Nichole, came for a visit.

Everyone had fun hanging out together. 

Summer '18: Part 2

June was great, but it wasn't the June we had planned for.

We were going to visit Daphne's Great Aunt in Colorado, but she tragically fell in the kitchen and broke her hip. We had to rule out a trip to St. Louis, too, because Grandpa Andy's work schedule changed, and we would have not been able to see him at all. So, we stay-cationed in Des Moines.

Charlotte really got into the art at the Arts Festival.

We played at the park.

Daphne and I finally had time to replace the ceiling fan in our living room.

We watched some movies, but Char doesn't want see this one.

We enjoyed mixed drinks at Flix.

We also hung out at the Des Moines Art Center.

Char felt pretty important while visiting our Capitol building.

This was Char's first time to mini golf.

Fine dining on my birthday.

We pretended to be at lake.

Luckily, the bear chases were fake, too.

We made good use of our extra time at home in June, and July looks to be fun, too.

New Project! ('What to Do, What to Do?" Update)

June Update:

I finally got around to working on the Suburban. The previous owner had installed a front basket, but it wasn't correctly aligned, and it had wedged the front fender down against the front tire. That's why the front tire wouldn't turn. Removing the basket removed the pressure, and we were rolling again.

With the basket out of the way, I could flip the bracket that held the headlight and reposition the light to be out in front. The lamp didn't work, but a new bulb from eBay fixed that. I also bought a vintage-looking bike bell on eBay.

I really like the light generator unit. You flip a tab, the generator slaps against the tire, and "Aziz, light!" Not only is it environmentally friendly, the generator's chrome looks cool, too.

I could make it work if I wanted to have both the basket and the headlight. But for now, I'm digging this look. I removed the TV screen-sized front reflector for aesthetics.

To my surprise, the bike is mechanically sound. I really didn't have to adjust or replace much. Even the flat tires were in good shape; they just needed air. So, most of my elbow grease was spent making the Suburban pretty again.

As I hoped, the surface rust wasn't too hard to remove, and the frame's paint is in really nice shape for being almost 40 years old. I was going to use a newer saddle, but the original seat just suits this bike's old school charm.

I took the bike on a test run last night, and I was amazed at how well it rode. I could shift gears with ease, and the lights have a warm, non-LED glow. The bike is so quiet, it reminded me of a cat's purr. This is a nice piece of vintage machinery.

To sell, or not to sell, that is the question. The bike's frame is too small for Daphne, and it is too big for Charlotte right now. I have no idea if Char will be into vintage stuff when she's old enough to ride this bike. I don't want to work my way around the Suburban in the garage for the next few years only to be told it's lame and that she rather have some new piece of junk. ("new piece of junk" - I'm very slowly making my way into crabby grandpa territory...)

I thought I'd go to the source. I took Char out to the garage and asked her if she thought she'd like to have this bike in a few years. She said, "Yes! I want that... Wait! If you sell it, can I have the money?"

Nope, my little capitalist is not a help, either.

What do you do with something you really like, but you can't use? Maybe I'll put it on Craigslist, and hope that no one will want it...

January '18:

I don't know what I was exactly doing at the time, but I remember thinking last week, "I wish I had a new bike project. I miss working on bicycles."

Goodwill fulfilled that wish last night. I spotted a complete, but neglected 1979 Schwinn Suburban that I couldn't walk away from. It was a daddy-daughter night, so once I had it home I only had time to fill the tires with air so the bike was easier to move. The front tire was stuck, though.

I haven't measured it yet, but this ten speed looks like it has the diminutive 17" frame. If you were trying to find a vintage steed this small, you could have a hard time. This bike sports standard 27" rims despite its petite size. New tires and tubes should be easy to find.

The basket is a nice touch, but it might be too big.

The camera's flash belies the amount of dirt and grime, but that's an easy fix. Also, steel wool will remove the light surface rust on the chrome. I'm looking forward to washing and waxing that frosty blue paint.

The original Schwinn saddle will probably have to go. It's heavier than it is comfortable. Surprisingly, the generator and the rear light both work. I'll store them for a future project.

The same goes for the "Up Periscope!" headlight. 

I refurbished a project bike like this three years ago. That was a good time, and I sold the bike to someone who really wanted it. I'm curious to see how this one comes out.