This is a Class C 24’ motorhome with slideout. It is 12’ 2” high and Rich was great at spotting some low bridges that we had to detour around. The motorized roll out awning on the opposite side also includes built in LED lighting.

Brett seated at the table buckled up watching Cars on the tv!

Rich loved being behind the wheel!

Sheri getting the miles covered but missing the BMW rocket!

Brett whizzing by…

In RV news, did you know RVs date back to 1910?!

As you may know, Ford’s Model T was released all the way back in 1908 — which, reality check, is already 110 years ago — and the first RVs weren’t too much later to arrive. David Woodworth, Al Hesselbart, and Roger White, America’s leading RV historians, cite 1910 as the beginning of the RV industry as we know it.

Glad we are driving a 2010 model!

The musuem was a sleek glass box; seamless white curtain wall, polished concrete floors and spacious galleries. It would be quite a place to hold a party! We sat for a glassblowing demonstration; the women was unable to blow directly into the pipe due to the COVID-19 pandemic so Corning just developed an air compressor hose connection regulated by a foot petal to blow the glass. She made a clear glass pitcher in about 15 minutes. I was surprised that the demonstration ended by dipping the pitcher in a bucket of water which cracked the glass and recycled it back to the furnace!

How about using this punch bowl for your next party?

Do you remember Corelle dishware? In the 1980’s 35% of American households were eating off Corelle dishes, our house was one of them! It was an ugly brown flower pattern but it didn’t break!!

The brown flower pattern we had is displayed in the outer ring of the array 3rd up from bottom right.

There are new patterns and modern shapes now like square and oval.

Meet Penguin Pierre donning his COVID face mask!

Brett wanted to buy Pierre but no small size version was in stock, this one behind him was $2,000! Only slightly above his gift shop souvenir budget!!

Hot dish, Joel? Don’t forget about Corningware!! This was a tower sculpture of Corningware casserole dishes, my French white pattern is at the top.

Brett’s guess was one for every day of the year which I thought was brilliant but it was not enough...

If you showed up to a friend’s house with this many hot dishes that would be a pot luck to remember!

This is the FINAL rose! Rich beat me to the question:

Will you accept this rose?

Chess anyone? This detailed glass chess set depicts the debate between Jewish and Catholic religions. Details below.

After a stop in the museum gift shop for Brett, we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few items but it was a welcome destination itself being that it was Wegmans!

All set up on our first night!

Brett and Rich built a great fire. They really learned some fire building skills at last years Webelos Woods Cub Scout adventure day! Go Scouts!

I finally got to lay down on the pop up hammock. Awesome! It was cool and no bugs!!

We woke up to Brett saying “let’s go I’m charged up!” So we headed out to the jumping pillow to burn off some of his energy. I got on too but after a few jumps that was enough for me! No injuries.

Jumping bean Brett says “I felt like a kangaroo”!

Tap the video above to see Brett pop up!

Say goodbye to this KOA “Resort”. One night was enough here.

Ready to roll! Rich is back behind the wheel.

Picnic lunch in the parking lot of Watkins Glen State Park.

Expect to see this shot on our Christmas card!!

Sedimentary rock formations

Rich and Brett at Rainbow Falls. When I got there I hung my head under the waterfall, it was so cool on my neck after a mile plus hike to get there.

Unbelievable water carved stone gorge! Very impressive. The gorge is lined with several trails and bridges built after the Great Depression to employ folks - what will be built after this pandemic?

After leaving Watkins Glen we drove north along the beautiful Seneca Lake. The road was lined with wineries and bed and breakfasts. I told Rich I will be back here with my girlfriends and a party bus to do a wine trail trip!

The welcome center in Niagara Falls area.

It’s a New York State of mind! You know you’re singing the song in your head!

Brett in the falls! As the sign says “you be the I” in NY!

This is a resort - still not a five star spa but lots of potential for the next four days.

In RV news did you know that the toilet paper flies right off the roll in transit?! Just like a three year old grabbing the end of the roll and running around the house!

Lake lined with log cabins and campsites.

Two pools, activity center with mini golf and lawn games, pedal bikes and kayaks.

The General Store, including gift shop, is in the background. Morning coffee stop!

Here’s our campsite in spot #12. Photos below show the walk around set up.

The campsite was shaded by the perimeter trees but the rest of the property was open, bright and sunny. We had a 30 AMP electrical and city water hookups. Picnic table and fire ring provided.

The bath houses were clean and never busy!

I got up early and walked around the campground and sat down on a wood swing looking out on the lake. Very quiet and peaceful.

We rented this family pedal bike but it was more work than relaxation to get around the resort.

Our RV hookup is spot #12 on the right in yellow.

Brett enjoying a break at the General Store.

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the country, established in 1885.

Brett loves fun facts so I coined this for him-NFFF = Niagara Falls Fun Fact.

NFFF: Niagara Falls State Park was designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead; he also designed Central Park in New York City.

Typically Niagara Falls State Park can get around 10 million visitors a year. This summer visitors are here but in much reduced numbers due to COVID-19, as much as 70% less people than normal!

We had never been to Goat Island but we covered a lot of ground today. It took us 20 minutes just to get to parking lot 3 for RVs at the south tip of Goat a Island. And then we jumped on the trolley to work our way to see the falls.

NFFF: We learned from the trolley driver that Goat Island got its name in 1778 after John Stedman rowed his herd of goats to the island to protect them from wolves however after the harsh winter only one lone goat remained!

This trolley was parked waiting for its driver, Rich wanted to jump in and drive! “Now I’m driving the bus!”

On the approach, it was loud and Brett was getting excited!

Now that’s a waterfall! A few weeks ago we hiked a trail in Cheshire to Roaring Brook Falls which was a trickle in comparison!

NFFF: Under an international treaty, the flow of water over Niagara Falls is reduced during the night to allow more of the water to flow into intakes used for power generation.

We couldn’t believe how shallow the water was, how clear it was and how fast it was moving!

Brett was mesmerized.

Sign of the times - masks on except for a few shots where we had social distancing. On a regular summer I doubt we’d be the only ones in these pictures at the rail. That was a plus!

NFFF: Four of the five Great Lakes drain into the Niagara River, (Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie) before emptying into Lake Ontario. These five Great Lakes make up almost one-fifth of the world's fresh water supply.

This is my postcard shot.

Looking down at Cave of the Winds hopefully we will get to walk down there Wednesday or Thursday. Maid of the Mist is on its return.

NFFF: Fish travel over Niagara Falls and most survive because of their ability to flow with the water.

This was the only picture we had someone else take for us then hit the phone with a sanitizing wipe!

Can you see the rainbow here?

Rainbow in the mist

NFFF: At one time, P.T. Barnum wanted to turn Goat Island, inside Niagara Falls State Park, into a circus ground.

Brett loved the wind and the mist!

Horseshoe Falls. This is a curtain of water.

There’s only two people down at the rail!

Blue gloves, black rubber boots and hope for the best! He should have used the face mask and safety glasses to complete the look!

I supervised and luckily had paid attention at the RV orientation and remembered which valve to pull when! Connect hose to RV, place hose in sewer pipe at site, pull black valve 1, then black valve 2, finally gray valve. Most importantly close all valves when done!

Look no mess!

So proud of himself! Good job Rich!

No helmet needed, Donna!

Rich in red on the left. Brett in blue on the right.

We waited 1.5 hours in line for the Maid of the Mist. Finally we received the blue ponchos indicating we are getting on the next boat.

Brett was very patient and couldn’t wait to be soaked in the mist.

We boarded with masks on and got a spot along the rail at the top deck. Only one boat was running today at 50% capacity. Turns out that meant everyone was able to spread out along the perimeter rails.

Another postcard worthy shot from the observation deck after the boat ride.

We weren’t too wet after the Maid of the Mist. So it made for another highlight reel family photo.

Cave of the Winds, the highlight of the day!!! We got super lucky and got tickets for afternoon access down to Cave of the Winds. These are sold as timed tickets but you can only buy them the day of. The ticket woman was really nice and fit us in so we did not have to come back tomorrow!

We only had to wait 20 minutes and we went inside the cliff face elevator down to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls.

They gave us yellow ponchos but they only had one size, it was too big for Brett. He got so soaked he finally just took off the poncho. We used Amy’s waterproof camera to get the really wet photos so I can’t add those now.

NFFF: Cave of the Winds is torn down and rebuilt every year!

I’m surprised but also think the wooden stairs being pounded continuously by wind and water is probably not the most robust structure year after year!

It was windy, misty and loud. We climbed wooden stairs down and then up into the falls.

We weren’t dry much longer!

Brett wanted to get wet and started reaching for the water and splashing his feet in the puddles. In only two more minutes his entire body was soaked at the Hurricane Deck! The water dropped right into our path, Brett kept screaming with excitement and saying “This is so cool!”, “This is awesome!”, “This counts for my shower today!”.

What an unbelievable experience, it made the Maid of the Mist seem like a calm scenic cruise ride.

Classic Brett comment:

“Thanks for taking me here!”

“Can we do it again?”

I will have to download our wet photos from the waterproof digital camera at home and add them in here. I hope I captured Brett’s reaction as we were pounded with water! I couldn’t see anything and just kept clicking off pictures. There was so much wind and water I had to shut my eyes or I would have lost my contact lenses!

We thought the water would have been colder. I’m glad it was not glacier cold but it was certainly refreshing! On the trolley ride back to our RV the driver narrated saying that the Niagara River is very shallow typically only 3-5 feet deep. Therefore the water must warm up with the sun.

We had our picture taken before going down to the falls, of course I had to buy the package for inclusion in my scrapbook!

I’m going to touch up my gray hair in the digital file before putting this one on the Christmas card!

Going over in a barrel, sign your waiver now for that plunge! I’ve seen shirts and other souvenirs saying Be Daring: Niagara Falls with a floating barrel about to plunge down.

We missed the nighttime lights and fireworks suspended this year. This was a green screen shot with interchanged backgrounds.

Hurricane Deck: get ready to be soaked!!

Great conditions for rainbows and I can’t believe I captured them in the photos!

Brett was basking in the mist.

Brett is saying “Dad this is awesome!”

Look at the water running over the deck.

We made it to the Hurricane Deck. The pounding water and swirling wind was unbelievable.

What a smile!

This is my favorite picture of Brett on the trip! Surfer Brett!

Pure joy!

At this point Brett asked if he could take off the yellow poncho as he was completely soaked anyway! The water ran right down the large neck hole.

We were standing in river of 3 or more inches of water. Our sneakers were squishing out water for hours.

Look no poncho Mom!

Brett didn’t want to leave, he could have stayed all afternoon.

Good thing we just had to get to the RV and we could do a full change of clothes!

I love Niagara Falls!

These extension cords look to be a fire hazard!

Snacks...

Eat more popcorn!

Rich Miller: The Cub Scout Popcorn Kernel

Brett sacked out in the RV on the way back to camp! A long and fun filled day! He woke up and said “I’m charged up!! Let’s go swimming!”

Lakeside evening swim

Back at the resort after a long day and Brett and I went to the lake while Rich set up the rig at camp. I sat in an Adirondack chair with my feet dangling in the cool water.

Do you see that fish?

Rapids and swirling whirlpools

The water here just left Niagara Falls.

Rim overlook

We are just starting to descend.

We made it!

We dipped our feet in.

Tired, hot and wishing there was an escalator back up!

Brett is at the flats at the river surface level behind him is the height we hiked down. There were stone steps, rocky paths and fine dust trails - accompanied with lots of sweat.

I was resting before hiking back up to the rim trail. Appropriate shirt today as I’m in a NY state of mind.

The artist formally known as “Rich”!

Rich’s rock sculpture. I guess he was inspired by the art alley yesterday!

Brett found this rock that he said looked like a buffalo- and we are near Buffalo, NY!

We hiked down into the gorge from the rim. Brett wanted to get a water sample! We put our feet in a wade pool. This was a long way down and up!!

NFFF: Power generation facilities along the Niagara River supply more than one-quarter of all power used in New York State and Ontario.

Look at this intersection we just passed and we went back to get a photo!

Brett maneuvered very well but went in circles and played bumper boats with us.

You can see Rich’s Corcl rim just breaching the water’s surface! He flipped out after a few aggressive paddles.

I think a round boat is ridiculous! I stayed afloat until I tried to stand up!

That’s my feet! Getting wet was refreshing but very challenging to get back in the Corcl!

We raced - no winner.

Brett stood up but lost his paddle.

We moved to kayaks next, much better!

This shot looks exactly like the first time Rich and I kayaked on a vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1999! Well ok not EXACTLY, more grey hair for me, less hair for Rich and more weight on both of us!

“Don’t we have fun together?”, Brett says as I read them the travel journal entries from the day before.

“It burns!” (in a little horse voice!)

They look like any other wing we’ve had...

Applaude Brett for trying it!!

So what’s the verdict, Rich? Best hot wing you ever had?

NO! Just average, disappointing. We’ve had better. Nothing beats Down the Hatch in Greenwich Village for all you can eat wings and all you can drink beer! They lost money on us! (That was 20 years ago though and we still remember.)

Left the park to get on the highway and passed the Albright-Knox Art Museum which was closed for renovation. But there were sculptures on the exterior grounds, one of which I thought was photo worthy of a stop.

How many canoes did it take to build this sculpture?

This is a planned one night stay and I would have left had it not been for the mining we planned to do! This place was a dark, wet, a muddy woods. The owner led us to our campsite in her golf cart and got out to say “you’re here”; Rich said “where? this is it?”

Not ideal but let’s make camp and go dig up some crystals. We were in search of Herkimer Diamonds and quartz crystals. Even after I had explained the “mining” to Rich a few times at home, he still didn’t get it that we were just going to dig in a surface “mine” - really it was a depression in the earth created by an excavator that broke up the virgin rock into large boulders.

It was our adventure to choose the right boulder to hit with a sledgehammer to find crystals inside. Needless to say Rich did most of the work!

At home Brett has a rock smashing area and uses a little sledgehammer to pulverize rocks.

I used Brett’s little sledge too and we attacked the smaller boulders as Rich was swinging against the big ones.

We are bringing home our encrusted rocks and found crystals for table display at Brett’s birthday party coming up next week. Even before we came mining Brett was sold on a geode cake.

We binge watched Sugar Rush and Nailed It this past spring (2 crazy baking shows on Netflix).

Geode cakes are all the rage and Brett and I will attempt to make one together for his birthday, complete with rock candy backlit with LED lights!! We’ll see but I think we will Nail It!

These are micro Herkimer diamonds!

A review of stalactites and stalagmites: A stalactite hangs like an icicle from the ceiling or sides of a cavern. A stalagmite appears like an inverted stalactite, rising from the floor of a cavern. A stalactite hangs “tight” from the ceiling and a stalagmite “might” someday reach the ceiling.

Even with the mask on you can tell Brett was frowning. He told me later he wanted to see if I could tell?!

This is a backlit carved heart in the floor of the cave that is called “The Alter”.

Water carved passages with rippled details.

We learned that if you are hit with a water droplet in the cave it is good luck that adds a year to your life! We all were hit several times.

No bats encountered.

Although our destination stops are completed and we were setting course for home, Rich was still thrilled to be piloting this tin can on the open road!

Headed home to CT. What a great trip!

All set up for neighborhood campfire!

I was planning to sleep inside in my own bed but Brett really wanted all of us to sleep the last night in the RV together. I woke up early and jumped right in the shower upstairs!

As we were emptying the RV it started to rain, this was the only rain we had all week. It made for a messy unpack but so much better than rain during our trip!

What an experience! It was a great trip and I was surprised but we all said we would do it again!

We highlighted in yellow all the state license plates we saw on this map.

That’s 74%!