Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

   I have wanted to see Niagara Falls for as long as I can remember. When we were on our way back to the US from Canada, we stopped to see it from the Canadian side. We'd left London in a torrential downpour that morning, and gray skies followed us as we traveled. Shortly before reaching Niagara, the sun broke through, and the afternoon was warm and balmy. Pulling our trailer through the streets, we figured we might have a hard time finding a place to park. The lots near the falls wanted $18 just for a car, and we would certainly have had to pay twice that. Instead, we found free parking a mile away and walked. It was well worth it, and the Falls didn't disappoint! 

We parked about a mile south of the falls, and so we got to walk along and see the rapids.  There is an old rusted barge out in the river, where it came to rest nearly 100 years ago. The story is that it was engaged in a dredging project about a mile upriver when it broke loose from its tug line. With two men aboard, it raced downstream. At this place, the roar of the falls can be heard clearly and the mist from them rises dramatically as the river widens and plunges 170 feet down. Some stories say the two men opened the bottom doors on the barge, causing it to get stuck on the rocks, and other versions say it caught on its own. Either way, I'm sure the men were relieved and anxious as they waited, not knowing whether or not it would hold. Because of its close proximity to the falls, sending out a rescue boat was out of the question. It was 17 hours before the US Coast Guard arrived with a grappling gun, with which they shot a line over to the barge and rescued the men using a breeches buoy. 

This is a corner of the Toronto Power House, constructed in 1906. It was the first Canadian owned power generation project on the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It is a beautiful building, and was intended to compliment the surroundings.

The enormous size and horseshoe shape of the falls makes it difficult to view it all from one place. The Canadian falls are 2,200 feet wide and curved, and the American falls across the canyon are 850 feet wide.  

I almost felt dizzy standing above with such an immense volume of water flowing right beside me.

The sun came out, and we got to see the famous rainbow in the mist. It was truly spectacular! I would love to have had more time to explore and soak in its beauty, but we had to keep moving on. I'm so thankful to have gotten to see it! 

Ontario: Family

One of the main reasons we came on this trip was to spend time with Erik's sister Stephanie, her husband Neil, and their daughter, Claire. We hadn't seen them since I was pregnant with Pearl, almost four years ago, so it was very special to have nearly a week to be together. We drove up into Canada to visit them and had a wonderful time.

 

We had some beautiful days of warm sunshine, as well as some rain and storms. One afternoon we went apple picking. We're still enjoying those apples, and lots of yummy treats made with them.

Uncle Neil introduced Raphael to the wonder of Kraft Mac n' Cheese. "What's that orange powder?" Thanks for contributing to his education, Neil! Haha! Raphi thinks Kraft and Uncle Neil are a pretty awesome team now.

One evening Neil and Stephanie offered to watch the kids so Erik and I could go out. Alone. We enjoyed a walk and Vietnamese food and a nice, long talk with no interruptions. We came back to find a sushi festival underway. Here's Peregrine's masterpiece!

He slices! He dices! 

Claire helped Raphael make his own tiny roll of sushi.

One afternoon we met Stephanie at Compassion Canada. She gave us a tour of the building and shared more about what she does, as well as about the work that Compassion is doing to help children worldwide. 

Thank you, Auntie Stephanie!

We visited Covent Garden Market, which was a fun place with produce, delis, and other neat little shops and cafes.

They took us out of town to where Neil keeps his ultralight plane. The kids took turns sitting in it and they all really enjoyed that.

Neil took it up for a short flight. 

There he goes... up, up, up, and away!

He did a couple flyovers for the kids.

On our last night we drove out to Lake Huron. The kids were amazed at the size of it! We arrived in time to play for a while and watch the sun sinking into the clouds on the horizon. It was beautiful. We just finished reading Paddle to the Sea, which was a fun read as it takes place on the Great Lakes.

The kids had fun on the pier and around the little lighthouse.
 

The beautiful, bright moon rose over Grand Bend as we got ready to drive back. The picture doesn't begin to do it justice, but it was very special to see the sun set and the moon rise, both so brilliant and orange.
We had a great time with you all.... Neil, Stephanie, and Claire! Thank you so much for your kind hospitality, your generosity and thoughtfulness. It was very special to be with you and we will always treasure the memories! We love you! 

Science World

The kids in front of Science World in Vancouver. The dome was built as part of the World's Fair, Expo '86. I was eleven that summer, and my parents let me go off for a couple weeks with my best friend and her family.  We did a lot of camping and spent a few days at Expo. It's neat that they've turned this building into a great, hands on science museum. We have a membership to the University of Oregon Natural History museum, and they are part of ASTC, so we were able to get in free to Science World. We've also used it to visit a number of other great science museums on the West Coast over the last year. I think it's well worth it to buy a membership like this, and we look forward to visiting museums across the country on our upcoming road trip.

Poppy and Raphael had fun using pulleys to pull themselves upwards.

Peregrine explored water currents and changing water flow. They also had mini locks the kids (or the moms, ahem) could play with, which was fun after having visited the Panama Canal earlier this year. 

I've always suspected that my kids were an alien species.

Pearl was thrilled to meet a leopard gecko!

Peregrine has been super into dinosaurs lately, so the T-Rex skeleton was a big hit with him.  He sat and gazed at it for a long while. 

Poppy and I had fun putting all the internal organs in this 3D human body puzzle. Talk about hands on! (Or maybe hands in?)

The kids all greatly enjoyed the science show, and can't wait to go back again for more. This show was about "cold" and used both dry ice and liquid nitrogen to demonstrate different things.

My favorite was when three balloon animals were placed into the liquid nitrogen and they shriveled up. When taken out, the air expanded and they took on their original forms!


We had a great afternoon exploring and playing. The kids can't wait to go back again! 

Fort Langley

A few days ago we spent the afternoon exploring the birthplace of British Columbia, historic Fort Langley. Situated strategically on the Fraser River, the fort was run by the Hudson's Bay Company. HBC men were encouraged to marry First Nations women, strengthening the ties between the two. For the most part the Company and the First Nations peoples had a peaceful relationship. The fort has been wonderfully restored and is a great way to experience hands on history. All of the employees within the fort dress in period costume, and are very helpful and ready to answer any questions visitors might have. 

The wall and watchtower as we approached the fort. What kid could resist? We were able to climb up into the watchtower and walk along the upper walkway. 

The cooperage was an important part of life in the fort. While it was the fur trade that fueled the early economy, goods such as salted salmon and cranberries were also shipped out from Fort Langley and became important commodities. There are ongoing demonstrations of barrel making in the cooperage.

There were all kinds of furs that the kids could touch and feel. And try on, if they were so inclined!

We happened to be there on a day when there weren't many visitors, which was nice. The staff were all friendly, helpful, and available to answer our questions. 

This map showed how most of the goods traded went to and from Europe, all the way around the tip of South America. Beaver hats were all the rage at the time, and the demand for pelts was huge. I found this map especially interesting after having visited the Panama Canal earlier this year, and learning how the opening of the canal has changed worldwide shipping. At this time the TransCanada railway was not yet completed either, and the "kilometres of daunting wilderness" in the middle of the country made it impractical to transport goods from the East Coast of Canada.
 

We almost had the place to ourselves!

Panning for gold was a big hit with all the kids. Or maybe I should say it was a big splash, as they all came away rather soggy!

This woman was showing Peregrine the ropes. After the California Gold Rush died out a bit, over 30.000 American miners came north to seek gold in and around the Fraser River. At the time, the area was known as New Caledonia, and while Russian and European traders were active in the region, the Hudson's Bay Company had a monopoly on trade in the region.  The governor of Vancouver Island claimed it as British territory to prevent what seemed like a possible takeover from the US, and thus it became official Canadian land. One of the great things about travel is getting to hear history from different perspectives. 

Poppy found a nugget! 

Raphael was taking it very seriously after both Peregrine and Poppy found some. Where did my round faced little toddler go? 

There is a nice, big garden inside the walls of the fort, as well as chickens, rabbits, goats, and sheep. The kids enjoyed getting to feed them. Historically, the HBC farmed the lands around the fort, providing wheat and butter to Russian traders, as well as other types of produce.

Fort Langley is "the birthplace of British Columbia". That short fellow in the front looks an awful lot like Peregrine, doesn't he? 

One of the buildings contained rooms set up to look like family dwellings would have back then. I had to take this picture to compare with the next one, which was taken six years ago...

.... when Poppy was only two! I visited Fort Langley with Peregrine and Poppy while I was up in BC visiting my friend Shelley. She could hardly see over the top of the bowl! (You can see more pictures from our previous visit here.)

My handsome boy.

And my sweet big girl.

From Panama to Canada

Sun setting over the Caribbean on our return flight from Panama. 

I can't believe it's been four months since I've posted anything. No, we are not still sailing in Panama! We are, in fact, settled down for a few months while Erik works on a contract job and we get some positive cash flow going to finance the next adventure. I'm hoping to get back to blogging a bit more regularly, but for now, here's a little update on what's been happening the last few months. 

    We had a few really fun adventures during our last few weeks in Panama, and I will try to post some pictures soon. One of the highlights was a Jungleland adventure that included an overnight stay on Lake Gatun, exploring the Panama Canal, spotting wild monkeys, kayaking in the jungle, and hunting crocodiles by night.

    We flew back to the US on February 21st, and had a very short week in Eugene, unloading the contents of our storage unit into a trailer, visiting friends and family, and getting ready to head north. Last fall, in the aftermath of Hurricane (Megastorm?) Sandy, Erik had put in a call to a company that does contract work in his field. They basically offered him work when he was available, so we decided to take a job that would have us in the Northwest for a few months this spring.

    He is working right on a US/Canada border crossing, so we are living in Canada while he works. It's been nice to be settled here, and we've enjoyed exploring a new place. I grew up in Canada, and all the kids have dual citizenship, so I'm glad they're getting to experience Canada. We're in the process of figuring out our next step, and hope to have plans to share soon. Here are some pictures that show a few highlights of our time so far.

On our way North, we spent a day in Seattle and explored the Pacific Science Center.

The kids in front of the Space Needle.

One of the things I love about where we are is seeing the mountains around us. I was born in the mountains, and there is something about them that stirs my soul. This is Mount Baker, which I climbed many years ago. I dream about backpacking as a family someday.

We arrived here at the beginning of March, at the request of the company Erik is working for. We ended up having nearly three weeks before he started work, so we took the ferry over to Vancouver Island for a week. I love riding ferries. It reminds me of my childhood. The job was originally supposed to be done by the end of May, but it's dragging out a good couple of months beyond that. It's a good thing we're in flexible mode!

We enjoyed exploring Victoria and got to spend time with my niece, Savanna. It was fun for all of us and the kids enjoyed getting to know their cousin, whom we hadn't seen in years.

We stayed in hotels and vacation rentals while trying to find a house to rent. It ended up being quite an ordeal, and a very stressful first month here. People were either looking for a long term lease or didn't want to rent to someone with kids. After a couple weeks we found this place, which seemed ideal. We were so relieved and thankful. It turned nightmarish less than a week after we moved in, when the owner decided she wanted to live in it again. We then learned she was not to be trusted, and neighbors told us she'd been taken away screaming in handcuffs on more than one occasion. We moved out of this house, not having found another one, and ended up staying in vacation rentals for another week while we looked for better place to live. 

Poppy turned eight the day before we had to leave the house. 

And Raphael had his fifth birthday just a few days later. Yes, his shirt is inside out and backwards. That's the way he likes it.

We were so thankful to find a place to rent, and it's turned out to be wonderful. It's an older house, and the owners are planning to tear it down, divide the lot, and rebuild. The landlords have been so very kind to us, and we feel very blessed. It has way more space than we need and a huge yard where the kids have had lots of fun. When the weather is cold or rainy, they ride their scooters in the basement! The house was built to maximize sun exposure and has huge windows. Erik hung our Mayan hammock in this sunny room. We've all enjoyed being settled for a while. I'm loving the luxury of a full kitchen and a big bathtub. Cleaning a huge house? Not so much. It's been nice to be back into a routine with school and life, and it's made us realize we need to take travel very slowly. 

My handsome boy served up a Mother's Day feast! 

And the Pearlie Girlie turned three! 

We've had lots of real life learning over the last year, and this has been a nice time to do more "book learning", as well as some of  fun little projects and experiments.

Poppy's taken an interest in sewing, and made this little felt heart which she is very proud of. 

We joined millions of people worldwide to March Against Monsanto. Safe, reliable food sources are something I feel pretty passionate about and we had a fun day protesting together.

This is a little lake up near Whistler, where we went hiking one day. This is such a beautiful area.

Erik celebrated his birthday, with lots of love and homemade ice cream.

We're enjoying being near the Pacific Ocean.

This is just a short walk from our home.