“NIAGARA FALLS!” – PART 1

Suldog beat me to it (‘cause he’s sharp that way), but I had actually planned on beginning this series of post with a reference to the famous routine by the Three Stooges!

Anyway, I had intended to only post one item on our trip to and from Niagara Falls, Ontario, but I took so many “blog-worthy” photos, I have decided to do this in three parts.

The road trip began last Monday morning at the crack of dawn. Judy and I dropped our baby dog Baylee off at Charlotte and Gary’s kennel and loaded our huge suitcase into their Tahoe. We then rendezvoused at the Cracker Barrel in Strawberry Plains, TN with Neena and Ron.

Gary had purchased a Magellan GPS navigator system for his pheasant hunting trip the week before, so we were in good hands with “Maggie Magellan,” as he called the voice on the system!

Our first scheduled stop was in Lewisburg, West “By Gawd” Virginia! That afternoon we walked around “downtown” Lewisburg. Shopping was not on the Knight’s agenda, so we quickly spotted the Irish Pub on Washington Street! Man, was that ever lucky!

Ron Dog, his call sign on the walkie-talkies for the trip, and I were soon half way into an authentic black and tan, with Gary pulling on a Heineken draft. The owner was a true Irishman, and we listen closely through his thick brogue, as the gave us the “old country” tale of how “black and tans” were born.

The next morning we headed out for the New River Gorge State Park to see the colors, and, of course, the famous bungee/base jumping New River Gorge Bridge we had seen many times on Discovery.

Well, the color was there, but it was subdued by a slight drizzle and dense fog hanging in the valley. We decided early on “it is what it is,” so this did not keep us from getting out and seeing the sights. As you can see, the photos were still there and we had a great time walking to the overlooks and touring the visitor’s center.

A tour bus arrived and unloaded, but they were told they could see nothing from the overlook, so they soon loaded up and left. The old people will never know what they missed at the end of the rainbow!

Another place we all wanted to visit was The Greenbrier. The Greenbrier is located in White Sulpher Springs, just outside of Lewisburg. During the cold war a secret bunker was constructed beneath the resort for members of Congress to wait out a nuclear holocaust! It is a very interesting story, so click here to read all about it.

However, with a price of $30 a head, we opted to browse the Christmas Shop across from the main gate. It was lovely too, and free!

That evening we dined at the wonderful Food and Friends restaurant on Washington Street. The experience was fantastic except for the idiot that was describing his deer hunting trip that morning on his cellphone. To top it off, he walked off and left his cellphone on the table. The phone began ringing and everyone was looking around when the asshole came back in and picked it up and began talking as if he had been there the whole time. Ten years ago I would have probably tackled him, but nowadays I am a little picky about who I tackle – lucky for him!

It’s so good to be back! Although we had good accommodations, I sure missed my bed. I did not move the entire night last night. I slept like I needed it and I did. We drove a total of 2100 miles, 650 of it on the last day, and I was bushed!

Oh yes, I missed blogging too, but I was not about to pay the kiosk prices ($5/10 minutes) just to open Mushy’s Moochings and then log off! Won’t someone buy me a laptop for Christmas?

Sorry it has taken me so long, but I had over 200 photos to thumb through, clothes to unpack, and groceries to buy.

I still have not caught up on your blog posts, but I promise to make the rounds. I may not comment, in order to get up to speed quickly, but I’ll be back in the swing in a couple of day…well, with Thanksgiving coming up…maybe longer! I have two “boys days out” coming up this week, so things may remain spotty for some time.

See ya.

P.S. Be sure to click on the photos for larger sizes, or go to my Flickr page to see more of them.

Next…Part 2…Niagara Falls!