Tag Archives: Travel and Tourism
Road Trip Memories {Summer 2012}!
I have finally had a chance to start looking through photos from the road trip we took earlier this summer – what a fantastic vacation it was! We traveled over 3000 miles in the course of 11 days, passing through 14 states, plus some of Canada. We saw amazing sights and tried new things, as well as visiting some old favorites. I am so thankful for the beautiful land God has placed us in and for the wonderful people he has blessed our lives with! I was originally going to try to fit the highlights of our trip into one blog post, but when I started looking at all of the pictures I realized that would make for a really REALLY long post :)! Here are some of my favorite memories of the first few days of or trip. Our first stop along the way was for supper in Louisville, Kentucky. The kids and I had never been to KY before, so that was new. Chris had asked his friends for restaurant recommendations of places that would offer us a uniquely “Louisville” experience, and someone suggested Mike Linnig’s. We loved that there was a large open air eating area with a playground for the kids. We were adventurous and ordered the fried alligator and frog legs (we also tried to order a side of turtle soup, but they were out).
We spent the next morning at the National Museum of the US Air Force. We saw rockets, many different types of aircraft and even the Apollo 15 Command Module, Endeavor, that landed on the moon :)!
That evening at sunset we saw American Falls with Niagara Falls in the distance. We crossed over into Canada and stayed overnight in a skyscraper hotel overlooking both waterfalls, which were so loud that you could hear them even way up inside our hotel room with all of the windows closed! It was really cool at night, because the falls were illuminated with a colorful light show. The kids took a bath in a big whirlpool tub with a window for watching the beautiful scenery. It was quite an experience. I am so glad people suggested that we bring our passports and see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.
By the next evening, we had finally made it to New England. That’s where the fun really began :)!
Desoto State Park and Little River Falls
He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills…
He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
Psalm 104:10&13
In October we went on a lovely day trip to Desoto State Park and Little River Falls.
Grandma and Papa came too, so we enjoyed spending quality time with them!
We were blessed with the perfect weather and some pretty fall colors.
I almost had a heart attack when Chris and Gabe walked out to the edge of Little River Falls, but nobody fell off a cliff so I was fine ;).
Julia stayed at a safe distance with Papa at Desoto Falls. The river and falls were pretty low, but still fun to see – especially in beautiful weather.
It was a great trip, which I’m sure will be repeated in future years, especially when the kids are old enough to manage some of the great hiking trails there!
Poipu Beach in Kauai
Of the three beaches we visited in Kauai, Poipu Beach was our favorite! There is a “baby pool” which is enclosed by a man-made wall of rocks to keep the big waves out. There are also shady, grassy areas near the water – which were very useful, since Julia was not a fan of the ocean!
She didn’t like being in or near the water, so we took turns hanging out on the beach mat with her while the others splashed in the (mini) waves. She was as happy as a clam playing with the beach toys under the shade of the palm trees (he he).
It was so fun just lounging with my sweet girl in such a beautiful setting!
I remember when Gabe didn’t like the ocean and sand – those days are long gone now! He loved playing in the water this time around, which was great to see :).
I love our two precious kids so much – it’s such a blessing that we were able to enjoy this amazing trip together as a family!
Our First Kauai Sunset
Here are some photos of the sunset we saw on our first evening in Kauai!
Whaler’s Cove Resort has some lovely benches along the seaside – perfectly situated for watching the sunset :).
I love these silhouettes created by the dramatic evening sky!
What a wonderful way to say goodnight to our first day on Kauai :).
Lydgate Beach Park in Kauai
On the first day of our week in Kauai, we headed north to the eastern side of the island, near Kaapa. There was a Coconut Festival going on that we wanted to check out, but first we wanted to visit the kid-friendly Lydgate Beach Park. After renting some snorkel gear, we headed to the beach. We had heard that the southern part of Kauai (where we were staying) is more calm and sunny during the off-peak season, and we quickly found that to be true. On the east side it was cloudy, the water was a little cold and the waves were a bit rough, even in the man-made kid pond part of the beach. We still enjoyed the morning there, but headed home at lunch time for naps. We would return later that day to explore the huge wooden playground made by the local community (Gabe LOVED it)!
P.S. Notice the crowing rooster – in Kauai there are chickens EVERYWHERE!
*Click Here for the Slide Show of Lydgate Beach Park Photos*
