Visiting Fort Ticonderoga

We took a day trip to see Fort Ticonderoga. The kids had such a great time. I had been there before, but it was a long time ago. I really enjoyed the day as well.

Here is the link to the Fort's web site:

http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org

Fort Ticonderoga

Liam, Patti, and Skyler

Skyler checking out the cannons

Wow... this is heavy!

We got to see the musket and cannon firing demonstration. We watched from the upper level of the fort so that Liam could deal with the noise. It was a great view of the demonstration.

Skyler and Liam dressed up like soldiers

They had a cool fife and drum demonstration. Skyler bought a fife and has now proclaimed he is going to work at the fort when he is old enough. Most of the musicians were very young... it's probably a great summer job for a teenager!

We then went down to check out the King's Garden. It was very nice and the flowers were almost all in bloom.

There was a demonstration about making lavender sachets for the kids. I didn't know if the boys would want to participate or not but they did. They walked around smelling their sachets, and put them under their pillows in the camper.

We walked all around the cobblestone paths in the garden and also checked out the tea house. The boys each got to ring the tea bell that would summon servants to the tea house.

It was such a fun filled day! I would definately reccomend it to all ages. There is a historic exhibit and a video presentation about the fort. It explains the history without being boring. EVen Liam sat and watched the video.

I think the best part of the day was the fife and drums. I took a few videos with my camera. Here is the end of the demonstration. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Falls

We took a quick trip into Long Lake, NY to Buttermilk Falls.....



Because it has rained so much the last few days, the water was flowing very fast and strong. I had been here before, but it has been a long time. It is a really nice spot... complete with picnic tables. We are planning on going back on another day and bringing a lunch for a picnic.

Of course the boys wanted to get right in the water. There are a few little "inlets" where the water is very shallow and there isn't a current. I told them we could soak our feet.

Liam and Sky -

Liam doesn't like loud noises and the waterfall was quite loud!

Sky finding rocks to skip

I told them to stay in the shallows and to not climb around on the rocks. The rocks are very slippery and I knew someone would fall in.

BEFORE - Liam on the rocks... after I told him not to climb on the rocks

AFTER - Liam soaking wet after slipping and falling in the water

Sure enough! About 10 seconds later... SPLASH! Liam is in the water. It's a good thing that it was a nice warm day. The falls were really beautiful and I can't wait to go back. Next time? Towels and bathing suits!

Going WILD in Tupper Lake

Mom and Tom head up to the Adirondacks a couple of times a year. They have a favorite campground in Indian Lake. This year we were able to go with them. It is a really nice campground, very quiet and peaceful. In fact, I decided to stay for the rest of the month... even though they have already headed home.


Mom showing where their names are on the plaque

Mom and Tom are supporters of the WILD center in Tupper Lake. They wanted to take the boys there while we were visiting. Tom found out about a program they were having while we would be there and got tickets online. So saturday we headed to Tupper Lake to have breakfast with the Otters!


Squeaker and Squirt playing


Having breakfast

The boys loved the program. We had a breakfast that included some of the foods that the otters would also be eating for breakfast, and then we saw the otter program. We got to see them eat and learn all about otters. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot. One of the things that I personally learned is that otters never hold still long enough to take a picture!!

After breakfast we went through all the exhibits in the center. It is geared towards children, so there are lots of programs and interactive activities. We saw a presentation about a very tame porcupine....


How can a porcupine be this cute??

and one about a not-so-tame raven (who bit the handler).


Skyler after the raven program

One of Liam's favorite exhibits was the "touch a cloud". He kept going back to it again and again.


Plaque for the cloud exhibit

Trying to touch the cloud

The kids enjoyed playing with puppets and working on learning kids about all kinds of animals. Even I enjoyed the interactive things.

Liam playing with puppets

We all took a guided nature walk down to the water. Then we stopped at the natural playground in the pines. The kids got to climb and play on logs, stumps, and a hige uprooted tree. We ended up staying all day. It was a great day of fun!

Photo in "The Pines" - the natural playground

I would highly recommend visiting the Wild Center if you are in the area. Here is a link

http://www.wildcenter.org/

Back on American soil....

Since we were in Niagara Falls, we had to do something as a tourist! The boys chose to see "Brick City"... a big display made out of Legos. We walked down the main street planning what we will see on our next trip.

I chose to go up on the Sky Wheel... to show the kids the falls from the air. It was great. I pointed out the falls and the Maid Of The Mists, which we are going to visit next time. We had the dogs in the motorhome and it was hard to park pulling the car... next visit will be in the car!

After our quick tourist adventure, we drove the last three hours to my moms. S0 2,400 miles and 6 days after leaving... our trial run to New York was complete!