Life is Good in Wisconsin!

Local cheese--need we say more?? We visited Brennan's in Oconomowoc. A huge variety of local fruit, cheese, and microbrews. Lunch today! Yesterday we spent the day at Noah's Ark, "the largest water park in America" followed by traditional Wisconsin grub at Sprecher's. A great time!

A Day in Chicago

We hit a lot of the tourist spots in Chicago. The morning began walking around and taking in the flavor of the city.  We made our way to the incredible Millennium Park where we played with the aforementioned Bean. But we also took in the head sculptures by Crown Fountain and were treated to an open rehearsal of the Grant Park Orchestra! We made our way down to the Navy Pier. It is under construction now and according to a local, lacking a bit in ambience. We had cheezborgers there, played mini golf, rode the ferris wheel et cetera until our architectural boat ride later in the afternoon. That worked for everyone--speed boat ride on the lake and building/city facts on the river.  We were surprised to go through a lock to enter the city. We learned that way back the direction of the river was reversed so as not to pollute the drinking supply from the lake. We were hoping to find Chicago style pizza for dinner but were too tired to either seek out a restaurant or do the long Friday wait. Next time!

Can you find Michele and Adelaide in The Bean?

A tour guide today informed us that no one would care about us telling them about The Bean, but it was really so cool!! Read the Field Trip note about it in the previous post. Previous to Cedar Point actually. We got a little out of order but the Cloud Gate moment just took over this morning. More about our day in the windy city later.

Cedar Point...Still Thrilling After All These Years!

It was AWESOME! Let us just begin by a reverent nod to the true Blue Streak. Fifty years and still packing a punch! Surprisingly smooth for a wooden rollercoaster but one where your stomach will catch up with you at the end of the hills and twists.  Funny how the kids can go on the big,modern coasters without blinking an eye, but are are practically praying while ascending the first hill of the Blue Streak.  A little coaster with a big bang for your buck!

Quick reviews of some of the other coasters we sampled:
Millennium Force: High. Fast. That from our man of few words. And it pretty much sums it up.
Raptor: Smooth hanging coaster with some crazy turns.
Iron Dragon: It sways! Another smooth coaster and a good in between measure but a little vanilla in my opinion.
Mantis: Stand up coaster which is pretty intense. There's a warning at the beginning to remove your earrings. I guess it is that or lose your earlobes.
Mean Streak:  Oh those golden ladies! Another phenomenal wooden coaster with big hills, thrills and yes-jolts.
Corkscrew: Don't bother unless you have an appointment with a masseuse scheduled for after the ride!

Cedar Point still has some smaller rides (hurrah for Cedar Downs-- the best racing merry-go-round ever!) but one can't help but to think these rides are pushed aside for the ginormous thrill rides that just keep getting bigger and more intense but lack that certain je ne sais quoi.

Frontier town in the back of the park still is a fun mini destination within the park with lots of fun water rides (You will get wet!), themed rides, and all around fun feel. It takes one back a few years in more way than one!!

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate

http://fieldtripper.com/c/_oufbi4oUUU/anish-kapoors-cloud-gate

I thought you might find this interesting, too.

*It's your world, explore it.*: http://fieldtripper.com

Fun and Games in Ohio

What a fun afternoon we had in Parkman, Ohio! We played lawn darts (now illegal in 50 states according to some sources!) and enjoyed some exciting fireworks! Great company, good food, and cute dogs. Thank you Renee and Matt for such a welcome and for a memorable day!!

Buffalo Wings

Consensus: "Good." Period.

Heading westward through New York and Pennsylvania and passing fields of grapes upon grapes upon grapes...

The old and the new...on the path of the Erie Canal

While traveling along the Mohawk River and being tantalized by these glimpses of perpendicular fingers or feeders, we decided to stop and find out about the Erie Canal. We stopped in Little Falls at Lock 17. Of the 57 locks in the canal, this one has the the highest vertical rise of 40.5 feet. A canal journey could be a cool vacation on its own!

A generous sampler at the Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse. The highlights were the grape based and coffee based beers.

Back at the hotel the kids were thrilled to have a gazillion more cable stations only to find there was nothing worthwhile to watch! Love it! Perhaps Settlers of Catan in the lobby may be just the thing tomorrow night!

Onward to Wisconsin and Deavenland!!