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!!

Cloudy with a chance of pine needles...

Quips Miss A. as we lay in the tent listening to them sprinkle down onto the tent. Sadly, this was the harbinger of the rain that has chased us home yet again from Acadia. At least it wasn't a hurricane this time!  Thankfully we were able to get in a late afternoon hike up Dorr Mountain.  We saw some great cloud formations over the porcupine islands but the view really was better as we gained altitude. The highway and the industrial buildings definitely distracted on the climb up. We had a fun night at the campground with the traditional campfire eats. And no kid squabbling! With the boys away, Adelaide gets to try on the only child hat for a week. Homeward bound...

Miss A. Becomes an Expert Pier Jumper!

She only called it a day after 5 jumps! She was the family record holder today. Summer is now in full swing with the abovementioned Magnolia Pier Jumping, bocce at the Boulevard, a double feature at the Milford Drive-in, Fiesta fun and naturally the beach. May the days pass slowly and the summer seem endless!