Aug 1, Niagara Falls

A few years had gone by since we last visited Niagara Falls. There were other options as far as where to go this year, Europe was certainly one. But, my Dads birthday was coming up in August 2 and they have never been to the falls, it just seemed like a better choice.This would mean that we could coordinate with other members of the family since a 7 hour drive would be cheaper than a 7 hour flight. It meant my sister, who is based in California, could fly in for a surprise visit. But that also meant a vacation without both my daughters since they would be heading to Europe. A first for us.

The seed for this plan began during the anniversary celebration for my parents earlier this year.. My wife and my sister were discussing what to do when a surprises visit to Niagara was hatched. The concept was simple enough. Get to Niagara without my parents knowing my sister would arrive. Get everybody to the hotel, answer any questions without the truth slipping out. Have my sister and her husband make an appearance, shout ,"Surprises", have a few minutes of laugh and giggles then start the rest of the vacation. In practice, it was more difficult, mainly because the responsibility for keeping the charade running fell on my shoulders.

The road to Niagara

My wife, parents and myself started the trip early with the expectation of arriving just before check-in time, 3pm. That was the plan. Instead, we left early enough but made a detour towards Pittsburgh to meet a friend. The circuitous route took us through some scenic areas in Pennsylvania, such as the city of Ridge way in Elk county, Pennsylvania, and some oil fields.Ridge way is a town built by the lumber industry and seemed typical small town USA. We stayed only long enough to have lunch. Yet, during that short stay, we couldn't help but noticed all the financial institutions that dotted the area, credit unions, banks and more. There appears to be plenty of money in lumber.

Courtyard by Marriott

We were to stay at the Courtyard. Although we would have saved more by renting a vacation house, most seemed to prefer a hotel because of the proximity to the falls plus the fact that tidying the place up after or stay was not a requirement. But first things first, we needed to check-in without causing an issue. My sister included, we would be needing 4 rooms. But since we parents did not know they were coming, they were expecting 3 rooms.