Time for a long overdue new adventure...
We decided to take a weekend trip to visit Nicky's family for her grandparents 60th anniversary party. And why not pack the hiking backpack to see what we can get into with one free day for exploring the mighty Niagara Falls territory.
And we're off!
So we thought... glad they found the severe oil leak before we got in the air!
After a two hour delay and a plane switch we were off, for real this time
So long sunny weather...
not sure what the forecast is, but I am going to place my bets on cold and rainy weather.
Oh yeah, better buckle up Lyla!
How sweet is this, we had the back three rows of the plane to ourselves. Not only did Lyla get her own seat, but baby doll got one too!
Almost there! Gotta look pretty for everybody
Didn't take much to pull that off! (And yes Lyla, with that face, daddy will give you anything you want!)
We touched down at 7:00pm into Buffalo and off to Fort Erie for the night.
Lyla insisted that we make sure she can still fit in the backpack.
Good news for her - she still fits...bad news for me - she weighs quite a bit more now!
After a good night sleep at Papa and Grama Juice's house we had the opportunity to get a private tour of Marcy's Woods Nature Reserve, with natural dunes and rare old growth preserved Carolinian forests.
Lyla is up and ready to go at sunrise
And one last test run for the backpack
Little does she know that it is 40 degrees and raining...but that hasn't stopped us before!
Nothin' like 100 slippery steps to start out the morning, and I'm pretty sure Nicky fed Lyla a dozen bricks for breakfast.
There was a bog off the trail a bit that caught my eye.
And the diffused lighting of the dreary morning was perfect for capturing this landscape
A little further down the trail we got a look at this historical 3-story log cabin on the hillside in the middle of the woods that was built in 1928 and still in incredible shape.
Good place for a pic of Nicky and her dad. I owe Dom a thanks for carrying my camera gear!
And the craftsmanship of the interior was quite impressive
Finally we broke through the dunes and made our way to the beach
The weather was turning for the worst, so I had to put my camera away
And Lyla was about ready for a warm restaurant and a hot breakfast.
My back was relieved that Lyla has had enough of the backpack for now...
But Nicky was not looking forward to the hike back.
I was able to set up for one quick shot through the dunes in between raindrops on the way back
Alright Lyla, lets go get breakfast, and we can take the easy way out!
Lyla's first off-road back-country excursion!...I miss home
Thanks to our trail guides Dom, John and Joe. Lets do it again sometime! - I'm a little bummed that we forgot to get a picture of the group.
Driving through the countryside where Nicky wore out many pairs of shoes exploring the woods as a little girl brought back many memories for her. And one particular memory where we got to stop and reminisce was the shoe tree. You see, here in Fort Erie when you wore out a pair of shoes, they didn't end up in the garbage...you took them to the shoe tree.
Somewhere here is a piece of Nicky's childhood
After a three hour nap for all of us we met up with Nicky's mom and step dad to venture into the Niagara Gorge. Well, we've all been on the tours of Niagara Falls so it was time to go back country and experience the gorge in its natural state!
Typical of the weather around here, it actually seems colder this afternoon even though the sky was clearing up
Luckily Nana brought Lyla some warm gear for the hike
Its been almost a year now since Lyla had been in the cold
But she didn't mind the extra layers!
She was a little wobbly, but warm
My other concern was if she was ready for another hike
but...no problem, here we go!
A little challenging at times, but this is what we were looking for!
While Lyla and I were making our way though the rough terrain Nicky snapped this shot of Nana getting the picture above of Lyla and me. What great composition with the water falling on the jagged rocks, and a beautiful shot. I wish I would have spent more time shooting here!
Finally we made it to the Niagara River!
and the sun actually came out!
Seems like a perfect spot for a family photo
Along the Niagara we found some great places to relax, and take it all in...
and pose with the trail guide (thanks Steve for carrying the camera gear!)
...And maybe venture a little too close to the raging river, sorry Nicky and Nana for the panic attacks
but we were able to capture some great images
when we made our way to the places where no else ventures!
What a perfect afternoon it turn out to be
OK...2 hours into the hike, and maybe we are a bit lost. Besides the fact that Lyla now weighs 200 pounds. We should probably try to find our way out before the sun sets.
unfortunately the only way out is up!
Luckily we found a path
But not an easy path...
This reminded me that Lyla is still on my back!
But forget the back pain...
The late afternoon lighting was perfect!
And it didn't stop there
As we ventured onward uphill, the rocky hillsides kept offering great opportunities!
And then we hit..."the wall"
And there is only one way out...
OK...
I think I could have made it, but of course I didn't want to put my precious cargo in danger. So we took the stairs
Finally! solid ground, and surprisingly Lyla did not want to get out of her backpack after 2 and a half hours!
After a quick bite to eat...
And a family photo...
and this picture that I couldn't leave out...
Lyla finally decided that she was ready to get out of the backpack...
and walk the home stretch with Nana and Mommy
Thank you GPa Steve for hiking back to the car for us!
...and thank you Mr. Police Officer for pulling us over so I could get this last shot of the beatiful Canada landscape!
Worth a speeding ticket...I think so!
And thank you all for another great adventure!
Never Stop Exploring!
