Driving the Alaska Canada Highway

When we moved to Interior Alaska from Texas, we drove. Boy it was a long drive, but the best part of the drive was when we entered the Alaska Canada Highway. It had the prettiest views, the most remote locations on our entire route (and seriously no cell phone service ANYWHERE). This is the only way to drive to Alaska that does not include taking the ferry- which was not an option for us (and not something we were really interested in). 

Originally constructed during WW2, the Alaska Canada Highway was a dream first mentioned in the 1920’s. The idea of connecting the Northern United States to Alaska via Canada was novel (and unwanted for a long time by Canada). However, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor a lot of concern was voiced regarding Alaska and then the further interior of both Canada and the United States. In February of 1942 both countries (Canada and the United States) came to an agreement to fund and build the road. It detailed that the USA would bear the full cost and most of the construction during the war, once the war was over the US would hand the Canadian portions back to Canada. 

Construction was started in March of 1942 with a total of 10,000 soldiers from the Army Corp of Engineers responsible for seeing this dream to fruition. It was initially marked as a supply route (though it was never actually used for this). They went about building the road using four main pushes and worked from one end to the other. While building, they left quite the mess around causing the road to be nicknamed “oil can highway” and ended up decimating an indigenous village and most of its residents. Six months after construction began crews met in the “middle” of the route and the route was completed in October of 1942 (shocking what a world war will do for construction). 

The road was initially completed simply for army vehicles to use. Standard vehicles were not able to drive the route until 1943 due to steep grades, no guard rails, and switchbacks (to name a few problems). In fact, in the spring/summer of 1943 a large portion of the route was unusable due to permafrost thawing causing the road to be destroyed. 

In April of 1946 the United States signed the land back over to Canada, along with all of the maintenance needed for the road. While this handover took place in 1946, the roads did not start changing/improving and being paved until the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Paving was done in spurts and there are still sections today where it is gravel. 

The Alaska Canada Highway has changed routes ever so slightly providing a safer route, shorter route, and improvement for driving conditions. This means that some of the mile markers are not correct (specifically once you reach Alaska) and that some of the older roads have been surpassed and are simply neighborhood roads (can you imagine?!). 

We spent a total of 4-5 days on the Alaska Canada Highway, and it is simply the most gorgeous route there is. The roads are really good and well maintained- until the last stretch of road, which does have the permafrost heaves and quite a lot of the gravel sections. A couple of important notes if you choose (or are made to) travel the Alaska Canada Highway-

  1. Grab the Milepost book. This was first published in 1949 (at only 72 pages) and has grown into the definitive mile by mile guidebook. It not only covers the route, but places to stay, things to do, gas stations, and other fun things. It is the biggest help from planning the trip to actually being on the road. There were a couple spots we stopped at because we read about them in the Milepost. It is almost 800 pages of information on every single aspect of the route and region. The Milepost can be purchased online or when you get to the route, but you can also grab free guidebooks at the entry point, and these are valuable as well! They tend to be a bit more condensed down but are still great to have. I referenced both throughout the trip. 
  2. Remember that you will not have any phone service (unless you have a starlink). The route is fairly straightforward (especially if you have the Milepost), but there is no phone service if you get stranded. When we head out of Alaska (if we do), I do think we will put our Starlink into some sort of travel mode just so that we have that in case of emergencies. Thankfully we didn’t need to worry about it too much and each hotel we stayed at had internet service so we could do what we needed. 
  3. The road itself is decent until the last stretch and the last stretch will either be great or terrible. I wanted to touch on this because the road varies from day to day. When we went through (mid-July), it wasn’t terrible. We think we were past the leveling efforts (they do this every year after thawing), the holes had been patched for the most part, and we didn’t have much traffic. However, that does not always dictate the condition of the road- it can vary wildly with traffic and weather. The road can also close due to accidents, wildfires, or damage. Another note- there are typically not “shoulders” to pull off to. You get as close to the side as you can (out of traffic), but then you are at the mercy of other vehicles to be able to move enough in order for you to do what you needed to do (was never more grateful for a blown tire early in the morning with only one other car on the road). 
  4. Stop, stop, stop! Make all the stops- enjoy the food, enjoy the scenery, and stop everywhere you even have the slightest desire too. I wish we had done a smidge more hiking, but we didn’t really have the travel days built in to do that. We did stop at the Liard Hot Springs, and it was the best little break (and the best priced hot springs). We stopped at a service/rv area for some bison burgers and a commemorative coin. We would pull over on the side of the road (for kids’ potty breaks really) and just admire the general beauty of the area. Untouched wilderness is something special. 
  5. If you are going to drive the Alaska Canada Highway, your final and most up to date resource is the Driving the AlCan group on Facebook. This is run and maintained by locals to the route, has a plethora of resources and files to cover everything you might need for the trip, and provides up to date information on any closures. Seriously this group is amazing.

Our travel from TX to AK was honestly pretty incredible and full of such beautiful site (even if it was loooooonnnnnnngggggggg). 

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A Cuppa Cosy Travels – Tucson, AZ

This year for Spring Break we decided to work our way through parts of Arizona. It’s not too far that we couldn’t drive and yet it was far enough that we felt we were in a completely different area (which…to be honest we needed). We started off in Tucson and headed all the way up to Williams and The Grand Canyon before dropping back down to home. It was such a nice trip and it had me wondering if Arizona is a secret oasis that none of us are talking about…or if I was just enamored with the different scenery, the multiple seasons we experienced (in just one week), and the incredible might of Mother Nature’s presence in Arizona. Who knows really. 

So, to start with we headed to Saguaro National Park. The Saguaro is the cactus we all think of when we think of cactus. They stand tall, they have arms, and the give the desert vibe that you picture with Arizona/Desert (it is not typically found in the California region of the desert). The Saguaro really only grows in certain locations (all below 3,000 ft) and the Sonoran Desert of Arizona is one of those locations. These absolute monsters of cacti can grow over 40 feet tall and live for a very long time (well over 150 years). They are slow growers, taking almost a decade to even grow to ½ a foot tall. The “arms” do not always grow, however if they do, they don’t tend to start to grow until 70-100 years old and they are grown to increase the fertility of the plant. The cactus itself grows both flowers and fruits and can store and incredibly large amount of water. Considered a keystone species, the actually growing location and process, as well as the impact on the wildlife around it is fascinating (no seriously- I found the way mother nature works and how everything ends up working together absolutely fascinating). 

The inside of the Saguaro is akin to a rib cage- though the ribs are similar to hardwood in the composition. They do have a prickly thorn outer covering- the spine. These can grow up to 3 inches long and do some damage. The flowers produced on a Saguaro are white and typically open after sunset and the fruit is a red, is typically ripe in June, and requires a pole to harvest due to how high up it tends to be. 

Within the Saguaro National Park, you drive to various stopping locations where you are able to get out and hike trails and see the variety of both Saguaro Cactus and many other variations of desert plants. We spent a good couple hours driving and walking through. There is almost 2 million Saguaro’s within the park, not to mention the wide wide variety of other cactus and plant life. Be careful of wildlife (though we didn’t see any while we were there). It’s truly incredible to see (which is a common theme for this trip overall). 

Our second day in the Tucson area was full of history- from completely different timelines. We started the day at The Titan Missile Museum – the only site of the three sites of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program still in existence and open to the public to tour.  And that tour is both for the work site and an entirely preserved Intercontinental Ballistic Museum (which we will now call ICBM because typing that out every time…whew). There are actually only two preserved launch sites in the world from the Cold War- the one in Arizona we visited and one in Russia. This was designed by the treaty. Both sites have dummy missiles and other measures to ensure that they are non-operational (and those measures are checked regularly by satellite). 

The Titan II was the largest ICBM ever in existence by the U.S. Air Force. It was massive- an absolute weapon of true destruction. Located at 3 separate sites (all spaced out by a certain number of miles and each with its own dedicated Silo and base), these missiles were operational for a total of 24 years. The big innovation of the Titan II was storable propellant, which allowed a faster launch time. 

First activated in 1963, the silo sight (Titan II Launch Complex 571-7) was manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The whole idea of this was not only for safety purposes, but also as a deterrent. Both sides had these weapons during the Cold War, and if both sides were continually at the ready to deploy them, then both sides wouldn’t…in theory. We booked the tour that was able to take us down into the silo to see both the bottom side (well more like middle- its massive) of the missile, as well as into the office where the soldiers would sit on shift and deploy the missile if the worst should happen. Please note- this tour they do an example deployment and it’s…something. We learned the measures that would be taken when a new crew came on shift- from the four phone calls that had to be made, the evasion tactics should the soldiers be attacked or followed. No soldier was allowed to be alone within the site due to the potential of spies. It truly was a secure site. We also (as I stated) were able to do a “launch” of a missile, seeing all the steps from start to finish, to see what lights on the various control panels would light up (they are all exactly as they were/would have been while active), and then hear the sounds. It was very enlightening. 

Once the silo stood down in 1982, work was started to try and turn it into a museum. This took a lot of work as the missile belonged to the Air Force, but if it was run as a museum, it would be local jurisdiction, not to even begin to mention the treaty between countries and the complicated relationships there. A lot of work was done to the missile in order to make it inoperable and provide assurances that it could not easily (or ever) be repaired and fired. The museum itself opened in 1986. 

I will be honest- I was a bit hesitant about heading to this museum- I just didn’t know much. I came away with a whole new level of respect and understanding and awe. I highly recommend visiting it as it’s one of those unique spots that pays homage to a very important part of our recent history. 

From the Cold War era, we headed even further back and visited Old Tucson. Let me say- this is an amusement park. It does have some historical value and it is often used as a movie set (there is a building dedicated to shows and movies that were shot there, several of which we all know of); I would actually say it is similar to Tombstone, except it doesn’t have the significance of the history, this is more movie than historical. I don’t know if that makes sense or not. Fun fact- Jersey Shore filmed at Old Tucson- the gender reveal wild west show for Mike Sorrentino’s newest child. Which the actors at Old Tucson talk about. 

Anyways, we spent an entire afternoon at the park, catching a gunfight show, a can-can girl dance show, a stagecoach ride, train ride, and more. We literally wandered through the entire park doing EVERYTHING (minus the carnival games). This felt a bit more relaxed than Tombstone- in that you’ll be sure to see a gunfight and the actors, but it isn’t a constant overwhelming event. We also attended the stunts show at the end of the day that the actors put on to teach how they pull of the stunts in the different shows and movies. Easily my favorite as the actors have a lot of fun with audience interaction. Highly recommend! 

Finally, on our way out the final morning we stopped into Biosphere 2. Biosphere 2 was built to demonstrate that closed ecological systems could work and thus move the concept of human life in outer space forward. It was built in the late 1980’s, and inhabited in 1991 for 2 years (as a closed environment with no outside involvement), and then a second time for 6 months. During it’s time, it was the subject of A LOT of discussion and controversy. I don’t quite know how to get into all of the nitty gritty as there is SO MUCH and I have a lot of feelings on it (some fascination, some hesitation, some upset). The organization that initially brought about Biosphere 2 ran into a lot of problems, some of which never were acknowledged, and it has now become a location of environmental research, rather than closed environment. Amidst the drama, it became a research facility, transferred to its current home run by the University of Arizona and turned into both a research facility and a museum. 

We really enjoyed our morning wandering through the different biospheres, learning not only of their purpose during the closed environment experiment, but also the purpose they serve now, and the research being conducted. I highly recommend stopping by this really unique piece of history and science research. 

That wrapped up our time in Tucson- a truly great stop for us! 

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A Cuppa Cosy Travels – Corpus Christi, TX

I don’t know if I should really write this post or not- we really went down to Corpus Christi to see my Sister-In-Law who lives there with her family. It was a lot of family time and not as much seeing all the things (which is what we wanted and what we loved). It was also a time for us to see a couple of friends from prior duty locations, we had one living in the area and the other (my best friend from NY) who was in town visiting her own family. It meant a great reuniting for the kids and adults alike. So, I’ll share the couple things we did and the history we learned, but it won’t’ be as long as my normal travel posts are (and maybe that’s a good thing!). 

The main tourist attraction we visited in Corpus Christi was the USS Lexington. Where do I begin?

The USS Lexington is a carrier ship that was commissioned in 1943. She was the oldest working carrier when she was decommissioned in 1991. Originally named USS Cabot she was renamed upon being commissioned when the original carrier carrying the name USS Lexington was sunk. The USS Lexington joined the ships at Pearl Harbor as part of the Central Pacific Force. During World War II the Lexington served 21 months in combat, serving in every major operation in the Pacific Theater. Manned by 3,000 members during World War II (1550 Men and Women regularly), they destroyed 372 airborne enemy aircraft, 475 grounded aircraft, destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy cargo, and damaged 600,000 tons more AND downed 15 planes. During World War II she earned the nickname “The Blue Ghost” as she continued to return to the fight after being reported sunk. After World War II the Lexington was decommissioned, then reactivated to San Diego to assist with the tensions with Cuba, Laos, and Formosa. She then sailed to Pensacola and was designated a Naby Training Carrier. The USS Lexington is now permanently housed at Corpus Christi and is open for tours and various events. 

Some fun facts for you about the carrier. The USS Lexington was the first aircraft carrier to allow women to serve onboard. The Lexington served as a filming location for Midway in 1975, AND for the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor where she was altered to play a Japanese Carrier and the USS Hornet (which they do have a display for). Ghost Hunters filmed an episode aboard the Lexington, as did Ghost Lab. 

It was a really fun way to spend a morning- we were able to climb into several spots, see a lot of the ship (I was surprised at how much access we had), and the collection of planes and helicopters was really cool. All in all, I would recommend at least visiting one or two of the Naval Ship Museums. They are really cool and give a good insight into what life would be like on the ship. 

The other thing we did while in Corpus Christi was head down to the beach for a long walk along the water. The beaches in Corpus are really nice and easily accessible and you are able to see a high amount of wildlife. While in Corpus we were able to see the normal hermit crabs and jellyfish (keep a wide birth- even on shore), but we also got to see dolphins (a mom teaching her baby!), and sea turtles. 

That was really it for tourist-y things we did! The majority of our time was spent soaking up some much needed family time. 

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A Cuppa Cosy Travels – San Antonio, TX

In December we did a holiday trip where we traveled to San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Houston TX. Since we are currently living in the western part (very western part) of Texas, we figured we could head into the state to see some sights. We don’t plan on being back in the state, so we wanted to see some highlights (for us at least). 

***I also want to note that we did a much slower trip this time, we didn’t cram a bunch in, and we didn’t see as much as we could have. However, this trip was exactly what we needed it to be.***

So, we started our trip in San Antonio, TX. San Antonio is a city that has so much history but feels incredibly modern. The main historical attraction (aside from the Missions), is The Alamo, which is located right tin the center of the city. You’ve got an incredibly preserved Mission, with hotels, restaurants, and stadiums right around it. I will say, this makes it harder to connect to the history and life at the time, especially for the kids. We enjoyed our time there and learned a lot, but it is something to note. 

We started our time in San Antonio with the Alamo. If you don’t know the history of The Alamo, I’ll try and give a rough rundown, but you will definitely know the words “Remember the Alamo”. The Alamo was initially a religious outpost (a Mission) for the Spanish Empire. During this time, it was the Mission San Antonio de Valero dating back to 1724. In 1793 the Catholics relinquished the Mission to become a Pueblo. During this time there were larger regional threats and battles being fought. This led to the Pueblo becoming a defensive fortress in 1803 occupied by the Spanish Army. In the background of these local transitions, Mexico was trying to become independent, Texas was finding its’ own identity, and there was broader conflict with French Louisiana and America. All of this creates a violent, turbulent backdrop for the San Antonio (and broader) region. 

Now on to the actual Battle of the Alamo in 1836. The Battle of the Alamo was a part of the Texas Revolution where Texas became free of Mexico, transformed into Texas (at the time a Self-Governing Republic). Prior to the battle Texas was under Mexican control and while Mexico struggled, all seemed well until 1833. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was elected President, and he was a…turbulent leader to say the least. He abolished the constitution (which gave way to a Civil War), changed immigrant laws, and the autonomy that Texas had to rule their own. 

Now, San Antonio was important as it was located on the main roads leading into Texas for supply lines and communications. Who holds this spot, holds all the keys in essence. 

The first battle of the Texas Revolution was actually the Battle of Gonzalez, which takes place in October 1835, when the Mexican Army was sent to recover a cannon. They were not successful in this task; in fact, the Mexican Army was very much outnumbered and retreated after being fired upon by the Texas Army. At this time, the Alamo and San Antonio is being held by the Mexican Army and they are taking refuge there (without said cannon). 

The Texan Army decided to follow the Mexican Army on their retreat and met up with an army of Texan Volunteers (this is where James Bowie, David Crockett and co come into play) to lay siege to San Antonio. There were several skirmishes of the October and November month, all with a Texas Army victory. The Mexican Army was finally defeated, and the Texas Army took control of The Alamo. They immediately began to fortify the mission and the city. 

Now the retreating Mexican Army soldiers met up with Santa Anna’s Army in February and they laid siege to the Alamo. Initially they tried to parlay, but after no progress, a full siege was laid and Santa Anna declared that “no quarter would be given” (so if they fell, they would all fall). While the Texas Army at The Alamo were incredibly outnumbered, they did not give up. They wrote letters and managed to bring in more men to fight for The Alamo. During the siege on March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

The actual Battle of the Alamo occurred shortly after that declaration on March 6 (the 13th day of the siege). The battle only lasted 90 minutes and there were no survivors. After the battle all of the bodies were burned. 

The Texas Revolution ended April 22, 1836, after the Battle of San Jacinto and the famous “Remember the Alamo” battle cry. 

So much for a brief overview of history, right?!

When visiting The Alamo, you have several options. You can go into it and just tour the grounds and mission. However, I would actually recommend doing the audio tour (bring plug in earbuds to avoid holding the thing up to your ear constantly). It gives a little more insight and history as you are walking through and allows you to get the information. There aren’t really any of the “this location” history signs in the grounds, so if you want to get the information, the audio tour is the way to go. We spent a little over half the day wandering through the grounds and museum (make sure when purchasing tickets, it includes the artifact museum). 

While The Alamo was one of the main reasons we went to San Antonio, we did do a couple other things that I can share about. 

First up (because I don’t have much to say on it), we hit up the Legoland Discovery Center. This is located in a massive mall that houses Legoland Center, a Sea Aquarium, and a ropes course. An easy relaxing day that would be great for the kids in your family. While we only did the Legoland Discovery Center, we did go take a look at the other options, and they were great as well. We spent half the day (no joke) at the Legoland Discovery Center. They have two rides, though one was down while we were there, a massive city center Lego build, a climbing/play place, a full creative space with different build and experiment options, and of course a Lego store. We all had so much fun exploring, building, and playing (and shopping).  It was a great option for the kids to get a little break on the trip. 

Secondly, we both walked along the riverwalk and went on a riverboat tour. When it comes to San Antonio, the River Walk is probably just as known as The Alamo. Both are top attractions; both are steeped in history. The first battle of the Texas Revolution was fought over the San Antonio River at the Mission Concepcion (2 miles South of Downtown San Antonio). Originally recorded in 1535 by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Originally named Yanaguana, it was renamed San Antonio de Padua by the first governor of Spanish Texas in honor of Saint Anthony’s Day. The river itself is home to 5 18th century Spanish Missions. The riverwalk now is known as one of the most popular tourists stops in San Antonio- featuring not only the walkway but lined with shops and restaurants. I highly recommend spending a half day just walking the river- preferably in the morning or midday for a bite to eat. Would not recommend heading there in the evening to late night hours as it is PACKED at dinnertime. 

By walking along the River Walk you are able to see bits of San Antonio history- such as Rosita’s Bridge, La Villita (which is a small artists village), and use it as a jumping off point for other downtown attractions (like the churches and government buildings that are stunning). 

Finally, we did visit several of the 18th Century Missions that are still standing and open for visiting. We didn’t get to go inside any of them as we left San Antonio on Christmas Eve and President Biden declared it a federal holiday (so everything was closed), but we did get to walk the grounds of several of them. We did consider stopping on our way back through, but it didn’t work out with our timeline. The Missions were initially created to recruit and convert the local Indigenous groups.

 

We walked the grounds of San Juan and Mission Espada, while mission San Jose is the larger one that was closed due to the holiday. Mission Espada (my personal favorite) was founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas in Weches, TX and it was the first mission in Texas. It was moved and renamed in 1731 becoming the mission we see today. Mission San Juan was originally founded in 1716 near Cushing, TX as Mission San Jose de los Nazonis and then relocated in 1731 and renamed as Mission San Juan Capistrano. It represents the most dramatic of the change as the mission that the Indigenous people undertook in their becoming citizens of Spain. At this mission in particular, you are able to walk a loop that takes you to the original stretch of the San Antonio River as well as see the historic farm fields (still in use) and the irrigation ditches. Mission San Jose is the largest of all the missions and the one that is restored, fully open and features guided Ranger walks and souvenirs. Mission San Jose was founded in 1720 and moved twice before the location we see it at today. 

Beyond that, I have two food recommendations and that is breakfast at Voodoo Doughnuts and dinner at Iron Cactus. We loved both of these spots and would have gone back multiple times. 

That wraps up our time in San Antonio! A short stop to hit the highlights and give some fun memories for the kids. Our next stop was Corpus Christi, but that was to visit family and we didn’t do many tourist-y things. I might write about it, but it’ll be a shorter post than this one. 

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The Wild Wild West – 2024

We went West- to the Wild Wild West. It was exactly as expected- gunfights in the street, saloons and drinks galore, and an experience to be had! Over Labor Day Weekend we went to Tombstone, AZ and spent the weekend reveling in the 1800’s. We saw 6 gunfights, ate at 2 saloons, and wandered back in time for 48 hours. 

***Quick note- if you do visit Arizona, please remember that they do not do Daylight Savings Time, so your hours will shift no matter where you travel from. We completely forgot about this! ***

We started our weekend in Bisbee- at the Copper Queen Mine. We initially tried to get lunch at Bisbee Breakfast Café (which looks absolutely delicious), but they were packed, and the wait was a little too long for us to make our tour time. It was a definite bummer as all the food options look delicious. It did give us a chance to wander up and down the main street of what was once upon a time Lowell, AZ. A street very much stopped in history- old cars, antique stores, and beyond. 

From there, we just grabbed a snack and headed to Copper Queen Mine for a tour. Copper was initially discovered in Bisbee in the 1820’s by a Lt. Dunn, however production at the mines didn’t begin until 1880. Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company was a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation and became the dominant force in the mining of the area. Mining operations continued until 1975 when the mines closed, leading the mayor of Bisbee (Chuck Eads) to develop the idea of the mine tours. The Mine Tour opened to the public in February 1976.

On the tour, you get a vest, hard hat, and light before heading on the train down into the mine. You are walked through the history of mining in the region, the day to day of a miner, the different tools they would use, and finally you are able to see what they are actually looking for (i.e., what Copper looks like in rocks). It was really fun and educational for the boys. We walked away learning something new (this was our second mine tour). 

From there we headed to Tombstone, checking in to our AirBNB, and then headed to Allen St (which is like Main St of Tombstone) with the intention of getting dinner. Now, our AirBNB hosts gave us a heads up, but everything short of food closes at around 5PM. So, if you’re needing anything, wanting to check out any venues, or want to do a little shopping, you’ll need to do it before 5. Not a bad thing, just a warning. I think the only place that stays open “late” is Bird Cage Theatre as they do Ghost Tours a bit later on. 

We stopped for dinner at our first Saloon, Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. This is the exact vibe you’re going for in Tombstone. Everyone is in full costume, they’ve got a performer on stage, an old Wild West vibe to the décor and the ambiance and the food was good! A little history of the saloon and people (because everywhere has history)- Big Nose Kate was potentially the first prostitute in Tombstone AND Doc Holliday’s girlfriend. Prostitution was very much a thing (I think we all know that?!) and it happened to be one of the best ways for “single” women to make a living as “suitable” positions did not pay enough. Now, this saloon was once the location of the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel was THE place to be and has a long-storied history. While it was the Grand Hotel, there was an individual called “The Swamper”. Officially he was the janitor and handyman of the hotel, but he also had a penchant for siler and tunneled from his basement room to the entrance of a mine shaft to collect silver. 

After dinner we wandered up and down the street to get our bearings, then headed back to our cabin for the night. 

The next morning, we were up early and ready for a day in the Wild Wild West- and boy it was. After grabbing a quick breakfast at “O.K. Café” which was delicious, and then we headed back to Allen St. Our first stop of the day was getting tickets for the show at the O.K. Corral. You have to purchase tickets day of for one of the three showtimes, you cannot purchase in advance. The first showing was at 11, so after we got tickets at 9 AM, we decided to head over to the Saloon Theatre for their gunfight show. They reenact Billy the Kid’s first shoot out, a shoot-out with Frank Leslie, and then an Earp shoot out. This is an inside show, with very real guns, and they do give hearing protection. We enjoyed this one- it made those western shows feel a bit real-er to everyone. 

From there we went over to the O.K. Corral to watch the “Shootout at the O.K. Corral”- which, the shootout actually occurred behind the corral in an empty lot, but what is history after all. So, this shootout (if you didn’t know the history) is between the Earps/Doc Holliday and the McLaury’s/Clanton’s. The Cowboys (Mclaury’s and Clanton’s) were creating all sorts of trouble- drinking a lot, gambling a lot, shooting off guns where they shouldn’t have been, and the newly deputized Earp Family were not interested in that continuing. There were threats, rivalries, stealing of wives, and it all led to a (very short) shootout between the two rivals. In 30 seconds, 30 shots flew and three died. Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton are all buried in Boothill Cemetery (more on that later). 

Fun fact- the gunfight occurred outside the office of THE photographer of Tombstone (C.S. Fly), however there were no photos as he was busy when the unplanned shootout occurred. 

This was a really fun one to attend- the actors were great, they play off the audience well, and once it is over you can wander through the entire property, which allows you to go through a couple different buildings to picture life in that time. Your ticket also includes a chance to watch the Historama (which we did- I would say if you’re interested then attend, but it isn’t necessary) and tickets to the Epitaph- which was the newspaper of Tombstone (we did this as well- it’s very small and it will take about 10 minutes to see everything within). 

Now we attended during Labor Day Weekend, which meant that they were going all out and there were two performing troupes that were performing gun fights in the streets throughout the weekend, as well as the casket/hanging booth. We watched several gunfights from Arizona Gunfighters, and all four of us were “hung” in the streets of Tombstone. It was an experience, that is for sure. 

We wandered down to the Tombstone Courthouse for a quick walk through. The courthouse was original built in 1882 and was once the offices of the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, courtrooms, jailhouse, and board of supervisors. It was a very active busy building! Now, as you walk through the rooms, you are treated to a history lesson of just about anything you could think of relating to the Wild Wild West- from cattle ranching to gun fights, to Mexican/American skirmishes and more. While this maybe doesn’t have the same amount of sensationalist history as some other locations, it’s still a really neat spot to stop at.  

We did two more things in Tombstone, the first was to visit the history Old Bird Cage Theatre. This was the most famous spot of its time- known as the “wildest, wickedest night spot” in the west.  The name pays homage to the Bird Cage crib compartments that overhang the gambling and dancing areas. These compartments were where the prostitutes would try to solicit the men below (think she’s a bird in a gilded cage)- and they are still in the theatre. In fact, this is the ONLY building in Tombstone that is as it was. This includes bullet holes, gambling tables (the one where the longest poker game in history occurred), the original curtain and painted stage, as well as the piano. When it was open, it was open, never shutting its’ doors, seeing 16 gunfights for a total of 140 bullet holes within the building. It is full of history, and it is basically locked in time. It closed in 1889, and then was boarded up for almost 50 years. Then in 1934 it became A Historic Landmark of the American West and was opened to the public to visit. 

This is a MUST SEE in my opinion, not only because of the history, but also because it is the ONLY historic landmark in its original state. It is a self-guided visit, though you are able to do a family tour, and if haunting/ghost things are your thing, you are able to do a ghost tour (as this is one of the most haunted buildings in the country). 

The final stop we made on our way out of town (ironically enough) was Boothill Graveyard. Originally “The Tombstone Cemetery”, this burial plot dates back to 1878 and was used until 1884. It holds the graves of the cowboys from the shootout (McLaury’s and Clanton’s), the men that were hung after the Bisbee Massacre as well as the man lynched from the same event, two marshals, and Lester Moore (of the no les, no more rhyme if you know it). There are many many more (a total of 265 graves), all for a variety of reasons. When you enter, they will give you a pamphlet that breaks down every grave as well as a reason for death if known. 

And that really tops off our time in Tombstone! We had a really fun time, and the kids were obsessed (and they have shockingly good reflexes). 

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A Cuppa Cosy Summer Holiday 2023 – Halifax, Nova Scotia

I know I said that we really loved everywhere that we stopped on this year’s Summer Holiday, but I feel like Halifax might…just might have topped the list? I don’t know, so many good stops, but this one was just…stuck with me. Maybe it’s because of timing and what we did, maybe it’s the vibe of where we were, maybe it’s just a magical thing that Halifax has. Regardless, I am so excited to talk about the few days we spent in Halifax. 

We arrived in Halifax on Canada Day. And everyone has asked (especially with our timelines of summer travel), what Canada Day is like in Canada. Is it similar to America’s Independence Day? Is it wildly different? What is it like?

And I am here to say- it’s by and large probably about the same. You have some people who are loudly pro Canada and choose Canada Day to proclaim it, but honestly, for the most part people…calmly celebrated? I don’t know how to explain it. For us in Halifax, everyone was wearing red/white, there was a massive block party on the pier, but it was also just chill. Some of that was possibly due to weather- it was overcast day with low hanging clouds (so no plane show or fireworks), but I do also wonder if this is just the way the people of Canada celebrate. 

So, we had a delightful first afternoon/evening in Halifax. After checking in, we headed over to the Halifax Citadel. But let’s talk a little history first. 

Halifax is the capital, and largest city, in Nova Scotia. Originally known as Mi ’ kma ’ ki it is the ancestral home of the Mi ‘ kmaq people- something they acknowledge and honor very well. The “Town of Halifax” was established in 1749 and marked the beginning of Father Le Loutre’s War. The establishment of Halifax the British violated their treaties with the Mi’kmaq. To bolster the town defenses, the British built the Citadel in Halifax, along with several other fortifications in neighboring areas. 

Halifax Citadel was initially fortified in 1749 intended to not only serve Halifax defensively, but also as a counterbalance to the French Louisbourg. It was small, part of a western perimeter wall and was protected by five stockaded forts. The city of Halifax was raided four times during that initial war; however, the Citadel was taken care of, and by 1761 it had deteriorated so much that the British built a new one…in 1776 (thanks to the Seven Years War). This second fort was a permanent fortification. There were redans, a blockhouse, and 72 mounted guns. This Citadel gave the Royal Navy the most secure and strategic base in North America. Halifax became known as the “Warden of the North”. It is also thought that this presence is why Nova Scotia stayed loyal to the British during the Revolutionary War. However, permanent these fortifications were intended, by 1784 they were once again in ruins and with the French Revolutionary War coming (and parts of Canada very much French), a new Citadel was designed and built. With the Third Citadel, they levelled and lowered the ground to allow for a larger fortification. We see the initial signs of the current set up, with four bastions surrounding the barracks and magazine. In 1803 the Halifax Town Clock was opened to keep time for the soldiers (this was a real issue then). This third Citadel is also where we see the system of flag communications come into play. While it didn’t fall into complete disrepair, it did need a new magazine and a slew of repairs when the War of 1812 came around. However, in 1825 they decided to scrap most of the citadel (due to disrepair) and rebuild. After 28 long years of construction, the Citadel as we see it today opened in 1856. The overall history of the military AT the Citadel has been quite varied. It’s seen a fair number of soldiers, but never an attack. The British Army pulled out in 1906, with Canada taking over. 

While the hill and fortifications were designated historic sites in 1935, there was still quite a bit of talk about tearing it down. Thankfully that was struck down, and in 1956 it opened some of its’ doors to the public. Over time it has been repaired and in the 1990’s it became fully restored to the Fourth Citadel appearance. Nowadays it is fully open to the public, with it transforming into a living history museum during the spring/summer months. There is a noon-time canon firing, a war museum, ghost tours in October, and reenactments throughout the year. We always enjoy walking through military history- especially if it’s from another country, with a different insight. And in this case, it was a defensive fort that never really got attacked. 

While in town we also wandered over to the Old Burying Ground. The cemetery was founded in 1749- with its’ first burial taking place the same year. Intended as a common burial ground it remained open for burials until 1844, when Camp Hill Cemetery was established. If you’ve read enough of my travel blog posts, you’ll know we find it interesting and cool and just a piece of history to wander through older cemeteries. In the 1980’s the site was restored by the Old Burying Ground Foundation, who now not only maintain the cemetery, but also work to restore the grave markers. This particular cemetery is said to hold 12,000 graves, to include the British Major General who burned the White House during the War of 1812. The monument at the front of the cemetery is the Welsford-Parker Monument. This is the first public monument in Nova Scotia, and the fourth oldest in all of Canada (and the only monument to the Crimean War in North America). Built after the cemetery closed, it commemorates British Victory in Crimea and serves as the last grave marker in the cemetery. 

I would say the real highlight of our entire Summer Holiday occurred on our second night in Halifax. We were able to attend the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. And honestly, before I go any further, if you are ever able to make it to an International Tattoo- go. It is incredible to watch.

The Tattoo is intended to serve as a theatrical experience where military bands and display teams are able to showcase their abilities. The Halifax one has been taking place since 1979- ever year. Aside from being able to showcase a variety of military bands across the world, there is also a theme of friendship and bonds between countries in each year’s performances. The Halifax Tattoo was given the “Royal” designation from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. This past year we were able to watch acts not just from the United Kingdom, America, and Canada, but also from Germany and South Korea- which was really cool! Germany was a hilarious performance, and the boys loved the Sweet Caroline singalong as well as the bagpipe rock n roll. My personal favorite was the Switzerland Drummers. For a little insight into the performance- check out my Instagram where I’ve posted a video. It was incredible- a real highlight. 

Our last day in Halifax we started off back at the Marina and checking out the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Located at the HMC Dockyard, this is the first known maritime museum in Canada and also includes a visit to the CSS Acadia.  The Museum has a large number of artifacts and photos, but also charts and rare books. You can see everything from the artifacts to replica’s that are being worked on (and the workshop where they get worked on!). You can wander through numerous exhibits, and the boys got to learn how to spell their name in Morse Code. There are actually two truly notable exhibits in the museum- one on the RMS Titanic and one on the Halifax Explosion. 

The Halifax Explosion was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions (and is actually a standard of measurement for other large blasts). In December of 1917 a French Cargo Ship collided with a Norwegian Ship in the harbor. This is actually quite a tragic, but fascinating event in their history. The Mont-Blanc was carrying quite a high number of explosives (unannounced too so only those on board knew), which upon the crash caught fire and exploded. The explosion destroyed almost all the immediate radios buildings, and anything that wasn’t immediately destroyed by the explosion was then destroyed by the pressure wave and tsunami.  1600 people were killed instantly and 300 of the 9000 injured succumbed to those injuries. A good amount of the city ended up burning due to the gas stoves and lamps, and if you had been watching the fire? You surely lost your sight when the explosion blew your windows out. In fact- there is an exhibit of replacement eyeballs. 

To make matters worse- the day after a blizzard dropped 16 inches of snow on Halifax the next day. Not only stalling recovery efforts and supply deliveries, but also making it incredibly difficult for those trying to find shelter. 

While it was a horrifying event, it did lead to some good- quite a few medical advances came from the months post explosion- specifically in eye care, public sanitation, and maternity care. It also helped deepen the bond between Boston and Halifax (which dated back to the founding of Halifax). Boston was such a help that every year Halifax sends a Christmas Tree to Boston- which is the official Christmas Tree of Boston and is on the Boston Commons every year. 

The Titanic Exhibit is equally fascinating as it has the foremost collection of wooden artifacts from the Titanic (including one of those infamous deck chairs). Nova Scotia and Halifax in particular played a large part in the collection of bodies from the Titanic. As the only unfrozen port, they were dispatched to help provide assistance. I’ve already mentioned the deck chair, but they’ve also got the shoes that were used to identify the “unknown child” of Titanic, an original copy of the senate hearings/testimony from after the sinking, and so much more. We were at the museum not long after the situation with the Titan, which made it all the more real and sobering for the kids (who followed what was happening with the submersible). 

We did two more things during our time in Halifax, one being a wander through the Halifax Public Gardens. This is a Victorian-era public gardens dating back to 1867. The Public Gardens are 16 acres, landscaped in the Victorian style, with all the standard garden fare, but also three fountains, two stone bridges, three ponds and a concession stand. There is a public bandstand that allows for concerts in the summer, and we spent a lovely hour or so wandering through the gardens. 

And how did we find the gardens? Well, yes, it’s on Trip Advisor and such, but also by taking a Duck Boat tour of the city. Yep, we finally did a ride along tour of a city. The boys saw these vehicles that would drive around on land, but also head into the water and they were obsessed. Since the weather wasn’t entirely cooperative during our stay (though we still loved it), we decided why not. It was actually a really interesting time, and we enjoyed learning a little bit more about city and some little bits and pieces we probably wouldn’t have learned. And of course- the boys loved when the truck turned into a boat, and they got to ride along the harbor in the water. 

And that basically sums up our time in Halifax! In just looking at the length of this post, I think you could probably tell how much I enjoyed our time there, but in case you can’t- we really did like it. There’s only one more post coming about our Summer Holiday- I’m sad to say a farewell to it, but it was a good one. 

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A Cuppa Cosy Summer Holiday 2023 – Prince Edward Island

Ah an island is a sure-fire way to spend a little time relaxing while you are on a holiday. And that is exactly what we intended when we booked a few nights on Prince Edward Island. A slower pace, surrounded by water, what more could you ask? We decided to stay in a little cabin (it’s a hotel, cabins with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and living room) right outside of Cavendish. This spot allowed us to see most of the Island one way or the other and still allowed us to be in an inlet on the island. It was also very close to the home of L.M. Montgomery…yes Anne of Green Gables. Which is where we’ll begin…

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in what is now called New London on Prince Edward Island. Her mother died when she was just under 2 and her father placed her in her grandparents’ care who raised her in the Cavendish community. She spent much of her childhood alone and that fueled her creativity. She spent a single year with her father in Prince Albert, but it was not a time she enjoyed, having not liked her stepmother. She later attended college for her teacher’s license- completing her requirements in half the time allotted for the degree.  She did continue to study in Halifax in the following years. Teaching was not her passion, but it did allow her to write freely- and write she did. 

Now, L.M. Montgomery is most known for her Anne of Green Gables series, but she published a total of 20 novels, 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays in her lifetime. She also had a fair amount of suitors before marrying Ewan MacDonald in 1911. Now they were quite a mismatch, and they had their own struggles throughout their marriage, at one point they did in fact consider divorce, but in the end tried to work through it. They had three children, though the second was stillborn. She suffered a very serious depression after her third child, dealt with migraines, as well as almost succumbed to the Spanish Flu in 1918. She is the most successful Canadian author of all time, though many in her time dismissed her works. She died in 1942, her cause of death was listed as due to a blood clot, however this was disputed by a family member who said she may have overdosed after years of battling depression. 

We spent our first afternoon in Cavendish visiting the Green Gables Heritage Place. This is a National Historic Site that, while isn’t the actual farmhouse of her childhood (that was torn down by her family due to tourists), this is a replica of the Green Gables of her books. When I say it was like walking through a fairytale- I’m not joking. You can wander through the farmhouse, see the homestead, walk along Lover’s Lane, or go back to the Haunted Woods and Balsam Hollow. You are also able to see the remains of L.M. Montgomery’s home as well if you want to. It was raining off and on while we were there, so we stuck to the farmhouse, the Lover’s Lane, and the museum. 

Fun fact- the land was purchased by the Government of Canada and was initially set aside to become a clubhouse for the golf course right down the road. However, the public would not stand for this and after her death it was turned into a historic house. The interpretative center was added in 2017 to make it what it is today. It was quite the property to visit and a truly special way to spend an afternoon! We loved it- there was something for everyone. 

Now let’s talk about Prince Edward Island in general. One of the three maritime provinces, it was originally the traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq. The French landed and colonized in 1604 and held on to it until the end of the French and Indian War- where it was ceded to the British. Most of the island is devoted to farming- in fact a quarter of Canada’s potatoes comes from Prince Edward Island. Another fun fact- they used to have quite a large population of large game- moose, bear, caribou, etc.- but due to over hunting and other factors, they are no longer found on the island. You can see small game, foxes, coyotes and several bird’s species. 

We spent one day exploring a variety of beaches and cliff sides of the island. Most of these were actually red dirt, which, made for a very pretty site against the backdrop of the green grasses and blue waters. It was actually so pretty! The second day we drove over to Charlottetown to wander the capital city. Named for Queen Charlotte, it was selected to be the county seat of Queens County. It was also the location of a raid during the American Revolution. Charlottetown became a city in 1855 and in 1874 a railway opened a main line between Charlottetown and Summerside. One of my favorite spots was to walk along the marina in Charlottetown and then up through some of the areas that still hold on to the Victorian era architecture. 

And that really sums up our time on Prince Edward Island. It was slow, it was easy, it was beautiful. It was somewhere we would go back to- happily. 

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A Cuppa Cosy Summer Holiday 2023 – Quebec City

It is finally time to start breaking down our Summer Holiday. It’s a bit late in the posting lineup, but we had a truly fantastic trip, and I can’t wait to share all the details! We did a bit of an East Canada tour de force- starting in Quebec City and ending back in New York. I think this was one of our top trips in that we loved everywhere we went. We found some real gems in these cities and really fell in love with some of these spots. So, here we go with where we started…

We spent three nights in Quebec City and the bulk of our time was spent wandering the city. We stopped in places from time to time, but we really just walked the streets of the city and enjoyed our time. I’ll highlight a couple of the spots we did go to and the history, but I highly recommend just wandering the city streets of both upper and lower downtown. The days that we were there we did (and you’ll see) have some air quality issues, with the wildfires raging out of control. 

A real quick note on the “Upper Town”/” Lower Town” designations. I’m not making these up- this is very much how they are referred to. Upper Town is the location of the military and civic/admin district. Most buildings in this area are 19th century, though there are some 17th/18th century ones. Lower Town is at the “bottom” of the cape. This is the site that Samuel de Champlain built a settlement. The Church Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is located in Lower Town (dated back to 1723) as well as the Musee de la civilization.

Quebec City dates back to 1608 when the French, specifically Samuel de Champlain, settled the area- making it one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The ramparts (which we walked) are the only remaining fortified city walls remaining in the North Americas (north of Mexico). The “Historic District of Old Quebec” is a World Heritage Site (as of 1985) and honestly one of the coolest spots to walk around. Now, while the French “founded” the city, it was actually an abandoned Iroquoian settlement called Stadacona. The city itself has quite the history, specifically during the French and Indian War where it served as the headquarters for raids against New England. However, Quebec was captured by the British in 1759 and held by them until the end of the war. It was then officially ceded to Britain, though Quebec is still heavily French and both French and English are spoken interchangeably (which gave our boys a chance to learn a couple phrases in a new language!). 

To get a little ahead of myself on our time in Quebec, but stick with the history, we spent an afternoon wandering and touring the Citadelle of Quebec. The Citadelle was initially built due to concerns of an American attack post the American Revolution and the War of 1812 (as America did try to “liberate” Canada from her Sovereign- unsuccessfully). Now, the Citadelle is an active military installation and a secondary (official) residence of the Canadian Monarch and governor general. The Citadelle does join the original fortifications, which is really cool when you think about the history of it all. The entire city itself is surrounded by fortifications. 

When Samuel de Champlain was initially building up the settlement of Quebec, he immediately noted that the Cap Diamant would be of importance and value to any fortifications of the region. When he built up the settlement, he built it in the way that the city would be at the base of the cape, thus allowing the landscape to provide a natural defense. The French initially built up the walls but determined that a fort would cost too much, and it wasn’t until Louisbourg fell that they felt a true need for a fort. The British saw the need for a full fort, but, similar to the French, didn’t want to pay the cost for a full fort. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that they fully committed to building the fort. The present star fort was built from 1820-1850, with the British remaining within the Citadelle until 1871. 

It was really neat to walk through the Citadelle, seeing and learning the history, as well as hearing about their mascot- a goat (affectionally named Batisse)! Even though it is a fully functioning military base, you are able to see quite a bit of the buildings and museums. It is well worth the visit.

Now once you pass through the Old Fortifications to wander through downtown you can head through the streets and up towards the Promenade. This includes the cite of the Chateau Frontenac- one of the most photographed spots in Quebec City. Located in the Upper Town, it dates back to 1893 and was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and is one of the first completed grand railway hotels. These hotels are hotels that are built as an attachment to the major railways within Canada and were designed to serve railway passengers. A lot of these hotels then became landmarks and are linked to the history of the country itself. And I can definitely understand why- it is just as stunning in person as it is in photos.

Once you walk through the Promenade- called Terrasse Dufferin (and feel like you’ve stepped back into another era- just imagine it!), you can wander down to Lower Town. There are two ways to head down, by funicular or by stair. We chose the stair option because we have a thing for stairs (this is a long running theme from our European Travels). Lower Town has a very definitely different feeling to Upper Town. As you descend you can definitely feel a different vibe- in a way that…might even live up to the names. Upper Town is very…. business like, very prim and proper almost. Where Lower Town can have a bit of a frenetic feeling, a bit of a lighthearted, let loose, kind of feeling. Rue du Petit-Champlain in particular is very neat. We wandered through tight streets, picked up some ice cream, and sat riverside looking up at the Old City. 

Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Quebec was THE church we wandered through during our walks. And let me tell you…it lives up to that name. This is the oldest church in Canada and the first to gain the rank of minor basilica- which happened in 1874. However, this massive cathedral started off as a chapel- the Notre Dame de la Recouvrance- dating back to 1633. In 1647 construction of the actual Cathedral began under the name of Notre-Dame de la Paix. It was destroyed in 1759, rebuilt, and then destroyed again in 1922. Upon its 350th anniversary, a holy door was constructed, the second only to exist outside of Europe, only the eight in existence in the world. It was opened in 2013, for a little over a year, then opened again in 2015. It is not to be opened again until 2025. This particular Cathedral is absolutely incredible- it is pretty high up on my list of Cathedrals and churches, and I’ve seen my fair share. 

We spent a little bit of time exploring the Parliament Building of Quebec, which houses the National Assembly of Quebec. This present building was started in 1877, the first assembly met there in 1884, and the building was completed in 1886. The original building that housed the government was built in in 1648, rebuilt in 1694, and then destroyed in a fire in 1834. The clock tower was installed in 1888, the first addition was completed in 1915, and several more throughout it’s time. The new entrance was completed in 2019. We were able to walk through the halls, see where the government conducts business and learn a little about how it functions. 

One of the final things I want to talk about in Quebec City is the Morrin Centre. This is a 200-year-old building that was initially one of the first jails in the city, turned school, and now is the leading English-language cultural centre and library. A little history, because this building has a LONG one. Initially this space was called the Redoute Royale and served as a military barracks, with the occasional prisoner of war. The original building was demolished in 1808, with the intention of building a new building to serve as the public prison. The new prison was completed and opened in 1813- though it housed prisoners starting in 1812. The prison was quickly put to full use and became overcrowded quickly. In fact, our tour guide told us that it was a common occurrence to get in light in trouble in order to go to the prison and get a meal. There was a total of 16 men hanged in front of the prison and you are able to walk the very same steps those men would have walked. You are also able to see a variety of markings in the basement cells from the prisoners. The prison was officially closed in 1867. 

However, the building history doesn’t end there- it is quickly turned from a prison to a college. Morrin College is the first English language higher education institute. The college partnered with McGill University to allow students to earn Arts degrees, and starting in 1885, the college admitted woman into the program. In 1868 the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (dated back to 1824) moved into a wing of the College. This Society has played quite the role in preserving the history of Canada- not only gathering and preserving historical documents, but also creating the National Archives, creating a lending library focusing heavily on English-language books, and republishing rare manuscripts. 

The building presently serves as a museum, a cultural centre, as well as a fully functioning library. But also, I mean look at this library- is it not dreamy?

The final stop on our time in Quebec City was the Artillery Park, which is part of the Fortifications of Quebec. This is a “living history” museum that combines actors and artifacts to give a hands-on experience of life under the different rulers of Quebec. We got to experience the British, the French, and the Canadians. The “tour” starts in the arsenal foundry which gives you a full history of the City and its’ fortifications, then a model of Quebec City before you head down to the Dauphine Redoubt- one of the oldest military buildings in North America. Again, you experience life during different military rules. Finally, you stop in the Officer’s Quarters and see how they would have lived in the military area of the city. This building was actually originally a bakery but was repurposed to hold and officer and family. Definitely worth a stop!

And that really wraps up some of the highlights of our time in Quebec City. I will say- we really enjoyed our time. I always note what cities we like to be in (as we aren’t really a city family) and it’s always these Older European or full-on history spots that we prefer. Somewhere we can walk everywhere, see some architectural variety, and surround ourselves with history on every corner. 

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Ottawa, Tulips, & Mother’s Day

Over Mother’s Day Weekend we took a quick overnight trip up to Ottawa to not only visit the city once again (this time as more experienced travelers), but also to see their famous Tulip Festival. A little moment to say, that above all, the Tulip is my favorite flower. When we went to the gardens at Keukenhof I was beyond excited and, when my husband had sent me the link to this festival in Ottawa I couldn’t wait to go. 

The Canadian Tulip Festival boasts that it’s the world’s largest tulip festival- which I suppose if you look at the basics of that statement, would be factually correct. That’s not an insult, or to say that it is anything but gorgeous to walk through the park and along the water and just marvel at the beauty. I’m just saying that the reason they can claim that is because places like Keukenhof plant beyond just the tulips they are known for. 

This festival, and partnership with The Netherlands, dates back to World War Two. The Royal Family of The Netherlands, Crown Princess Juliana, secretly fled to Ottawa for safety, and in fact Prince Margriet was born IN Canada in 1943. In 1945, Canadian Troops played a sizeable role in the liberation of The Netherlands. Every year since, the government of The Netherlands has sent a package of Tulip Bulbs to Canada. In fact, much of the stops on the park walk speak about Dutch War Brides immigrating to Canada with their soldiers and making new lives together. 

The festival itself is free of charge and open to the public. It is a STUNNING to walk through- there is no bones about that. There are activities for children, food trucks, and education throughout. As with any “touristy” thing, I would highly suggest getting there early. We got there about 11 and it was already pretty packed with people. We wandered through the festival, stopping to look at all the varieties of tulips, as well as snap a couple of photos. I would say overall we spent a couple hours at the park total, we could have spent longer, but the kids were feeling a bit out of sorts, so we headed out.

 

One of the spots right near the main festival is the Canada Agriculture and Food Festival. This is, ironically, the spot that actually stuck with both boys and we all found something neat in it. This museum is actually part of a larger connection of museums that make up Ingenium. The idea behind the brand is to provide an experience that immerses all, showcasing how science and technology influence and connect with our everyday lives. It’s built three museums, each with their own focus, but the Agriculture and Food Museum is unique in that isn’t the only working farm in the heart of a capital city. Visitors are able to see a variety of farm animals, as well as learn about the history of farming in Canada, and the relationship between us, our food, and our environment. We wandered through the exhibits (there was a really interesting one on sustainable salmon farming), checked out the animals, and were able to watch a cow milking demonstration (which happened to be our older son’s favorite thing). 

I already mentioned that this was just an overnight trip for us (and actually upon review, one we could have just done as a day trip), but before we headed home, we decided to go walk through Ottawa a bit. We’ve done this before, but it was fun to do again. We wandered around (the exterior) of Parliament, down to the massive Spider statue, through more tulip displays, and finished off with a bookstore run.

We then headed over to the Canadian War Museum. These stops are as much for my husband as they are for our boys. This museum is Canada’s national museum of military history and has been recognized for its incredible study and understanding of conflict. Dating back to 1880, the current museum opened in 2005, on the 60thAnniversary of V-E Day. The unique part of this museum is that not only do you learn the history of the wars, but you learn a lot of information about war at home- what it was like for those at home during war time (something that I’ve always wanted to learn more about). The analysis is not only on the wars/conflicts, but how those conflicts pushed nations forward. 

The museum contains A LOT of artifacts- some you might even be surprised (Hitler’s limousine with bullet holes? Fuselage of a plane that belonged – and was salvaged- from one of the most famous pilots in Canadian History? And a whole floor of JUST military vehicles- some of which were used during WW1.). It was truly incredible to see the sheer amount of history amassed in this one building. Not just in military terms, but also in everyday terms- artifacts from any conflict that Canada has been involved with- games for kids, toys, newspapers, books, clothes and tv shows. It is all there. It’s really a spot that will have something for everyone. 

Our final stop was just outside of Kingston, and it was the tunnel for the Railway Tunnel. The tunnel is right off of Brockville’s waterfront and is about ½ a kilometer long. You are able to walk the entirety of it, with lights and music to guide your way. Stop at signs throughout that read through the history as well as the natural landscape of the tunnel. The tunnel dates back to the 1850’s and was intended to be able to connect the industrial Brockville area to other areas along the river. There were detractors to the plan to build the tunnel, in fact, the highest engineer in Canada was not on board. Work began in 1854, however quickly ground to a halt due to financial difficulties and wasn’t started again until 1856. The first train pulled through the tunnel in 1860 (just barley squeezed in on December 31) and trains ran through the tunnel until 1970. It is now a walking path, but there is hope for more development in the area. 

I will say- it was a pretty cool stop to see this history and stretch our legs. If you are in the vicinity, driving through or what not, take a stop. It’s only about 20 minutes to go through and you can say you walked right through history. 

All in all, it was an absolutely lovely weekend! And it’s revitalized our traveling- we don’t travel as much in the winter months, but with summer coming up soon we are planning some trips. 

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A Weekend in The Adirondacks – 2022

It is that time of year again- the time when the world reminds us just how stunning mother nature can be. That’s right, it’s Autumn foliage time and this year really solidified to me that nowhere truly does it like The Adirondacks. Seriously- it’s got everything, the foliage, the small towns, the outdoor activities, but also plenty to do if you’re not into that- EVERYTHING. Last year we rv’d to Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain, and we would have RV’d to this year’s location, but our schedules just didn’t really permit that to happen. So, instead we took two nights to go the North Creek/Gore Mountain area. To compare a bit between the two (you can read about our Lake Placid trip HERE) …

Geographically Lake Placid is in the more Northeastern section of the Adirondacks, whereas North Creek/Gore Mountain is in the Southeastern section. We live on the middle Western section of The Adirondacks- just outside of the region. 

In terms of peak foliage, we were in the region for the Peak Colors of the season this year. Peak can last anywhere from a day to a week- there are so many factors at play. Last year we missed the full-on peak by maybe a few days. Once the leaves start to fall, they all tend to come down fairly fast. Last year was a much rainier season, so they fell earlier, whereas this year it’s been a bit dryer, they’ve stayed a bit longer, even if they started popping color earlier. 

I will say, I still think RV’ing or renting a small cabin in a wooded spot or along the lakes is the way to go. You can fully immerse in all the Autumnal Glory that way in a way that staying in a hotel doesn’t quite provide. 

Now, on to our actually trip. Like I said, this year we headed to the Gore Mountain/North Creek area. We really booked this location to go rail biking with Revolution Rail. This is something I’ve wanted to do since finding out we were going to be living in Upstate NY. They’ve got fantastic locations out here, and the rides are great. You can find their website HERE. However, we booked an afternoon ride on Saturday, so we had all Saturday morning to enjoy the area.

Saturday morning my husband decided to surprise us with a gondola ride and morning at Gore Mountain. Gore Mountain is home to New York’s largest ski resort. It boasts 4 Unique Peaks with a large, varied number of trails down the mountains. Dating back to 1934 (with development in 1964) and the only still operating Gondola in New York State, Gore Mountain is constantly updating, upgrading, and adjusting both its trails and the operating systems and lodges to meet the future. And- if you’re truly an expert skier, Gore Mountain has a trail that is a 70% pitch, one of the steepest in the East.  

We took a lift up to the top of one of the peaks to take in the beauty of Autumn in The Adirondacks. Honestly, I think the best time to see the actual sea of colors is while you are on the lift (I thought this with Whiteface too- the drive up is where you’ll get the best opportunity to capture that “sea” effect), but the view from the top is pretty incredible too. Plus, there was snow on the top! So, we got to experience that as well! If you’re interested, most of the ski mountains offer both mountain biking and hiking throughout the summer and fall season, something to keep in mind!

While we were at Gore Mountain, they were having their Harvest Festival, so we were able to enjoy live music, vendors from a wide variety of businesses, and some fun games. It made for a fun kick off morning. 

From there we headed down to North Creek NY for the event that we really came to this area for- Rail Biking along the Hudson River. When I had first learned that we were getting stationed in Upstate NY (after I got over all the feelings of leaving Germany) I knew that I wanted to go rail biking. It really just seemed like a fun and unique experience. Now, there are a couple different companies and locations for rail biking, but we decided to go with Revolution Rail. They offered a rail biking experience right in the “heart” of The Adirondacks and would give us a new way to experience the autumn foliage. I recognize that this is one of those things that is…very “us” as a family, but we actually really loved it. 

So, Revolution Rail was started in 2016 in North Creek NY. They launched in 2017 with 6 railbikes. The general idea is to turn the unused old railroad tracks into an opportunity. The railbike is either two or four seats and sits comfortably on the track. The ride itself is actually relatively easy- more comfortable than biking (because you’re on an actual seat) and any time it gets difficult- which is none- all you have to do is marvel at the world around you and it gets easy again. The railbikes are able to accommodate just about anyone- we had a wide variety of ages and skill level (you’re in a group of 10-20 bikes) and they are able to allow babies in strapped on carriers (like an ergo or bjorn). Revolution Rail is not only in New York, they offer trails in Colorado and New Jersey (and I think I might have seen one other location coming soon).  Both the Colorado and New York locations offer special combined experiences- usually involving the rail biking and a water experience. 

We did the South River Run ride which was a little over 2 hours (I would say about 2.5). We rode about 3.5 miles, stopped for a break and history chat, then biked the 3.5 miles back. It was incredibly beautiful and an experience that I honestly would repeat again and again. The boys weren’t able to pedal (they could barely reach- so we told them to relax and enjoy the ride) and Robert and I didn’t have any issues leisurely pedaling. I just can’t say enough fun good things about this little adventure, I highly recommend it. 

From there we wandered through the main street of North Creek, checking out the glassblowing- super cool- and other little shops. We stopped for dinner and headed back to the motel for the evening. 

The next morning, we packed up and headed out to make our way back home. We stopped at one more place though before reaching our home- The Adirondack Experience. The Adirondack Experience is a museum spread across a tract of land that walks visitors through the history, the use, and the relationship between the people and the wilderness of the Adirondacks. The land was originally purchased in 1867 by a Connecticut Farmer who used the land for a logging and lumbering operations. When The Adirondacks started to become a popular tourist spot, Tyler Merwin (the son of Miles Merwin who originally purchased the land) allowed for overnight guests. In 1880 he built a hotel on the location with the hotel growing to house 100 guests in 1907. While visiting the Experience, you are actually able to see and walk in the Log Hotel, originally of 1876 and named on the National Register of Historic Places. The Blue Mountain House continued in operations until the twentieth century- though it switched owners. In 1948 the hotels new owner, William Wessels, teamed up with Harold K Hochschild, a business exec and amateur historian, to form the Adirondack Historical Association. The original Adirondack Museum opened in August 1957 with the goal of showing the relationship between humans and the wilderness of the Adirondacks. The Experience features not only several buildings of exhibits, but also a steamboat, a railroad engine and passenger car, a stagecoach, canoe, and several other horse drawn vehicles. 

So, we actually spent a good 3-4 hours just exploring the grounds and learning all about the Adirondack region as a whole. The experience is very self-guided, with tour guides within exhibits from time to time. We started with the Boats & boating and learned about the evolution of the boating industry as it related to the Adirondacks (boats used to be the only way to get around!). We wandered over to the kids cabin and schoolhouse, where the boys got to experience not only what the schoolhouse offered, but also the various responsibilities kids had back in the early 1900’s. We wandered through Sunset Cottage, and the exterior of Log Hotel, which was closed at the time, as well as the Artist’s Cottage. The Life in the Adirondacks talked a lot about how man tried to work with the land, as well as the Indigenous Peoples of the regions. I would say this was one of the more interesting buildings of the group. We stopped at the river pavilion, which is where the steamboat and train are housed, headed up to bull Cottage, which aside from maybe being a bit small for us, is really our dream location. Finally, we stopped at the Work in the Woods, which talks about the logging industry, in both good and bad terms. It was well worth the stop, and they have a good number of hands on and hands off options. 

All in all- Leaf-Stravaganza 2022 was a big success (that’s what I’m calling this moving forward…). I truly don’t know if there is anything out there that can compare to Autumn in Upstate New York- it’s magical. I’m sharing every bit of the excitement and beauty over on Instagram- @acuppacosy, so follow there for the day-to-day beauty (even though we are past peak). 

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