Presque Isle, Northeast Wineries, Niagara Falls and Canada

Beautiful Lake Erie Sunset 

We just got back this week from our latest adventure to Lake Erie and Niagara Falls.  Wow!  What beauty and majestic views we were blessed with this past weekend.

We spent 4 days at Sara's Campground on Presque Isle in Erie, a small peninsula on the east shore of the lake.  This was our base for a whirlwind weekend filled with rain, beach glass hunting, wine tasting, a trip to a casino to meet Otto's co-worker, then Canada and the Falls and a finally a breakfast with our friends, Tony and Anne Scalise.

Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes and borders Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.  It is a very large body of water (can't imagine 3 others larger!) and when sitting at the campsite Sunday night you could hear the waves splashing on the shore just like if you were at the beach.  The only thing missing was the salty smell in the air.  There is a pretty steady wind most days and during the winter the towns bordering the lake feel the bone-chilling result of the 'lake effect'  Weather was chilly and rainy, but Sunday we got a reprieve and experienced a marvelous day in the great North at Niagara Falls, Canada.

We scoured the shores on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon looking for 'beach glass' to increase my inventory for my sea glass creations.  Otto proved to be a worthy 'seeker' and found several lovely pieces to add to my collection.

Seems strange mulling through the sand with the fall leaves on the shore

Almost looks tropical!

On Saturday afternoon we headed to the town of North East PA for some wine tasting.  We plugged a few of the wineries into the GPS and away we went.  We tasted at South Shore (Mazza), Penn Shore, Lakeview and Presque Isle.  South Shore does not make wine any longer, they sell a variety of wines from other produces in this region, including Mazza which is the wine we liked.  South Shore is the site of a winery from the 1800's and has been restored and is pretty amazing.

Historic winery

South Shore Wine Company

The main floor and cellar have been restored using most of the original materials and was quite charming.  We purchased a dry, deep berry and peppery Cabernet here.  Next stop was Penn Shore, located right on the shore of the lake.  Fun tasting here, but nothing tickled our palates and the staff, not so friendly.  Then on to Lake View atop a hill with a view of the lake and gorgeous vineyards and trees of orange, brown and yellow.

South Shore Historic Cellar

Fun winery, but not so good on taste

Awesome location, friendly and fun staff

At Lakeview, we sampled a Cabernet that we both enjoyed and loved the friendly staff and fellow tasters who gave us info on the final winery of the day, Presque Isle.  We were told the winery served sandwiches and such and was situated along a beautiful creek on the highway back to Erie.  Just the place for us to end our journey along the wine trail!  We arrived and to our dismay, the winery had been moved to the top of the hill, losing the charm of the trees and creek.  Progress.  They needed more space I guess.

We began sampling and ran in to the same couple we had seen at the two previous wineries.  And, they were very apologetic about the winery's move.  (like they had something to do with it!)  Very nice couple though......

View from Lakeview winery, you can see the blue of Lake Erie
through the trees. 

View of the vineyard from the parking lot at Lakeview

After we left Lakeview, we stopped along the side of the
road to soak in this view of the vineyards and the lake below

At Presque Isle, we tried the crab chowder and salami and cheese plate.  Good stuff, Maynard!  Tastings were okay, nothing really hit us and we didn't buy, but enjoyed visiting with our new friends and sampling the different wines.  Plus, it had started raining pretty hard and we wanted to wait out the storm.  What better place then a winery to pass the time?

Once back at camp we had time for a quick bowl of chili and then on to Presque Isle Downs and Casino to meet one of Otto's co-worker and his wife.  They were in town for their son's soccer game in Hamburg, NY and were staying near the casino.  It was still raining, and we got lost but finally made it.  Had a nice visit, dropped $50 and headed back to camp to get some rest - headed to Niagara Falls in the morning.

Headed out early for Niagara and enjoyed the scenic drive up through New York and finally to the Canadian border.  Didn't take long to cross and we were there!  But, there was a half marathon that day and the roads were packed.  Took us an hour just to find a parking spot, but who cares we are at Niagara Falls.  Here's some of our first views of the falls.

Before crossing into Canada

What?

There's always a rainbow!

Horseshoe Falls

American Falls

Horseshoe Falls through the mist

US side of Horseshoe Falls through the mist

We walked along the path and stopped every few minutes just to take in the majesty of the falls.  It was breath taking for sure.  At this point, the spray from the falls was so strong we were getting soaked!  The breeze just captures the water and flings it up, we were pretty far from the falls and it is very misty.

On the Maid of the Mist, after our adventure to the bottom of
Horseshoe Falls

We headed over the the Maid of the Mist for our ride down to the falls.  We rode on a boat similar to this one in the picture below.  At one point, the boat was full motor as we faced Horseshoe Falls, but we weren't moving.  We were held at bay by the powerful, thundering falls.  It was difficult to even get pictures at this point unless you had a waterproof camera.  But, I did manage a few.

Maid of the Mist

Getting up close and personal!

At the bottom of Horseshoe Falls - very powerful and wet!
Trying to stay dry.

Thundering falls!

After our visit up close and personal to the falls, we headed into town for a brew and to our surprise saw a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  Now, some of you may say 'why go to somewhere like that, when you can experience some local flair?'  First of all, there wasn't much 'local fair' besides a casino and a few other chain restaurants and heck, who doesn't love a little beach music!  We've been to several others, Jamaica, Cayman Islands the original in Key West, Vegas and Arizona, just to name a few.  So thought we'd add Canada to the list as well!

Looking down the quaint street up to the city

One of the many overlooks

On our way out of town, one last look

 Okay, funny quick story.... at the border headed back into US, of course they ask you all kinds of questions about why you were in Canada, how long did you stay, etc.  But, the one question we weren't expecting was 'why do you have an AZ plate and a PA plate on your car?'  What??  Otto still has the personalized plate, DSPROTO on the front of the truck.  UGH!  Really?  'What does that mean, he asks?'  So, Otto says 'it's a long story'.... duh, he doesn't want the background dear hubby, just what it means.... just tell him Desparado, please and let's get home!  LOL  good times....

Good Bye Canada!  We enjoyed our day with you.

At the border of US and Canada

So, we headed back to Presque Isle for our final evening at Sara's.  But, on the way home as the sun began to set, we decided to get off the Thruway and head over to the lake to see one of the most amazing sunsets that looked to be in the making.

The colors painting the sky were calling out my name and although I knew we were running close to missing the sunset, Otto sped up to get off just in time to spend a few minutes as the sun sunk down into the water.

Erie at dusk

Erie Sunset

What an amazing day!  Once back at the campground, we built a fire and had dinner outside.  We decided to take a walk over to the beach area after dinner.  The waves were crashing loudly and just beckoning me to come dance on the shore!  Otto brought the flashlight and we found ourselves searching for beach glass once more.  We did find a few small pieces despite the locals telling us this wasn't a good spot for it.

Monday morning arrived with a beautiful peaceful sunny day ahead.  We packed up the trailer and headed over to Tony and Anne's for breakfast.  Our friend, Susanne (from AZ) was born and raised in Erie.  We met her parents, Tony and Anne a few years back.  Anne attends our bible study when she is in town so she knew we were in Erie and invited us over.  We visited for a few hours, enjoying the view of the bay from their backyard, then headed back to the trailer to pack up for home.  We decided one last drive around the peninsula was in order and a walk along the beach was needed before driving back to Greensburg.

What a wonderful weekend we had exploring the shores of Erie, the wineries of the Northeast and experiencing the majesty of Niagara Falls!  As I look to the future who knows what is in store for us, but I can truly say that we are very blessed and grateful for our time here in Pennsylvania.  Who knows if we will experience another winter here in the east or if we are headed off to warmer weather in the west.  But I do know one thing, we will certainly enjoy the journey!

Notes from the Road

Well, I left PA three weeks ago and I've been rolling along since then.  First we attended our dear friend's son's wedding in Mesa and had an absolute blast with the AZ gang. We visited with our Briles Rd neighbors and had breakfast with the Worden's.   Then, Otto returned to PA (hey, someone has to work to fund my travels!) and I remained in AZ for two weeks visiting family and  friends, hiking, working out, enjoying yummy food and just soaking up the desert.

Hangin' with the AZ gang at the Rasmussen's

 J, Corynn and G came out for a softball tourny the following weekend, and I was able to spend some quality time with them, capped off with a visit to the Ortegas for some yummy tacos.

Reading with mommie at Ken and Bea's before
 leaving for the tourny

Jason on base after a hit

Cooling off after a long day on the field

Monday I headed to mom's to visit with her and Tina and Eden.  Linda and I left bright and early for Kingman.  We also stopped in Oatman at Mom's shop, Naughty Nellie's before heading back to Phoenix

Mom's shop in Oatman

 Back in Phoenix, I stayed with the Gerhardt's!!  We laughed, played cribbage, worked out, lunched, dinnered and visited!  A trip to the Botanical Gardens, The Farm and Abuelo's was on the agenda and this girl was a happy camper, filled with laughter, joy and friendship that I hope will last until my next visit.

hiking buddies

catching the sunrise hiking at Thunderbird Park

dinner with the AZ girls

Lunch at The Farm in Phoenix

I was set to return to PA on the 5th, but my great Aunt Fran passed away on the 3rd so I changed my ticket and headed to CA with Tom and Linda on the 6th.  I planted myself at Robbie and Joe's and even had a visit from Cameron home from CSUN for the weekend.  I was able to make it to the Crab Cooker for yummy clam chowder and for a walk on the pier with Tom, Linda and Joe and we ended that evening playing poker at Jamie and De's.  Got to see Freddie and Leah, Jon and Dena and of course Krammer and Dylan.

Monday night was the viewing with pizza at Gina Marie's and Tuesday the funeral and luncheon at Graziano's in Yorba Linda.  It was a wonderful celebration of life and great to see some cousins and visit at the restaurant.

The cousins, Tree, Sandi, Tony, Robin, Linda,
 Cheryl, Frank, Nikki and Larry

The Kincaid's

At Graziano's

Sandi and Tony

Wednesday I headed east to J and Corynn's and spent the entire day on Thursday with Gianna.  We walked to the park, well I walked while she rode in her chariot, and just enjoyed the beautiful day!

I'm meeting up with a friend for lunch, then babysitting G tonight and enjoying the kids for the weekend with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Kayla and G before heading home on Monday.  I've enjoyed my time away but really miss my hubby and I know he is missing me too.  But the joy and fun this trip has given me was much needed and he understands!  Boy, I love that guy!  We FaceTimed (?) last night and it was good to see his smiling face!  I'll be home soon, my love! <3 p="p">
Enjoy the pics!

Cool Morning Hike - Hot Sunset and Music

Today was a great day, and we rejoiced in it for sure!

Started off with a hike at Linn Run State Park, just SE of us about 20 minutes.  It's amazing how there are beautiful woodlands and scenery so close by.

We hiked Grove Run first, a long steady and gradual uphill leaf layered loop trail.  We only went about a mile in, a light rain started to fall, it was eerie and then we came across a log across the trail.  Not sure if it intended to keep us from going but we turned back.  The thought of bears crossed my mind as we hiked and  that may have influenced our early departure from this trail as well as the downed tree!  The next was Adam Falls, a pretty flat, sometimes rocky loop trail which led by a waterfall, along the creek for a ways and through the woodlands.  Here we encountered a few hikers and the trail was more open and not as wooded as Grove Run.   As you will see by the picture below, not currently much of a waterfall, but during spring I am sure it flows abundantly.  This area is open for hunting during the established season and common game species are deer, turkey, bear and squirrel.  When is bear season anyway??

Getting ready to hike Grove Run trail

What, no bikes?

Really enjoyed the morning hike and although the trails are nothing like we encounter in the desert, they hold a beauty that can't be compared.  This is Pennsylvania.

After church we headed to the Walnut Hill Winery where we had read there was entertainment, a bonfire and food! 

The setting was laid back, an eclectic venue with mismatched chairs and tables set up on the front lawn.  The band played beneath a white tent, and the view overlooking trees and house tops was amazing!  We stepped inside to the tasting room to decide on the wine for the evening.  We settled on their Cab, got some grub and found a seat.  The music was a bluegrass, sorta rock band and they didn't disappoint. 

The band, Sugar Mountain under the tent, the star sunset beyond

But, the sunset stole the show for sure.  One of the most colorful and beautiful that we've seen since we've been here.  You'll have to take my word for it as my picture didn't turn out so good.  You can see a little of it behind the band, but you will have to use your imagination!

You can see the winery in the background here beyond the bonfire

After the sun went down, we moved over by the bonfire and finished our wine.  We chatted about what we would do differently next time; definitely bring our own food and smuggle in better wine!  It was definitely a great night though.  We headed to the car and I said I wanted a coffee, and so did O.  It seems we both had a craving for a Starbucks.  We searched on the GPS and we were on our way....in the opposite direction 13 miles!  Otto said, "what else are we gonna do, go home and watch TV?", so off we went to Indiana (the city of course) for a cup of joe!  A java lovers gotta do what a java lovers gotta do.  If nothing else, Otto and I have lots of laughs about living in Pennsylvania! 

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged... hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Things here seem to be cooling down a bit, especially at night.  It's been in the 70's during the day and the evenings are nice for sitting on the balcony, enjoying the breeze and watching the leaves tumble to the ground.  I do love the change of seasons in the east.

Speaking of change, someone at bible study the other day said something like "one thing is for sure and will always remain, there will always be change".  Our discussion had veered off a bit as they sometimes do, and  we took a side road from our discussion on how Christians answer the call today differently than earlier in our spiritual walk, which brought us to 'change'.

Change in society, change in technology, change in family dynamics, well, change in general.   What God wants from us hasn't changed though.  Here's what I see, religion has changed throughout the years, man-made rules have changed, but God hasn't changed, He is the same God.

I guess it is true, that change will always be, but it is nice to know that the One who created us will never change.

All Things Work Together For Good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:27-29

It seems that lately I have been questioning my purpose here in Pennsylvania a lot.  Work has been tough to find and there have been some bumps in the road.  But, I am reminded in this scripture that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love him.  And that He is with us through it all.

I just have to stay the course and remember that.  No matter where I am, He is with me and through it all, He will bring me to where I need to be.  So, I am going to stay focused and stay the course.