South Haven, Michigan

This weekend there was a four day weekend for the kids due to a school in service day and Columbus Day. We decided to take a trip with our new fifth wheel. It is about 10 feet shorter than the old one we lived in and also weighs much less. We chose to go to South Haven, Michigan which is about 3 hours from home. 

We stayed at the KOA in Covert so South Haven was only a 15 minute drive. We did not bring the kids on this trip so we were able to do more adult friendly activities. We went to the Arclight Brewing Company in Watervliet, the Great Mead Brewing Company in Bangor, and the Coppercrast Distillery in Saugatuck. There were lots of wineries and vineyards in the area but we decided to still with local beer and liquor.

Besides drinking we went to downtown South Haven, which has a ton of cute stores. We went to the beach in South Haven where we saw the lighthouses. For lunch we ate at Taste, which is known for having small plates. We ordered 5 different plates and shared them. I wish we had went there for dinner because the restaurant seemed like more of a dinner place rather than a lunch place. 

We went to a Chili Cookoff in Saugatuck. For $.50 we could sample chili from each contestant. It was so delicious. We then walked to all the downtown shops in Saugatuck, which were similar to the shops in South Haven. 

We went to ATVing one afternoon. It was $100 a person per hour. Unfortunately I'm inexperienced in riding and I hit the back of Cody's ATV. The damage, which we had to pay for, was $1300. Ouch!  We spent more paying for that than we did on the whole trip. I'm lucky I wasn't hurt. Cody didn't get upset about the cost and we even laughed about it afterwards. I think we were both just thankful that it wasn't worse. The owner said that the amount of damage was in the top 3 that they have ever had there. I don't think I'm going to go ATVing anymore. 

Overall the trip was fun!  It was a few days of relaxing in a very laid back part of Michigan. No stress, no busyness. We will definitely be going back. 

Niagara Falls, New York

Day 1

We left central Illinois and drove about 6 hours today to Cleveland, Ohio.  I sat in the back seat with the kids so that I could take are of the baby while Cody drives.  I'm pretty sure my job was easier than his.  I hate driving.

We have a dear friend who lives here so we were able to park our RV in his driveway and sleep at his house for the night. He has a lovely home and in his basement he has ping pong, a pool table and a bowling lane. Our 8 year old really enjoyed spending time in the basement. We went out to dinner and ate at Carrabbas. I had never eaten there before and the chicken soup was amazing!  I have since looked online for a copy recipe and I look forward to trying to make it myself. 

Day 2

We left from Cleveland at around 10am and started the journey to the KOA in Grand Island, New York, which is about 15 minutes from Niagara Falls. We set up camp and headed out to utilize the hours left in the day. We decided to stay in the area for the day since we had spent so much time driving. We grabbed a few hot dogs for dinner at a place called Buffalo Dogs. They had so many options for toppings. We then went swimming in the heated pool at the campground that also had two water slides. This was the first time our 5 month old had been in a pool. She loved splashing. 

Day 3

We woke up early and after getting ready for the day we headed to Niagara Falls. If you have never been to Niagara Falls then you may not be aware that you can spend the entire day doing everything they have to offer. 

We purchased the Discovery Pass which allowed us to do most of the attractions. We went to the aquarium, the discovery center, Goat Island, the various lookout points of the falls, and the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat that takes you out right to the falls and you wear ponchos so that you don’t get soaked by the water. 

After spending the day doing all the things at the Niagara Falls State Park we went to the Great American Arcade. It was a really nice arcade that has all new games and was really affordable. Afterwards we went next door to The Anchor Bay for dinner. They are known for being the place where Buffalo wings originated from. It was yummy!

Day 4

Today was the day I looked forward to the most. We drove to Toronto Canada, which was about an hour and a half drive. We went downtown to a quaint restaurant called La Pallete. Our sole purpose in going to Toronto was to go to this restaurant because they serve horse. No joke. We ate horse. It was divine!  Seriously, it tasted amazing. Our 8 year old even loved it. We started with the horse tartare (pictured below), which is raw horse and for our main courses we had duck confit and cheval (which is the horse tenderloin). Everything tasted great and it was worth the 3 hours of driving. 

Day 5

Today we started our day by going to Old Fort Niagara, which a fort that is about 300 years old. It was so neat being able to go into the castle and all the buildings. The view of the lake was just beautiful. There are people dressed to look like soldiers and they do demonstrations. It’s just a simple fun place to go. 

We went to the Theee Sisters Trading post to buy a few souvenirs and drove by the Second Coming of Isaiah house (pictured below). 

Next we went to Wilson Tuscarora State Park. There is a small beach on Lake Ontario there that is very quite. There was only one other family there when we got there at 11am. Cody is set on swimming in all of the Great Lakes so this was just one more lake to cross off the list. 

Day 6

Today we set off towards home. While getting the RV packed and ready to go Cody noticed a clog in the black tank. If you know anything about RVs and what a black tank is then you know this is not a fun thing to deal with. Luckily, after a little research, we realized it was just a pyramid plug and he was able to easily unclog it and finish dumping the tank. We headed back to Cleveland to spend the night with our friend again. 

Day 7

Our last day of traveling until we got home. Cleveland to central Illinois. This was about a 6 hour drive. It’s always a good moment when you pull in the driveway of your home after being gone. We had a great trip but I’m happy to be home.