Someday is Today: New York Roadtrip

Last week, Josh and I flew to Buffalo, New York, to buy Josh a car (I mentioned it here). The car didn't work out, but we managed to have a pretty fun time in spite of the disappointment. More than 18 hours on the road, and more than 1,000 miles later, here's our adventure.

The first day was an adventure. We arrived a little before noon, and then had the afternoon to spend exploring Buffalo and get up to Niagara Falls. The Falls were simply amazing. I've never seen something quite so beautiful in my life...and I don't even like things outside. That's saying something. God knew what he was doing when he made this! We walked around the whole park, then ventured over to Canada for a couple of hours. On our drive back to our hotel, we stopped at Duff's Famous Wings in Amherst. The Buffalo wings were delicious...not breaded and perfectly spicy.

On, he second day, Friday, we did the car thing in the morning, and then kept our rental car. We drove from Buffalo, New York, up Lake Ontario and ended up having an amazing late lunch at Baranga's at the Beach in Hamilton, Ontario. The restaurant, oddly enough, was like being at a Mexican resort. The stucco building, fresh food, and light beaches along the water felt like the resort Josh and I spent our honeymoon in Mexico. On a whim, we decided to head up to Toronto, just to say we'd done it. Then, we drove to Sarnia, Ontario, to see Lake Huron. After a couple pictures, we hopped back in the car and drove to our hotel near the Detroit airport.

The third day, Saturday, consisted of lots of driving. We drove from Detroit to Lake Erie for a couple of pictures, and then passed through Toledo (again, just to say we'd done it) on our way to have lunch with my family in Elkhart, Indiana. After lunch, Josh test drove another car, and then we drove to Chicago to meet Rod and Michaun. We went to dinner with our Chicago tour guides (aka: Rod and Michaun), and then walked around Millennium Park. It was so fun to see the park at night which was very different from when I saw it on a morning walk in April.

The fourth day, Sunday, was filled with lots of sun and outdoor Chicago activities. After brunch, we went on an architectural boat tour along the Chicago River. I learned so much about Chicago history and architecture, like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward in Chicago in 1939. I guess I thought he has been around since Santa...but that's probably just my sheltered childhood coming through. Once the boat tour was over, Rod and Michaun took me to Lake Michigan to check it off my 30 before 30 list. We quickly freshened up, and then went to dinner at Chop House.

By the fifth day, Monday and Memorial Day, Josh and I were exhausted, but not too tired to see two more cars before we left Chicago. Once we returned the rental car at the Des Moines airport and drove home, it was close to 5 PM. So, from Thursday at 5 AM to Sunday at 5 PM, we logged more miles, experiences, lakes, and memories than I could have ever imagined. It's a good life I have... Thanks for being a part of it!