The Elysian Fields

We're planning vacation for the spring - the main goal of which is to get to Laconia - and it turns out that the kids only have three days off. Provided we can access teh intarweb on the Tuesday morning involved, Justin will be okay with school, and Rachel has that day and the next off for teacher in-service days.

I seem to recall a week off in February and a week off in April, but I may be remembering incorrectly. Can't remember what colors dinosaurs came in, but you'd think I'd have no problem remembering days off from school way back when, at the dawn of time...

Anyway... a number of things are in the possibility range, although very few things will fit into this tiny trip:

1) Niagra Falls - we would have visited there earlier this fall/late summer if it wasn't for using up all my vaction, personal days, and sick time in the first quarter of the year. I was there when I was a little younger than Justin, but the rest of the crew hasn't been close to there and has been wanting to go for a while. As with all the following, trying to shoehorn it into this trip might work - but it would give us maybe half a day or less in the area. Might be best to plan for a time in the late summer, as we would have done this year.

2) Erie Canal - on that trip way back when (we travelled in a wooly mammoth caravan,) we crossed over the canal a number of times between MA and the Falls, and I've always wanted to check out some of the museums along the way. This actually makes a good segue between the Falls and Laconia, but it really needs more time. We might just shoot up 81 and checkout one or two specific locations along the canal before heading to Laconia.

3) Franklin, Meadville, and so on - lots of family on the other side of the state; been about five or six years since we were there - maybe even more? I don't know if we'd do a lot there, or just stop in and say hi. My brother and I liked visiting Drake's Well as kids, and the train ride there on our last visit was fun for Justin. Might want to spend a bit more time there - with all the genealogy, I'd kind of like to Matthew Riddle's gravesite and other family-related history. It's in the mix only because of a possible loop up to Erie and along the lake to get to the Falls.

4) The Everett Railroad Company - I just discovered this late last night, early this morning. It's been around for 50 years, so I can't imagine my father or grandfather didn't have their (our) pictures taken with one of the engines, but I stumbled across it while checking the names of short lines in PA. This would have been really cool to stop by on the last trip to western PA - might have been able to get four Everetts in front of one of the engines... =)

5) Ottowa - this came up on a whim, possibly related to some of the conversation yesterday, but really I was just following the largish looking roads between Buffalo and Laconia, and this - with a drive through Montreal en route to Laconia - seemed like an interesting diversion. It actually fits in to two different plans - from the Falls, and straight up 81.

6) Watertown - ye olde hometown, to see Brother's Pizza shadesong and yendi in their new town. Just a quick visit, only time for one meal at Brother's, no time for Mimi's, Wings Express, The Pea Pod, or sightseeing (I certainly wouldn't mind playing tour guide on a longer stay!)

These are some of the points we'll be considering - and if we don't get to them, we're likely to fairly soon (i.e. 1-2 years!) One reason for holding off on some of them for a longer opening of time is that a lot of friends live in or around a lot of the areas we're going to or driving through, and it would be fun to spend a bit of time with them.