Marylanders On Vacation

A few years had gone by since we last visited Niagara Falls. There were
other options as far as where to go this year, Europe was certainly one.
But, my Dads birthday was coming up in August 2 and they have never
been to the falls, it just seemed like a better choice.This would mean
that we could coordinate with other members of the family since a 7 hour
drive would be cheaper than a 7 hour flight. It meant my sister, who is
based in California, could fly in for a surprise visit. But that also
meant a vacation without both my daughters since they would be heading
to Europe. A first for us.


The seed for
this plan began during the anniversary celebration for my parents
earlier this year.. My wife and my sister were discussing what to do
when a surprises visit to Niagara was hatched. The concept was simple
enough. Get to Niagara without my parents knowing my sister would
arrive. Get everybody to the hotel, answer any questions without the
truth slipping out. Have my sister and her husband make an appearance,
shout ,”Surprises”, have a few minutes of laugh and giggles then start
the rest of the vacation. In practice, it was more difficult, mainly
because the responsibility for keeping the charade running fell on my
shoulders.


The road to Niagara


My
wife, parents and myself started the trip early with the expectation of
arriving just before check-in time, 3pm. That was the plan. Instead, we
left early enough but made a detour towards Pittsburgh to meet a friend.
The circuitous route took us through some scenic areas in Pennsylvania,
such as the city of Ridge way in Elk county, Pennsylvania, and some oil
fields.Ridge way is a town built by the lumber industry and seemed
typical small town USA. We stayed only long enough to have lunch. Yet,
during that short stay, we couldn’t help but noticed all the financial
institutions that dotted the area, credit unions, banks and more. There
appears to be plenty of money in lumber.


Courtyard by Marriott


We
were to stay at the Courtyard. Although we would have saved more by
renting a vacation house, most seemed to prefer a hotel because of the
proximity to the falls plus the fact that tidying the place up after or
stay was not a requirement. But first things first, we needed to
check-in without causing an issue. My sister included, we would be
needing 4 rooms. But since we parents did not know they were coming,
they were expecting 3 rooms.