Our Great New York Trip: Day Eight

So, I've never really, really loved blogging, and doing post for each day of our trip is just about to do me in.  It's been a month now and I still have two days to blog.  I may never blog again after this, but at least it will all be properly recorded!

This was our last day at Beaverkill.  We were fed another fabulous pancake breakfast (they shared their syrup AGAIN!)  Roger and Grandpa Reese went for a walk to see the difference between two kinds of maple trees, Debbie took Madeline, Camilla, and Eliza up over the mountain in the Gator (kind of like a 4 wheeler), while Grandma Kathy, Kevin, Anna, Natalia, Mari, and I drove around the mountain to say farewell to the rest of the family.

We got a little lost in our drive and it took us a while to get back on track, so when we finally did, we couldn't find the rest of the crew.  They had stopped to pick blueberries (how quaint is that?!) and hiked up to the waterfall.

Eventually Roger found us and helped us to the waterfall.  It was a beautiful place!  I was low on memory card space, so I only took a few pictures.

My mom said she never hiked to the waterfall when she was younger.  She claims they ran free with no parental supervision in those days, but apparently her parents had enough sense not to let her know about this place!  It is gorgeous, but the rocks are all very slippery.

This is our wonderful hostess, Debbie.  She claims she doesn't do pictures, but we got one anyway. 

Natalia found this pretty blue and black feather.  I would have liked to see the bird from which it came.  We also found the most amazing fairy mushroom.  It was bright orange with yellow spots.  I thought they only looked like that in fairy tales, but Beaverkill grows them that way, too.  Of course, Beaverkill is kind of a fairy tale.

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Reese in front of the stone house.

Do you know what I loved about Beaverkill?  I never once worried or fretted about getting the laundry done or the dinner made or any of the other many things I always seem to get so busy with everyday.  And guess what?  The laundry still needed done and dinner still needed to be made, I was just able to forget about it and enjoy my family.  Beaverkill is just the kind of place that does that!

We had planned to leave much earlier in the day, but we kept lingering and lingering!

We found one last toad here.  I think Eliza is looking down at it.

Back row L to R:  Patrick (I think), Liz's husband, then Jackie's husband (can't believe I don't know their names!), AJ, Alex (Fiona's boyfriend).  Front L to R:  Jackie Laird, Kathy, Fiona Laird, Lisel, Brooks Willich, Sarah, Liz,, Madeline, Camilla, Eliza, Lindy, Mari, Kevin, Anna, Natalia, Reese

On our way back to Waterloo we drove through Pennsylvania.  We found this awesome train bridge thing--It's called the Starrucca Viaduct.  It was SO tall!  Madeline scaled the wall and hung there until Grandma Kathy took her picture. 

These are a couple pictures of it from the internet.  It was really amazing.

                                             

We stopped here for lunch, then headed on to the Susquehanna River.

In case you are not up on your church history, the Susquehanna River was the site where John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey and restored the Aaronic Priesthood.  Later, Peter, James, and John came and conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon them.

It's also the site of Joseph and Emma's first home, Emma's parents' home, and their first baby (Alvin) is buried in the cemetery here.

This little river site is actually a bit tricky to get to.  The monument in the previous picture is right off the road, but this is back behind the railroad tracks and such.  We had to walk a good ways, but finally made it!

Ice cream cones always make the trip home more enjoyable.

Mari was willing to share with everyone.

Grandma Kathy bought everyone Happy Meals once we got back to the hotel.  I would have gone for the $1 hamburgers and water, but not Grandma!  And aren't they happy!

Even Mari got her own.  Lucky ducky.