"You'll Always Know Your Cow"

One of our stops on this trip has been to see the Erie Canal, and take a little boat ride on it.

Liz made up this amazing booklet for each of the kids on this trip. She got clip art from various places, pictures of things we were going to visit, and little blurbs that she put together so that the kids could read a bit about what we were going to do before we got there. She made sure that the stuff she wrote was age appropriate, as well as short enough to be interesting. Liz also left some blank pages for the kids to draw or paste souvenirs in. I was pretty impressed.

Liz also read a lot of stories with the kids before we left that dealt with where we were going. As well as rounded out her "priming" of them with a few multi-media presentations (songs and videos).

One of her songs that she was playing for them before we left was "The Erie Canal". Rather than just reciting to them when it was built, how long it was, who was Governor when it was built, etc., she really did a pretty good job of making this stuff interesting. We talked about locks, how they worked, the importance to river traffic to trade in the 1800's, etc.

When we got close to the canal, we were singing the song, and we realized that Buddy Boy had gotten one of the words wrong. We've all done this at one time or another (some of us more often than not), so it was no big thing. But he insisted for the longest time that his version was right, and he didn't want to change it.

The original chorus goes:

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor,
you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.

Well, Buddy Boy insisted the third line was:

And you'll always know your neighbor,
you'll always know your pal cow

Given that he still talks about wanting to be a farmer, I guess it's good to "always know your cow".

The song can be heard here.

When Did Niagra Falls Get So Tacky?

So, our first stop on our family vacation extravaganza this year was Niagara Falls. I have been there 2 or 3 times in the past, but not for at least a decade. And I don't think I've been on the Canada side of the falls for at least 30 years.

I was surprised both by how expensive everything was on the Canadian side of the falls, as well as how tacky. Now don't get me wrong. The falls themselves are beautiful (breathtaking, really), and the view from the Canadian side is better than from the US side. But I'm still left wondering whether if it was worth it to go, as the place left somewhat of a bad taste in our mouths.

This is what we expected (and got!):




The falls are a natural wonder, and the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride is worth it, as they get you right up close to the falls.



But the town is tacky to the nth degree



with Ripley's right next to Frankenstein, next to a horror show, next to a Rock and Roll Wax museum, tacky souvenir shop, etc. People smoking everywhere (not just the tourists, but a much greater percentage of the locals then I would have expected-I thought Canadians were supposed to be much more progressive. I guess they're just more "European" in this respect).

The hotel we stayed at was expensive, and looked like it had been built in the 1970's, with furniture updated once in the 1980's. The cleanliness was barely passable, the wi-fi didn't work in the room (only in the lobby, though they expressed surprise that it didn't work in the room-a night clerk said it never worked in our room). One of the mattresses creaked and was lumpier than our 25 year old sleeper sofa at home.

Food cost about 80% more, even after adjusting for the exchange rate (ham, mushroom, and cheese omelette at a Perkins restaurant- $8.49 in the states, $14.98 in Canada. Other stuff even more outrageous). You would think that the town would look really good, with the prices being charged. But other than some nice buildings right near the river, the rest of the town is rather shabby looking.

It took us almost 3 hours to clear Canadian customs, and we weren't even singled out for special inspection. The lines were just that long. Buddy Boy was waxing poetic in the back seat about what the customs agents might be looking for while we were waiting (bombs, explosives, and terrorists). Luckily, we persuaded him to clam up while we passed thru the line.

Even though the streets were packed, we were told that tourism is off this year due to the economy. The Canadian people were nicer than most tourist dependent townsfolk. I think I would be surly if I lived in a town where people tramped thru my front yard every day and asked stupid questions. One store clerk thanked me for being polite (and I wasn't even trying to be-I can't imagine what she has to put up with on a daily basis).

After a couple days of seeing the falls and the surrounding area, we were off to mid-southern Pennsylvania, where we spent the next few days. Fortunately, we got thru customs going back in about a half hour.

All in all, I still would go back to Niagara Falls and the Canadian side. It's just a shame that such a naturally beautiful place has been degraded by such a tacky town.

Labels

photo credit-kingnixon
creative commons license

In preparing for our recent cross country vehicular jaunt (i.e., vacation/holiday) I faced a bit of an ethical dilemma. The US National Parks Service offers a variety of different passes that are valid for admission to all national parks and forests. Besides these annual passes, it is also possible to purchase access for a limited period of time (usually 7 days) for a discounted amount.

I had been vaguely aware of the Access Pass from a local autism online group. The Access Pass gives free lifetime admission to the parks to those with permanent disabilities (along with up to 3 other people traveling with them in the same non-commercial vehicle). I hadn't thought about it much, but now took the time to consider it.

Was Buddy Boy permanently disabled? I have taken the tack of presumed competence, and thus proceed assuming he will continue in school, get a job, and be able to live independently. Would I be "giving in" if I had him labeled as having a permanent disability? Would I be lying to myself from here on out if I said I was presuming competence, but at the same time presenting a card that said that Buddy Boy was permanently disabled?

When we first knew that Buddy Boy was different, I had at least moderate resistance to placing any sort of a label on him. What advantage would it confer? And at what cost? At first I thought that the costs of placing any sort of label on him (ostracism, bullying, presumed incompetence by the schools) far outweighed the potential advantages (identity, and knowing he was not bad, just different). In fact, if we could have obtained educational supports for him without publicly labeling him, I might have continued to lobby for such an approach.

I have no problem with Buddy Boy knowing he is autistic. We treat it as a matter of fact thing around our house (much like we treat the fact that he joined our family thru adoption). I do wonder, though, about future implications of him having his name in official databases with a label next to it. Will it affect future employment opportunities? We cannot always predict unexpected outcomes from decisions we make.

In the end, my decision on whether to get an Access Pass for Buddy Boy was based on pragmatics. I first consulted the National Parks FAQ's regarding the pass. According to this site:

Who qualifies for the Access Pass?

The pass may be issued to U.S. citizens or permanent residents that have been medically determined to have a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life activities.

A permanent disability is a permanent physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. (emphasis added)

Surely Buddy Boy's ADHD and autism qualified him as having a learning disability (the powers that be certainly thought it severe enough to kick him out of his regular classroom and place him for awhile in a class for emotionally disturbed kids). As to whether his autism and ADHD will affect his learning permanently, the experiences of adults on the spectrum would certainly seem to bear this out. While people develop various "work arounds" as they mature, they don't magically learn not to be autistic as they get older.

That left the question of tracking him in a central database. A little asking around revealed that they don't record a Social Security number with the name, so there's no way that they can track these passes and merge them with other databases. Finally, as Buddy Boy gets older, it can always be his decision whether he uses the pass or not.

So we went with the pass. Got a letter from his doctor detailing his autism and its effects on his learning, showed up at the park and presented the letter, and got the pass with no hassle at all. It felt good to get something useful from my tax dollars, for a change.

So, first we used the pass to drive thru the Badlands


Then to visit Devil's Tower National Monument


And finally to visit Yellowstone National Park


Further photos can be found here.

When Aspies Meet

So, our first full day in Yellowstone Park we went to visit Old Faithful geyser. We hung around for the 35 minutes or so until the next eruption, and secured ourself a front row seat so the kids would get a good view. Afterwards, when asked how he liked it Buddy Boy replied "I thought it would be bigger". He had seen it in videos before we left, and evidently a 100 foot (30 odd meters) tall plume of water with steam in person didn't measure up to what he thought he saw in the video. But still he liked it, and wanted to stick around until the next eruption.

We started walking around the large boardwalk that is in the general area of Old Faithful, and leads to a number of hot springs and other geyers. While we were walking, we passed another family group who had one young boy who was perhaps 10 years old or so. Buddy Boy walks up to him and says,

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"Did you see Old Faithful?"

Other Boy (OB): "Yea, it was great. Did you see Castle Geyser? It's the one back there. It's even bigger."

Buddy Boy (BB): "Old Faithful will erupt again in about one hour."

(OB): "Castle Geyser only erupts once a day. You have to check the schedule at the ranger station. It already erupted today."

(BB): "The magma chamber must be close to the surface here. That water's really hot."

(OB): "The water's over 200 degrees."

(BB): "Only special types of bacteria and algae can live in the water."

(OB): "Castle Geyser is older than Old Faithful. You should check the sign by the building over there, so you can see it erupt next time."

(Voice from mother of Other Boy, who has walked about 100 feet farther down the walk with the rest of her family): "Jordan! We need to go."

(BB): "Wow, you're even smarter than me!"
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Now, of course, I have no idea whether Jordan (the Other Boy) was on the spectrum or not. But I really enjoyed watching the brief exchange between these two young lads. They both appeared to genuinely enjoy talking to each other. Buddy Boy does not often hold down conversations with other people (though when he does, it usually involves topics of special interest). And whether or not Jordan was on the spectrum, there was much recognizable about him-his walk, his speech patterns, the way he kind of looked at Buddy Boy without really looking at him, etc.-that resonated with me and reminded me very much of Buddy Boy.

It was also kind of cool how Buddy Boy identified another person (whether randomly or not, I don't know) who shared his interest in geysers. Buddy Boy was even impressed enough with Jordan that he payed him the ultimate compliment ("You're even smarter than me!"). Buddy Boy always insists that he's smarter than I am.

Anyway, that's how we spent our first full day in Yellowstone.

Wordless Wednesday

Where in the World...

Are we??

Who can figure out which state in the Continental U.S. we are in?

This is a contest. But as I am a cheapskate, on the road, and am figuring this out as I go along, I don't have anything to give away. So for the prize, for the first one to figure out where we are, I'll e-mail you some scenic views from our vacation (holiday).

Tonights clue is the picture up on top. If someone doesn't figure it out in 24 hours, I'll edit this post and add another clue.

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edit
The first guess. The first guess!

OK, Do'C got it on the first try. We actually spent the first night of our vacation in Iowa, but with apologies to any Iowans out there, I didn't take any pics that first night (though the kids and I did find a family of toads outside the motel while Liz was checking in).

Our second night was spent in South Dakota (we didn't stay in Sturgis, we actually stayed a few miles down the road in Spearfish). But that didn't matter, as the annual Bike Rally in Sturgis draws 500,000 (!) people on their bikes (mainly Harley Davidson's) to South Dakota. Our first inkling that our vacation coincided with Bike Week was in trying to make reservations. Liz found that most motels (single rooms in 2 star nothing special places) were going for $300/night!!! I was like "What!! We're not talking New York City, this is South Dakota!" We soon found the reason, and eventually found a room for just over $200/night, which still hurt.

There have been Harleys everywhere!


And amazingly, the kids don't see anything abnormal with this. Today we saw the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD (it's a building that is covered in-you guessed it-corn! Quite a-maize-ing, actually),


As well as stopped at Wall Drug for "Free Ice Water!" as well as ice cream.


Tonight we've moved on. For a second prize (reward same as the first) this new location has unique geologic phenomena found in only 4 other places in the world. For the prize, name the place, AND the 4 other countries where these phenomena are found.

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edit

Next clue.

Although there are a few scattered in other places, the 4 other countries that have significant concentrations of these geological phenomena that are located in the park we are visiting are Russia, New Zealand, Iceland, and Chile.


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edit

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

We have our second winner! Niksmom is right. We saw Old Faithful erupt today (twice), as a matter of fact.

Travelogue

It's been just over a week since we returned from vacationing (holiday) in Colorado (Southwestern U.S.) We're all getting settled back in and readying ourselves for the kids returning to school tomorrow (Buddy Boy to 2nd grade, Sweet Pea to Kindergarten).

When I was a kid our family took a camping trip every summer (usually for two weeks). We traveled all over the U.S. and Canada. It was a great way to have fun, see some scenery, meet great people, and learn some geography and history without really trying. I never appreciated how great those trips were at the time, but I do now, and hope to pass some of the same memories along to my own kids. Because of time constraints at work, I'm usually limited to only one week off at a time, but it's still great to take a trip with the whole family. Liz refuses to camp, but it's still fun even if you're staying in a motel or condo.

We loaded up the "family truckster" and left early on Saturday morning. Although in an ideal world the kids would both gaze placidly out at the scenery all day and not get in any fights, we decided to serve the sanity of all involved, and bought a portable DVD player for the car. It's better than drugging them, and has the advantage of being legal. We drove for 11 hours the first day, and got as far as Limon, Colorado. That's about 760 miles (1216 km) with a 7 and 5 year old. While not perfect, the DVD player worked wonders in inducing a trance like state for hours at a time. While I still don't believe in its routine use in the car, I must say I now understand those parents that do.

There isn't much to see or do in Limon (apologies to any Limonites), and we pressed on the next morning another 380 miles (608 km) to Durango, CO, which was going to be our base for the week. We got there early enough that we were able to get some time in in the pool. We stayed at a condominium complex which was OK, if a bit dated.




One of the first things we did in the area was to explore Mesa Verde national park. This park is noted for being the site of many cliff dwellings left by the Anasazi Native American tribes. We always think of America as a young country, and tend to forget that there were people here a long time ago. The Anasazi came to Mesa Verde in about 600 A.D. First they dwelled in huts dug in the ground, while the cliff dwellings pictured were probably built in the 1200's. The Anasazi left this area for unknown reasons near the end of the 1200's. We're always ensured of getting a lot of knowledge out of guided tours, as Buddy Boy can't help but ask at least 3 questions every 5 minutes (even though we prompt him to take turns and let others also ask). He does ask some good questions, though.



We had to hike a couple of miles to get to the ruins, but the kids held up well, and it was well worth it. The kids also did well on some other hikes we took during the week. They collected a bunch of rocks which they ended up stuffing first in their pockets, and later in the cupholders in the car.



What would a trip to mining country be without panning for gold. We took a couple of off road jeep trails, and besides seeing some great scenery we also caught a little "gold fever" while panning for gold. The temperatures during the day were in the high 80's to mid '90's (31-35 degrees C) around Durango, which is at 6500' (1980 meters), but it dropped into the 60's to 70's (16-22 C) when we were on some of the trails that went up as far as 13,000 feet (3962 meters).



We drove up to Silverton (an old mining town) instead of taking the historic narrow gauge train because the train trip takes 3.5 hours (rather than a little over an hour driving). We love old trains, but didn't think the kids would be up for that long sitting on the train. Once there we explored some ghost towns out of town, as well as saw some alpine meadows and drove by some snow.

The trip (like all good things) came to an end much too soon. Before we knew it we had to fire up the DVD player for the trip back home. The only casualty on the trip was a headphone cord that got chewed thru, which was spot repaired with a band-aid (plaster).

Now we need to start planning next year's trip!