Our Journey Begins
Visiting Old Friends
The first step of our adventure touring North America was a short journey to Lancaster, PA to visit our friends who we met through the Medical Imaging business. Lon was the CEO of a start-up company in Newport News developing a 
new imaging device for early detection of breast cancer. Colin consulted for and then worked for the company for several years. Cheryl also contributed through her Nuclear Medicine and writing skills of operator’s manuals. We became friends and were very happy to visit, dine and catch up with news from Lon and Mary. We were treated like royalty, even provided with a free overnight RV site, their driveway. We vowed not to leave it so long until our next meeting.
Journey North
‘Hobbit House’ in PA
Weather conditions and temperatures were not very ‘Spring-like’ but we pushed on, found some sunshine on our journey and settled into our campsite at Allegany State Park, NY for the night. Even though it was a weekend, the park was almost empty (although we did find a group occupying our campsite). 
A small flock of Canadian geese were staying at Red House Lake, looked like they were apprehensive about returning to their homeland while the weather was cold.and wet. The park is beautiful,
a mixture of hills, forests and lakes and a historic ‘Tudor Lodge’ administration building where we brunched overlooking the lake. If we’d had more time and the weather had cooperated, we would have enjoyed staying a few more days.
Four Mile Creek on Lake Ontario
We had decided to make this NY State Park our home for a few days so that we could take a look around Niagara on the Lake and explore the Niagara Falls area (a subject of a future post). Our site was about 100 yards from the Lake so within easy reach for some sunrise photos and next to the creek where Colin found a couple of families of Canadian Geese, staying while their goslings learned to fly. It was peaceful (apart from a grass mower that has been following us around all the way from Florida) still very chilly, windy and only sunny our last day. It was a great place to stay so we didn’t have to compete with the crowds around the Niagara Falls area.
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Niagara on the Lake
Thanks goes to Verena Thoma and Christine and Richard Olsenius for helping plan part of our road trip in areas in which they were familiar. Verena and Heinz lived in Canada for many years, and Christine and Richard originally hail from Minnesota, but have traveled this area extensively. We felt fortunate for their gu
idance, we’re really enjoying the places they suggested. This town, Niagara on the Lake, has a very high cute factor! We toured around and walked through the town finding everything quaint and beautiful, particularly because of all the planted tulips. Ontario’s spring is just starting and we got to see forsythia, red buds, and cherry trees come out en force. 
The trees, on the other hand, have not quite leafed yet. While on main street, we happened upon a store called, The Shiny Company (very New Age) and started speaking with the English owner, Stuart Constable. While chatting, Colin found the perfect bag for Cheryl: Peace signs matching an already purchased peace sign jacket. Can’t take the 60’s out of the California Girl. Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) has featured a well-known George Bernard Shaw Festival since 1962 which is why you see his name and statue appearing over town.
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- George Bernard Shaw
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- Cheryl just loved the title of this store!
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- Dogs drink in style in NOTL.
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- Starbucks Scene
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- ‘Selfie Corner’ in NOTL
Click on map below to see larger version
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Heureuse d’avoir des news de votre voyage. Très bon entraînement pour mon anglais. J’adore la borne incendie!!!! Profitez bien.
From Cheryl: Thank you again for your lovely messages, we love it. Glad you like the fire hydrant, it’s a Colin-special photo. We send lots of love and hugs, Cheryl (and Colin)