Thundering Noise

Other than local places, there isn't a place I've been to more than Niagara Falls. My first trip was in 1990 with my Mom. I brought a group of farmers there, during an out-state-state bus tour. I don't remember what year. In 2005, I visited Niagara Falls when I was in Buffalo for the NACAA meeting. I took my niece in 2006. My last visit was last year (2023) on the way back from Ontario to speak at some goat clinics. 

Niagara Falls skyline

I've done the Maid of the Mist boat ride a couple of times. Getting close to the falls was/is always an amazing experience -- and a wet one! I have gone behind the falls once or twice. I have been up in the Skylon Tower to take in the views. The site of the falls never ceases to awe me. 

Horseshoe Falls

Niagara Falls is a group of three water falls at the southern end of the Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between Ontario and New York. The largest of the three is Horseshoe falls. It lies on the international border between Canada and the US. The smaller American Falls and even smaller Bridal Veil Falls lie within the US.  

Over the years, Niagara Falls has attracted many daredevils and publicity seekers. People have also accidentally fallen over the falls. Some have tried to commit suicide. Some have survived. The most recent incident was in 2019 when a man jumped into the river above Horseshoe Falls. He survived. My niece and I went on a VR-style "ride" which simulated going over the falls and floating down the river in a barrel. It was cool. We did it twice.

The most powerful waterfall in North America

SEE AND LISTEN TO THE FALLS

In 1969, the American Falls were drained. Two dead bodies and millions of coins were found.  Rainbow Bridge is a steel arch bridge that connects Niagara Falls, Canada with Niagara Falls, New York. It replaced Honeymoon Bridge which collapsed in 1938 due to an ice jam. The traffic across Rainbow Bridge it was too backed up to travel it last year. I chose a different route to return to the US.

Rainbow Bridge

American Falls

Niagara Falls is New York's largest generator of electricity. Nikola Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls. There is a statue of him near the falls.

Power Station

There is wreckage of a ship (scow) in the Niagara River not far from the brink of Horseshoe Falls. It has been there for more than a century. Two men were rescued from the vessel which had broke loose from a boat. I didn't see it until I visited the last time. I had never walked up the river until last year.

Wreckage

Walkway

Niagara River

Floral showcase

Cocoa Beach

September 24, 2022  -- The only reason I had heard of Cocoa Beach is because it was where the TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie took place. It is just south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. The year I retired, I was asked to speak at a program at the University of Florida. Mom and Darlene accompanied me on the trip and one of the places we went was Cocoa Beach.

Cocoa Beach Pier

Riki Tiki Tavern

92 year old lush

Cocoa Beach

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Post created 27 April 2026

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Viva Las Vegas

December 2018 -- We had a fun time in Las Vegas. Niki, Dahlia, and I. We stayed at the Flamingo. I only had one drink and didn't gamble. We went to Cowboy Christmas, rode the high roller (giant Ferris wheel), went up to the observation tower in the STRAT, got (temporary) tattoos, visited most of the hotels on the strip, and saw a show. I saw Brooks and Dunn and Reba McIntyre at the MGM Grand. It was December, so there were lots of Christmas decorations. It was also a perfect time to visit weather-wise, except for Dahlia (who's always cold because she's from Jamaica).

High Roller

The pod

The Flamingo

Paris Las Vegas Hotel

New York New York

The Venetian

Caesar's Palace

The Luxor

The Excaliber

It was Christmas time.

Look who I ran into on the Strip

Yep, I saw them. Back row. Last ticket.

Remember the Alamo

I've been to the Alamo twice. The first time was in 1998 when San Antonio hosted the Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA). The second time was in 2016 when I attended a Southern Section meeting Animal Science meeting. Dahlia and Niki were my travel companions.

Posing in front of the Alamo

Spanish mission, c. 1718

The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio, Texas. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a pivotal event of the Texas Revolution in which American folk heroes James Bowie and Davy Crockett were killed. “Remember the Alamo” became a rallying cry in the struggle for Texas independence. Santa Anna was eventually defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, leading to a free Texas.

Alamo Cenotaph

Alamo Plaza

Alamo tree

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Post created 21 Dec 2025

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The Adams Family

July 31, 2011 -- On our way to Prince Edward Island, Mom and Dad and I visited Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts. Peacefield or Old House is the historic home of the Adams family: John Adams and his wife Abigail and John Quincy Adams and his wife Louisa. Brooks Adams, the great-great grandson of John Adams was the last one to live there. The house became a museum upon his death and was incorporated into the National Park Service in 1946. 

John and Abigail Adams

John Adams was a founding father and the second president of the United States (1797-1801). His son John Quincy was the sixth president (1825-1829). Both were one-term presidents. The elder Adams served two terms as vice president under George Washington. Abigail was Adams' closest advisor. She is one of the most highly regarded First Ladies. I don't understand how someone like Adams didn't think his wife (or women) were smart enough to vote!

Old House

Peacefield

Old Stone Library

The Stone Library, completed in 1870, stands next to Peacefield and houses personal papers and over 14,000 books that belonged to John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and other family members. The Library holds John Adams' copy of George Washington's Farewell Address as well as a Bible presented to John Quincy Adams in 1841 by the freed Mendi captives who had mutinied on the schooner La Amistad and whom Adams had successfully defended before the United States Supreme Court.

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Post created 16 Jan 2026

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Mount Rushmore

I've been to Mount Rushmore twice. The first time was in 1985 when Rachel P. (RIP) and I took a cross-country trip. The second time was in 2011 when the NCERA-214 met in nearby Spearfish, South Dakota. I went a few days early to do some traveling around the Black Hills. Mount Rushmore had changed considerably since I had been there in 1985. The monument hadn't changed, of course, but the area around it had. More developed. More touristy. But better.

Welcome to Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore in 2011

Same picture, 1985 (same guys)

Mount Rushmore is one of America's most recognizable landmarks. Carving started in 1927 with 400 workers. It ended in 1941 with no fatalities. The four American presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and T. Roosevelt) were chosen to represent the first 150 years of American history. They were selected for their roles in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. The idea for Mount Rushmore came from Stone Mountain, the controversial carving of Confederate generals into the side of a Georgia mountain.

Entrance to the monument

Viewing area

Avenue of flags

Grand View Terrace

A tribute to the carvers

Each face is 60 feet high.

From the road

Just George

Native Americans call the mountain "Six Grandfathers."

It's not surprising that Native Americans opposed Mount Rushmore. To them, it was built on "stolen" land, and land that was sacred. Their people also suffered under the policies of the four presidents depicted. The Crazy Horse monument is being built 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. Crazy Horse was a Lakota warrior who challenged the US government. Construction began in 1948 and unfortunately is far from completed. In fact, I didn't see much difference between 1985 and 2011. In addition, the monument remains a subject of controversy among native peoples.

Crazy Horse Monument

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Post created 06 Sept 2024

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