Punky’s First Road Trip: Niagara Falls

Punky’s First Road Trip: Niagara Falls

Punky was just about two-months old when we embarked on her first road trip, which included a short and sweet stop at Niagara Falls. Why were we driving halfway across the country with a baby? Well one, its a ton of fun! But this particular trip took place because my father-in-law had recently had open heart surgery. Which meant, he was not able to come meet sweet Punky. I felt that she was too young to fly (overprotective with the first child, aren’t we?). We packed Bella (our yellow lab) into the back of our SUV and headed to Connecticut. Yes, I said Niagara Falls…stay with me, we get there. We had made the 14 hour drive before, because we love to road trip, but this was our first time as parents.

 Road Trip to Niagara Falls

In general we prefer to road trip overnight. We typically leave Chicago between 7 & 8pm to miss evening traffic. I drive the first leg of the route because my vision is pretty bad, and as I’ve mentioned in other posts I need to sleep: twilight hours and I do not vibe. Cal being an artist is used to long nights and very little sleep. I’ll never understand his sleep pattern. I NEED to sleep for the sake of the world. “They” say opposites attract; I say they make for better road trip buddies.

Traditionally we head east and take I-80 through Pennsylvania, which is an awful state to drive through. There really is NOTHING to see there…trust me I drive through Illinois regularly I know boring driving. Pennsylvania has these long stretches of road where you’re driving through what used to be a rock formation of sorts. Most of the road signs are warning you to “watch for falling rocks”, like really? Are you advising that we drive looking up? Come on, that’s just not safe. But really the pain of it has more to do with how long you’re actually driving through; Pennsylvania is 283 miles wide! Let me also warn that the State Troopers aren’t very forgiving either, not that I have any experience with that.

Road Trip to Niagara Falls

 

Taking a long road trip with an infant is going to add to your travel time significantly, especially if you are breast feeding and insist on stopping to do so. Which is the legal method of breastfeeding your child – pull over. That’s an idea for a new road sign! Now please note that I said “legal” method, this is a judge free zone but “for the record”, I always encourage you to be a law abiding citizen. There are plenty of lovely rest stops in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Which is great because you also have to account for the special diapers that explode and go up the baby’s back (don’t miss those). Point is: Plan for more stops than you made before you were a parent.

Our trip to Connecticut was lovely. We spent a few days with my in laws and they loved on their first granddaughter.  It was on this return trip that we forever changed our route to and from Connecticut. We opted to head north into Upstate New York which allows you to detour through Niagara, NY.

Punky visits Niagara Falls 

At just two months old, Punky visited Niagara Falls. It was also Cal’s first time and it had been many years since I had been. This stop defined our travel style. Make the stop, take the extra couple of hours to enhance your experience. You won’t regret it.

road trip to niagara falls

Today, Punky doesn’t remember her trip to Niagara but it makes for great conversation. We have a few pictures to show her and as she gets older we can explain more and more why we chose to stop, encourage her to stop and one day when we return it won’t be her first time.

We didn’t ride a boat to go under the falls or pay for any special tour at all – we simply walked through the park, felt the water on our skin and enjoyed the moment. I don’t think we even paid to park. The only thing this stop costed us, was the time (and the gas, technically). This is the essence of Punky Travels and who we aspire to be. Don’t rush, slow down and enjoy life. Don’t choose the convenience of an airplane – take the long way & create memories. Force your kids to endure long hours sitting in the car singing along with the radio or playing road trip games. They’ll appreciate it when they pass the torture down to their own kids. 

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