Choo! Choo! Here comes Water

(Steamtown by Ashley Knowlton)-I went to Steamtown. It is a train place. I got a Junior Ranger Book. I took a tour of a roundhouse.  I saw a train go in the roundhouse. It had a lot of people in it. Then  I went in a caboose. It showed me what kinds of trains there are and I learned about all the jobs for trains, like conductor, hobo, engineer, and tycoon. Next we went to a train called the Big Boy. It has 24 wheels and the engineer is 10 feet off the ground. It was BIG! Then I went to the office and I got a Junior Ranger Badge. Finally, I left. I love my fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, trip very much!!!!

  (Lauren) We visited the 1000 Islands in New York.  It's a place in the St. Lawrence River with 1,864 islands. Some are big and some are super-duper small. We only went to a few of the islands- not all 1864!!  We also went on a boat ride. It took us into Canada! The captain was really cool and he let us drive the boat and gave us boating licenses. It was really neat. We stayed at a cute campsite with tons of trees. While we were eating dinner a huge thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere and we got drenched, but it was really fun too! I had an awesome time at 1000 Islands.

(Lauren)We drove to Niagara Falls on a hot sunny day. The falls were sooooo big!! I didn’t want to fall in!! We went on the Maid of the Mist boat that goes right up into the falls. It felt as if we were in a rainstorm. They gave us garbage- bag-like coverings to wear but we still got soaked!! After, we walked over to the Canadian side and viewed the falls from there. It was awesome to go to Canada.

(Ashley) At my campsite I made some new friends called Brilana, Kenya and Amarra. I played with them on the playground. We had so much fun. At night we watched the sun go down. I could see Toronto across the lake. It’s a city in Canada. I like camping. My favorite part is making new friends.

 (Trevor)When I went to Lake Ontario, we got to go swimming. When I first got in it was cold, but I got used to it. I used Ashley’s lifejacket so me and my mom could swim all the way out to the buoy.  It was a little scary because it was so deep. After swimming we searched the shore for driftwood and sea glass. I found a very smooth piece driftwood on the shore and I put it in my treasure box to bring home.  I had a great time swimming in Lake Ontario.

Mom's thoughts--I always thought my love of water stemmed from my being a Pisces, but while reading a Niagara Falls pamphlet I learned that it’s been scientifically proven being in and around water increases happiness. Something to do with negative ions and serotonin levels. Well, after this week of water-filled activities my serotonin levels must be high!! I loved watching the shimmering sunsets over the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario with the Toronto skyline in the distance, diving into the murky green waters of Lake Ontario, and feeling the drenching mist of Niagara Falls as we rode into the mist. Even the sound of raindrops pinging the tent roof are music to my ears (maybe just not the accompanying thunder!!) Maybe there is something to this science stuff afterall!!