We have been out and about with our camper once again. This time, we went to Darien Lakes Resort and Theme Park. (used to be a 6 Flags park, but was recently sold) Each year, the park has a homeschool week, but we were unable to do the entire week...so, we went on Friday.
The kids love going and they have one special friend who meets them there each year. This year, when we arrived, yikes!!! There must have been well over fifty school buses from public schools all over New York state! The kids' friend had already made plans to meet some kids from the school district we are from after he discovered they were going to attend on Friday as well.
So, the kids were off and running....we always followed behind them before, so this became a new experience for us. We communicated via cell phone and Mark and I were both a little reluctant about this new protocol. However, it did allow us to spend some time relaxing near the lake and taking in some sights.
This is a beautiful lake that is located in the park. It is small, but very pretty. On one side of it is a hotel that is also part of the park, costing mega bucks to stay there! The park also has a nice campground where you can either bring in your own camper, or rent one daily or weekly. Once again, the pricing is quite steep. We park our camper at a beautiful state park nearby. Much cheaper and the noise level is *much* less intense. Our noisiest problem is birds!
There were several families of Canada Geese swimming nearby. They are so beautiful and graceful; just watching them made us feel so peaceful! This family was a changing one...the youngsters must be in their "teen" years, as their little "kid" fluff is being replaced with feathers. Even though these youngsters are getting large, the parents still keep a very close on on their offspring. We saw a woman and her kids trying to head down the walkway to their hotel room..the adult geese thought the humans were getting too invasive and lowered their heads to the ground, slowly snaking their necks back and forth in their typical goose warning! Thankfully, the woman was wise enough to figure out this was not a *greeting* maneuver and waited until the geese were a safe distance away!
The day was rather hot, with the temps climbing into the 80's. I don't do well in such conditions, and burn to a crisp if not careful. We decided to take refuge in a restaurant also located within the confines of the park. We *gulped* and went inside, suspicious that the prices were going to be quite steep!
The waitress came over and took our drink orders...I ordered a coke. Mark grimaced and asked if I knew the price of that coke was $3.29! Oops! We were able to find some reasonably priced items from the menu. I had a small bowl of French Onion Soup, and Mark ordered a Nacho plate at the suggestion of the waitress. When his meal arrived, we couldn't believe the size! The plate was completely buried under chips, meat, beans, and all the goodies a Nacho plate entails!
More interesting than the food was the decor of the restaurant. It was called "Beaver Brothers Restaurant", and, of course, the entire place was decorated with all things beaver. We were greeted by signs like, "Busy Beavers working here" and "The last one out of the dam blows out the lights"!
There were little beavers (looked like they were made from old-fashioned plaster instead of the more "modern" resin!) everywhere, hanging from the rafters! It really was quite quaint, and little kids would truly enjoy the surroundings. On one of the place mats, I read there were actually 68 beavers throughout the dining room!
We lingered on as long as possible, enjoying the air-conditioned environ. It was certainly a big bonus to be able to take refuge from that spiking heat outside! Mark rarely carries his wallet, so I always pay the bill. When the waitress brought the bill, I reached for my purse. Oops! I didn't BRING my purse! I had opted to carry my (heavy) camera bag as opposed to my (heavy) purse.
Our bill came to $13.37. As I dug through my camera bag, I was able to dig out $13.12. We explained to the waitress that we would go to the truck and bring back the 25 cents, as well as a tip. She was so gracious, telling us to forget it! Needless to say, I hoofed it to the truck and got the money. I was so embarrassed!
At dinner, we drove down the road, along with the kids' friend and his family, to a little pizza/sub restaurant. This proved to also be an enjoyable venture, as the temperature was cooling down rapidly. As soon as the sun was over the horizon, the temperature dropped off to a more reasonable state! We lingered, chatting and enjoying good company, until the kids alerted us they "needed" to get back to the park for a few more rides! And, after that, it was off to the laser show. There was a new show this year, and of course, the loud music and light show is a good way to end the day!
Yesterday, we shuffled off to Buffalo (only a few miles from the campground) and spent the day shopping for some things we needed and just looking around some.
Today is Mark's day! He will decide how we spend the day, and I know we will have fun!
3 comments:
Happy Fathers Day Mark!!
Sounds like a fantastic time was had by all!
We too went to camp for the weekend. First time for all 3 dogs to be there together... boy do I have some pic's to post. All 3 got along like old friends and played until a dust storm took over the camp site!
Happy Father's Day...a day late...
Sounds like you guys had a great time. It sounds like it must be hotter there than it is here in sunny Florida. Of course, we have a nice ocean breeze to temper the heat some.
$3.29 for a coke! Man, I hope it was at least 2-liter bottle sized! LOL I've never been to Darien Lake; but Billy has...several times! We usually go to Conneaut Lake Park or Kennywood.
Post a Comment