Photo Album

2008 Vacation

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For our June 2008 vacation, we went to Bushkill, Pennsylvania! Seriously, the name of the town is Bushkill. I didn't make that up.
	Scenic Bushkill Falls! The town of Bushkill Pennsylvania has as its central attraction a set of waterfalls which have apparently attracted tourists for more than a hundred years. After visiting the place, I can see why. Once you take the winding path into the pay area of the park and see the falls themselves, they're just beautiful.
	See what I mean?
	Rebecca and the boys went ahead of me a bit on the path, for a photo-opportunity. About 30 seconds of walking got them to the point you see in this picture, which gives you an idea of how rapidly the walking path descends down the side of the rock face.
	A close-up of the rushing water at another point along the river. Unlike the much larger and better-known Niagara Falls, Bushkill Falls is a long set of relatively small waterfalls in which a river makes a transition in altitude by stages. The result is that you can take a walking tour around the falls and see many small waterfalls rather than one big one, like Niagara.
	You just can't help but take pictures when you see stuff like this.
	Rebecca and the boys on the bridge going across the largest waterfall in the group. This is the same waterfall as the first one in this set of pictures, but at bottom level.
	Again, the same waterfall.
	A nice scenic spot where you can see the large boulders next to the river, all overgrown with vegetation.
	Looking back up at the wooden walkway snaking along the side of the rock face.
	My princess.
	This was taken just before electing to take one of the longer trails around the park. There are several different trails of varying length, depending on how many of the waterfalls you want to see and how much walking you're willing to do. We chose one of the longer ones, and this stop was just before starting a long climb up a set of stairs.
	And this shot was taken after that climb. Time to take a rest.
	Me and the boys. Yes, sometimes Rebecca briefly handles the camera. Hmmm, it looks like I'm carrying quite a paunch in this picture. In my defense, we came here right after eating lunch :)
	Rebecca and the boys walking through a forested area near the top of the set of waterfalls.
	And we've arrived at the top of the set of waterfalls in the Bushkill falls park.
	They gave one of the top mini-waterfalls its own name: Pennell Falls.
	The boys pose next to the same sign. The fighting will start in 5, 4, 3, 2 ...
	1! Don't worry, it's all in good fun. Or at least that's what they tell me.
	David found a nice spot of river for a picture.
	A very nice spot.
	I think everyone poses by this tree. It's on the way back toward the lower part of the falls.
	My princess again, stretched out on a rock like a lioness in the sun.
	Seriously, she hasn't gained a pound since university.
	Just look at that river. The whole area is just gorgeous.
	We're almost back down to the point we were at earlier.
	In the game of rock paper scissors, water wins. I love the way you can see where it cut right through the rock.
	Back to the lower level.
	Time to head for the exit.
	Oooh! Oooh! A cute little chipmunk! Sitting on the fence right by the exit! Good thing I had my zoom lens, because I don't think this little guy would have let me get that close without scampering away.
	And now we come to Claws and Paws, a small animal farm near Hamlin Pennsylvania. Both Rebecca and I were quite enamoured of the pot-bellied pig. His snorting sounds reminded us of our dear departed Fuzzy, who made the exact same sounds due to his small nose.
	Big black cat ...
	An even bigger cat. The lion actually roared while we were there, which was ultra-cool for us because we've seen lions before but we've never seen one roar. David commented that the sound reminded him of the dinosaurs in the movie "Jurassic Park".
	Rebecca and David watching the lion. Rebecca has finally gotten a new hat and ditched that lame white golf-visor thing. It's her leather "Shania Twain" cowboy hat.
	White tiger! And there's not a gay Las Vegas magician in sight.
	Black bears are actually quite adorable as long as they're separated from you by a sturdy barrier.
	Look! He's got a watermelon and he's eating it! Isn't he cute?
	This wolf howled for us, which was not as cool as the lion roar but was still quite cool nonetheless.
	The pot-bellied pig again!
	David hamming it up.
	What can I say? He loves the camera.
	The tigers are beautiful, but also sad. To be honest, while I enjoyed our trip to this park, I have ethical issues after having seen the size of the animal pens. The Toronto Zoo is far less tourist-friendly than this one because the pens are huge and the animals are far away, so you don't get that "up close and personal" feel that you get at a place like this. But I'd lay odds that the animals are also far happier at the Toronto Zoo, where the pens are at least ten times bigger in every direction. In other words, a place like this is better for the tourists, but so much worse for the animals that I feel guilty about having enjoyed my trip there. I do have to warn any animal lover that if you visit this place, you might come out with a bruised conscience.
	Mr. Giraffe says hello.
	Rebecca was able to get the giraffe to relax and approach her: something the giraffe would not do for me. Maybe it's her new hat.
	Rebecca and the boys at a scenic road stop along Route 611 where the Kittatinny Hotel used to stand. Bits of its foundation are still there, but the hotel burned down in 1931. Near this spot is the "Cold Air Cave", where a cool mountain spring keeps the air cool year-round and serves as a natural refridgerator. It's neat, although I had to laugh at other tourists who peeked in for a moment and came out shivering. What a bunch of pansies; we Canadians laugh at you soft southerners. We actually took a 2 mile raft trip down the Delaware River earlier, although I didn't bring my camera along in case there was a mishap.
	Uh oh, the boys are starting to tussle again.
	And here comes the kick ...
	Winner: David!
	We saw this sign at a shopping mall in Pennsylvania. I had to take a picture of it because it was just so absurd. Only in America is the act of shopping elevated into a patriotic duty.
	And this is the place where we stayed. It was one of the "Villas at Fairway", connected to the Fernwood resort in Bushkill Pennsylvania. The place was pretty nice on the inside, but the plumbing was poor. Water pressure was very weak (although that's a function of the rural environment and not really their fault), the kitchen waste disposal unit repeatedly jammed up, and the dishwasher occasionally leaked a bit of fluid. It's too bad, because otherwise the unit was really nice, and so was the nearby pool.
	The boys sitting on the back deck. Our neighbours brought a portable barbecue along with them; something I should have thought of. Not that I mind cooking indoors, but when your vacation villa has a back deck like this, it would have been really nice to barbecue something.
	See rock, will climb.
	The view from the side of our back deck, down toward some neighbouring villas. The pool was just around the bend.
	We are not neat housekeepers.
	The master bedroom, with the obligatory king-size bed and big windows.
	It came with its own mini-jacuzzi, gas fireplace, and even a sauna.
	There was a stray black cat which kept coming around the back. No tags. I assume it became accustomed to the hospitality of tourists.
	I drink your milkshake! Sluuuuuurrrp!!!!

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2008 Vacation