Our night in Niagara Falls was a bit rough, partially on account of the uneven campsite causing a noticeable tilt in the RV. I slept in until nearly 8am, by which time everyone else was awake. We ate a quick breakfast, disconnected the hookups, and made the short drive to Niagara Falls State Park.

Parking was very complicated, but perhaps that was only because I did just about zero research before hand. After much driving around, following the circuitous RV routing, we found our lot on the very edge of Goat Island. It was a walk to the main attractions and the falls, but it was just nice enough outside and only about a mile’s walk along paved trails.

We got our first glimpse of the falls from the observation deck of the Maid of the Mist. They had a very good system, so after our brief photos from elevation, we took the elevator down, were issued ponchos, and corralled into a queue. The line was not that long, and neither was the wait. Before long, we were on board and standing on the upper deck.

The boat ride starts by driving close, but not too close, to the American Falls. There’s plenty of lecturing about how great and ethical the company that operates the ship is, which I suppose is important. We passed the boats of the Canadian operator along the way.

The real highlight of the show is when the boat pulls into the center of Horseshoe Falls and just kind of sits there. Surrounded on three sides by the powerful falls, there was mist and wind and waves. It was very loud, and an exciting encounter up close with nature. The hundreds thousands of gallons of water cascading over the falls with force was very cool.

With that, the short but eventful boat ride was over. We made our way down the river and back to port, before disembarking and going back up the elevators to the Observation Deck.

We made our way back into the park, and along the walking paths that followed the upper areas of the river. Intense rapids are found in this area, signaling the impending danger ahead for anything on the water.

Across the bridges that carry people and small vehicles across the river just above the falls, we arrived back on Goat Island. We got our tickets to timed entry to the Cave of the Winds and had a few minutes for a bathroom break and a snack in the shade. Before too long, our entry was called. What followed was another carefully choreographed action. It started with five minutes in a museum, followed by a short video on the history of Niagara. With that over, we made the walk across a path to the elevators, down into a cave, and then a short walk to the edge of the water.

Once again, we were issued a poncho (theme) and walked out on to the decks building into the side of the cliffs right by the American Falls. The gulls, of all ages, were everywhere.

The water movement at this level of the falls was intense. At each level, there was a totally new perspective and plenty of sloshing water to get drenched by. The roar was loud and the views were incredible.

We made our way through the decks with just enough speed. Everyone came away completely soaked wherever the poncho failed to shield. The worst of it came, unsurprisingly from the “Hurricane Deck” located just outside the splash zone of one of the major falls.

That was enough fun, so we made our way back to the elevator, up to the main elevation, and walked to the cafe to get lunch. The food portions were huge, and we ate overlooking Horseshoe Falls.

After finishing lunch, and partially drying, we walked over to the upper viewing area of Horseshoe Falls.

After taking in our final views, and recording an episode of ChetCast, we started our long walk back to the RV parking lot, but not before one last blast of falls mist came down on us like a spring rain.

We drove back to the campground, stopping along the way to get a few groceries and fuel. Back at camp, we got the RV hooked up, and the kids went to play on a giant bouncy feature and in a playground with one of the other young campers.

Dinner was pasta, followed by a campfire and s’mores. The weather was beautiful, cool but just on the edge before it becomes uncomfortable. We did a quick interior clean of the RV while the kids played again with their friends after s’mores, before getting everyone inside and ready for bed. I spent a few minutes outside cleaning up our campsite and prepping the RV for tomorrow’s travel.

Thus far on our trip, we’ve done an uncharacteristically good job of running a loose schedule. This is partly by design, and partly because the RV allows us to move in a self-contained system. We had one main stop for the day, combined with transiting back across the state to reach Niagara Falls.

Our objective was to have breakfast and get on the road by 8:00am to make the 10:30am Mass at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. Armed with yesterday’s provisions, from muffins and bagels to new wiper blades, we work up begrudgingly at 6:15am and got moving. With good hustle, we ate breakfast, got dressed for Mass, and rolled out of the KOA 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

It was a quiet drive through central New York, along the banks of the Mohawk River. We passed, from afar, St. Kateri’s village again, and saw The Coliseum and Hill of Torture that we visited yesterday. It’s remarkable, though not surprising, that the life of St. Issac Jogues ended a full ten years before St. Kateri was born, but in the village of his death, St. Kateri first heard the Gospel from her mother. As we drove on the New York Thruway, across the very path his captors dragged his body to throw away into the Mohawk River, I reflected on the unceremonious burial at sea St. Issac received. Despite its cruelty, his martyrdom permitted him to die with the people he loved most.

We arrived in Stockbridge right on schedule, ascending Eden Hill just as I remembered it from our visit last year. The Shrine and its grounds are nestled on a hill in the Berkshire Mountains, and were surrounded by the verdant canopy. It was temperate and dry outside, but a cool breeze kept rolling through, reinforcing the sense of peace.

The building grounds adopted a Bavarian style of architecture, which make the setting even more enjoyable. It is a quaint look that is right at home among the rolling hills and soaring peaks. Walking up the path from the parking lot to the Shrine, the Church and attached house come into view in the most perfect way.

It was the first time the children visited the Shrine, and our time began with Sunday Mass. The Shrine, though small, was mostly full, and the liturgy was excellent. The children had their normal books and, despite their overall tiredness, did at least as well as they do at any other Mass. The Communion rail experience was new for them, but I was right next to Lucy when the Priest asked if she could receive Holy Communion. I happily said yes, a small reminder of how quickly my children are growing. Back in the pew, Lucy looked up at me and said, “Jesus is moving in!”

Mass ended at 11:30am, and the children were famished, so we made our way back to the RV for lunch. Along the way, Veronica found plenty of distractions from food, including a nearby fountain. She showed the statue of Mary the many new brochure acquisitions she made just moments before, including one with a similar Marian statue on the cover. She ran all over the grounds and generally enjoyed herself.

With lunch out of the way, and the energy levels of all restored, we headed inside to the gift shop. By far the most robust of our trip, the children found plenty to look at. They were very well-behaved, and only required minimal negotiation.

Before ending our visit, we hiked back up to the Holy Family Shrine & St. Joseph Plaza. Alison and I did not visit this part of the grounds on our visit last year, but I saw it from the walking path and wanted to check it out.

The building was beautiful. There was a large water feature with two springing jets in the middle, surrounded by bushes and mini roses in white and yellow. The Shine was an open air building, with pergolas on either site. Four total statues were placed around the structure. On one exterior wall was a recreation of the Visitation, with Mary and St. Elizabeth happily greeting each other. On the opposite exterior wing was the Holy Family, with an elderly St. Joseph instructing the child Jesus. At the main entrance overlooking the pond was St. Joseph holding the Christ child, and inside in the main room was the Holy Family. What was best was that these four moments cemented the life and story of the Holy Family, offering moments of pause to reflect on the family.

The girls very much enjoyed their time running around the plaza and playing with the water, and after some restful prayer, we made our way back to the RV, changed, and headed out.

Our transit across New York took us once again through the Mohawk Valley for a final passing of the holy sites in the lives of St. Issac Jogues and St. Kateri. We stopped at the nearby Mohawk Valley welcome center to get an up close view of Lock #13 on the Erie Canal/Mohawk River, and some playtime on the playlet.

As I looked out on the waters, I once again thought about the fact that these were the waters these two saints knew, drank from, and transited on. It’s incredible to have this treasure so close to home.

The rest of our drive was eventful in terms of weather. Storms rolled across the state, and we punched through them all. The windshield wiper blades performed much better than their predecessors, and we pulled into camp near Niagara Falls just after 8:15pm. It’s a much bigger campground than last night, but they make it easy to find your site when you check in late. We’re once again right in the action, but it was time for us to go to bed almost right away after the early wake-up and long day.

Yesterday’s storm and cold front broke the heat and humidity and we were able to wake up with the windows open. It was a nice start to the day, with pancakes and bacon for breakfast before disconnecting the RV and heading out for our day that the entire trip was planned around.

The cool wind blew down the river and across the hills, and we started our drive with the windows down. We are several miles north of the Interstate, and we navigated the undulating green hills of Upstate New York. It was a beautiful June morning.

It was just under an hour before we pulled into the Shrine of St. Kateri parking lot. The Church was a two story barn, built on the site of the first Catholic Church in the area, and just under half a mile of forrest path from her village. The upstairs was a Chapel, with the lower level serving as a museum to St. Kateri’s life and the Native Americans from Upstate New York and Canada.

At the top of the hill, and across a country road, was a large open field filled with stakes. The outer perimeter was mowed, with the inner perimeter more rustic. A series of silver stakes outlined where the village palisades once stood, with red stakes in long rectangular patters where the Mohawk longhouses once stood. It was comfortable outside, but wanting to stay out of the sun, we found a tree casting a large shady spot within the palisade boundary.

We stood under the tree for several minutes, enjoying the stirring breeze passing through the leafy treeline and moving the grasses. We were standing in the exact place that St. Kateri spent much of her life, a small spot of land that was intimately hers. We began our rosary, and then prayed as we walked through the village and passed into the forest along a short path to a natural spring.

The spring was very close to the village under dense forest canopy. A natural spring, it provided water for the village and was used for St. Kateri’s baptism. After several more minutes enjoying the space, we went back to the village for a little more exploration and reflection before walking back down the long hill for lunch in the RV.

Our next stop was just 11 minutes away, a few miles down the road and across the Mohawk River. The National Shrine of the North American Martyrs is built near the village where. St. Kateri was born. It was also the site where St. Isaac Jogues was imprisoned, enslaved, tortured, and martyred, along with several companions. There is a chapel built overlooking the hill that his body was dragged down to the river banks after his martyrdom.

Just over 90 years ago, a large church was built on the site, aptly called The Coliseum. It is circular, and massive, and tells the story of the North American martyrs.

With our planned activities over, we drove to Walmart to get some provisions and back to camp to set up for the evening and make dinner. I built a fire and grilled burgers.

We had dinner together on the picnic table, followed by some play. Benedict and Felicity rode the bikes around camp, we had some ice cream, and enjoyed music outside in the cool evening air. I even had a chance to ride around.

As the evening wrapped up, the girls went with Alison and I for one more trip to Crayfish Island before heading back to the RV to pack up camp for the night and play some evening boardgames before lights out.

By 7:12am, everyone was awake. Not ideal, but it’s how the cookie crumbled. The forecast today was for high humidity, dew point, and heat through the evening, so we got through breakfast quickly and got ready to head over to the mines.

Before we did, Benedict and I went to the camp office to check in. Since we arrived so late, they left our paperwork on the late arrival board last night. It was a quick process, we checked out the store and asked a few questions, and made our way back to the RV by walking on the road along the banks of the river. The girls were basically ready when we got back, so we crossed the street to the mines.

A school group arrived just before us, and the air was moist but not uncomfortable (yet). We managed to get our waivers signed and tools assigned before heading to the mines to look for quartz. The quarry was very rough, and the work was hard. There were several professional mining bros with full setups and we, the uninitiated, out baking in the sun. Thankfully there was some shade and no one skied down a cascading wall of rocks.

After an hour, we had a few nice rocks, no life changing fortunes, and we headed back to camp. We decided to rent a golf cart, so while the girls dropped their findings at the RV, Benedict and I went to camp HQ to rent a golf cart. I was expecting something basic, but this one was fully loaded, including a bluetooth audio system. I turned on the Sneaky Sasquatch soundtrack to enjoy.

We drove back to the RV to pick up the girls. It was a tight squeeze, but we all made it in. The windshield folded down, music on, we drove around camp. The site is right along a bend in a river, so our first stop was to the upper entrance to the river. There were some rapids, and just the right sound profile, which I really love. The banks were teeming with trees and leaves, making for a very nice view.

Further down the road, and river, we spotted two geese and their gaggle of five goslings out looking for some food. A few more minutes, and a couple more laps, and it was time for a picnic lunch.

Our campsite is right under a huge tree, so there was plenty of shade. We had sandwiches, potato salad, and chips. With lunch over, and a pop-up storm approaching, we cleaned up and went into the RV. The air conditioning was running all morning with our electrical hookup, and it felt amazing inside. We did some tidying and then had a few minutes of quiet time while the storm rolled through dumping plenty of rain on the campsite. In less than an hour, the cell had moved on and it was time for afternoon fun.

A stray storm cell rolled through just as lunch ended, which left us inside for about an hour. It was good to have quiet time, and even better to have a full up air conditioner making it so comfortable inside. I sat at the table with my laptop and took care of a few things.

First up after the rain, we went to the pool. The campground was still mostly quiet when we arrived, and the pool water was very cold, although it felt good once the initial shock wore off. As we were swimming (and water dancing), more and more RVs rolled into camp. Before long, people were joining us at our private pool party. Benedict didn’t want to swim in the cold, so we got a bag of sand and crystals for him to prospect nearby.

With swimming over, and everyone changed, we went over to the Camp HQ and rented four human-powered go carts. The kids rode them around the camp while Alison and I followed behind in the golf cart. With the big 3 running around and Alison watching Veronica, I went to start a load of laundry and get ice.

The cart rentals were just for an hour, and we’d already spent lots of time outside in the sun, so we turned the bikes back in and got ice cream to eat in chairs outside of the RV. Lucy and Veronica begged me to take them in the golf cart on an “adventure,” and Felicity asked to join too, so we headed out. We drove all over camp, checking out the river, looking for the goslings, and having fun.

We arrived back at the RV in time for dinner. The kids got cleaned up one-by-one and we cleaned the kitchen and the RV. It was so nice to have everything contained in one space. With that done, it was time for evening games before a family Rosary, during which Veronica fell asleep.