OT - Vacation Quandry....

[paxfish]

Hi Gang, - So, due to overwhelming pressure, I'm committed to driving to Niagara Falls in August. My wife, the boys, and Mom in my 10 year old Chevy Tahoe (the POS model).

Now, this has the potential to be a real Clark Griswold journey. But I can endure this for a few days, even be cheery and engaged, presuming there's a nice stop on the way back.

So I'm looking for suggestions. Betwixt hither and yon, maybe central PA. A cabin on a lake, little resort town maybe, nice B&B on a good hiking/trout stream.

Whatcha got for me? Help a brother out. (Wow! Is that a Ferrari coming up the rearview?)

YouTube - National Lampoon's Vacation Christie Brinkley Scenes

[Salmo trutta]

If you could push it until September there would be steelheadin the Niagra and the Cattaragus near by. Plenty of cabins for rent on the Catt.

I've never done it but on the Canadian side of the falls you can take a jet boat tour of the falls. This jet boat is enourmous, can run 60 MPH through 7 foot hyraulics and rapids that form in the Niagra gorge.

The Niagra itself is awesome smallmouth fishing but you'd probably need a boat but people walk down the gorge at places like Devils Hole. Plus in August the king Salmon are staging near the rivers like Oak Orchard and the Niagra mouth in Lake Ontario.

Whirlpool Jet Boats - Home (tell me this wouldn't be fun!!)

Streamside Cabin

Orleans Outdoor...Stream Conditions and Fishing tips

[JMadert]

Mr. Griswold ..... "Seychelles".

That's funny: "the POS model" .... "is that Brinkley in the Ferrari" ? ... etc.

[Ken Tidy]

Pax,

Take the kids to Old Fort Niagara the kid should love it Cannon firing demonstrations! Then take a walk behind the castle and look over the sea wall, tell me how many fish you see! See the falls a must when you are up there! Take wife and family to Niagara on the lake tons of B&B antique shops and nice restaurants. You will need pass ports to cross the boader!

Oh also have Lunch in Brennan's Irish Pub in Youngstown NY the town next to the fort, best wings I have ever had! Good beer selection too!

[paxfish]

Beer is good!

Thanks for the links Jon. $300 bucks for 45 minutes on the Jet boat! Whew! Hard to justify that. Now if you're 18 and the "boat" is named Trixie....

Anyway - How about central PA - Anybody got any ideas halfway between here and Niagara Falls?

NIAGARA FALLS! Slowly, I turned....

[David M]

Hey Pax, Leslie and have stayed with the Gauls at Fishing Creek Angler. They have a B&B attached the fly shop and there is a state park nearby with lots of trails and brookie streams. Fishing Creek is also a good trout stream. They're near Benton, PA which is about an hour west of Wilkes-Barre.

I almost forgot to mention that the Gauls are great guides too. Not sure if Matt (their son) is still guiding for them but he showed us some great spots in the state park. One of the brookie streams has an excellent waterfall and big plunge pool. My biggest native brookie ever came from that pool. It's also where Leslie and I got engaged. It's a beautiful spot.

David

[riverwade]

Pax - you should talk to msaba, we took a trip up above State College, PA around Bellefonte where his aunt lives and fished a few killer trout streams up there. Penns Creek, Spring Creek, Little Juniata, etc. I think he's even circled some nice spots in his PA Gazatteer that the guide took us too. It was an awesome trip. Heck, I bet his Aunt Gloria would even have you stay at her house and make you breakfast before you go fishing!!

[paxfish]

Ha! - Sounds great! I'll have the country ham, 3 eggs over easy, some of that apple butter on a piece of toast...

David - I've got the wife looking over the websites for the Benton area - looks very promising.

[David M]

Cool. I'm not sure what else there is to do besides the state park and the fishing but I'm sure there's something else around there, probably.

David

[paxfish]

A good State Park will keep us going for a couple of days - thanks a lot!