Jon had to go to Ohio for work and since we dislike being apart from each other for any long period of time and the fact that I had never been to Ohio before, I decided to go with him.

We booked a red eye flight that would get us into Cleveland early in the morning giving us plenty of time to enjoy the that day as Jon had to work most of the following day.

We had what was supposed to be a quick layover in Atlanta, however that turned out to be far from the truth.  After taking off about an hour late because of some fueling issue, we arrived at our destination, good old Cleveland, Ohio.  Our original plan was to grab something quick to eat and then head west to Dearborn, Michigan where we would visit the Ford Museum and mark another State off of our list (we want to visit all fifty).  Also, if you know anything about Jon it’s that he loves cars, specifically Fords, his favorite being the Mustang so this would have been perfect.  Unfortunately since our flight was delayed, we just wouldn’t have enough time to make it to the Museum before it closed.  So with our original plan out of the window we decided to grab a bite to eat and head to the resort we were staying at.  First stop was Skyline Chili and I have to tell you it is delicious.  Oh and the chili spaghetti, while it may sound odd, it is to die for!  I highly suggest this place if you find yourself in Ohio.  The service was great as well, people in Ohio have to be some of the friendliest we’ve met.

After we finished our late lunch we headed to the place we would be staying for the next couple of days, Kalahari Resort in Sandusky.  Since we weren’t able to go to Michigan we decided to make the most out of the Resort and spent a little bit of time in at the water park.  Apparently this is the largest indoor/outdoor water park in the Midwest and from what we could tell it sure did look like it.  We started with a drink at the swim up bar, the only adults only area in the water park.  We had never partaken in a swim up bar before, even in Hawaii so we decided to take the opportunity.  It was nice to relax and unwind after a stressful couple of months dealing with infertility.  After that we spent the next hour or so floating around in the lazy river which had to be the most relaxing and fun thing we had done together in a while.  Either before or after that, we ate at the buffet at the resort and while it wasn’t bad, it certainly was nothing to write home about.

The next morning we started off with a nice hearty breakfast at Cracker Barrel (one of our favorites).  We make it a point to eat at one every chance we get.  I would have to say this is one of the best locations we have been to.  Anyway, enough about Cracker Barrel.  After breakfast we headed to Summit Motorsports Park where we spent a couple of hours setting up for the show Jon would be working at later that evening and the following day.  After set-up we headed back to the resort where we took a quick nap as the long day of travel the previous day had caught up to us.  I dropped Jon off at the show that afternoon and decided to venture out and explore a little bit.  I drove down the main highway stopped at Sonic for a shake and then Walmart and Target to pick up a few items.  After that it was time to go back to Jon at the show, he was hungry and needed someone to bring him food, so away I went.  It really was so neat, I got to the location and while being trolley-ed to the vendor tent I got to see the a monster truck crushing smaller cars, cars on a race course and of course I couldn’t miss the cars racing down the drag strip.

I made it to the tent and got to see my hubby! He was ravished so I quickly went to see what food vendors they had and brought some goodies back to the tent for him.  I spent the next few hours with him until the show was over and we made our way back to the resort where we settled in for the night.

The next morning we were up bright and early as Jon had to be at the show at about 9am.  We stopped by McDonald’s for breakfast, nothing fancy before heading over to the Motorsports Park.  I dropped Jon off and made my way to the town of Milan to explore.  This little town is adorable and has some interesting history to it.  It just happens to be the birthplace of Thomas Edison, which is pretty neat!

After that I headed back to the resort for a bit before venturing out to Lake Erie to pick up some food for lunch for Jon and I.  One of the best discoveries on this trip food wise was definitely Great Lakes Grinders.  This small little, almost shack like location right on the lake has some of the best sandwiches we have ever had.  Anyway, I picked up our two sandwiches and headed back to Jon.  Once I got there, we were able to enjoy our sandwiches and the rest of the show before it was time to take down the booth.

After take down it was time to grab some dinner and head back to the resort.  We settled on Steak and Shake which definitely hit the spot.

Back at the resort we enjoyed the water park one last time before heading to bed as we had a big day ahead of us full of adventure.

The next morning we woke up super early, probably sometime close to 6am.  We had decided during our planning stage that we were going to make the most out of our last and only full day off on this trip.  We were going to take the 3 hour trek to Niagara Falls.  It was something we both have always wanted to see and this was our opportunity, so of course we took it.  We started out the morning with at Waffle House (our first time) and loved it!  The food is inexpensive and delicious, a combination that can’t be beat.  We wanted to sample a little bit of everything so we got a pecan waffle, a sausage breakfast sandwich and the large (very large) loaded hash browns, all of which did not disappoint.

After breakfast we made our way through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada on our way to Niagara Falls.

Entering another country, let alone travelling through another country is a feeling unlike any other.  It was interesting, all the signs were in French and the speed limit signs are in Kilometers, it took a little getting used to.  It didn’t help that I hadn’t set up our cell phone service to be available in Canada.  So when we got a bit lost after taking the wrong off ramp, it took a little finagling to try and get our bearings straight.  We made it though to Niagara Falls, another one marked off the bucket list.  Niagara Falls is overwhelmingly beautiful.  We found a place to park, walked around, shopped a bit and took a lot of pictures.

We had one more thing on our list to do in Canada, because when in Canada you must eat poutine.

I wish we would have had more time to explore, but we were limited on time.  It took 3 hours to get there and would take at least 3 to get home and since the weather wasn’t great and the highways aren’t well lit, we wanted to try and get back to Cleveland before dark.

On the way to Cleveland we made one pit stop at Duff’s in Buffalo, New York for of course, buffalo wings, duh!  To be honest, I wasn’t impressed.  I was expecting something much more spectacular considering this is where they originated.

Unfortunately when we got to Cleveland it was raining, so our hopes of exploring the city were kind of out the window.  Not only that though, apparently cities other than Los Angeles have establishments that are closed on Sundays.  Who would of thought.  Luckily the hotel we were staying at for the night, the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade was super neat, so we were able to explore there and find a bite to eat at The Chocolate Bar (amazing service and food) before turning in for the night.  A lot of people say that this location is haunted as it is very old.  I will say it is quiet and there is a charm to the place that I can’t quite describe but we didn’t get that eerie vibe at all that a lot of people explained they felt.  It was in fact the contrary, very peaceful.

The next morning it was off to the airport.  The flight home was a non-stop which because of the lack of wifi felt like it took forever.  This trip was one for the books, we did so much in so little time and we made memories that we will never forget.