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I just got back from vacation! Lots of pics, but they're all small and you can click on the thumbnails to enlarge (yes, this thread is 56k-friendly).

Day #1: Driving into Hershey Pennsylvania, we briefly stopped at a place called the Jolly Trolley in Dushore, PA.
Day #2: Tour of Gettysburg. We're looking down from the Union positions toward Devil's Den.
Day #3: Hershey Park! I had no idea there was a full-blown theme/amusement park in Pennsylvania until recently. It's quite cool. They even have "product characters", like this peppermint candy guy.

A walking Hershey's Kiss!

Rebecca watching the boys on the balloon ride. David is getting older but he still likes to do the kiddie rides at first.


More rides







The big Hershey's Chocolate bar guy at the front gate of Hershey Park. This pic was actually taken on day #4. We never took a picture of him on day #2, and day #3 was Rebecca's spa relaxation day, so we got back to him on day #4 when we went to see Chocolate World. With the park, Chocolate World, and a few other sundry attractions such as the Gardens and the Trolley Ride and the Museum, Hershey basically gives you two full days of activities at a minimum.




Occasionally, my ugly mug makes it into one of the pictures

The Hershey Museum. Interestingly enough, large portions of it are devoted to general-interest subjects, rather than all of it being focused on chocolate. Milton Hershey was quite an interesting person, who seems to have created the entire town of Hershey himself, complete with its cultural attractions.


Hershey Gardens
The butterfly greenhouse

I saw a great quote from Mark Twain about his wife, who he described as "both a girl and a woman", and that's what I always think when I look at my Rebecca.


I for one welcome our new insect overlords.
Relaxation


As the daylight fades, we start the long drive home. But we were struck by the beauty of the Pennsylvania landscape, so we kept stopping to take pictures. It really is quite lovely country, especially for people who grew up as we did, with no mountains nearby.
Day #5: we stopped at a motel overnight to break up our journey back, and now we're underway again.


The darkened interior of the one of the lecture rooms at Elmira College, in Elmira NY
Rebecca and the boys posing by a statue of Mark Twain
More Elmira stuff


I know what you're thinking, and this road sign is not a Photoshop job. There really is a road called "Sodom Road" near Fort Erie, Ontario. This was the last picture of our trip.

This is most disturbing. I had arranged for the CIA to extraordinarily rend you off to Saudi Arabia while you were here in the Lion's Den so that I could begin my hostile takeover of the board. That seems to have failed.

Good help is so hard to find.

Great pics. Looks like you enjoyed your holiday.

Edi

I believe the obligatory "you were gone?" is in order.

Ye gods! Your son is firing upon you! Cursed GTA.

I don't know that I could spend two full days in the presence of a chocolate fortress and not tear the place down. Your fortitude is admirable.

I'm always impressed by your ability to hold your camera steady; very nice picture from the butterfly house. Madam Wong is looking radiant as ever, and those boys are getting tall.

Restless sleep awaits the oncoming week after looking at that Peppermint Pattie thing.

Darth Wong wrote:I know what you're thinking, and this road sign is not a Photoshop job. There really is a road called "Sodom Road" near Fort Erie, Ontario. This was the last picture of our trip.

And really, what better way to end a family-friendly vacation?


A question I've always had about Hershey Park was that is it a big Six Flags-esque style amusement park, or a smaller scale one like a fair?

NeoGoomba wrote:And really, what better way to end a family-friendly vacation?

No vacation is complete without Sodom.

A question I've always had about Hershey Park was that is it a big Six Flags-esque style amusement park, or a smaller scale one like a fair?

It's a full-blown amusement park, complete with big roller coasters. The Storm Runner is a launch coaster that goes from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. There are bigger amusement parks out there, but there's enough at Hersheypark to spend a whole day. To be honest, amusement parks beyond a certain size are a bit pointless IMO because you can't get to everything by the end of the day.

You didn't stop by Intercourse while you were in Pennsylvania? Or see a sign for it?

No. Really. There's a town called Intercourse.

I loooove Hershey Park! We went there on out Senior Class Trip last year... I got free chocolate for being a taste tester... mmmm....

What awesome pics. Such beautiful things to say about your wife. Your boys look like they are such happy children. What an great husband/father you must be, I mean taking one day out of the vacation to let your wife have a spa day! That is so awesome

Looks like you all had a good time
I too say you have enormous willpower to not rip that whole place apart looking for chocolate

Mrs Kendall wrote:I too say you have enormous willpower to not rip that whole place apart looking for chocolate

It's not as hard as it sounds. They have chocolate everywhere that you can buy and eat without destroying anything. At least, that's what I remember, I haven't been in probably 15 years.

The Spartan wrote:

Mrs Kendall wrote:I too say you have enormous willpower to not rip that whole place apart looking for chocolate

It's not as hard as it sounds. They have chocolate everywhere that you can buy and eat without destroying anything. At least, that's what I remember, I haven't been in probably 15 years.

Yeah uh that was joke I wouldn't tear anything apart for chocolate, I was just trying to be funny which obviously didn't work

Darth Wong wrote:

NeoGoomba wrote:And really, what better way to end a family-friendly vacation?

No vacation is complete without Sodom.

A question I've always had about Hershey Park was that is it a big Six Flags-esque style amusement park, or a smaller scale one like a fair?

It's a full-blown amusement park, complete with big roller coasters. The Storm Runner is a launch coaster that goes from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. There are bigger amusement parks out there, but there's enough at Hersheypark to spend a whole day. To be honest, amusement parks beyond a certain size are a bit pointless IMO because you can't get to everything by the end of the day.

ahhh, the storm runner! If there is a more practical use of linear induction motors, i sure as hell can't think of one. That SOB scrambled my brains. Did you ride the coaster with the water cannons?

Nice to hear you had a ncie time out there. Those Hershey's characters look terrifying. I think I'd rather take my chances with the mega-bug

You had no idea that there were amusement parks in Pennsylvania?! But I thought that Kennywood was world-famous(1) and that Hershey Park was a critical terrorist target(2)!


1. They market themselves as "the world's #1 amusment park" or something along those lines, but seemingly few people outside of the Pittsburgh area have ever heard of them.

2. Someone on an online game I used to frequent, who lived in the boondocks of central PA, started ranting after 9/11 that he was "in the crosshairs" because he lived near Hershey Park.

Ford Prefect wrote:I'm always impressed by your ability to hold your camera steady;

Sorry to de-idolize you, but all you need is anything better than a cheap digicam, or in other words a camera that lets you reduce the shutter speed (OR increase in terms of the numeric designation (1/250 appearing as 250, etc').
When doing so all but the clumsiest picture takers should be able to take a non shakey photo (Though motion blur due to moving with the camera might be a problem unless you use a very high shutter speed or utilize panning [though panning will cause motion blurring for everything other than the focused object).

Oh and very nice pics, and cute kids

Great looking family, sounds like an awesome vacation.

and I'm glad you found a way to work anal sex in there

The Elmira shots look rather nice. I'm stopping by for a tour of the campus and an interview in August.

And the Hershey pictures are great.

Cool pics. But when I saw the insect picture all I saw was kindling. :)

How many opportunities did you get to say "Hershey Highway" and then stopped yourself? Damn, my brain would have to be working overtime to keep that one for the perfect occasion.

Day 5's scenery looks almost exactly like the scenery around here, except fewer castles.

Rebecca reminds me of Sarah Connor every time she wears shades, and personally, I think it's a good look.

Mr. T wrote: and I'm glad you found a way to work anal sex in there

Well this is Wong we're talking about here , though apparently he didn't visit

Spartan wrote:You didn't stop by Intercourse while you were in Pennsylvania? Or see a sign for it?

No. Really. There's a town called Intercourse.

Also, am I the only one who thought of A certain Starcraft Unit upon reading the thread title?

The last time I was in Hershey PA, I stopped at an antique mall and got lost (leaving Hershey, not in the mall itself)

What kind of vacation is this? You didn't even shoot a gun or anything this time!

Lord Poe wrote:What kind of vacation is this? You didn't even shoot a gun or anything this time!

I shot some people the finger while driving. Does that count?