Travel Log History

The Magical Ferris Wheel

A staple at every carnival and amusement park, the Ferris Wheel provides its riders with great spectacular views, sweet little romantic moments, or just a quick escape from the ground below. I have always been quite mystified by the giant wheel and its colorful cars carrying people into the sky and back. A few months ago I read the book "The Devil in the White City" written by Erik Larson. An absolutely fantastic read detailing the creation of the 1893 Chicago's World Fair along with a behind the scenes story of a serial killer running a muck. The tagline reads, "Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America." If that does not catch your interest then I do not know what will! Quite an interesting history, I assure you. While reading the book I learned the story behind the creation of the great Ferris Wheel for the expedition. I found this to be fascinating since no one really ever stops to think about how this staple came to be. I was so thrilled to photograph it while Alison and I were on our Knoebels journey. See the previous post for more pictures from the park

 A short summary from howstuffworks.com perfectly tells the story behind this mystical wheel. "For the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, engineer George Ferris presented fair organizers with his idea of a giant rotating wheel that would carry passengers in cars attached around the outer edge. He convinced organizers to allow him to build the structure, which would rival France's Eiffel Tower. Indeed, Ferris's wheel, which cost $380,000 and stood 264 feet tall with a wheel diameter of 250 feet, was a huge success. Each car held 60 people, and, at 50 cents a ride, the wheel was one of the most popular attractions at the World's Fair. The Ferris wheel is a must-have for any carnival, and thousands of replications continue to delight passengers of all ages."

Travel Log

Knoebels Amusement Park

One thing that never gets old in the summer is amusement parks. In my area the family run and owned Knoebels opened its doors on July 4, 1926 and has never looked back. It is currently the largest admission free amusement park in America. The charm of Knoebels lies within its location in a forested area and allowing all age groups to enjoy the festivities without having to pay a fee. For me, the charm of the park comes from its ability to relive my childhood happiness. My mom and dad would always bring my brother Michael and I to the park around dinner time. By then most of the visitors were leaving, the warm summer air was starting to cool off, and the spectacular lights on all of the rides were starting to come on. It was magical. We would arrive and have our dinner over at the baked potato stand and then start our night of pure happiness. Perhaps that is where the key to Knoebels lies, being able to, if only for a few hours out of the day, have those magical memories be brought to life again.

For this journey to Knoebels, my friend Alison and I (our families would often go to Knoebels together) traveled down to the park specifically to capture the beautiful scenery and rides. I never wanted to bring my camera into the park while riding the rides so this proved to be a great opportunity to photograph the experience.  We both got great shots and ended up having enough time left over to enjoy some of the rides. We stayed until closing trying to cram in as much fun as we could. All in all it was a great day beautifully captured.

Travel Log

My Family Trip to Cape Cod 2014

There are few places I love more to be in than Cape Cod. Specifically the charming town of Hyannis. Now if the name sounds familiar to you, most likely you know it because the Kennedy family lived in Hyannis Port, which is about two miles down the road from where our hotel was. Each town has their own appeal with little main streets, fantastic places to eat, and incredible sites to see including light houses, beaches, vineyards, museums, and so much more! I feel the most at peace and relaxed while I'm there. Last year my dad and I traveled to Hyannis so we could experience all things JFK. Being a big fan and admirer, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hoped to get back to indulge in all of the wonderful sites we had yet to see. Luckily, we decided to once again travel to Cape Cod this year and finish off some items from the bucket list created in preparation for last years trip. My brother Michael joined us on the 2014 voyage to Hyannis and I was so happy he could experience this with us. Everyone should go to Cape Cod at least once in their life time. Some highlights from the trip include:

• The JFK Museum
• Nantucket
• Being out on the open waters to travel to Nantucket
• Celebrating my birthday, which also happens to be the same day as JFK's birthday!, in and around his hometown
• Nauset beach and the lighthouse (this lighthouse is on the Cape Cod potato chip bag)
• Seeing the Kennedy Compound up close in person
• Seeing JFK and Jackie's house from street level
• Climbing to the top of the Highland Lighthouse
• The Truro Vineyard
• The Chatham Lighthouse
• Eating at Columbo's, The Chatham Squire, Moby Dick's, The Black Cat, and The Dockside
• Finally, the hotel itself will always hold a special place in my heart. Having tea in the library, the amazing view from out deck of the harbor, having breakfast in the library and gazing across the harbor, and most of all, sitting by the fire pit in adirondack chairs, sipping on some beer while reminiscing about life and looking upon the ships entering and leaving the harbor.

“I always go to Hyannisport to be revived, to know again the power of the sea and the Master who rules over it and all of us.””

— John F. Kennedy