Dad's Life 3D: Passport stamps and my greatest sports moments

It was hard to leave Lake Placid. We had such a nice time there! The Flannerys saw us off, and we headed through town around 11am.

On our way out of town, we stopped outside of the Herb Brooks Arena so I could tell the kids about one of the greatest sports upsets in my lifetime... When the underdog USA hockey team beat the Russians (At the time USSR) in the 1980 Olympic games. This is the arena where the "Miracle on Ice" took place. They called it a miracle because back then, the U.S. only allowed amateurs to compete in the Olympics, whereas other countries allowed professionals to compete. Sidetone: This all changed when we opened the floodgates in 1992 and annihilated the competition with our "Dream Team" mens basketball team...

Now back to 1980. Our younger, amateur team defeated the stronger Russian team, and then went on to win the gold medal. I have never been a huge fan of hockey, but I remember watching that game in awe, and jumping for joy when we scored the winning goal! It's stuff like this that you never forget.

The kids talked me into a pre-lunch ice-cream at the joint we had gone to the other night, Emma's Ice-cream. They really had to twist my arm... After all, today was the most time we spent in the car in one day for the whole trip, so how could I resist a little ice-cream energy!

Now that our time in Lake Placid was complete, we officially hit the road. It was a beautiful drive! Our 1/2 way point was going to be the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY! Waze managed to find us some amazing back roads along the way! We took advantage and stopped for some great pics.

We arrived in Cooperstown around 3:30pm. From the moment you first turn down the main street of this awesome little town, you realize you've entered baseball town USA. Not everyone I know loves the game of baseball like I do... ;) But I think we could all agree on what this sport represents for the country. This is the America I know, and the Baseball Hall of Fame museum does a great job of reminding us how the sport has evolved. How the United States of America has evolved. Why we shouldn't allow ourselves to be set back 50 years. Now, as a dad of a daughter, I'd still love to see a female get drafted into the MLB, but that's a conversation for another day...

Coach Eric on Baseball. I have coached baseball as an assistant coach for two years, and have managed a little league team for four years. Baseball teaches kids patience. There is instant gratification in everything else they do. With the swipe of a finger, they can have anything they want in the palm of their hand. Most other sports are fast paced, whereas baseball is slow and boring. But that's what teaches them patience. They have to pay attention the whole time. Unless they are a pitcher of catcher, nothing is happening that directly involves them for much of the game. But when it does, they have to react in an instant. And that, my friends, is the beauty of baseball! Patience.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame museum is full of baseball memorabilia and Americana. It's truly worth a visit if you're ever in upstate New York. There's a great picture of Dodger outfielder, Kirk Gibson, at the museum. Like the great sports moment I shared with the kiddos earlier, I now got to share the greatest sports moment in my lifetime.

During game one of the 1988 World Series, with two outs in the ninth inning, an injured Kirk Gibson came up to bat as a pinch hitter. With a 3-2 count, Gibson would hit the most dramatic game winning home run in World Series history (my opinion, of course...). He was so injured that he hobbled around the bases, and barely made it back to home plate. The Dodgers would go on to win the World Series that year. The last time we've won it... Fingers crossed...

The kids both loved the museum, as did I! When we came out, it was raining. Really raining! We each grabbed a slice of pizza in town, and then hit the road for round two.

This leg of the drive was mostly flat, open road. We arrive at the Canadian boarder around 10pm. Apparently they don't stamp passports anymore, but I was able to get the Canadian boarder patrol officer to stamp them for us. After all, it was the first time the kids have left the country. Sorry kiddos, from here on out, you will now have the Donaldson travel bug...

We crossed the Rainbow bridge into Canada and made our way to the hotel. My excitement grew. I have wanted to see Niagra Falls since I was a kid. I think my intrigue surrounding Niagra Falls started when my mom told me about her travels as a child to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. She would tell me all about Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, in such vivid detail and how they compared to Niagra Falls. Both of these special places have been on my bucket list since I was a kid. One down, and one to go!

The falls are lit up at night and our room has an amazing view of this magnificent natural wonder! The sound of the water hitting the rocks below is powerful. From our bed, after my two babies were asleep, I watched as a brilliant crescent moon rose above the falls. The lights on the falls go out at 2am, but the soothing sound of the powerful water continues all night long. Not a bad way to end a long day.

Day 11 – August 15, 2017
Start: Lake Placid NY
Destination: Niagra Falls, Ontario Canada, via National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown NY
Mileage (Muscle Car): 433 Miles