The Small Scale Hits the Big Time

Today we broke away from our usual routine of finding and photographing oversized things and found a museum of miniatures. Of course, this was the "World's Largest Miniature Railway," so how far is that really from our norm? The Great American Railway at Northlandz in Flemington, New Jersey, hosts a one-mile indoor walking tour past eight miles of track winding and weaving through sixteen acres of canyons, fields, mountains, cities, and many more locations where real trains are found.

The 125 trains face various weather conditions and engineering marvels as they make their way through the course. This gigantic miniature world took twenty-five years to build and even features a recurring character, "Grandma," whose homes throughout the exhibit always manage to survive one catastrophe or another. This display stands as a testament to human skill and workmanship, as each piece was lovingly constructed by hand. We salute the craftsmen responsible for this work of art!

After our tour of the miniature railway, we left for Easton, Pennsylvania, for the Crayola Factory tour. Unfortunately, the factory closed an hour early today, and we were too late to view the production of crayons and markers. Oh, well. Perhaps another time. On the bright side, the Crayola Store was still open, and we were able to see the World's Largest Crayon. Created in 2003 from 123,000 blue Crayola crayons donated by children around the country, the massive stick of creative potential is fifteen feet long and weighs 1,500 pounds. It has a diameter of sixteen inches and could color an area the size of a football field! Wouldn't want to leave that crayon in the car on a hot summer day!

When we finished browsing, we got back on the road and set out for Allentown, Pennsylvania, where we had made arrangements to meet our friends Melody, Kayla, and Kimber. It is because of this meeting, and our need to plan ahead for it, that we abandoned our usual policy of "finding a place when we get there," and booked ahead using Hotwire.com. When we arrived at the hotel we had secured at a rate of a mere $46 per night, we were shocked out of our socks at what a beautiful room we got! We are staying the night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Allentown in a room that, while not quite rivaling our suite in Niagara Falls, blows every other hotel we have occupied out of the water in terms of comfort, cleanliness, and overall value. No, we are not being paid for this endorsement; we just believe in giving credit where credit is due. Thank you, Hotwire!

After a brief but happy reunion with the girls, we are off to bed! Tomorrow we'll be back on another fast-paced, full-day schedule of travel and sightseeing.