Quack, Quack, Quack

On Thursday, we went into the city to Station Square. It is the old train station and in a quaint, historic part of town. Within 5 minutes of arriving, Rosie was sopping wet and cold on this gray, overcast day. She was running through the fountain when the water erupted full force! Grammy took her into Hard Rock Cafe and to buy her a new t-shirt.

Coleman and I were walking around the square when we heard lots of loud, loud quacking. We were getting ready to take a Ducky Tour and many young passengers were blowing duck quackers. My first thought was, How fun!, and I was about to buy them for the kids. But, my second thought was, Grampy will throw those quackers right in the river, and so I refrained. Minutes later, Grammy and Rosie appeared with a new, hot pink t-shirt and 3 quackers. Grampy just smiled and shook his head.

The Ducky Tour is an hour ride around Pittsburgh on land and water in these unique vehicles built during World War 2. We drove through downtown Pittsburgh and learned about the history of the city. We loved the architecture and interesting sites. Then, the truck drove right into the river and became a boat that navigates through the river. It was amazing!

The best part about being on the river is that the children on board take turns driving. Bud was first and he did a great job, of course. Then, it was Rosie's turn and she was so exited. When Coleman took the wheel, I thought for sure the Captain would help him. He didn't and Coleman had us weaving all around the Ohio River! The passengers were laughing and holding on to the sides. Occasionally, the Captain would grab the wheel to straighten us out, but otherwise it was Coleman on his own.

After our river adventure, we drove back on dry land and finished riding around the city. It was a very fun Ducky Tour! Coleman has loved all the different experiences on the Pittsburgh roads. We have been on countless bridges, driven through many long tunnels, rode on a boat, seen lots of trains, and went up and down a mountain on an incline.

View of the city and river

Getting ready to ride on the Ducky Tour

Quack, quack, quack!

This is a statue of Honus Wagner outside PNC Park,

where the Pittsburgh Pirates play. Honus Wagner's baseball card

is the most valuable in history.

This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

We're on the river and Bud's driving!

This is the USS Requin Submarine

Now, it's Rosie's turn to steer the boat

Another Ducky Tour vehicle in front of Heinz Stadium,

home of the Steelers football team

Coleman has us sideways in the water!

PNC Park from the river

This is a view of the three sister bridges.

They represent the three rivers;

the Allegheny and the Monongahela flow into the Ohio river.

After the Ducky Tour, we walked to the bottom of Mt. Washington to ride the Monongahela Incline. It was built in 1870 and is the oldest and steepest incline in the US. It was built as transportation for the residents of Mt. Washington to get to downtown Pittsburgh.

At the top of Mt. Washington is an awesome view of the city. We walked a block and had ice cream cones. Even though the day was overcast, it was still very humid and the ice cream melted quickly. In seconds, Rosie and Coleman were gooey, sticky messes!

The incline ride down was very steep! The ride is only about three minutes long, and is still used by the locals as an easy and quick way to downtown. Back at the Mission Home, we ate pizza and salad for dinner and then put on a movie, played rummicube and Grampy and Bud watched sports. Another great day.