LSU Campus @ Baton Rouge, LA

We visited LSU (Louisiana State University) Campus today. It was one of the best maintained campus that i have seen so far.

Beautiful LSU Campus @ Baton Rouge

Apart from beautiful surroundings, they have a live tiger which is their official mascot. Read all about that on Rishab's blog

Crossing worlds longest bridge - Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest bridge in the world. Its built on lake Pontchartrain thats between New Orleans(South shore) and covington(North shore).

Some facts

spanning 23.9 miles from Metairie on the South Shore.

Speed limit 70 miles per hour.



We did not notice the first time we crossed it in the midnight. But now its a feast to the eyes every time we cross it. At the same time its a bridge where we have to drive very carefully as only 2 high speed lanes are the on each side.

Hot air balloons in London, ON

Brief about Hot air balloons
Hot air balloon is one of the oldest technology to carry humans in air dating back to 1783. It consists of a bag that holds the heated air, and a basket and heating sources are carried along with passengers/pilot. They can also come in a variety of shapes and sizes.


Balloon festival was going on in London On August 4 2007, Saturday. It was 1 hour drive for us from Stratford.


View Larger Map

It takes place in Harris Park at the forks of the Thames River during Simcoe Day(first Monday in August) weekend.
After having some food and roaming around the groud that had some amusement games, slowly the crowd started gathering and a few balloons started inflating.


First ones were a maple leaf and Canadian Flag hot air balloons. Crowd cheered with pride. There were other participating balloonist from USA. More than 20 balloons were launched from this location one after the other.



Then there was a diano which was inflated but never took off. It finally bent over the crowd and fell down. It was just an attraction for kids.

How and where do they land?
Each hot air balloon will have its vehicle on the ground that chases these balloons. they will have GPS


Official site :http://www.londonballoonfestival.com

Ontario place - Toronto

Ontario Place is a multiple use entertainment and seasonal amusement park owned by the Province of Ontario. Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, just south of Exhibition Place, it is approximately 4 km west of downtown Toronto.



Opened in 1971, it consists of three artificially constructed, landscaped islands. Attractions are spread throughout the park

This was 148 kms drive for us. I have a backup driver now, so mostly sit and guide(not yet relax) ;)



Parents can enjoy water slides with their family, while kids are the stars with all the rides open for them. Even toddlers have a seperate area where they have their own mind games. In the evenings chinese lanterns are lit and it looks awesome.
Checkout this small video clip from ontario place, taken from digital camera



Facts related to Ontario place

March 17, 1969 - started construction of Ontario place

May 22, 1971 - Operational

$29,000,000 CAD - spent for ontario place development.

Ontario Department of Trade and Development owns this park.

park size: 360,000 m² (96 acres), 206,000 m² (51.4 acres) created by landfill

Open from Mid may till september 3rd each year.

Their official Ontario place website

Google satellite map of Ontario place.



To Conclude
We mostly enjoyed the water slides which were of a lil thrill, most other rides were simply for kids. This is the place for family to have fun together. A must visit for people with kids if you happen to visit Toronto.