Niagra Falls

Do we really have to?

We arrived at Niagra Falls on the 28th and settled into our campsite.

In the early afternoon we took our first adventure into the Niagra Falls State Park. Seeing the falls was not on my bucket list. I was neutral about this stop but Ed and Rhonda really wanted to visit this wonder of nature. Dan also indicated that he had no strong desire to make this a destination stop. We spent the afternoon getting acquainted with the best way to navigate the park and make good use of our time when we return tomorrow for the BIG adventure.

That first afternoon, at the aquarium and discovery center, was just a teaser for
what this state park had in store for us the following day.

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Rainbow Bridge

Sunday morning arrived with a modicum of clouds and a chill in the air. When we entered the park we decided it made sense to walk the Rainbow Bridge over to Canada and hope for sun and warmth later in the day. We passed through customs with Flat Nathan hidden in Papa’s pocket so no one would ask for his passport. Travis the Traveling Monkey chose to stay behind in the RV today as he needed rest from the long journey that had begun in Michigan. We started across the Niagra River that leads to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

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About in the middle of the river, we reached the International Boundary Line indicating the division of the US and Canada. Flat Nathan had now traveled internationally!

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It is on the Canadian side that you can get the view of both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The view is stunning but the addition of the thundering water makes the experience complete. For us Michiganders – a few interesting tidbits. The water for the Falls actually begins in Lake Superior and flows through some of the Great Lakes on its way to the St Lawrence Seaway and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. Next tidbit: Annie, a 63 year old widow from Michigan, was the first person to go over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel she had designed. She survived! Way to make women (seniors especially) and Michigan proud, Annie. Going over the American Falls is not survivable due to the structure of the rocks.

We walked away from the bridge looking for a place to have lunch. All of a sudden we made a right turn up a street and ran into this:

It was like entering into the Twilight Zone. The street was full of people walking and speaking multi-cultural languages that meant nothing to us. Squeaks and squawks were coming from both sides of the street as each arcade and point of interest beckoned visitors to come experience their carnival type extravaganzas. The cacophony was deafening.

We ditched lunch and got the heck off that street. There is a sadness to this that struck me as we walked. Such a wonder of God’s hand in our world and our human interests make this splendor of nature second to the pleasures of our carnal desires.

Cave of the Winds

Later in the afternoon, we head to Cave of the Winds. We had to trade our shoes for the sandals we are given and adorn ourselves in rain gear from head to toe. Looks like we are going to get wet.

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You guessed it…I’m the one that left the footies on my feet. Ha! Thinking I would be warmer with those on. Dan, the rebel, is the one who left his shoes on.

Niagra River Gorge

We take an elevator down to the base of the American Falls and traverse the wooden decks and stairs that are put in place every Spring and removed every Fall. Here is the true thrill of nature. This is an up close encounter of the power of this river that dumps water 20 stories at the rate of 42 million gallons a minute into the gorge.

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Rainbow Blessings

To our delight, the sun has shown through the clouds and we have the blessing of seeing the rainbow over the falls.

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Maid of the Mist

From the Maid of the Mist on the American side and the Hornblower on the Canadian side, visitors get their closest view of the falls and another wet and windy experience. The power of this water is felt in your soul and blasted in your ears as the boat slowly motors forward and turns 180 degrees to creep back to the shore.

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So Glad We Did

Our day has ended with the power of the water around us and on us. As we walk back to the vehicle we take one last stroll through the park and enjoy the splendor of all that we have encountered. Once again, for me, a destination that I thought I would just look and leave will hold memories for me long into the coming years. We are in awe of the natural works of God that He has placed here for our pure pleasure to behold.

This is our last stop with the Bakers as they move on toward Maryland and we motor east into Boston. This destination, shared with this wonderful couple, will go down in my book as a “Should-a-Been” Bucket List item. Seems I’m being blessed with a lot of these on this trip! Flat Nathan…you a one lucky dude to be along on this adventure!

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Moon Pies and Bedtime

After we return to the RV, Flat Nathan and Travis share a bedtime snack of moon pie as Nathan fills Travis in on all he has missed today. Travis says he is ready to go along on the next excursion which will be The Freedom Trail in Boston.

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Yesterday we pulled into a park in Schenectady New York. Tucked into the foothills just north of the Catskills turns out to be a challenge. It took us one and one half hours and two different sites before the RV would level for us. Normally we can be set up in less than 15 minutes. New experience and we learned more about the ability of Gypsy to think for herself. Hmm. Seems scary!

This morning we have had lots of rain and more to come later on. We have decided to sit tight here until Thursday morning and just let the rain pass before we pull out for Boston.