Jul 30, 2012 - Niagara Falls, NY and Ontario

Ahhh...another rest day. The group spent the 29th and 30th in Niagara Falls. Judy, Chris, Terri, and Ashton visited. They had booked a (very nice) room in Niagara Falls, Ontario. A real treat at the Crowne Plaza where we had the best dinner in quite a while. From the 10th floor window of the restaurant, we could see the Quality Inn where ABB stayed in Niagara Falls, NY. There is quite a bit of nightlife at the Falls. Judy, Terri, Chris, and Ashton took a ride on the huge Ferris Wheel. The next day we did the tour of the base of the...

Jul 23, 2012 - At the falls

Today we got up at 8am and beat the crowds to the Niagara Reservation State Park. We dawned our bright blue ponchos and herded on to the maid of the mist. After a cruise around the bottom of the falls, we headed to Goat Island and took the elevator down 175 feet to the cave of the winds (which had no actual cave or winds). Exploring the bottom of the falls was fun and very wet. Although, It was not as loud as we had expected it to be. We came back later that night and fought the crowd to take some photos of the falls lit up as well. We...

Jul 22, 2012 - Leaving nowhere

We are finally back in civilization here at the Branches of Niagra campground in Niagara Falls New York, and we have internet!! We left Loudonville at 10am and made it the 300ish miles in six hours. Not much more to say today. Tomorrow we will visit the falls and hopefully find a starbucks.

Jul 20, 2012 - Niagara Falls

We started out today at the US side of the Niagara Falls. This view never changes, but it is extraordinary, nevertheless. We had lunch at the Top of the Falls Restaurant looking out over the Falls and took the trolley ride around the Falls to see it all. Then we went to the Castellani Art Museum at the University of Niagara where they had a display about the history of the Underground Railroad. Historical photos and artifacts, as well as artists sculptures and paintings told the story of the Underground Railroad and the part the Niagara...

Jul 19, 2012 - Lighthouses and More

It was a busy day today with lots of lighthouse stops and ending at Niagara Falls. Our first stop was at a garage sale we just couldn’t pass up. Then to 30 Mile Point Lighthouse, a fabulous lighthouse on Lake Ontario. There is a great campground with hookups. You can also stay at the lighthouse in the three-bedroom light keeper’s quarters. That would be a great vacation! We took a tour of the lighthouse, including the 64 steps up to the tower. This would definitely be on my “must stay” the next time I am through this area. Then we stopped...

Jul 2, 2012 - Niagara Falls

I'm trying to catch up on the journal updates. The internet has either been slow in the campgrounds, or we are too busy or I am tired. Today we went back to Niagara Falls and did all the WET activities. Unfortunately the underwater camera that Fred was using had a defective memory card and we did not know this until we got back home that evening. BUMMER! However, I have put together a selection of photos that show what we did. First we went on the Maid of the Mist boat trip to the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. They...

Jul 1, 2012 - Niagara Falls

Today we spent the whole day in the Niagara Falls State Park. I took tons of pictures and am having a hard time narrowing them down for your viewing. There is so much to see and it is all sooo BEAUTIFUL!! We went to all the viewing areas, walked on the Observation Tower, we saw the movie Niagara: Legends of Adventure and then the Aquarium of Niagara. Left at 9AM and got home around 6pm. Wonderful fun day. We met two firefighters from Chicago, Lou and Brian. They gave us suggestions of local things to see, do and eat in Chicago. And we met...

Jun 30, 2012 - Niagara Falls, New York

A note about gasoline: The highest we have paid was $3.94 in Riverside, California. That was the last time we bought gasoline in California. The lowest so far has been $3.10 in Sandusky, Ohio. The average has around $3.40. Much better than we thought it would be. From Geneva on the Lake we drove along the Lake Erie shoreline for many miles, on the more local roads. It was raining some but we could still enjoy the view. The homes are on huge lots and are really interesting. Many looked to be occupied by year round residents, but I liked the...

Jun 15, 2012 - A(nother) Side Trip

finally, after traveling I-90 across New York (and stopping for a 1 1/2 hour rest at a truck stop), we reached Buffalo around 7:30pm. We decided to check out the Anchor Bar which is the originator of buffalo wings. After driving through a packed parking lot we decided to first take a side trip....to Niagara Falls. Unbeknownst to us it happened to be the night that Wallenda (or as Jeff puts it, "the guy affectionately known as Jackass") was walking the tightrope over the falls. What we planned to be a quick trip in to see the falls turned...

Jun 15, 2012 - Nik Wallenda's Walk across Niagara Falls

Today is the day that Nik Wallenda will attempt to walk across Niagara Falls, we tried to get two of the 4000 free tickets on June 1st, needless to say we didn't' get them, they were given away in less than 4 minutes. The demand was so high that the server crashed and the telephone system crashed as well. We found out that the Top-of-The-Falls restaurant was selling 132 tickets (restaurant hold almost 300 people) which included the food (beef tenderloin, crab balls, turkey, shrimp, haddock, assorted vegetables and an open bar) we decided...

Jun 11, 2012 - Niagara Falls US side

We have never been to Niagara Falls, what a wonderful sight. Niagara Falls is the oldest USA State Park it was established in 1885. We rode the Maid of The Mist to get an up close view of the American Falls and Bridal Vale falls (American side) and the Horseshoe Falls (Canadian / American Side). The ride gave us an idea of what Nik Wallenda will experience walking the tight rope across Niagara Falls on the 15th of June. You can really appreciate the power of the falls as you are being pelted by the mist and you hear the roar of the water....

Oct 5, 2011 - Last few days in Niagara Falls

Tuesday drove to Lockport to go on a boat on the Erie Canal travelled through locks 34 & 35, then Erie Canal is 363 miles long, we only saw about a mile of it. Later in the day we walked back over Rainbow Bridge to see the Falls all lit up where they kept changing colours. Wednesday alot warmer today in the late 60's nearly 20 degrees warmer than when we first arrived. Took the car in today to get its recall work carried out only took 2 hours. We then drove to Whirlpool State Park where we walked along part of the rim of the Niagara Gorge...