We have almost done a full loop, having now done Southern New England, Eastern Canada, back into Northern New England and now into New York State, where we first started our North American leg over a month ago.
Our short term goal was the iconic Niagara Falls, in which we took the scenic route via upstate New York. New York State in so big and unfortunately often gets forgotten due to New York City. We had a couple of driving days and went way up north to visit Lake Placid. Famous for having held 2 Winter Olympics and I think the setting of a not so great movie. Wonderful mountain air and fresh lake abound in this area. Both Duncan and I agreed that it would be very cool to see this area in the height of the ski season.
We headed into a little know winery area just outside Niagara called the Finger Lakes region. What this area in most notable for is that Duncan and I had come across the first wine region which none of the wines appealed – yep none! No matter how many we tasted. We all know that you always buy from the last winery and swear that “this is the best wine I have tasted all day!” , but although visiting about 5 wineries and being nicely ‘warmed’ by our tastings, this did not improve the taste.
We arrived in Niagara on the American side, and to be honest there really isn’t that much to see on that side of the Falls. The Canadian side is blessed to have the best views of the falls and therefore this is where all the tourists head. We stayed in hotel right in the heart of the tacky Niagara strip full of cheap diners, arcade games, amusement rides and casinos – so many people were huddled in this area that I wondered whether they actually came for the Falls at all.
For Duncan and I the Falls held that hesitation that all uber tourist destinations hold – will it live up to the expectation? The Falls are quite honesty massive and the amount of water that spills over them is epic. Along with everyone else, we found the best way to see it up close and personal, is of course on the famous boat ride “Maid of the Mist” running since 1870-soomething.
Don’t do you hair before going you’re going to get saturated! It was a really unique perspective to see the massive falls from below looking up and quite an affordable one at only $17! Another unique experience is at the look-out at horseshoe falls, where you get to see the falls from the top right at the point where the spill over the edge. You can get surprising close to the top edge, almost close enough to put your hand in. Not surprisingly this is how many people choose (or don’t choose) to go over the edge. Just a week before a Japanese tourist fell in while talking a picture and the authorities pulled out not hers, but a man’s body while searching at the base of the falls.
Getting tired of the Niagara bustle and tackiness, Duncan and I went to a pub (yes, we are drinking our way around the world). Sitting while sipping on a couple of ales and typing the latest of our blogs (and obviously looking like we’re not from ’round these parts), a couple of locals started threw us a friendly hello. An hour or so later we were having the greatest of times with our new found friends Kelly and Sarah. Not willing to let it end there, Sarah invited to her baseball game happening that night.
As we had planned to move on that evening, we headed from the pub in search of a campsite for the evening. We set sail for a reliable brand of campsites throughout North America (KOA), where Sarah would pick us up that evening. That was until we found out the price… Duncan returned from the campsite office, almost with his jaw touching the ground, $50 for an unpowered campsite (the most we had paid previously was $30 per night)! It was then that I looked directly next door to the campsite and saw a motel (with a bed, TV and our own shower) for only $35 per night. Decision made.
Later that night, we settled ourselves on the bleechers we had a ball. Beer and baseball. Meeting all the local team and cheering on our new friends. The game ended in an impressive win putting the team into the grand finals, and to celebrate we had a tailgate party in the car park – Awesome! Mother Nature put on a massive light show for us and we experienced a storm which made headlines the next day on the news. It was then, as the rain thumped down, that we were incredibly grateful for the campsite charging exorbitant prices, we now had a bed for the evening, and didn’t have to pack up a wet tent tomorrow.
Still celebrating the team’s win, we made a dash to the nearest diner/pub and continued our celebration inside. We felt like little celebrities, even being asked to sing our National anthem. Obviously we were not that impressive, or maybe it was to show us true Canadian hospitality, but the entire team got up and sang a stirring rendition of Oh Canada which got the entire diner and other patrons on their feet. Pretty amazing, see for yourself!
Our wonderful host Sarah was determined to show us a side of Niagara that many people do not normally see. She convinced us to go on a hike the next morning. Sounded like such a great idea with our alcohol haze. The next morning the gallons of beer and the myriad of shots that we had were telling a completely different story. The hike was super cool and we got to go down ‘the gorge’ which is slightly down river of the falls. We clambered up and down large boulders along the shore front and watch the jet boats rip through the rapids. A nice little jem that hardly any of the thousands of tourists which visit the area would see.
Sarah showed us a side of Niagara that we would never have seen, and baseball to gorge, we had such a blast!
