Day 4, More Niagara Falls

We started the day with a delicious, though pricey!, buffet breakfast at the hotel.  We were booked on another tour but this time it was on the American and Canadian sides.  The bus picked us up at the hotel around 8:30 that morning.  Unlike the day before, it was a beautiful day.

The Falls were beautiful on this clear day!

We crossed from Canada into the United States.

We waited in line for about an hour to get through Customs.  When it was our turn, we all had to get off the bus, present our passports, and answer a bunch of questions.  I know it's for security purposes but it was like Walmart in that they had lots of lanes but only a few were open!  It was Saturday so it was probably busier than usual.

We again did the Maid of the Mist but this time we didn't go on the top deck but stayed on the lower deck and didn't nearly as wet!

Blue ponchos everywhere!

These pictures of the Falls cannot capture the force the water comes over and just the incredible volume of water!

Rainbow Bridge overlooking the Falls.  This is the bridge from Canada to the United States.

We had a great tour guide and he took us all around Niagara Falls, New York.  Then we headed back to the Canadian side.  More Customs but it didn't take nearly as long this time.

We saw this beautiful garden clock.  The flowers are changed out twice a year.

We stopped for a bite of lunch and souvenirs.

I was hoping to see a real moose on this trip but this is as close as I came to seeing any moose!

Our last stop was at the Skylon Tower.  We took the elevator up to the top observation deck.

By this time it was sprinkling but the views were incredible!

This is the view of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, Canada.

The view looking across at the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

Looking at the Horseshoe Falls.

After the tour, we were dropped off at our hotel, picked up our cars and headed out of town.  We stopped in Brantford, Canada, home of Wayne Gretsky, for dinner at Montana Grill, then on to Woodstock, Canada to the Holiday Inn Express for the night.

We had been advised to stay the night on the Canadian side of the Falls and I'm so glad we did.  Niagara Falls, NY looked kind of seedy.  The Marriott Fallsview was a lovely hotel.  It was quite expensive ($350 for one night which included $40 for parking) but was in a very convenient location and a beautiful view of the Falls.

Tomorrow Emma Taylor and I are having pedicures and going to lunch.  One last hurrah before school starts on Thursday.  Heather went back to work at the school today.  Can't believe summer is over already!

Ben and Cameron have been at the beach.  They left Saturday and are coming back tomorrow.  One last hurrah for them also!

Day 3, Niagara Falls

It was a rainy and windy day.  We headed toward New York.  We stopped at a very large rest area/tourist information center and booked a Grayline tour of the falls for the afternoon.

We got to Niagara Falls, New York just in time for our 12:30 tour.  The tour was on the American side of the falls.

We donned yellow raincoats and "special" shoes for Cave of the Winds which took us up close to the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.  I hope I'm not the only one that didn't realize that Niagara Falls is actually made up of three falls, Horseshoe Falls being the other one.

See those "special" shoes I was talking about?  They are supposed to keep you from slipping.

We also rode the Maid of the Mist which took us almost into the falls.  We were given a blue poncho for this ride.

Can you see that boat down there?  We were on the top deck on a different boat, as the tour guide suggested, and we got drenched!  I couldn't keep my eyes open to see the view as the spray was stinging my face and eyes.

Some views of the falls.

Rainbow Bridge in the background.

We stopped in an information center and had our picture taken in the barrel.

It's really more of a one-person barrel!

The tour took about four hours and was well worth the money.  After the tour, we headed across the border to Ontario.  We didn't have to wait too long to cross the border but they ask a lot of questions!

We checked into the Marriott Fallsview Hotel and were on the 8th floor overlooking the falls.  What a beautiful view!  We walked across the street to Tony Roma's for dinner then took a walk around the area.  There were lots of hotels, restaurants and shops around there.  You can see the Skylon Tower in the background to the right.

We watched the fireworks with Pat and Dave in our room after dinner.  The falls were lit up beautifully at night.  The Horseshoe Falls changed colors from time to time.

But the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls stayed red, white and blue.

Niagara Falls is beautiful but you just can't capture it in pictures.  No way can you capture the magnitude of the falls with that water rushing over and the spray on your face.  It's really something to see!

Have a great weekend!

Day 2, on to Erie, PA

After breakfast at the hotel, our first stop was at the West Virginia Welcome Center.  I love to stop at the Welcome Centers in each state and pick up tourist information.  The people working there are usually so helpful.



They directed us to the Milton Bridge in Milton, WV.  There was a very nice lady there who offered to take our picture.  She was doing a photo shoot there for her daughter's birthday.

The Milton Bridge was moved from its original location and relocated to a fairground which is a beautiful setting.  The ducks were everywhere so we had to watch where we stepped!

Our next stop was at the capitol building in Charleston.  This is actually the back of the building.

The dome was beautiful.

This is the front of the capitol with a statue of Abraham Lincoln out front.

The governor's mansion is right next door to the left of the capitol.  It is gated but I was able to stick my camera through the fence to get a picture.

They overlook the Kanawha River.

We were able to walk inside the capitol without a guide.  It was very pretty inside.  Very marble-y...if that's a word!

They let us walk into the governor's office too, though he wasn't there.

Outside the capitol was a statue dedicated to the coal miners.  Flowers were beautiful all around the capitol.

There were memorials to the different wars and names engraved of those in WV that lost their lives.

There was also a museum on the capitol grounds.  It was full of pretty quilts and a display of Fiestaware.

Did you know that Fiestaware is manufactured in Newell, WV?  I didn't either!

WV just celebrated its 150th year of statehood and a big birthday card was on display for us to sign.

Kind of cool!

After a quick stop for lunch, we were on the road again and into Pennsylvania.

And, of course, a stop at the PA Welcome Center.

Some beautiful country in PA too.  Lots of farms.

They directed us to the Hughes Bridge.  It was in a very strange location.  We couldn't even get across the road to take pictures of it.  Doug had to stop in the middle of the gravel road and let me hop out to get a picture.  It had obviously been relocated but what a strange spot!  It says 1889 on the side of it.

Still...a bridge is a bridge and I still liked seeing it!

Near this bridge was the Bailey's Bridge.

It lead to a private residence but we were able to drive and walk across it.

We continued our drive through Pennsylvania and into Erie where we met Pat and Dave at the Comfort Inn and Suites.  We immediately went the short distance to the Quaker Steak and Lube for dinner.

After dinner we stopped at the Presque Isle Lighthouse on Lake Erie.

It was beginning to get dark.  We saw four of the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie being the first.

This sign was propped up on the lighthouse property.

So cute if you had a lake house!

We also stopped at the North Pier Light.

Such a beautiful night!

We were ready to get this party started!!