Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Niagra Falls Here We Come...

Monday, June 5, 2017

We originally had plans to visit with Wilson's cousin but unfortunately we had to change our plans because he fell and injured himself.  We spent an extra day with Dan and still had one more day to kill before reaching Niagara Falls.

As we have often done we traveled until we got tired of driving and found a spot to park for the night. We tried area Walmarts but there were none that accepted overnight parking.  We ended up staying at the New York Thruway Ontario Travel Plaza alongside a bunch of truckers...it felt safe and worked well for us because the service center was open 24 hours and it felt completely safe.  Staying overnight with the truckers really made me feel like a true Road Warrior!

Leave:  Champlain, NY 10:30am - rainy 55°
Rte. (Pat Driving)►11S►781W►81N (Driver Change @156 miles - 3.75 hrs)►(Wilson Driving)►90W
Gas - Warner's Travel Plaza 90W - $2.48/gal
Arrive:  Ontario Travel Plaza - mile marker 376 on 90W - 5:30pm
Miles Traveled - 315

Tuesday-Thursday, June 6-8, 2017
Off to Niagra Falls we go.  We have been told that the views and such are much better on the Canadian side so that is where we booked our hotel.  We're staying at a Wyndam Garden Hotel that we booked through Groupon....the deal was for $70/night with coupons totalling that much and more if we were to use them all...of course most of them were for food so we didn't use them and there were some hidden fees associated with the stay so suffice it to say we did not get it for $70...The biggest extra was the taxes in Canada so if you ever go there be prepared, they add a whole lot more to the price.  Don't get me wrong we did use some of the coupons and we had to eat, so in the end it was fine.

Why Niagara Falls you may ask?  Again, it's just one of those places that you hear about your whole life and feel like you need to see.  Of course it has that romantic mystic associated with it which may be felt by people but my impression was that it was too touristy to be romantic.  In my head, and I knew it was a fantasy, but I was still picturing cabins by the falls not unlike that old Marilyn Monroe movie set there....Despite the commercialism Wilson and I really enjoyed our time there.

My first impression of the Falls were, that's it?  I soon changed my mind as we delved deeper into them, literally...We both went on Journey Behind the Falls and the Skylon Tower (night views), I went on Hornblower cruise that takes you right to the falls, and Wilson did the White Water Walk.  All of these experiences really made me see how awe inspiring they were.....check out the photos on the next post.

Leave: Ontario Travel Plaza 7:38am - rainy 55°
Rte - 90W►98N (Exit 48)►18W - 9:15am first visual of Lake Ontario in Olcott, NY►18F Through Youngstown & Lewiston, NY which are sweet little towns►104W►Toll Bridge across the border $3.75►10:20am arrive Canadian Border - Delay at Customs, UGH!!!►11:35am leave Customs, stop at Visitor Center
Arrive Wyndam Garden Hotel 11:50am
Miles Traveled - Who knows, I keep forgetting to write it down....based on hours driven, it couldn't have been that many.

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