Road-trippin'! Part VI - Niagara!

Okay, I like waterfalls.  I've dragged some people ridiculous amounts of miles just for a view of a good waterfall.  Well, Niagara has put them all to shame.  If you've never been, the pictures just don't do it any justice - it's humongous, it's grandiose, it's simply flat-out phenomenal!

Canadian Falls at night

After 2200 miles of our road trip spent winding up along the coast, we finally started our way west, and before we got to Niagara, we had to visit the Ben & Jerry ice cream factory (the only reason we went to Vermont).  The factory was closed, due to it being the weekend, but we still got the ice cream at the end of the tour, yummy :)

We look better than the original guys!

We wanted to drive a good section through Canada, but we had to cross Lake Champlain first, so we took the ferry, which added to my modes of transport in New York on this trip (walk, drive, take a taxi, bus, train, plane, boat, and now ferry).

I didn't feel very welcome on my first trip to Canada, as we were detained at the border.  They didn't believe that we just wanted to "drive through Canada to Niagara Falls." They questioned us a ton and it seemed like they were trying to get us to cross ourselves from our answers to previous agents.  I guess a U.S. Government employee and a bearded fellow are now on the top of the Canadian terrorist lists.  Moral of the story? Canadians get bored, since no one wants to visit their country, so let them have their fun..

We wanted to make it to the Falls by sunset, so we were booking it through Canada.  Well, I needed a 'rest stop', but I didn't want to get off the highway, so I just pulled over..  After I was ready to drive again, I got back in the car when an ambulance stops right in front of us and two fire trucks blockade the road behind us.  I'm so scared, I didn't have any clue if what I just did on the highway was illegal or not in Canada, so I'm all nervous.  The guys in the ambulance come running out to us, and I'm just waving them off, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine, nothing to worry about sirs!" They still came right up to the window and asked, "So are you okay?  Were you the ones that called for us?" Of course not!  I didn't need an official Canadian escort to take a quick rest stop!  So they ran off, whew - crisis averted.

We get to Niagara at dusk, and park within view of the falls.  Some old lady, ya know the type that has to make sure everything around them is all going according to how they view life, comes up to us and yells that we're going to get a ticket for parking there!  We could see tickets on all the other cars, but we just sat in the car.  Soon, a Canadian police officer comes up and I play dumb, asking where we can park to view the falls.  This guy was as Canuck as they are in the movies, it was awesome!  The conversation went something like this:  "Excuse me officer!  Do you know where we can park to view the falls?" "Oh sure, eh, you'll want to find something pretty soon, cause they do fireworks over the falls tonight, so eh, you could park here.  I wish that lady hadn't say you'd get a ticket, but I tell you what, I didn't ticket those last three cars cause I just don't feel like it.  You could park, illegally of course, here, or down where the buses park, but my boss will be there in like 20 minutes, so you'd have to hurry, ya know eh, so you could just tell the lady I gave you a ticket and stay here.  And ya know, during the fireworks, all we cops prolly aren't gonna be watching parking - we'll be doing traffic, plus, if ya do get a ticket, you don't really have to pay it wink wink ;)"  "Thank you sir!" "No problem!  Enjoy Canada, eh."
The lady gave us a mean crusty as we walked by but we were all smiles.  Plus, the falls at night are all lit up and cool, so it would've been worth a ticket we didn't really have to pay, anyway.

The next morning we woke up and viewed the falls a bit: view from Skylon tower, right at the falls, then from Maid of the Mist:

Canadian horseshoe falls

American falls

After Maid of the Mist, Tom took off his poncho and I wanted to hike right up close to the American Falls, and he should put on his poncho for the hike.

I kept mine on :)

He said, and I quote, "What's a little water?" Well, needless to say, but I need to rub it in, he was soaked to the bone before we even made it near the top of the stairs, lol.

I chased a rainbow and actually stepped on the end!  I may have squashed the leprechaun, though, cause I didn't see him :(

Next time I go I'm taking a barrel :) that looks fun!