New England Trip

It had rained during the night, and was still drizzling when we woke up, so we took our time, much of it spent trying to figure out why the local Internet server was blocking our attempts to post to the blog. In the afternoon, we set off for Canada.

By mistake, we left the maps in the motorhome, but we figured we could just follow highway signs to the Canadian side of the falls. Not so simple. The best way to the Canadian falls is not well marked on the highway, so we finally crossed the border several miles down-river at the I-190 crossing. As it turned out, our route from there took us along the river where we got a good view of the big power plant on the US side, and then found an “Aero Car” (cable car) to ride across the river at the Whirlpool.

The Whirlpool is a large round bulge carved by the river into the comparatively soft bank where the river makes a sharp right bend. It works like a traffic circle where you miss your turn. The river water flows into the circle and all the way around it counter-clockwise, passes its entry point, and then flows out to the right. The guide on the Aero Car ride told us that at night the river flow is reduced for power generation, and the lesser flow causes the whirlpool rotation to change to clockwise. This change has the effect of flushing any collected debris out of the whirlpool and on downstream. We could have learned more about the whirlpool, but our guide, Nicole, read her script poorly over a crummy PA system, and the river roar mostly drowned her out. You are therefore not subject to a longer lecture about the Whirlpool, so there is a good side to everything.

Following the road along the river, we came to a little currency exchange office advertising an ATM. We stopped to get some Canadian cash, and encountered a Mr. Brennen Darrell Hope, proprietor and seller of ice cream and various combination discount tickets for attractions at the Falls. Mr. Hope is a very congenial man with whom you will never have to say anything at all to keep a conversation going. He told us proudly that after many days of just breaking even, he had finally made $50 yesterday, and that he is working hard to make his entire year’s income in the short summer tourist season. He was red-faced and sweating, both from working hard and from a faulty air conditioning system. He had to re-fill the ATM machine for us to get our cash, which extended our visit with him. By the time we left, which was difficult to accomplish and still be courteous, Margaret felt so sorry for him she was thinking of just handing him the cash. If you ever need some good deals on tickets to Niagara Falls attractions, consider giving him your business at www.niagarafalls101.com. He chased us out to our car to be sure to give us his card and website. Based on our experience, the package prices he offers really are good deals, better than the deals we got with the same attractions a la carte.

Just a bit farther down the River Road, we came to the Falls, and sure enough, the view from the Canadian side was spectacular. Since the view is all spread out along a mostly straight road, with most of the Falls on the U.S. bank, there is a long riverwalk with lots of restaurants and shops, all directly across from the Falls. We found a parking place, and joined the flow of tourists, squeezing into a vacant space on the overlook rail where we could take pictures and gawk at the falls.

We went to a heavily advertised attraction called “Niagara’s Fury – The Creation of the Falls”. Cost was $17.00 each. A wad of people at a time filed into a room with a big screen on one wall and a very impressive sound system. A 8-minute animated film was eventually shown (after we stood in the room for about 15 minutes because of technical issues) about a beaver writing a research paper about the falls. It seems that a book fell on the beaver and knocked him out. In his unconscious state, he went back in time to before the falls existed. A snowy owl told him stuff about the falls and they met wooly mastodons playing hockey and a polar bear. Then he woke up and wrote his paper very quickly. The screen resolution was very high definition. Then after another wait, we filed into a room with a circular screen. Wind blew in the room and the floor shook. There was snow, rain, and fog. We got splashed. There were pictures on the screen of ice and falling water. Then there were aerial videos of the falls. We don’t really know what it all meant and can’t recommend it.

We had an early dinner at the Edgewater Grill and Tap on the river. Our table on the balcony had a great view of the falls. From time to time, mist from the falls would drift onto us. The food (a grilled chicken salad and a chicken wrap sandwich) was quite good and the portions were generous. With margaritas, the meal cost $48 – well worth it considering the view.

When we returned to the USA over the Rainbow Bridge, a Border Patrol lady took our passports and asked us about our citizenship. We confirmed that we were US citizens. We were then asked where we were coming from. Steve feared that it must be a trick question but answered “Canada.” After we declared that we had not purchased anything in Canada, the lady seemed satisfied and let us back in.

The following picture is of the Canadian Falls from the Canadian side.