Days 39-40 Niagara Falls, Canada

[Kalon] After Gilmanton we drove the next day to Saratoga Springs.  I had hoped to do a little historical sightseeing (this being the area some say was the pivotal moment in our Revolutionary War history that signaled the eventual defeat of the British), but the area wasn't actually in Saratoga Springs and it was rather wet so did not. 


Taken in Saratoga Springs from our hotel terrace



And then literally two minutes later it was pouring!

The next day we drove to Buffalo, New York and then crossed into Canada and headed for Niagara on the Lake where we were staying.  A nice B&B (our first, actually, of the trip).  And then after a visit with the other couple staying there, we headed off to see the falls.



The American Falls in back

The larger Horseshoe Falls with sightseeing boar at its base.

The lady who refused to try the barrel ride that I was offering.

I had been to the falls once before, 59 years ago!  Hadn't changed much.  In some ways no more impressive than a much taller falls we saw in New Zealand.  For Karen it was all new.

A few words about our car.  First, deep appreciation to Kia!  When we left Niagara this morning it was pouring, and the mere thought of Karen puzzling out a map while I tried to drive the car and read street names was too much.  True, I don't always appreciate Kia (in fact, the day before she had blundered twice so that I started accusing her of being overtired from our long trip), but in general being able to key in a destination and then mindlessly follow directions is pretty nice.

And second, yesterday for the first time our Prius registered that after 7100 miles we had averaged precisely 50.0 mpg (we had been flirting with this for the first part of the trip but the milestone wasn't reached until yesterday).

And, thirdly, how will we know when it's time to end our road trip?  For me, I think it will be when the inside of our car achieves perfect entropy.  Increasingly with our little car (and bicycle inside) our "stuff" is getting cluttered and disorganized, and when we get to the point (fast approaching) where any pretense of organization is gone ("sweetie, just throw it in the back seat: we can't sort things out with it raining now") it will be time to head home.

Today the destination is Cleveland, Ohio and meeting up with Karen's college roommate.

[Karen] Niagara Falls was an amazing sight. Because it was after 5pm the number of tourists had dwindled to a manageable number and practically all tour busses had gone so we were able to find a parking spot within a reasonable walking distance. And we could find room along the railed wall to look and to take pictures. Then of course I had to find a pin for my hat! Conveniently there was parking at the tourist souvenir stand and then I had to make up my mind as to which pin was the most interesting or different or colorful - instead of none or one I had a choice of about 12 different pins. To explain, when we were on the Natchez Trace I bought a hat to replace my 'otter' hat which I had left in a Dallas restaurant. The replacement hat has a picture of a man on horseback and says 'Natchez Trace'. Well, I can't buy a hat for every place we visit so I started collecting pins that reflect the places we visit along with the name of the place - in Gloucester, I found a lobster pin that says Gloucester, on Prince Edward Island - a lovely lily; my idea was that my four grandchildren might enjoy the pins later. Little did I know that Grace and Lucas would be having a wonderful new experience of traveling and living in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. I am so excited for them and also proud of them for studying and speaking German as much as possible.  Way to go, Grace and Lucas! I also am happy Seth and Jack were able to cruise with Liane in the Caribbean and now I am hoping they are learning to be good and helpful nursing staff for their mother who fell and broke the patella on her knee. Our good friend and Kalon's riding buddy did that too and we know recovery is long and irksome, so take good care of your mom!

A long day of travel in pelting rain yesterday. And I mean rain coming down so hard and furiously fast that the windshield wipers can't keep up and you wonder if the car is going to float off the road. We were like drowned rats when we finally pulled up to our motel in Cleveland. It is a Staybridge Suites so we have a kitchen living room and bedroom and bath so clothes are everywhere to dry out. Peggy had assembled much of her family to have dinner with us and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with steak barbecued by Katie's husband - the rain had cleared by then - and Caesar's salad, and a number of appetizers beforehand. Peggy has arranged for Kalon and I to attend the Cleveland Orchestra concert tonight with her and Philip so we will be well fed and well educated by the time we move on toward Grand Rapids tomorrow!