Niagara Falls

Seeing the enormous volume of water falling steeply over Niagara Falls from below was mind expanding. The view of the falls while riding in the Maid of the Mist boat was magnificent. The experience involved more senses than just sight.

Hearing the tremendous roar of the falls was astounding. The pounding of the falls hitting the water and rocks below was felt on our chests. We also felt the sense of touch as we were drenched from the spray from the falls. The sense of smell was also wonderful. The air was so fresh from the cleansing aerating mists from the falls.

We were only missing the sensation of taste. That is what the Buffalo Wings were for I suppose. The towering falls plummet 167 feet. The American Falls and the Canadian Falls are separated by Goat Island. I suppose there once was a time when goats were on that island. I can’t imagine how the goats got there.

Two days earlier we departed Grove City Pennsylvania. Heavy rains were forecast for Grove City. There was a low-pressure system that was swirling in the area. That low-pressure system followed us from Michigan to Pennsylvania. The same low-pressure system followed us to Niagara Falls. The drive from Grove City to Niagara Falls through Buffalo was easy. The route was only 150 miles and without much traffic.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon. Rain was forecast for all day on Saturday. We had three nights at Niagara Falls. We still had time to see the falls on Sunday. On Friday night we went to the Anchor Bar. This night was one of the most fun times on the trip. Anchor Bar claims to have invented the Buffalo Wing. The place was a really fun place to have drinks and comfort food. The eclectic bar had a ring of motorcycles around the top of the bar near the ceiling. I have no idea of how they got the motorcycles up there.

We stayed at the Cinderella Motel and Campground. The name was charming, but the place wasn’t much of a campground. The location was great. We were just a few miles from Niagara Falls. Saturday we planned to just hang around the campground. The rain came down steadily all day. Our RVs sites backed up to a small creek. When we first set up camp, I remember looking at the creek, thinking if we received a lot of rain, the creek might overflow into our sites. There was four feet between the water level of the creek and the banks of the creek. Five inches of rain came down on Friday. The creek overflowed. The site on the other side of Chris and Erica went underwater. That site was just slightly lower. Chris knocked and tried to advise the folks, but they were not home. Their electrical hookup box and sewer connection were underwater.

The sewer connection on Chris and Erica’s site between their site and mine went underwater. Chris pointed out some branches laying on the banks of the creek sticking out into the water. He said we could use the stick branches as a gauge of how much the level of the water was changing. Then the sticks disappeared under the rising water in the creek. The water spilling over the banks was cause for concern. You don’t want your electrical hookup boxes to go underwater.

We kept peering out the rear window of Chris and Erica’s RV, keeping an eye on the water level of the creek. At first, I thought the creek would not likely overflow. The creek overflowed. Now the only question was how much the creek would overflow. If the creek got up to the electrical power box connection, we would have to unplug and move to higher ground. The campground was mostly residents. We were in the transient sites at the front of the campground. Now I know why the temporary sites are located at the front.

We hung out in Chris and Erica’s RV that day, drinking wine, eating cheese, and watching movies. That day was one of my favorite days of the entire tour. There was a peaceful feeling, relaxing inside the RV, watching and listening to the rain. I suppose we just felt safe, secure, and cozy in the RV. And we also kept dry.

Late in the afternoon the rain finally stopped. A few hours later the sticks in the stream started to appear on top of the water. If the rain had continued through the evening, we would have had to move our coaches. The next morning the creek receded four feet. Now the creek was at the same level as when we first arrived.

We stayed on Grand Isle. The Niagara River flows north. The Niagara River is actually not a river but a strait. A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. The Niagara River flows north connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, dropping 325 feet, with an average flow of 212,000 cubic feet per second.

The American and Canadian combined falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 160 ft. More than 15.9 million cubic feet of water pours over the crest of the falls every minute. The Canadian side, or Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America measured by flow rate.

We woke up to bright sunshine on Sunday. Today was gorgeous. The blue skies seemed especially brilliant with all the dreary rainy days we experienced for the last few days. We went to Niagara Falls. The place was very crowded with thousands of people milling around. We were fortunate to find a parking spot. Chris can back his truck into a spot that can barely fit two motorcycles. Opening the doors and getting out of his truck can be a challenge in these tight spots, but so far, we have not had to climb out the windows.

I always thought of Niagara Falls as a touristy thing to do. I was mistaken. Besides, I also enjoy being a tourist. The Niagara Falls experience was much better than I thought the place would be. If you ever go to Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist is a must do. The boat ride is worth the long wait. You have to experience the falls from below on the water to appreciate the scale, magnitude, and splendor of the falls. The raw power of the falls is hard to comprehend until you see the water rushing over the escarpment from below.

There was an hour wait to get on the Maid of the Mist. We were herded like cattle through rope lines towards the elevator that takes you from the top of the falls down to the Niagara River. From above I could see they were giving everyone a throw-away blue ponchos. I thought the thousands of ponchos were a waste and probably unnecessary. Again, I was mistaken.

We rode the elevator down to the river and put on the blue ponchos. We boarded the Maid of the Mist. There were several of these boats. We got sprayed as soon as we approached the American Falls. Actually, we got soaked. The blue ponchos only helped a little bit. Part of the fun was listening to the people squeal when they got soaked from the spray from the falls. We squealed too when we got soaked.

We had a expansive view of both falls.  The perspective of the falls from the water level was stunning. The view from beneath the falls was one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen. The immense power of the falls seen from below was phenomenal.

 

First, we cruised by the American Falls. When I was a kid, my parents took us to Niagara Falls. The American Falls was shut off at that time. The water was diverted over to the Canadian side. The American Falls was crumbling. They were trying to figure out how to preserve the rock ledge. The decision was made to let nature take its course. You can see the pile of rocks at the bottom of the American Falls. Then we cruised by the Canadian Falls. The Canadian side is shaped like a horseshoe, giving the falls the nickname. We were not allowed to cross the Canadian border on top due to Covid restrictions. The Maid of the Mist did cross over the Canadian Border on the Niagara River.

The view from the top of the falls was also very impressive. We walked a lot around Niagara Falls. My left Achilles tendon was really hurting now. I was gimping along. My slow pace slowed down Erica and Chris. They walked slowly and patiently waited for me to catch up. My new nickname became, “Lift one, drag one.”

 

We departed from Niagara Falls and went back into Buffalo to another wing joint called Duffs. Duffs also claimed they had invented wings. Chris said the wings at Duff’s were better than the Anchor Bar. Duff’s was small. There were 20 tables in a rectangular 75 year old building. There was no bar. no beer or wine, and no atmosphere. The tables were all occupied. There was a line to get inside. The place was only there for the gluttonous consumption of wings. You sat, you ate, and you got up and left, Americana at its best.

The next day we left the Cinderella Campground and headed east across upstate New York on our way to Maine. The next day we drove into Vermont where we spent one night. The driving in Vermont was really hard in a RV. There is really no good way to cross Vermont from west to east in a large rig. The narrow roads were twisty, up and down, with a lot of braking. My right front air brake started squeaking in Vermont, and squeaked the rest of the trip.

Then we drove into New Hampshire where we went to the White Mountains and Mount Washington. We boondocked in the parking lot of The Mount Washington Cog Railway. The parking lot was too steeply sloped to level the rig. Chris helped me put blocks under the tires so we could level the rig. Normally leveling the rig takes about one minute with the touch of a button. We spent about an hour adding plastic blocks under the tires on the left side of the coach until we got the coach to level.

We rode up the cog railway to the top of Mt. Washington in cold pouring rain. We couldn’t see anything on the way up, the down, or at the top.

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 feet and the most prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded a wind speed of 231 miles per hour at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996. Mount Washington still holds the record for highest measured wind speed not associated with a tornado or tropical cyclone.

Spending another day here and actually seeing something would have been nice. But we were on our way to Bar Harbor, our ultimate destination on this tour. The driving through New Hampshire was not easy. We drove through wonderful little picturesque mountain hamlets. Our RV’s barely fit through the streets in these towns. Then we drove into Maine. Ultimately we made our way to Bar Harbor. Today’s drive was a long one. We had an entire week to enjoy and relax in Bar Harbor in the marvelous cool coastal Maine weather.

Oxygene – The Ocean