The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 7

We awoke in Canada a little later than usual, partly because the exhaustion was starting to set in from the travel, partly because of the amount of beer consumed by Phillip the night before.  We had a 9AM date with Ed and Janet for breakfast, so we quickly gathered our things and headed out for one last thank you to our family that had been so kind the day before.  A delicious omelet and a little coffee for Phillip  rejuvenated the road trip crew, just in time to head back to the United States. 

Our Canadian stay was short, but well worth allowing part of our road trip to be named after it.  We weren’t quite done, as we stopped in Niagara Falls, Ontario before passing through the border crossing. 

Upon pulling into town, we thought we had made a wrong turn, as the streets and buildings looked more like a circus than a sight of a beautiful national landmark.  

I guess tourism, commercialism, and gaudiness can strike anywhere that presents the opportunity.  It felt like we were back in Times Square combined with Dollywood, and we were quite turned off by it.  So turned off that we considered leaving (after a trip through the wax museum, mini golf course, and haunted house of course).

Posing in front of American Falls.
We are getting really good at this self-photo.

We decided to bypass all of that and head to the falls, which are breathtaking.  We walked from Rainbow Bridge down the Canadian side of the Niagara River, observing American Falls on our way to the car wash that is Horseshoe Falls.  

The power and majesty of this sheer amount of water is incomprehensible.  The array of colors in the water, mist, and the loud roar made for a beautiful treat for the senses.  We were soaked, but we didn’t care.  It was a hot day and it felt great.  Our hour and a half that we put on the parking meter flew by, and we made it back to the car with just enough time to hit the Baskin Robbins before moving on.

An amazing up-close view of the Horseshoe Falls initial descent.

Phillip viewing Horseshoe Falls with American Falls in the background.

 We crossed the border into the U.S.A. with no issues.  We realized how much fun you could have being part of the border patrol.  You could ask people any question that you wanted, and they would answer you.  How old are you, how much do you weigh, have you ever been to Disney World, what kind of underwear to you prefer?  It’s all fair game as far as we could tell.  When asked what we were doing, Natalie cleverly (albeit a bit naively) responded, “Going home.”  I don’t think he thought that was very funny.  I laughed a little on the inside.

The Niagara River Whirlpool.

Once in America, we made our way to Whirlpool State Park, which is formed by the intense rapids downstream of Niagara Falls.  This specific area creates a giant whirlpool as the rapids flow into an open area of the river and makes a dramatic turn east.  People have died in attempts to swim this part of the river.  There were perfectly good bridges nearby, so I don’t understand that.  

We had gotten our fill in the Niagara region, so we set on the road to Erie, PA to visit Phillip's old college roommate Doug and his newlywed wife Keri.  This was only a few hours from Buffalo, so it marked the shortest drive of the week.  We arrived in time to catch up on our overdue blog and get a little rest before the evening began.

Natalie in a hazard.
She miraculously holed this shot out
for the highlight of the day!

We had mini-golf on the brain from the trip to Niagara, so the four of us took in 18 at a public course down by the Lake Erie waterfront.  Doug pulled off the slim win, but we attribute it to knowledge of the course.  

Our hosts, Keri and Doug on Presque Isle.

On the Erie waterfront is Presque Isle, which is a large peninsula that surrounds the Erie Bay.  It is a State Park that is surrounded with trails, waterfront, and really nice beaches.  We took a short trip out to the isle just in time to catch the sunset over Lake Erie.  It was pure beauty and a very scenic.

Phillip and Natalie on the Presque Isle Beach at sunset.

We were whisked away to a Hibachi dinner where Phillip failed the table by being the only meat eater not to catch all of his shrimp as thrown by the chef.  It was a lowlight, for sure.  The Cornerstone Bar and Grill would be our final stop for the evening where we enjoyed some 16 pound beers (they seemed more like ounces to me, but I’m not one to argue) for $2.25.  After losing a few games of darts to the home team, we figured we needed to retire for the evening. 

Day 7 is complete.  We aren’t quite sure what day 8 has planned for us, but there is only one way to figure it out. 

See you tomorrow.

Quote of the Day:  Giggling slightly as Phillip slipped on the slick surfaces in Niagara, Natalie glanced over and said, ”Ha, you fell at the falls.”

Picture(s) of the Day:  Bathrooms seem to have dominated this section in the last few days, so we have two for you to enjoy.

She may not have made it.

Busted! (Look closely at the door)