Day Thirty-five

Day thirty-five we went back to Niagara Falls to tour all the places in our Adventure Pass booklet.  We started with the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, which showed a lot of the history of the falls, and some of the power plants, etc. that had been there in the past. 

There was a cool silent film shot around the turn of the century by some visitors, and it was interesting to see their vehicles and period dress.  Their faces had the same expressions as ours did when they saw the power of the falls.  There was a cool interactive display that showed what the area was like thousands of years ago and how the falls had moved over the years.  Sam really enjoyed that one.

Next, we walked over the bridge to visit the Aquarium, and saw a variety of fresh water species of fish and invertebrates.  There was an outdoor tank that housed a few harbor seals that were rescue animals, and they would only poke their heads out of the water long enough to take a breath because of the heat. 

A lady had a hot dog stand at the exit, and was the only lunch available, so she had a brisk business!  We helped her out.  J

Our Adventure Pass included free rides on the trolley bus all day, so we hopped aboard for a ride to the Observation Tower and the Maid of the Mist.  The heat wave was still upon us, and everyone else thought a ride on the trolley would be cooler, too.  Not so much.

We checked out the view from the Observation Tower that extends out over the Niagara River – you can actually view both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls from there.  It was a good view, but the stiff breeze was magnificent!  Ahhhhh!

The elevator at the Observation Tower takes you down to board the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat tour that takes you right up to the Niagara Falls.  We got our ponchos and boarded the boat.  It was exhilarating!  Talk about feeling the power of Mother Nature!!  Woo-hoo!

After squeezing back onto the trolley bus, we decided to call it a day, and headed into town to look for a place to eat.  The Canadian side is cram packed with everything, resembling Times Square in its ferocity.  The American side – dead as a doornail.  We drove around and finally found a TGIFriday’s at a Sheraton, right across the street from the casino.  The American side needs to compete for business!