Day Thirty-six

Day thirty-six we got an early start because we wanted to hike along the river before the heat of the day.  We went back to the Discovery Gorge Center and hiked along some cool trails that were mostly shady (whew!).  Buster got to go along with us on this one.  At the beginning of the walk, he was leading the way, and on the way back, he was walking behind us.  Guess that was a sign that he was tired, eh?!

We went back to the coach to cool down and relax for a while, then went to Lockport to go on the Lockport Locks and Cave Tour.  We learned a little history about the Erie Canal and the locks system, viewing the Flight of Five, which were the old original locks built in the 1840’s.  The guide said that boats would line up at this area for over a month sometimes to get through the locks, there was so much boat traffic.  The new locks handle the traffic much quicker, and this is the largest elevation change in the system at 49.1 feet.

The cave tour portion took us through a manmade tunnel that had been dug beside the canal and under three plants that used the diversion of water to operate water wheels for providing power to their plants.  The first portion of the tour was on foot, and the last portion of the tour was on a boat.  Very cool and informative tour!  We made a quick stop at the Erie Canal Museum located right there on the locks on the way out of town.

 

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!

Day Thirty-four

Day thirty-four was a travel day, and we left Sned Acres Campground and the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail area for Niagara Falls.  We opted to stay at a small campground/motel in Grand Island called Cinderella Motel and Campground.  It was small with no amenities, but it was only four miles from Niagara Falls, so we liked the location.

 

Since this was a short trip, we went to the falls that afternoon.  We drove to Goat Island, and walked around to explore the falls – awe inspiring and beautiful, as always!  They are currently selling a package of tickets for several of the attractions for a savings off the regular rates, so we bought that to check out the sights. 

We planned on going to most of the attractions the next day, but we did manage to go to the Cave of the Winds that afternoon.  What a cool way to get really close to the falls!  They give you a poncho to wear, but also some sandals to change into, so you KNOW you are going to get wet!  Sam had a blast, and we all got good and wet – really refreshing during this heat wave.

After this, we decided to head over to the Canadian side to check out the tourist attractions for the evening.  This was Sam’s first trip to Canada, so he was full of questions as we stopped at the border to present our passports and answer the customs agent’s questions.  “Why did he ask us that?  Why did he want to see me?  Why did he look at the back of the car?”  J

Sam had talked about the Mystery Maze all afternoon after seeing it advertised in a magazine, so that was first on the list!  We also toured the Guinness World Records Museum (Sam has one of those books and is constantly reading it aloud to us), and we also went to the Bronto Adventure Playland, where Sam played with some ball shooting cannons for about an hour-and-a-half.  Luckily, there was a restaurant right next door with an outdoor bar, so Jim and I had a couple of cold beers while waiting and keeping an eye on Sam! 

We took a break from the heat at the Boston Pizza to have a bite to eat and watch some baseball games.  Sam played a few games in the arcade they had there, and I thought the bowling alley looked inviting, but wasn’t up to it on a full stomach.  We then finished up the evening with trip on the Sky Wheel to get a view of the falls at night while it was lit up – pretty cool!  Sam was asleep in the car before we even passed through customs at the border, and we didn’t make it back to the coach until 11:00 pm.

Day Thirty-three

Day thirty-three took us hiking!  We went to Robert H. Tremen State Park in Ithaca, NY.  They have a beautiful gorge with a five mile round trip trail hike to the top – gorgeous river views, waterfalls, and LOTS of steps! 

We were on the lookout for wildlife along the way, and I did see one garter snake.  It was a really good workout, and we all needed it!  J  Unfortunately, my camera battery died before we got to the most beautiful part of the gorge and Lucifer Falls – arrrgh!  The hike to the top is definitely worth the trip!

There is also a cool swimming area at the park, with a diving board and a waterfall to hang out under.  Jim and Sam went swimming after the long, hot hike, but the water temperature was only 65 degrees.  Sam got cold after about twenty minutes, but it was refreshing!

Day Thirty-two

Day thirty-two we went for a cruise on the Erie Canal on the Colonial Belle.  We drove to Fairport, NY, which is close to Rochester, and boarded a double-decker boat for a leisurely cruise up and down the canal.  Along the way, the boat captain gave a lecture about some of the history of the canal, and the small towns along the way. 

The Erie Canal was started in 1917 and took eight years to complete.  It runs 363 miles from Albany, NY on the Hudson River all the way across New York to Buffalo, NY at Lake Erie.  We passed under several low bridges, and we even had to duck our heads a couple of time if we were sitting on the upper deck, because we could literally reach up and touch the bottom of the bridges!

It was a beautiful day for a boat ride, and very relaxing and entertaining.  At the halfway point of our journey, we went through a lock in the canal, and Sam especially loved that experience!  We were all amazed at how quickly the water rose and fell within the lock chamber, just from gravity!  We rose/fell a distance of twenty-five feet!

Some dinner at a local eatery finished up the excursion for the day, and we headed back to the coach.

Day Thirty-one

Oh boy!  I haven't posted on here in a few days - I can feel my ears burning!!!  :)

Okay, on day thirty-one we went to the Rochester Museum and Science Center - another freebie thanks to my annual pass with Great Explorations!  The first thing we did when we arrived was eat lunch at their cafe - we sat outside in their courtyard to eat.  While we were out there, we got to see a sample of the airshow that was going to perform on the weekend - the Blue Angels kept flying over doing some different aerobatics and formations - cool!  A couple of times they passed over pretty close and made everyone jump from the noise!

The Science Center was very cool - lots of cool exhibits about electricity.  There was one area where they had small mechanical displays that were interactive and explained all manner of things, like light switches, disc brakes, locks and keys, etc.  I found it very interesting, as did the whole family!

There was a beautiful exhibit room about the different tribes of Indians that had inhabited the region - a little over Sam's head, but mom and dad enjoyed it!  :)

Day Thirty

Day thirty was spent at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.  This a nice, large refuge that is home to lots of different birds, as well as some small mammals.  We drove the car trail, and Sam had a blast while getting the best view from standing up and hanging out of the sunroof!

We walked one of the trails to check out the view from an observation tower.  Along the driving trail, we stopped at a trail to a photo blind that was set up for visitors.  Unfortunately, (for us) there was an airboat in the marsh practicing his skills, so the noise scared away most of the birds in the area for a while.  We will go back another day to check out more trails.

At the visitor center, there were two large bird houses set up for martens, and they were plentiful.  Inside the visitor center, the docent was very helpful explaining the trails and species to view.  There were several nesting sights for ospreys, and also a couple of bald eagle nests in the refuge.

While walking around, we saw a small millipede, leopard frogs, lots of dragonflies, some cool forest snails all over the milkweed plants, and lots of different birds.  We spotted great blue herons, canada geese, one unidentified goose, martens, robins, red-winged blackbirds, ospreys, greater yellowlegs, semipalmated plovers, and one beautiful yellow bird that we believe was a species of warbler.

When our stomachs began to growl, we drove into Seneca Falls and had lunch at Parker's Grill and Tavern.  Seneca Falls is a quaint small town with the typical Main Street lined with old brick buildings - reminiscent of my childhood.  We had a yummy lunch (late lunch) and meandered back to the coach to relax for the evening.