Road Trip 2015 Niagara Falls

After spending two days in Ohio, we headed across the western end of Pennsylvania along Lake Erie, into New York and to Niagara Falls.

Crossing the Niagara River going into Niagara Falls, NY

Shirley and I applied for our passports on July 3, 2015 in order to go into Canada from Niagara Falls.

We thought that would be plenty of time for processing. We were wrong! Our original photographs (taken by the passport people at the Hailey post office) were rejected. I took Shirley's and my photos and resubmitted but the passports didn't arrive in time to take them on this road trip. (Passports were waiting for us in the post office when we returned.)

As a backup plan just in case we didn't get our passports, and because we wanted to experience the falls up close and personal, Shirley booked us on a cruise with Maid of the Mist when planning our trip.

After getting through the Visitors Center, the first stop before boarding the ferry is this tent where everyone is given rain gear. If you don't stop here, you will probably wish you had. The Niagara River is the outlet of Lake Erie; flows over the falls at Niagara, and under the Rainbow Bridge connecting the United States on the right end and Canada on the left end, on its way to Lake Ontario (a total of 35 miles).

Rain gear is a one piece pull over (one size fits all) with hood. There are ties for the hood which came in very handy as the wind was blowing (there is a good wind created by the falling water as well).

Getting ready to board the ferry (there are more than one). The structure in the background is the elevator to the Observation Tower and back to the canyon wall and the Visitor's Center.

Passing by the American Falls. This falls is located on the American side of the Niagara River. At one time the entire stream could be diverted through a power generation station which would leave the falls almost entirely dry.

American Falls in the foreground; Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side) and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada in the far right.

One of the Maid of the Mist ferrys (like the one we were on) returning from the Horseshoe Falls as we approach that falls.

Up close and personal with the Horseshoe Falls.

Collectively the American Falls (between Prospect Point and Luna Island) far left;

Bridal Veil Falls (between Luna Island and Goat Island) mid left; and Canadian Falls (between Goat Island and Table Rock) right; are known as Niagara Falls.

Tomorrow we travel to Victor New York and Palmyra.

Comments

Lake Creek Trail

Several years ago (probably more like 8 or 9) Shirley and I went camping with friends in the Lake Creek Campground, Salmon Challis National Forest, (about 60 miles from our home in Mackay, Idaho). Our friends went some where with their kids fishing, so we decided to check out the trail to the chain of Lake Creek lakes: Round Lake, Long Lake, Big Lake, Rough Lake, Golden Lake, etc.. Well we got up the trail about 6 miles or so and the trail being so rocky and rough and because we were both on one 4-Wheeler, we decided to turn back to camp. Also, no one knew where we were because we left after our friends had gone and we had been out several hours. We never got to any of the lakes, and always wondered what the rest of the trail was like and what the various lakes looked like. Well, a few weeks ago, we got to find out! Our son Dirk called and said that he and his family would like to go camping for the weekend. They wanted to camp at the Lake Cr...

Yellowstone Park is in Idaho?

I am an Idaho resident by birth and have lived in Idaho most of my life (spent about a year in Utah but am trying to forget about that - I was only 3 years old at the time and had no choice). I have always said and continue to say there is no National Park in Idaho. Oh sure! The map of Yellowstone Park shows a small portion along the Wyoming border as being in Idaho, but how many people know how to even get to this portion of the Park? If you look at the above map, there are no attractions at all listed in the Idaho part of the Park! There are no major roads from Idaho into the Park. Main Park entrances are from either Montana (3 entrances) or Wyoming (2 entrances) Any way, my wife Shirley and I have been taking our children and grand children to Yellowstone Park for forty years using one of the main Park entrances. This year three of our sons who live in Idaho talked us into going with them and their families into the Idaho part of Yellowstone. This is ho...

Jesse McCaleb

Jesse McCaleb Jesse was born on Christmas Day, (December 25) 1837 in Roane County, Tennessee (west of present day Knoxville) to James Newton McCaleb and Susannah Hope. Jesse was one of 7 children. There is not much information about his childhood except for census records showing that the children may have been deserted by their parents and their being raised by close family members. Jesse left Tennessee (at the age of 20) in 1857/8 going to Camden County, Missouri (southeast of present day Kansas City). The 1860 census records list Jesse as living with the James Vernon family (James' wife Harriet was Jesse's first cousin). It was here that Jesse met his second cousin and future bride, Anna Boyd Vernon (Harriet's daughter, who in 1860 was 13 years old). Jesse was working as a clerk in the mercantile owned by James W. Vernon, but when the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Confederate Army at Camden County, Missouri and ...

Wayne's Reflections