Days 9 - 12: Water, Water Everywhere!

Yes, we feel surrounded and overwhelmed by water - Falls galore, raging rivers, wild rainstorms, leaky sinks and dripping trailer windows....

Tuesday, September 28th: Second Tourist Day at Niagara Falls

The morning started wet and dreary, with a promise of better weather by afternoon. We returned around 1:00 to the Falls for our "Maid of the Mist" boat tour. Walking to the dock entrance, the sun was out in full force and jackets came off - steamy and hot. This was our first look at the Falls in full sun. Glad I grabbed this picture, as fifteen minutes later it was pouring while we were on the boat. Notice the blue sky in the picture. The Falls in the foreground is the American Falls, with the little mid-stream being The Bridal Veil Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the far right.

The pouring rain while on the "Maid of the Mist" made no difference, as you get totally soaked. Don said this was his favorite part of our time in Niagara Falls. There is nothing like riding right up to the base of the Falls, especially hearing the the thundering sound of falling water. Don woke up in the middle of the night after being on the boat with a question, "How did they get the boats, many "Maids of the Mist," down into the gorge?" Can't bring them over the Falls and can't get them up the river due to the wild rapids. Something to ponder. They have been doing "Maid of the Mist" tours since 1846! Note the dark sky in the picture below.

After drying off our faces, we headed down to the last attraction on our "Adventure Pass," the "Whitewater Walk." This was a boardwalk tour along the Niagara River, a few miles (4k) below the Falls. This whitewater is considered a Class 6, which is the most severe of the rapids rating scale. It was interesting to read the bios on the various daredevils who either did high-wire walks over these rapids or tried to navigate these wild waters.  One lady suffocated while attempting the rapids in a barrel when the dog that accompanied her cut off her air supply by sticking his nose into the air hole.  The dog made it.

The Great Blondin (1859ish) was one of the most famous daredevils at Niagara back before these daring stunts were made illegal. He walked a high-wire over the rapids carrying a wood stove on his back.  He made a fire in the stove, cooked an omelet and ate breakfast all while balancing over the rapids! Makes our morning english muffins and cereal look kind of tame.

Returning to the Falls for a final look before heading back to camp, we were rewarded by a rainbow over the rim. The sky was black in front of us and sunlit behind us. I did capture the rainbow on the camcorder, but not a still picture. Sorry. We thought viewing the Falls from the edge was the best!

It was a hike back up to our truck, so we took the tram up the hill. Beautiful view of the whole Falls experience from above. Note: The sun is out again. Just like Maine, wait 15 minutes and the weather keeps changing.

Wednesday, September 29th: Niagara-On-The-Lake

Locals told us that we couldn't leave The Falls without visiting the town, Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was a beautiful 45 minute ride along the river. We passed tons of local wineries, with grapes just hanging on the vines. [We kept thinking how much you would love it here, Tree.] Niagara-on-the-Lake reminded us of Cape May somewhat, with many cute, unique shops. The flowers lining the streets, hanging in baskets, various park displays, etc., were magnificent. (See pix below of example of flowers.) We stopped at an orchard on the way back and bought some grapes - nothing like you get in stores.

We returned to camp and the pull of the bike path gave us some needed exercise. Don built a campfire that evening and a couple camping next to us, Ben and Donna, from somewhere in Ontario, joined us. It has been great fun meeting new people and hearing their camping stories.

Thursday, September 30th: Wellsboro, PA

Today was a travel day and I was really sad to leave Riverview Park Campground and Niagara Falls. It was a fabulous four days and I wonder if we'll ever return. Let me know if you are interested, as I'd love to do it all over again.

Since it was only a 3 1/2 to 4 hour traveling day, we did not need to hustle to break camp. We set a goal for 10 AM, but once again missed it. Don thought he might be "kicked off the island," as I was ready before he was with my part of the exit plan. We're still frustrated that we can't get this down to an hour, but we have weeks left to perfect our exit technique.

Then it started to rain. And it rained, and then rained more, and still more. At one point we drove through Wellsville, NY, the town that Don's mother, Ruth, grew up in. Don mentioned that she went to high school there and as we drove through this cute town, I saw an old high school ahead. I rolled down the window and got this shot (a little damp for the camera). Nice to visualize Ruth as a young girl attending this school and the building looked old enough to have been her HS.

We arrived at Canyon Country Campground in Wellsboro, which is in the middle northern part of Pennsylvania and it was pouring to beat the band. This was our first set-up in the rain - yuck. The challenging part is where to do hang soaking wet jackets, hats, etc., in a little camper to dry out? We changed clothes and went out to dinner at the Steak House (recommended by campground director) for dinner. Since we had steak the night before, we had a yummy comfort-food turkey dinner. People at the next table told us what local sights not to miss and the restaurant owner was full of information, too.

Friday, October 1st: Leonard Harrison State Park and the Turkey Path Trail

And it rained all night, too. We spent part of the morning wiping windows, bringing out clothing and shoes to dry, and getting settled in. There is a lot of time spent trying to stay well organized in the trailer, for being in a small space, you can't deal with lots of clutter. Guess that's the housekeeping part of each day.

Since it started to clear, we decided to go for a hike at the nearby Leonard Harrison State Park. The Turkey Path Trail was recommended by the folks we met at the restaurant last night, as they said it has the best view of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Don said we made it to the Grand Canyon, but instead of mule trails down the canyon, we have a turkey trail! We had no idea what Wellsboro had to offer, but it seemed centrally located in our journey to NJ for my high school reunion. Amazing that we found this gem of a place with outstanding hiking and biking trails. The Turkey Path Trail is a mile hike down to the river from the top and a mile BACK UP! Since it had rained, we were rewarded by raging falls on our way down and back up, with a wild river flowing at the base of the canyon. Don met a fellow older Navy man as we were resting at the river's edge, a former NAO (similar to Don being an NFO). They had a fun chat of old Navy days. Don was kind and patient on the hike back up the mountain, with a picnic lunch break midway up. The day turned sunny, but still cool, thus perfect hiking weather.

One last stop before returning to camp, which was at a Mennonite grocery store not too far from the campground. Since I bought a loaf of homemade bread at an Amish roadside stand near the Boldt Castle, we decided to buy homemade bread when we can as it makes great toast for breakfast. The grocery store also had homemade pecan sticky buns, Don's favorite. Guess they will kill the benefits of the hike?

So the more water part of the story is that while making chili for dinner, I noticed water under the kitchen sink. Disheartening, as we also have a leak under the bathroom sink. Also, we're tired, it's late and we want to eat. Everything gets pulled out from under the sink, which is one of the bigger storage places. Once again, where do you put all this stuff temporarily in a small trailer? Guess we'll deal with this in the morning.......

Note Saturday, Oct 2nd at 1:00: Sorry you did not hear Don's voice today. We're in the Green Memorial Library in Wellsboro using their WiFi. Don has been paying bills online, running to the plumbing store, doing some trip planning, etc. He'll be back next time.