Western Ny/Niagara Falls





After the annual Beauchemin Independence Day pool party, we picked up a very sleepy Oliver and began our trek north to Niagra Falls Grand Island KOA.  The 8 hour trip was uneventful and we arrived well before dusk to set up camp and explore the campground.  We walked the dogs, ate dinner and settled in for a much anticipated fun day awaiting us.  Oliver has been feeling a bit under the weather, so a nice long sleep was in order.


The next morning, we took the city bus with our bikes in tow to our nations oldest state park....NIAGARA FALLS

  Nigara Falls was formed during the ice age and is rich with history.  It was here that Tesla was the first to create an alternating current energy system that converted the energy of Niagra Falls into electricity in 1896.  The park is located on Goat Island and is encircled by a 3 mile biking/walking trail which we took full advantage of taking in all the highlighted sights and panoramic overlooks.


                                           Oliver climbs on the Nikola Tesla monument

Oliver over looks the power plant on the Canadian Side.  It was interesting to see how
sparse the visitors were across the border due to the pandemic.  The border was closed so we weren't able to enjoy all the viewpoints the Canadian Falls have to offer. 😢









The weather was hot and humid, so Oliver and I decided to go to the Cave of the Winds where we would experience the power of the falls.  We descended 175 feet by elevator into the awe inspiring Niagra Gorge!
Here we walked along a series of wooden walkways.  We stood just feet below Bridal Veil Falls where the water crashed beside us surrounding us in tropical storm like conditions!

                                                                          We got soaked!!
The spot where tropical wind conditions are experienced.  Oliver said the water burned his legs from the force.


                                            one of the view points of Bridal Veil falls near the bottom.
We called the side of the gorge Seagull Island because there were so many of them.  Babies too!!





The Elevator took us to the cave 175 feet below.

After that excursion Guy decided to join us on the next, which was The Maid of the Mist which has been a tourist favorite for more than 150 years.  The journey begins at the observation tower where spectacular views are panoramic. 



 We then descend via elevator to the awaiting boat which ferries past the base of the American falls and onto the basin of Horseshoe falls- the dramatic passage led us thru the rolling waterfall, whitewater and massive rock formations.  We certainly had a new found appreciation of the power and grandeur of Niagra Falls!
                                 
                                       ðŸ’¦        ðŸ’¦

                                         Good thing we were provided ponchos to help keep us dry!!


The skies were threatening so we decided to head back to camp which was a good thing.  A massive deluge occurred flooding parts of the campground and local roads.  Thankfully, our site was fine.  After dinner we ventured down the road for some GO KART racing, LASER TAG and MINI GOLF followed by time at the arcade.  It was a full day for sure and Ollie's last words before drifting off to sleep was "today was an awesome day"!  Tomorrow we head to Oscoda, Michigan on Lake Heron!




















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