Epic RV Trip -- Niagra Falls

**SUN 7/14 DRIVE 681 km (423 mi) to Niagra Falls (Canada side)
 and bought 257 Liters (68 gallons) of gas over $300 CAD ($240 American)

Today we lost fridge space when we hit a pothole/bump in the road (lots of those up here) while I had the fridge door open.  I was getting something out to eat and everything bounced which was too much for the tiny tab that holds the bottom shelf on, and down fell the 1L milk, and the lemonade pitcher, and the cheese, and the juice boxes onto the shoe pile below.  We can't use that shelf now so it feels like our small RV fridge got smaller.  So we adapt, and brainstorm ideas to repair it, and keep rollin'. 

At the KOA, the kids loved biking around and finding the jump pads, playground, tractor ride, pools, and even won some prizes at the organized activities.  They even tried Karaoke for the first time.

 

 

**MON 7/15  Niagra Falls USA side
I loved today.  We packed our passports, parked near Rainbow Bridge, and rode our bicycles over to the USA.  We had to ride our bikes in car lanes through customs--it was such a unique experience!  Do you know anyone else who has done this?  I wish I knew how many miles the kids rode--I was so proud of them, but I couldn't use my GPS tracker on my phone because our phones kept switching between USA/Verizon and Canada cell providers, only 1-2 bars of service either way, and limited data allowances in Canada.

We had lunch with a view and Marissa found a quarter on the ground and used it in one of the viewfinders.  We found a rainbow too!  Then we rode around Goat Island.  The south side (Lake Erie side) of the island is calm and peaceful, then as we rode our bikes around closer to the falls we noticed the depth got shallower and that must be where the water gets its speed and force.  The closer to the falls, it gets louder and has more white water.  We snapped a picture of the 3 sisters on Three Sisters Islands.  Then, between the islands, we found a gentle area where the water comes up land a bit so we were able to touch the water. 

 

Night time Niagra!  After dinner we went back to see the falls lit up after dark.  Ice cream helps pass the time while we wait (and I figure give them enough sugar energy to walk back to the car on their own two feet afterward too).   They shine huge lights on the falls and we enjoyed the colors.  It was funny to see the fireworks so low because they launch them from the bottom. 

Happy almost 50th anniversary Susan & Bernie!  This must have been a beautiful and fun honeymoon spot for you.


**TUE 7/16  Niagra Falls Canada side
Being under the falls is wet and misty. We took the "Journey Behind the Falls" tour and donned yellow ponchos.  The viewing tunnels were not what we expected, but pretty cool to be right there almost 13 stories down.  The tunnels are 130 years old and 1/3 of the way in on the Canadian falls.  We got wet at the outside viewing deck, but from the viewing portals from the tunnel you just see a sheet of white and listen to the water pass.  Hearing the sound of the falls from below was the impressive part.

Then we donned the red ponchos on the Hornblower.  I'm so glad we did the boat tour.  You can clearly see why all the crazy stunt people did them on the Canadian/horseshoe side--looking at the giant rocks from down here, it is obvious a water landing would be impossible.  The boat was at full power, inching against the current towards the horseshoe falls.  When the wind rained the mist on us, everyone on the boat said "Ahhhhhhh" in unison.  The storm was brief but enough to give a new perspective and appreciation of the strength the falls have. 

What did we learn today?  Niagara Falls is the largest waterfall in the world as measured by volume of water.  The water falls at a rate of 675,000 gallons/second.  One-fifth of the world’s fresh water passes here.  Where does all that water come from?  From Lake Erie and the other lakes.  (There must be a lot of rain and runoff to fill the streams to those great lakes!)  From Lake Ontario, it flows up the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean.  Horseshoe falls were not always horseshoe shaped--we have erosion to thank for that.  But dams and water diversion tactics have slowed erosion down, and both countries used the water flow for electric power generation. 

The tourist green screen photo:

P.S. Don't worry, the ponchos are all biodegradable.