I was driving down the road and I decided to stop at a visitors information center. I wasn't really sure what I needed but I just thought I would see if they had any helpful information. I ended up spending about an hour visiting with these two very fun men. They helped me make a reservation for lodging on the Canadian side so I felt better having that done. They assured me that it was a nice hotel.I drove to the Seneca Niagara Casino and parked my car in their free parking. I asked someone where I could catch the trolley but apparently there are two different trolleys. I ended up buying a ticket (only $1) to ride all day on a trolley that goes from the hotels to the falls. It was a fun ride for two blocks. :)
My first stop was the Maid of the Mist. You take an elevator down from the Observation Tower to load the boat. It was so much fun! I was drenched!! There was a family near me that was speaking spanish and the "mom" (I assume) and I just kept laughing and I'm not really sure why. We absolutely loved it! She was kind enough to take a couple of pictures for me.
When the boat was near the Horseshoe Falls, it felt like a torrential downpour! I think I was the only one that didn't put my hood up but I just loved the "rain!" My shirt was drenched when we finally took off our trash bag capes.
I bought my ticket on the correct trolley ($2) that takes you around Niagara Falls State Park and caught a ride over to Goat Island. I treated myself to lunch at the Top of the Falls Restaurant which overlooks Horseshoe Falls. I was pretty proud of myself for going to a sit-down restaurant by myself - without a laptop or phone as a crutch. It wasn't that bad! It was a gorgeous afternoon and the fish & chips were yummy! I was torn between Buffalo Wings (being near Buffalo) and Niagara Fish & Chips but went with the fish. The funniest thing part was when the waiter said "if you want to try some buffalo wings, you should go to this place called Buffalo Wild Wings." I had to laugh! I guess buffalo wings in Kansas City are just as good as buffalo wings in Buffalo. :)
Just down from the Top of the Falls is Cave of the Winds. You pay a $10 admission fee and they give you a free rain poncho (a glorified trash bag) and a pair of sandals. I figured it was worth it just for the free sandals. They were actually comfortable and I plan to keep them as long as they hold together!
The Cave of the Winds takes you on a walk through various decks that have been built below the American Falls. They take them down every fall and put them back up again in the spring so every year is a little different. The water was so intense! I absolutely loved being so close to it - you could feel it's power.
And, of course, in some spots you could also feel it's wetness! I was grateful for the poncho but my desire to take pictures (who could resist in such a glorious place) cost me a camera - at least so far. Niagara Falls definitely wins in a battle against a non-waterproof camera! We'll see if it comes back to life tomorrow.Bit of interesting information - Did you know that the first person to successfully go over the falls was a woman in 1901? She went over the falls in a barrel of her own design. Leave it to a woman! You may remember in 1960 a 7 year old boy was swept over the falls in a bathing suit and life vest - and he survived. He was rescued by the crew of the Maid of the Mist. AMAZING!
I spent most of the day on the American side which I hadn't planned on because I had been told there wasn't much to do on the American side but that has either changed or they missed something. I made it back to my car about 5:30 and headed across the bridge. Whoever said getting in to Canada is no big deal must not have had the customs official that I had! She asked me a million questions about where I lived, the last time I was paid, what I was doing, blah, blah, blah. I tried to answer her questions honestly but looking back, I should have kept my mouth shut or made something up! She ended up searching my car and then sent me inside the building to talk to an immigrations officer who asked me even more questions - like how much credit I had available to me on my credit cards! AGH! I suppose saying "as much as I want" was not the best response!! Next time - "I'm just coming across to see the falls and then I'm going right back!" I got to my hotel (Super 8 on Ferry Street) just as it started to rain - and rain it did! It was quite similar to standing under horseshoe falls! I decided to enjoy a lazy evening in my hotel room (which was quite nice!) I wanted to go to the pool/hot tub/sauna but every time I walked by it was full of kids so I decided to pass. Maybe in the morning before I head to the falls again.
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