O Canada...

MY CAMERA IS ALIVE!!! I guess Niagara didn't win after all!

I enjoyed my morning at the Super 8 sitting in the hot tub and the sauna. The sauna wasn't as hot as I like it but it was still relaxing. It was pretty cloudy so I wasn't in any hurry to get outside. Check out time was at 11 so I loaded up my car and walked toward the falls.

I went the long way and ended up on Clifton Hill which was stimulation overload!! I stumbled upon the Niagara Sky Wheel and decided I shouldn't miss an opportunity for an aerial view of the falls.



It was a great ride and I was only a little scared. :) I was in a car by myself so I could move around to all sides but I held on for dear life every time I moved because the car would swing (only slightly.) It was a great way to get pictures of the falls!


I walked the rest of the way to the falls and the view was spectacular!! There were tons of people walking around and I walked the whole length of the falls - from the American falls to Horseshoe falls, stopping along the way for pictures from each and every angle. I just wish pictures could capture the actual beauty but they just don't cut it!
The American Falls definitely make for a better picture. The amount of mist that comes up from Horseshoe falls makes every picture hazy. It looks like a cloud - but it's water! It's hard to get close without getting wet. I had lunch overlooking the falls (again) and the view was so worth it! It was an absolutely gorgeous day - the sun was shining and the temperature was warm but not hot. It was a perfect day to be walking and I spent way longer than I had anticipated.
I even paused for a moment to enjoy the antics of a black squirrel. Kids were trying to get close but he wasn't having any of that! By about 3pm, I made it back to the Super 8 and got my car and headed north. I had to drive around Toronto which was a bit of a traffic hassle but not as bad as I expected. Driving through Canada was interesting. They have tons of man-made rock piles on the large rocks that line the highway - some look like stonehenge and others are just piles but definitely intentional. I would love to know their purpose but I can't find anything - so if you know, please email me!

The coolest thing that happened was when I was driving on highway 69 around lake Huron and a black bear bumbled across the road in front of my car. I have had a lot of animals run across the road in front of me - but NEVER a bear!! I was so excited! Of course, I didn't have my camera ready and by the time I got it, he was gone. It was still AWESOME!

I started to get a little nervous when it was approaching 9pm and I hadn't passed a hotel in an hour. Nor had I passed a gas station and I was getting low. Finally I came across a gas station in the middle of nowhere and the lady inside said I was 10 minutes from a hotel. I passed the one on the main road (it looked a little scary) and went towards the McDonalds (according to Jill) into Espanola ON. I ended up getting a cute room at the Pinewood Motor Inn. It was very clean and even came with wireless internet. My good buddy, Matt, was kind enough to chat with me on aim while I worked on my blog. It was nice to have the company. I love the internet!