CROSS CANADA MOTORHOME TRIP 2019 – MORE ONTARIO

Our foray into the US was short and uneventful. We entered Maine and we were unable to locate the campground we wanted. Our next couple of stops were unavailable and the traffic ended up being stupid on the turnpike and expensive. Tolls of $42 US and a couple of roadwork episodes that left us at a standstill for over 2 hours. We stopped at a KOA in Rochester, NY that was very nice.

We fast forwarded into Canada and Niagara Falls and will cut the US stuff short and get back home. We are starting to get homesick, and misadventures in the US are no fun. The real rub was, when we cleared customs to get back to Canada, there was another toll of $7.50 US. That got me grumpy for sure.

Niagara Falls looks like a cool place, so we will spend a couple of days here. Niagara Falls, Canada is a city of 66,000 people and obviously thrives on tourism. The area was first established in 1670 and was previously known as Clifton but changed to the current name in 1881. There is a vast list of daredevil attempts and suicide attempts and accidents that have involved death here. In 1960 a 12 aluminum boat capsized with a boy and girl and a boatsman. The girl was grabbed 25 feet from the falls and the boy and boatsman were swept over. Miraculously the boy survived and was rescued below, by a Maid of the Mist boat. As early as July 8/19, yesterday, a suicide attempt occurred but the guy survived when he jumped over the Falls.

We played golf today at a Stanley Thompson designed course called Whirlpool. We played with a local guy, and although the scoring was not great, the course was enjoyable and the weather was very good, in the low thirties.

A nice restaurant close to us and a short walk.

Tomorrow is a tour of Niagara Falls and the area.

Early morning as we got picked up at 8:15 for a 5 hour tour in a mini bus. There are only four other couples, so the tour worked well and you were able to get to know the other folks during the tour. We did not have a very good guide, so that spoiled it a bit. He was a loud New Yorker that was yelling at the other drivers all day. He told us that Canadians call those stupid drivers goofs. I told him that they did not use that term and he told me to ask Canadians and they would tell me. I told him he just did and I just told him. One of the few times he shut up as a know it all! To his credit, he knew his stuff about the Niagara Falls area for sure.

We started out by going back into the US to the State Park that has great views and are able to get really close to the falls. The Falls include three different falls all from the flow of the Niagara River. The River connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and is controlled and dammed to provide huge amounts of power generation.

Horseshoe Falls with virtually all on the Canadian side of the border

American Falls in the foreground and Bridal Veil Falls behind with Horseshoe Falls in the distance.

We made a number of other stops to make it interesting.

The Floral Clock. They change the flowers 4 times a summer.

The Skylon Tower on the Canadian side. 520 foot observation deck and restaurant. A glass elevator goes up the outside of this guy to the observation deck. I went to the inside of the elevator and New York guy said, “you can’t see anything there”. I said as long as we are only going up 5 feet, I am good. It was ok, though

View of Horseshoe Falls from 520 feet up

The water has high mineral content, so a nice aqua blue colour. This flow goes from Lake Erie, to Niagara River, to Lake Ontario, to St. Lawrence River to Atlantic Ocean.

We were going to do this after supper but too much pizza.

Thursday, we are off to Niagara on the Lake, on the peninsula. We stopped at the Botanical Gardens on the way and saw a nice collection of weeds. A little underwhelming for sure but free and only $6 for parking so no worry. There is a wine trail at Niagara on the Lake with many wineries, large and small. Pellet Estates, Iniskillen, Jackson and Triggs, Wayne Gretzky’s and many, many more. We stopped at a couple of the smaller ones and had nice tastings.

On the way, we also stopped at the Laura Secord Heritage House

Laura Secord and her family were Americans but were British Loyalists. They moved to Queenston in the Niagara after the Revolutionary War and were given a land grant. During the War of 1812, when her husband went missing in battle, Laura walked miles behind enemy lines to find him badly shot and dying. She managed to get him back home and provided nursing for him. While he was convalescing, American troops stopped and demanded supper. While they were eating Laura overheard their plans for a surprise attack at Beaver Dams against the British. She walked 32 km thru American occupied territory to warn General Fitzgibbon and secure victory for the British to maintain the area for British rule. She is remembered as a true heroine but does not have any real connection to the chocolate company, as far as I know.

From here we made a stop at Fort George, which is on The Niagara River and a very strategic site. A very interesting stop as, in a number of the Government of Canada sites, they employ students in the summer to enact the occupants.

So, a real fun couple of hours.

We stopped at Wayne Gretzky’s for lunch before heading back to Niagara Falls.

Lots of photos in this place and was cool to have a good look.

We decided to walk uptown for some supper and excitement and had a real good burger at Kelsey’s.

View from above , of the Falls

This was an even crazier ride, but we made it. Phew! Marg was not happy, as she got her hair wet.

Tomorrow, we head West for four days and home. A great trip for sure and very memorable, but home has started to call, so by the time we get back to Edmonton, it will be 8 weeks.

Long 12 hour five but we made it to Kenora and even found a decent campground online when we we were sure this was the stop for the night. Only a few little holdups getting thru Toronto on the 410 however, our GPS took us on the 407 for a ways and that is a toll highway. So we will see how good their cameras are as you go thru a large bank of them, but my cover on our bikes might hide the plate well enough. I may be getting a lot of unwanted mail!

Earlier, in Nova Scotia, we were waiting at a Marriott, which was our designated pick up for our Halifax tour, and struck up some fun conversation with the concierge. He asked us where we were from and we replied Edmonton. He said that he was going there next April to which I asked why. He said that he is on the Nova Scotia dodgeball team and that is where the National Championships are held next year. I asked, tongue in cheek, so are you going to the Olympics if you win? He said that they have made a submission. I told him that you better get Ben Stiller on your team then! Dodgeball, who knew!

Sunday is off to Saskatoon, and if they have any bugs left in Man. or Sask, I will be surprised. We got to our campground around 5 and relaxed a bit before the last of our Digby scallops. Like the sign says and Terry confirms, the best in the world. I agree with the experts.

A Sask. guy came by our campsite with his 2 golden retrievers, so had to chat with him, for sure. Best dogs ever. He told me about an event that his dogs were in, in Saskatoon called Barn Hunt. A competition for dogs to hunt rodents in a barn. The dogs love it I guess.

Five hours to home tomorrow!