We took a bunch of pictures then checked
out of the hotel. We went to Applebee's for breakfast after peeking in
to the "all you can eat" buffet that was crowded and a little unappealing.
Applebee's by comparison was clean, busy but far more appetizing; it worked well and we left
satisfied.
We got in line to cross the border at 11:00am and then we waited. And waited. And waited. It took
30 minutes to cross the bridge and reach the customs booth. Finally,
we crossed back into U.S.A. after a grueling interrogation. The usual
questions. The irony was simple - here we were, loaded to the axles in
luggage, obviously traveling from USA and headed home, but claiming an
overnight stay and no shopping. Yeah right....
"Where you been?" Canadian side of
Niagara Falls.
"How long were you there?" One night.
"Did you buy anything?" No.
<skeptical look and pause> I wanted
to say "Look dude, we crossed in from Montreal last night and came through
U.S.A. customs and there we reported everything we bought - maple syrup,
toys and stickers - and got waved through. That stuff is already
accounted for and we didn't do anything in Canada but sleep and eat
breakfast."
"Guns, Tobacco, Alcohol?" No.
"Where are you going?" Home.
And so on. I am glad this particular
man is guarding the boarder. Problem is, anyone who wants to sneak
into the USA isn't driving over the Rainbow Bridge in an SUV with a wife and
two kids and a couple cases of maple syrup.
From there
I drove a short distance to the parking area on Goat Island. This was
my semi-planned Geocaching stop. I had looked up an "easy" cache for
us to locate while we were in Niagara Falls. I reasoned it would give
us a chance to see the falls, walk around for a few minutes and have some
fun. I was mostly right but I didn't bargain for the cold!
The boys and I left Maria nice and warm in
the Jeep at 11:44am while we hiked 3/10 mile to the little island that held
"THE
OTHER SISTER" Geocache. It was every bit as cold as it looks in
the pictures.
The island was upstream of the falls.
Basically, if you wanted to go over the falls, you could pretty much jump
(or fall) into the water from there and you'd get your wish. It's a
little deceptive because from there all you can see is the stream going away
from the island and the spray from the falls. Well I guess there is
this big roar but you know, it might be possible not to understand what
waits downstream...
I called Maria in on the Walkie-Talkie and
she moved the Jeep down to the parking lot near the little island where we
were. Then at 1:00 pm we got back in the Jeep and hit the road.
Getting back into the Jeep was very nice - we'd gotten used to the humid
cold and the warmth of the Jeep was very welcome.
The drive home was not too bad though we
were on the road for another seven hours. Along the way we stopped for
gas and food, with a dinner stop at 2:44pm for an hour near Erie, PA.
We got back on the road at 3:50 pm.
At 4:44pm we stopped for a minute at the
Outlet stores near London PA. I looked around one of the stores to get
a quick break from driving and then back on the road at 5:25pm.
At 7:10 we visited our home area Dairy Queen.
At 7:52 we visited the car wash to get the
road grime off.
We got
home at 8:21pm.
To say we had a good time would be an
understatement. The home of my ancestors is beautiful, as are the
people who live there still. We shall return!
