We traveled on Ontario Highway 3 across the province to the falls; a trip which, after a while, turned out to be quiet tedious as we never really knew exactly where we were: we did not have Waze or AT&T in Canada, and our map of Ontario was not very explicit. After a 3 ½ hour drive, maybe more, we got close to the falls. Not knowing exactly where they were, or what we would find there parking-wise, we parked on a side street, grabbed backpacks and rain jackets, and started to walk.
We walked about two miles. We knew we were getting close when the souvenir shops started to become more numerous. Walking through the crowds became more challenging and the stores more grossly plastic. There were multiple stores of fright and awe, bars and restaurants by the dozens, and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel. In a few words: not our style.
After all the glitter we finally made it to the falls. The only word we both can think of is “WOW.” The beauty and power of all that water going over those rocks is amazing and yes, well worth the drive and the walk to see them (there are two: the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls). We were told the Canadian side of the falls had better views than the American side and this must surely be correct.
Horseshoe Falls
American Falls
Over 600,000 gallons of water go over the falls every second.
On our trip we’ve been collecting key chains from some of the places we’ve been and, of course, we had to stop at one of the gift shops to buy one. OK, we’re tourists. Then a walk back to the van. There was a light rain on and off: sometimes on the way to the falls, sometimes on the way back, sometimes while we were at the falls. The rain, added to the mist of the falls, provided quite a nice effect.
Back at the car we followed the signs to the Back to the USA Bridge; we made a wrong turn but lucked out and found a Tourist Information Center which pointed us in the right direction. We also got an Ontario Map, not that we needed it anymore, but we like collecting maps of the states/province we’ve traveled through. We found our way onto Highway 18 which borders Lake Ontario (our fifth Great Lake), and ended up at 4 Mile State (N.Y.) Campground, a beautiful place: nice, clean, friendly. We had internet and cell phone reception, a hot dinner, and all is well with the world.
Day 2: We decided to stay here another day, Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, and take it easy. Our campsite is in a beautiful location, right on Lake Ontario, and we are spending the day relaxing and reading.
To top it off, a beautiful sunset just behind our van on Lake Ontario.
Day 3: A travel day as we wanted to get closer to the Thousand Islands at the St. Lawrence River. More on that in the next post.