Category: Fun

Six hundred and thirty five thousand gallons per second…that’s the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls.  On a spectacularly beautiful day, Niagara Falls is a spectacle unlike any other. The speed and the roar of the water is what first grabs your attention. After that, it’s the mist–you know you’re going to get wet at some point, but we look at each other and say “Let’s get on with it”!

Helen (adorable wife) and I were staying in a very nice Air Force Inn at the Niagara Falls International Airport about six miles from the Falls. We were up and out early, having spent a delightful evening at Griffon Gastropub on the previous night.  Once again, the weather was glorious so we expected the crowd to be large. However, it surprised us that the visitor count seemed to be somewhat moderate.  There is plenty of parking on the U.S. side of the Falls, and plenty of help as well, so everyone was moving in a very orderly fashion. A tour group of Chinese arrived about the same time as we did.  They were young, probably college students, and they were having a grand time taking pictures and snapping “selfies” by the hundreds.

We entered the visitor center to buy tickets for the Maid of the Mist tour.  The ramp into the center gave us the first view of the Falls down and to the left, and our excitement for what’s ahead ramped up with each step.  Once inside, we had plenty of places to spend money including a very nice gift shop, and several places to eat.  There was a movie about the Falls but, we were there to ride the boat.

Tickets are $17 each for a ride and a “one size fits all” blue poncho.  There are several Maids of the Mist with departure times every fifteen minutes for a thirty minute ride.  We very much wanted to be on the top deck of the boat, but our place in line was going to make that opportunity a little “iffy” with the number of folks ahead of us.  When our Mist arrived at the dock and unloaded the previous tour, I couldn’t help but notice how wet everyone was, but I also noticed how little they cared.  I knew that this was going to be fun. We boarded the boat and walked straight up the stairs to the top deck…no problem.

Looking over to the far side of the river, I could see a load of Canadians in red ponchos boarding their boat, Hornblower.  We were in for an International experience.

The Captain of the Mist spoke over the loud speaker and welcomed everyone aboard.  He gave us a safety briefing and told us where we could find life jackets, then got underway.  Unfortunately, that’s the last time we could hear the Captain.  The noise from the boat engine, plus the roar of the Falls pretty much drowned him out.

We first went by Bridal Veil Falls which is the smaller of the two falls at Niagara and is on the American side. The Captain slowed the Mist and everyone took the opportunity to pull out cameras, cell phones, Go Pro cameras, and fire away.  We were getting soaked and it was a hoot!  The noise from the falling water really is deafening.  We took pictures of a group of Chinese tourists who needed a hand.  They were very appreciative.

Moving up the river, we arrived at the base of Horseshoe Falls, the larger of the two which sits on the Canadian side.  Once there, the Captain brought the boat to a rest while the water rushed over the top of the Falls and crashed around us, sending mist, like rain, on top of everyone.  I felt like a kid walking in the rain on a splendid sunny day.  Talk about a completely unique experience…this was it!

In the few minutes we were at the base of the Falls, we took a lot of pictures, but mainly spent most of the time staring at the enormous amount of water around us.  We were later told that some of the water going toward the Falls is mechanically diverted at night and directed to farm use, then turned back to the Falls during the day.  Fine with me.

After we returned to the dock we walked out to one end of the park to goat island which allowed for a view of Bridal Veil Falls from a lookout above. From near the lookout, we caught a trolley back to the parking lot, as we had decided to cross over Rainbow Bridge for a view from the Canadian side. We could have walked across the bridge, but decided to drive in case we felt like exploring Toronto a little bit. We approached the checkpoint at the border and presented out passports to the security guard in the small booth.  He was all business (Helen said cute) and looked us over carefully, but decided that two gray haired, bespectacled, old folks didn’t present enough of a threat to frisk (disappointing Helen), and allowed us to pass.

It was lunchtime, so we grabbed a couple of sandwiches from a French deli and walked outside to listen to the roar while we ate. The view of Niagara Falls is much better from the Canadian side. You can actually stand close to the water as it spills over the top.  Bear in mind that there is a concrete fence between you and the water that comes up about waist high, but there were many people standing on the wall for pictures. I was able to take a video of the waterfall from behind that wall and the video is posted on the Easin’ Along YouTube page.  It gives you a great feel for the speed of the water. (Click here and scroll to the Horseshoe Falls video).

We did some walking around the Park at the Canadian visitor–the fall flowers were beautiful, and then decided it was time to make it back over the bridge.

At the U.S. checkpoint we again produced our passports and were asked if we had anything to declare, which we didn’t, and were sent on our way.  Bye, bye Canada, it was fun!

I’ve heard about, listened to songs about, and watched old movies about Niagara Falls all my life.  Now I know why.  What a wonderful day it was for Easin’ Along!

 

 

 

Please see the Picture Gallery for more about this visit.

 

So far, I have presented a chronological narrative of our east coast adventure primarily because previous posts were created while we were on the road, and time simply did not permit me to cover many of the places we visited as we Eased Along. Now that I am back in the “Man Cave” with some easy listening music in the background, I want to share a few more of the treasures we found while exploring this beautiful part of our country.

After Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod, our next destination was the Fourth Cliff Recreation area in Marshfield, MA.  The travel time was about two hours, so we did a stopover in Plymouth, MA to see the sights and grab lunch.

Once again, we were blessed with the spectacular weather and the boats moored in Plymouth harbor made for a wonderful welcome as we pulled into town.  There were groups of tourists around, but nothing overwhelming and we were able to find parking along the street very quickly. After a quick stop into a gift shop for postcards for the grandchildren, we walked across the street to a park where a full-size replica of the Mayflower was tied alongside a dock and open for visitors. Although this replica was a “best guess” version of the ship based on the construction that was popular in the 16th century, it looked real enough for me.  Standing on the dock, I could not believe that 100 passengers and 30 crew members could live on something so small for over two months while sailing westward in winter winds and strong seas.  Their arrival had to be nothing short of a miracle! I took some photographs, but we decided not to tour the ship and spend more time in the town itself.

We left the Mayflower II and walked to the other end of the park where Plymouth Rock rested under a large portico and behind a wrought iron fence…you couldn’t miss it.

The State of Massachusetts and the town of Plymouth have done a commendable job of placing signage throughout the park, detailing the events surrounding the voyage and landing of the Pilgrims, as well as the history of Plymouth Rock. From the information available, we learned that Plymouth Rock was not referred to in any of the writings of the original Pilgrims, but was first mentioned some 120 years after their landfall when an elderly man in the community was concerned it would be buried during construction of a new wharf. This gentleman, who knew some of the Pilgrims said the rock should be preserved as a landmark of the landing, and it was.

The original stone, dubbed Plymouth Rock, was actually three times larger than what we see today. Over time, large portions were cut from Plymouth Rock and moved elsewhere for display. During the late 1800’s a hammer and chisel were placed near the stone so that visitors could remove a chunk for a souvenir — imagine that! In 1880, the top portion of Plymouth Rock was reunited with the base, and in 1921 a large portico was built to cover the rock to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing.

On a hill above the park stood the Unitarian Universalist Church which was established on this site in 1620 and was the first church established in Plymouth.  This magnificent stone structure was built in 1898.  The records of the church have been maintained continuously since its founding in 1620.

Adjacent to the church is a cemetery where many of the Pilgrims, including William Bradford, are buried. The cemetery is known as Burial Hill.  Unfortunately, many of the original headstones were made of wood and have long since disappeared.  The oldest marker dates to 1681.

The walk down from Burial Hill leads us to Main Street and a plethora of shops and taverns.  There were two shops we couldn’t resist–both were antique flea markets, Main Street Antiques, and Main Street Marketplace. With both hands holding tightly to our wallets, we slipped into Main Street Antiques.

This place was huge and had many booths filled with “stuff”.  All the booths were laid out very well and all items were priced.  What made this a fun experience for us is that many items pertained to the history of Plymouth and to this part of Massachusetts. We spent a considerable amount of time reading old newspaper articles, looking at works of art and home furnishings, as well as items from the fishing and whaling industry that was prevalent in the past.

We almost made it out the door without spending any money until I spotted an old Mickey Mouse watch in the display cabinet at the cash register…had to have it. I tried my best to talk her below the $35.00 asking price but got nowhere, so I dug deep and gave her the cash.  I was so proud of my new souvenir, I put it on immediately, and said that we had better go find lunch before we spot something else to buy.

When we were driving to Plymouth we stopped at a Visitor Center along U.S. 1 to inquire about what we should see and, as always, where we should eat.  The gentleman at the help desk pointed out a few of the sights, including those mentioned above and then said his favorite place to eat was the Lobster Hut located near the pier. Mickey said it was time to eat. Now!

The Lobster Hut is a large and very busy place. It had a walk-up window for ordering which was just inside the front door.  The line was somewhat long, but usually, that means that the food is good so we waited our turn.  I ordered whole belly fried clams with fries and cole slaw, while Helen ordered fried scallops with rice and slaw.  Since it was a rather humid day, we chose to remain inside even though there were some great seats on the patio with a view of the harbor.  The food was delicious.  I’m not a big fan of scallops, but I had to try one of Helen’s.  Awesome.  Lightly fried and very tender, I stole another one.  The clams were also lightly fried in a very flavorful batter and tasted as if they had just come out of the water.  I ate all of them, and the portion was generous.  The cole slaw was very good.  It had a dressing that was sort of on the light vinegar side, not too heavy with mayonnaise, and chopped very fine.

I have sampled a lot of fried clams on this trip, and while those at Bob’s Clam Hut were rated as excellent, these from the Lobster Hut were the best of the trip.

Plymouth, MA is a great place to spend an afternoon. I recommend it highly for a glimpse into the past, the shopping, and for the food. I can certainly understand why the Pilgrims stopped here!