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Published: June 26th 2014
Well we really hadn’t planned on taking another vacation this summer but a few weeks ago we noticed that there were some really good last-minute deals on the New England cruises. However, we couldn’t book one since John had sent his passport in to be renewed when we got back from China. It didn’t expire till next year but wouldn’t have been valid for 6 months past our Israel trip in December so had to be renewed before then. Well it finally came back about 1 ½ weeks ago so we looked again and decided to book a last minute 2 week cruise from Montreal to Boston to Montreal. And since we were going to drive to Montreal and John had never been to Niagara Falls we decided to stop there for a couple of nights on our way. And before I forget the real reason for this trip is for John’s search for a lobster roll. He’ll write more on that in a day or two. So here’s John’s entry for the first day of this trip.
Our half-month Odyssey began this morning at 5AM when my phone alarm woke us for me to play racquetball at 6AM, as
I do on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is a group of eight of us who play from time to time; but, maybe three to five show up on any given day. Today there were four others who played, games to seven points, so they go quickly, and you get to play different people. I rarely win, but today, I won 8 of 10 games, so for me, the day started well. Yesterday I got a jury summons for me to start while we will be in Canada, so I had to send the judge a fax to explain why I wouldn’t be there. I’m sure he is not going to be impressed with the colonoscopy scheduled for me upon our return, or our next trip to Tennessee less than two weeks later.
We got on our way by 10AM and planned to have lunch at Der Dutchman, an Amish restaurant on our way towards Cleveland. We made a brief stop at our bank for Sharon to get her “gambling money”. And then another stop at a Speedway to get a frozen Coke for Sharon and a 54 ounce iced tea for me… their drinks just keep getting bigger.
These, combined with the Pepperidge Farms Chessman and Double Chocolate Milano’s readied us for another road-trip. We drove past the Der Dutchman in Plain City, OH that we often visit and enjoy and on to the one in Bellville, OH, somewhat smaller but just as good. Sharon ordered the Amish sampler with roast beef and roast turkey (white meat for an extra charge). She got plenty of white meat, but the waitress missed her request and she also got lots of dark meat as well but didn’t get charged for the white only so no problem. The Amish recipe soaks the turkey in a brine solution before roasting and the meat is tender, juicy and delicious, and served shredded. Her dinner was under $13, as was my lunch buffet. The buffet included broasted chicken (which I love), baked chicken, roast beef, ham, and the Amish turkey. They don’t normally offer both the turkey and roast beef for the buffet, but they did today. Unfortunately I didn’t notice that before Sharon had ordered her sampler or she would have gone with the buffet too. Both meals come with a great salad bar as well.
We had some fun trying to
get my 2010 Prius GPS to give directions to our hotel at the Falls on the Canadian side so started out using the cell phone instead hoping the battery made it. Sharon resorted to reading the manual as we couldn’t stumble on the way to change it as we did in Nashville and figured it out so we changed at the next rest area. At first there was a 2 hour discrepancy between the car GPS and the GPS on Sharon’s phone using Maps. The car being 2 hrs longer. We re-did the car GPS request and compared 3 different routes. It was selecting the longest route which avoided crossing the international border where it makes sense. Once we selected the shortest route for the car it matched up pretty close, except for the time it took us off the main road, through some very scenic and early American urban neighborhoods of Ripley and Westfield which had quite a few historic buildings and grape farms. We finally realized when it guided us back to the Interstate it had directed us off of, that it was trying to avoid New York state turnpike tolls. It saved us 65 cents; but, in
the end we did have to pay almost $3.00 in tolls.
It took us about forty minutes to cross the border, because our lane came to a complete stop for twenty minutes (for some reason). We never learned why. We must not have looked too suspicious because we got through pretty easily, once it was our turn. As we stopped at the place to wait, for the car in front to clear the checkpoint, I rolled the window down and turned the sound system off. Sharon begins to laugh, and I realize that my iPod had just started blaring out “Born, In the U.S.A…”
We’re staying at the Marriott, in a room with a view of the Falls from the eleventh floor. And the view is very impressive. Downstream are the Falls near the American side, and clouds of mist hang in the air obscuring some of the falls and rocks below at times. We overlook the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, and here the mist rises above our vantage some eleven stories up from the riverside walk overlooking the Falls. As I type this, the air conditioning is quite chilly, and I’m sitting in a chair
staring out at the Falls, with a panoramic view of both the American and Canadian side of the river. Sharon has just joined me in the opposing chair, wearing her nightgown and her jacket with the hood on. It must be cold because Sharon never complains about the cold. Sharon says that they illuminate the Falls at night, and it does appear that the white water is illuminated some, but not with the colored lighting that we are waiting to see. The American Falls did light up with red, white, and blue before I finished writing this.
The Marriott room is very nice; and, Sharon’s only complaint seems to be with the internet, and her gripe that all of the top hotels seem to find the need to charge extra for internet WIFI; whereas, the bargain priced chains will provide this service free. Okay, maybe I’m a little incredulous at the $35 per day parking fee. Still, you really can’t beat the view. Behind the chairs, with a view of the Falls, is the King Size bed. And beyond that is the Jacuzzi tub for two, with an opening that also offers a view of the Falls (past the
bed and chairs by the window).
The hotel room window does slide open a few inches, and we did poke the camera through to take some pictures. We suspect the open window is mainly meant for us to hear the deafening roar of the Falls in front of us. There were some fireworks set off to our left on our side of the river. The lights illuminating the Falls changed from maroon, and yellow, and red, and white and blue. From our vantage, if was most visible on the American side. The Horseshoe Falls closest to us had so much mist and spray as to mute the light show there.
In the morning light, the sun is trying to break through over the American Falls side. The spray is ever present, and the water is still flowing. The best man at our wedding (some may remember Ron) had tried to tell my mom that they turn the water off for power generation during the day. It’s quite relaxing looking out at the flaws, with the steady hum of the flowing water, and typing about our experiences.
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Janet
non-member comment
Niagara Falls
Good morning Sharon and John, hope you have a great trip. Looking forward to your blogs. Sharon did being there bring back good memories. No flat tire I hope. John thanks for your nice blogg always enjoy reading what you both are doing on your trip. Looking forward to your next one. Have fun! Janet