Niagara Falls

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Another very early day today but we were too excited to care what time we got up. After getting ready and packing the van we left the campsite on the way to Niagara Falls. It was a good five hour drive until we got to Niagara Falls and when we got there first thing we did is have lunch. Jon was insistent that we did not go get a sneak peak at the falls before we all went to have a look. But Ben just couldn’t help himself when he went to the bathroom he had to look. While we ate lunch, Jon told us that for the second half of the tour we’d have two extra people joining our group. He didn’t have their names yet but knew they were both female and one was 20 years old the other was 27 years old. We were quite excited that some new people were joining our group and were looking forward to meeting them in New York. We finished up eating lunch and packed it back into the trailer. It was time to explore Niagara Falls. As we approached them you could hear the sound of thousands of galleons of water crashing down the cliffs. They were awesome, an amazing sight. From the American side we could see the amazing falls and the constant stream of water going down the cliff. You can also see the skyscrapers and casinos on the Canadian side of the falls, which looked kind of tacky in comparison to this amazing natural wonder.

Niagara Falls is located in between the United States of America and Canada. On the American side it’s declared a National Park and has no buildings or skyscrapers. However on the Canadian side they have taken advantage of the tourism there and built hotels and casinos all over the place. We walked around the American side of the falls to catch a ride on ‘The Maid of the Mist’, a boat which went right up close to the falls to get a closer, wetter look. It was included in our trek price so Jon handed over the cash and we each received a ticket, then a blue poncho. We threw on the blue poncho and headed down to board the boat, soon enough we were on our way to the falls. This boat ride was located both on the American and Canadian side of the falls. We headed towards the main falls which towered above us, we were getting soaked but didn’t care at all. We went as far as we could go, water pouring down off the cliff, the sound was deafening. It was just amazing, an experience I will never forget. As we headed back we got some group photos, all of us soaking wet in our blue ponchos. We got off the boat and headed back up the observation tower, stopping to have a closer look at some other falls on the way.

We went back to the van and headed off to the campsite to setup our tents. But most of us really couldn’t be bothered so we didn’t, we threw down our blue ground sheet and decided we’d sleep under the stars tonight. A few people still put up their tents but the majority of us didn’t bother. We made some dinner and decided that we’d go back to the falls and cross the border into the Canadian side and have a night out in Canada. For the other trek group it was also nearly the end of the tour because some of them were only doing the northern section. I gave them my mobile number in case we can meet up for a last night out. We soon left the campsite and headed off back to Niagara Falls. We crossed into the Canadian side with very little difficulty and Jon started looking for some parking. He wasn’t actually going to cross into the Canadian side and instead just drop us off but he got lost and we ended up crossing it anyway. We parked the van and headed toward the falls on the Canadian side. You could see so much more here, a much better view on this side. There was supposed to be a light show starting so we waited around until it started and watched for a while before going to explore this side of the falls. We decided to meet back at the van by 11PM so Dave, Tina, Marcia and I went to the casino to have a crack at Blackjack. It wasn’t long before Tina and Marcia were bored and decided to go do something else.

So Dave and I sat in the casino, drinking bourbon and winning lots of money. We both did really well, up a few hundred each. As it was getting time to meet back at the van we cashed in and headed off, but as we left we thought it would be a good idea to go up the tower and at least do something of value on this side of the falls. We got a souvenir photo and took the lift up and were rewarded with amazing views of the light show on the Niagara Falls. It was well worth it but we had only five minutes up there as it was closing, we had to get back anyway and headed back to the van. We got back to realise that they changed the meeting time and we actually had an extra 30min, so we walked around looking for something to eat, couldn’t find anything so hung around the van with Jon. Eventually everyone arrived and we headed off back to the campsite. On the way back through the border we had trouble getting back into the US, the border security guy was an absolute asshole and nearly didn’t allow us back in because Brock was with us and was on a working visa but not working. Luckily he eventually let us through, we headed back to the campsite and went to sleep under the stars, an amazing day I’ll never forget.

Day 27:
Lake Eire - Niagara Falls
250 MILES TRAVELLED // 5290 TOTAL
4 Mile Creek State Park Campground

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Photos

Niagara Falls
The breathtaking Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls
View of the Niagara Falls on the 'Maid of the Mist'

Niagara Falls
Rainbow over the falls, facing the Canadian side

Niagara Falls
Looking down at Terrapin Point lookout and the Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls
View of the falls at night from the Canadian observatory tower

Niagara Falls
Looking on the Canadian side at the casino we played in

Niagara Falls
Spotlights shining on the falls from the Canadian side