Day 63 - Ohio - Niagara Falls

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After packing up and leaving Cedar Point behind, we made our way to our finally destination before Secaucus, and it wasn't a bad chose - Niagara Falls. On the way we stopped for lunch at Lake Eerie National Park and something amazing happened. The whole group got involved in a game of volleyball. There was always talk throughout the previous 9 weeks of playing a game or two, but all that ever happened was tossing the NFL ball around a couple of times. It started out with Joanna, Kristina, Annabel, Sarah, Mark and Zach starting to get a little game going, and before long, everyone apart from Sumi and Todd got involved. Proper positions were taken up, with everyone moving around one spot every point. It was great, even the diving around on the sand underfoot, and with the beautiful water of Lake Eerie to the right off us (or left if you were the opposition!). Just a pity that it took us only until the penultimate day to get a game going!

Eventually the game came to an end and we sadly left the Park behind and headed onto the American side of the Falls - Buffalo.

When we arrived, we were greeted with rain, and as we slowly made our way through the town's tourist area to a parking area, the sight of the Falls evaded us. That was until we parked up, and after a quick walk across the parking area and the visitor centre and viewpoint, the sight of a huge mist of water the other side of railings greeted us, as well as the thunderous roar of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of water flowing up to and over the edge of the American, Bridal Veil and Canadian/Horseshoe Falls. The view of Toronto, Ontario, the Canadian city of Niagara was just about visible behind the mist.

After getting some group and individual shots, we started making our way back along the road we took to the parking, walking past the other two Falls before arriving on the bridge that lead to the elevators down to the river below. As we queued up for our tickets, some more impressive pictures were taking, me complete with my 7 week ginger beard!

When we all arrived down below, we were giving our tickets, and after making our way through my queue gates, and into a small marquee, were handed our blue ponchos before waiting to board the Maid of the Mist. That's right, we were going right up to the bottom of the Falls.

When we boarded the boat, the water and weather was calm and relaxed, but very quickly as we made our way against the flow of the river, the ride got more and more bumpy, and the sunny sky over head was blocked out more and more by the mist and spray from the Falls, until suddenly it felt like the sky had just clouded over and dumped heavy rain on us. Everyone on the boat was wearing the blue ponchos, and I even had P King unto cover as we get closer and closer, yet Mark had decided to be different, and not wear his poncho as we got almost underneath. It seemes his mood from the end of our stay in Chicago hds changed completely and was back to his old self. What he did was true hardcore, and despite still wearing our 'Smurf' tops some of us try and take the full brunt of the Falls. Once more it truly was an incredible experience, as we turned back quickly to drier conditions, despite everyone and the boat being completely soaked. But not as much as Mark. He was like a drowned rat, his now curly hair drenched as much has his tee and shorts.

On the way to the bottom of the Falls, Mark made a short documentary video, a 'before' shot. As we headed back, he completed his two parter with the 'after' shot. He even tried to finish it off with some funny joke as we left the boat, but the staff and guards were not having it and ushered us off the boat.

No sooner did we leave the boat and the Falls behind, then we headed straight to our last site of the Tour, Lake Ontario State Park, which was like our lunch stop earlier, a large green open land with a vast ocean like lake next to it. Unlike Lake Eerie, there was no small beach leading from the green to the Lake. Instead there was the Park, then a small cliff, with rocks below and then the Lake.

But we didn't have long to admire it all, because after unloading our stuff, and after a race broke out to put their tents up the fastest, (leaving Kylie, Scott, Mark and myself to finish unloading the trailer) we were heading back into Toronto for a final meal together.

Once we parked up in the American car park at the border, we all made our way through the gates and then along the bridge to the Canadian side, where we had to endure the border people again. Unlike the one's on the West Coast, these guys looked more serious and the sight of the guns helped give that image. There was no way I was messing these guys about, and it didn't help that two border guys burst in with an 'illegal' caught on a bus, bringing him back to American soil and escorting out of another door. After that I just showed my passport and said nothing, as they checked the resemblance out between me and my passport photo once or twice and then let me through.

After we were let through, we quickly headed onto the first street and soon came across the Hard Rock Cafe which was where we were heading for dinner. Todd told us that it was cheaper on the Canadian side so that's why we were there.

We headed into the place, and after heading up the stairs, were seated at two tables next to each other. Unfortunately after the orders were placed, in my case, baby back ribs once more (!), the service went downhill. One table's meals came, after a lengthy delay, whilst the other's were nowhere to be seen.

At 10pm there were fireworks over the Falls every night, and at this rate, everyone was going to miss them. It actually got to the point that those who wanted to see the fireworks left the restaurant, and under the laws of sod, their food arrived in their absence. Fortunately the fireworks only last a few minutes, so all was soon right again.

Once the meals were finished, I finally got round to ordering Jack Daniels, and Southern Comfort, straight to finish the night off. When it was time to leave the restaurant, we were giving some free time before we had to meet up again at the van back on the other side, so Steve and I took in the view of the Falls all lit up in different colours, before finding a nearby tourist shop to get a Canadian flag (for my growing collection of countries I have visited) and some other gifts for the others.

Unfortunately this took too long, and once we finally left the shop, it was a mad rush back up the street to the bridge, where a lung bursting sprint was put in to make it back over the border and to the van in time. Sadly, that extra effort was in vain, as Kylie and Scott were even later than we were, so we were hanging around for a while longer whilst they turned up.

Back at camp, some of us decided to get up extra early tomorrow to watch the sunrise over the Lake, so it was straight to bed for me, but not before staying up with Steve and Zach for some more beers and a bit of star gazing.

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