Niagara Falls

From Jose

From Bowling Green we continued eastward in the direction of Cleveland. I did not want to go though the big city so we bypassed it to the south. Even then we encountered lots of traffic and red lights. Aaaahhhhh! After a few forgettable days we ended in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania, in a campground called Sara's Campground. I liked this one a lot, not only because it is named after my awesome friend Sarah. There were bike trails galore, including one that goes out on a peninsula on Lake Erie. The place was peaceful and quiet with lots of historical markers explaining the history of the area.  We stayed two nights there.

Another night we stayed in Fredonia, NY. This Fredonia is a bit bigger and more modern than Fredonia, AZ.

Our next stop was East Aurora, NY. The town is very welcoming, clean, happy. We met Diane's family, Betsy Ohler, and husband Rick. Within seconds of meeting them I felt like I had known them for a long time and it did not matter whose family they technically were. They are my friends. They have a daughter named Mariah, a granddaughter named Peyton and a Golden Retriever named Pearl, who wanted to play with everyone human or canine but never gathered enough courage to come in the rv. Rick writes a column for a local newspaper and compiled some of them into a book. They took us to see some of the highlights of East Aurora. One of my favorite was the Roycroft campus. From Wikipedia :"Roycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the USA. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895 in the village of East Aurora, Erie County, New York, near Buffalo. Participants were known as Roycrofters. The work and philosophy of the group, often referred to as the Roycroft movement, had a strong influence on the development of American architecture and design in the early 20th century." The place and everything in it is exquisite.

We also went to Vidler's 5 & 10, an original, covering two stories and four connected buildings. I could spend many days going through everything in that store. Check out their website here or go to:

http://www.vidlers5and10.com/

On our last day in East Aurora Betsy took us to Knox Park, where we had a great hike in the country and all the dogs walked off leash. The weather was perfect.

We left East Aurora sad to have to leave behind such good friends and such a cool town.   

Our next stop was Niagara Falls, one of the few things I *had* to do during the trip. We decided to take a guided tour first to learn what interests us and then return later to any sights that required a more detailed visit. The tour included a trip on the Maid of the Mist and tickets to Cave of the Winds. Like Grand Canyon or a Space Shuttle launch, Niagara Falls cannot be explained in words.  You have to see it, hear it, feel it. The Maid of the Mist took us to the base of both the American and Canadian Falls. Cave of the winds was originally an actual cave behind the falls. It collapsed in the 20s but the tour is now on some boardwalks at the bottom of the American Falls. The rumbling noise, wind, water, at the bottom of the falls was pretty impressive. Oh, yes. We were issued ponchos to go on each of these attractions.

The next day we returned to Goat Island to take in the magnitude of Niagara Falls at our own pace. We spent more time at Goat Island as well as Luna Island and Bridal Veil Falls, a subset of the American Falls. So much to see.

Then we spent four nights in a cute little campground East of
Niagara Falls. I am learning that  spending only one night in each place is not enough, it's too rushed. We arrive, check in and hook up, have dinner, feed the dogs and it's time for bed. Then next day feed the dogs, unhook and try to beat check out time. No time for blogging, laundry, relaxing, etc. So now whenever possible I try to drive longer, then stay at least two nights in each place. It won't affect our overall schedule.

Stay tuned