Post #59 - vacation photos

We plan our vacation time at the beginning of Winter each year. No, not because we are super organized and anal, but because hubs work requires it. So each November we grab a calendar for the upcoming year, plan which days to take for vacation, and hope for the best. And God has blessed us time after time.

So this year we decided to go on a big adventure by hauling the camper out-of-state.  Our target destination: Niagara Falls, New York.  It would be just the three of us: hubs, me, and the youngest because the two oldest children have grown into responsible adults with jobs.  Usually when we camp nearby they join us for a night or two or maybe just visit and usually bring friends and we have a full, happy camper.  But that wouldn't be an option when camping 6 hours from home.

THEN IT HAPPENED. The youngest joined the work force by getting a summer job of his own. 

And then there were two.

That's okay. Back at the beginning there were just the two of us....waaaay back before we had youngsters.  So now we have an opportunity to return to that time. And try not to get on each others nerves.  Okay, maybe we'll try just a little--enough to keep the other one on their toes.  But the big question was: could we manage setting up/putting down that massive camper on our own.  The answer: of course we can...we're scrappy.  We're much older, but we're scrappy just the same.

We arrived on Saturday.  The long ride, the stress of the drive and the excitement of the day had us worn out.  We rested on Sunday and I made a crockpot Cheesecake so it could chill overnight and be ready for my beloved's birthday.  On Monday we packed a lunch and went to the Falls.  I highly recommend it. It really is something that you have to experience in person--photographs and videos just don't do it service.  And the people we met! Lots of different nationalities, lots of different languages. 

 We walked around for a while and snapped some pics.

This is the American Falls. (Later you will see it from the opposite angle.)

Then we decided to go out on the Observation Deck (circled in red)...

...where on one side we got a better view of the Rainbow Bridge that connects the USA and Canadian cities of Niagara Falls...

...and on the other side a great view of the Falls.  In the foreground on the left is the American and Bridal Veil Falls. In the center towards the back of the photo is Horseshoe Falls. 

And did you notice this walkway beside the Falls?

 

 This is what it looks like at ground level.

You're gonna get wet if you walk up there.

 We went on the boat ride that took us right beside the American Falls and right up into the Horseshoe Falls. It was intense.

Beside the American Falls is a smaller waterfall called the Bridal Veil Falls. There is an island separating the two and you can walk out onto it. And there is a walkway below it, too. Because you might miss it, I put arrows pointing to the people in those two areas.

 You can see them better in this close up of the American Falls.

The people on the walkway got very wet.

This is Bridal Veil Falls from the top.

This is the water being fed to the Bridal Veil Falls.  I like this photo because it reminds me of some of the rivers at Smoky Mountains. It looks so peaceful compared to the raging waterfalls that I have my back to.

This is the American Falls from another angle.  See those dots of color on the sidewalk in the middle? That's where I took the first picture. Now I'm on the other side of the Falls. And at the upper left you can see the walkway to the Observation Tower. A school group came through and they were all wearing orange shirts. The grey structure beyond it is the Rainbow bridge where traffic is waiting to cross the border into Canada.

And this is Horseshoe Falls. This is about as good a view as you can get from the American side. Because of all the mist that rises up I slightly over-processed this photo so the falls could show through some of that mist.

The Falls extend on around to the right out of the picture frame, but all you could see was a plume of mist.

I have HUNDREDS more pictures. And hubs took some great pics, too. He captured the permanent rainbow that is beside the American Falls.

We spent most of the day walking around and enjoying the Park. We also enjoyed the trolly ride--they give tourist-y information as you ride along.
We didn't stay until dark to see the colored lights projected onto the Falls. We had cheesecake waiting for us back at the camper. :-)