After parking the car, we followed the signs to walk to Canada. That makes twice we have crossed the US border this year.
This time we are walking across a bridge; last time we were taking a rowboat followed by a burro ride to Bocillas, Mexico. :)
As we crossed the bridge, we got our first look at the American Falls (on the left) and Horseshoe Falls (on the right).
After entering Canada, we stopped at the Secret Garden Restaurant & Gift Shop for breakfast. We had a nice view of the tops of both falls from our table.
After eating a delicious breakfast of french toast (me)...
...and bacon and eggs (Chuck),
we went inside to the restrooms and were both met with surprises in the restrooms. I walked in to the ladies' restroom and was greeted by a mannequin of a Red Hat Lady. :)
Chuck walked in to the men's restroom and was startled by a moose standing at the urinal. Eeek!
The garden in front of the restaurant was a landscaped gallery of fountains, flowers and shrubbery.
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| Canadian Maple Leaf |
As we began walking towards Horseshoe Falls,
we had a great view of the American Falls...
and all the people in their Maid of the Mist blue ponchos.
On the Canadian side of the Niagara River, tourists in red ponchos were waiting to board the Hornblower for their ride up to the falls.
The American Falls are not nearly as big as Horseshoe Falls and have lots of huge boulders at the base of the falls.
The Canadian side gives terrific views of both falls.
As we walked closer to Horseshoe Falls, we could feel the mist coming off of the falls which felt pretty good. It was a beautiful sunny day but a very hot one!
The Maid of the Mist and Hornblower ships travel right up to the base of Horseshoe Falls.
We walked as far as the viewpoint at the top of Horseshoe Falls.
The water is so clear...
...and so powerful. It makes you wonder how there can possibly be any water left in the Great Lakes. During its peak flow, approximately 750,000 gallons of water plunge over the brink of the Falls every second!
We would have liked to have watched the falls longer but it was very crowded with people taking turns standing at the railing to get their pictures. After watching the falls for a few minutes, we walked all the way back to Rainbow Bridge and crossed back into the US. After stopping at the car to get some waters out of our cooler, we walked to the Visitor Center which was also jam-packed with tourists too.
We walked out to Prospect Point where we could see the top of the American Falls...
...and a rainbow shooting out to the Maid of the Mist.
By this time, we were very hot and tired and the crowds were getting worse so we decided to head on back to the campground. We stopped and got the car washed. It was filthy!
Since it was still early in the day, we decided to find a nearby beach where the water would be clean enough to stick our feet in Lake Ontario. We drove to Olcott Beach Carousel Park which is just a few miles east of the campground. The water was certainly clearer here but there was too much of a drop-off at the base of these steps to get in the water here.
We walked further down to find a very small beach. The water was clear but there was green muck on top of the water in places and part of the shore.
Still, we found a clean enough spot for Chuck to touch Lake Ontario with his hands...
...and me to get my feet wet (with my flip-flops on).
Now we can officially say that we have not only seen but touched all five Great Lakes! :)
I was going to walk out on the pier to let my feet and flip-flops dry off but I got stopped by the lifeguard's whistle. Oops! I missed seeing the sign!
We walked back up the hill to the park where there was a band playing.
Then we walked over to a small amusement park for kids. The park had several restored antique rides for kids.
All for 25 cents a ticket and each ride only took one ticket!
After leaving the amusement park, we headed back to the campground stopping at Brownie's Eats 'n Treats...
...for some very delicious ice cream.
After we got back to the campground, I took a nap and Chuck watched a little TV and then we sat outside for awhile this evening and "chilled" in the heat. :)
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