Day 10: Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is one of those places that made it on our itinerary before we actually had an itinerary.  I had never been and really wanted to see it!  I heard from some who loved it and from others who thought it was overrated. For me, it was absolutely breathtaking!  Our visit was magnificent!

Before I share our favorite pics from the falls, I will also say that we spent day 9 traveling through Ohio on our way there. We had some miles to make up and were going to be arriving in the Cleveland area in the evening.  I remembered that one of my friends and former co-workers from my DC days lived in the area, in a very charming nearby town. I contacted her, hoping we could come by and say hi. She enthusiastically invited us over and we ended up spending the night at her place.  Our connections with "old friends" has been a great highlight of our adventure.

Me and "Duffy"  :)

When we got to Niagara Falls State Park the next afternoon, we first came to the American Falls.  I was stunned to be there in person. Hearing the roar of the water, seeing it all, feeling the spray is a multi-sensory experience that is hard to describe!

So happy to be seeing the Falls with my girl!

I thought the American Falls were so beautiful and we really stayed a while and enjoyed the view. However, it's the Horseshoe Falls which are considered the most impressive falls of Niagara, and when I saw those...

...yes, there were tears.

Horseshoe Falls

Petunia and I heading in for a closer view.

So mighty!

Back for some pics at American Falls.

Mark was taking some amazing pictures, but we got him in a few.

Every once in a while Petunia would ask to take our picture. I think she has the gene. 

While being up close to the falls is the place to be for sensing the power and majesty of the rushing water, the best view, one could say, is a little farther away so you have a better perspective on the whole scope of the falls.

So we walked to:

Because why not?

Horseshoe Falls as viewed from Canada. Stunning!

We only stayed a little while and then came back to the good ol' USA!  Yes, we had our passports with us.

We stayed late and got some night shots.

"The admirers"

These nighttime shots of the water pouring over Horseshoe falls are my favorite!

It's Canada Day!

Many of my countrymen are looking forward to celebrating our Independence Day this Friday, but if you're Canadian you get to celebrate a few days earlier!

July 1st is Canada Day. Sometimes also called "Canada's birthday", the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Canada became a kingdom on that date, called the Dominion of Canada.

Mark and I took Petunia to Ottawa for her first international experience last summer.  Ottawa is a wonderful city with so much to see and so much to do!  I look forward to sharing more about that trip.  I will have to do a post (or more) just about their multiple world-class museums. For now, I'll share some of our pics from one year ago today.  Celebrating Canada Day in Canada's capital--a fun experience!

The streets were packed! Lots of red and white, too!

Petunia was quickly drawn to the street vendors and kept asking for a cape to celebrate the day.

She got one! (But isn't she cute!)

There was some pretty neat entertainment!

And very friendly people!

Lots was going on in many venues all over the city. We had a very fun day...

...and ended the night with a stunningly beautiful fireworks show!