This is the first day in a while that exceeded my expectations. I
needed a day like today. We started the
day with a 4 ½ hour drive (not the best part) from OH, across PA, into NY. We went straight to the Lewiston/Niagara
falls North KOA and dropped the camper.
We didn’t rush because we planned to stay at the falls till dark and
Brad needed to rest from driving.
We got to Niagara Falls State Park
around 4:00. We pulled up to the parking
lot gate ($10 to park) and the attendant waved us through saying she was having
computer problems so it was free! That’s
a nice change. Maybe things will all
even out in the end. The park is very
walkable and we were due for some walking.
We skipped the trolley. We had
prepared the girls that there were lots of attractions available and all were
pretty pricey so we were seeing the falls from the walking trails. They were fine with that. From the American side you are walking along
and around the falls. You see them from
the top edges and the sides. From Canada
you get the whole view from across the river.
The girls don’t have passports and we didn’t bring ours, so we stayed on
the USA side. There were still some nice
views, watersprays and constant noise of the crashing water. We hiked to the edge of the American Falls,
then to tiny Luna Island where you stand between American Falls and Bridal Veil
Falls, then across Goat Island to Horseshoe Falls. Lots of water here. Finally we walked up to Three Sister’s
Islands and stood amid the water rushing down toward Horseshoe Falls. Powerful stuff, this. We walked back to the truck for our supper
and had a picnic on the pretty grounds of the park. Then we got ice cream (coffee for me) and
went to wait on night to fall and the lights to shine on the falls. We stayed on the near side of the American
Falls for this. It was a beautiful
rainbow of colors. We even got to walk
out on the observation deck, which sticks out over the river for a better
view. I think this is $1 per person in
the daytime, but the gates were open wide and people were milling in and
out. Carmen was especially happy about
seeing the falls. She said, “I’ve been
waiting for this. Do you ever just want
to freeze a moment in time?” This was on
her must see list.
I did not have high expectations
for today. I thought it would be crowded
and commercialized. It really wasn’t
bad. The park was prettier than I
thought it would be. The paths were well
laid out. We seem to be past the summer
crowds. I wasn’t sure how close we could
get without paying, but you can walk right up beside all the falls. It was nice, and we almost did it for
free! We were all tired and glad to get
into bed tonight. Fortunately we have a
shorter drive tomorrow, so we don’t have to rush in the morning.
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