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NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA SEPTEMBER 1999 Key Words: Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, West Branch State Park, Maid of the Mist, Skylon Tower, Chi-Cheemaun Ferry, Mackinac Bridge, Forty Mile Point, A. W. Marion State Park, Natural Tunnel State Park, Tawas Point and Tony's I-75 Restaurant. |
DAY 1: Thursday / Sept. 16, 1999 Repacked camper after camping at Bradley's Campground in Cherokee, NC this past weekend. Dave called to delay the trip... had to repair signs. DAY 2: Friday / Sept. 17, 1999 Bike, camper, and everything's ready. Hooked up and ready to go! DAY 3: Saturday / Sept. 18, 1999 Met Dave and Ruth Adolf at McDonald's in Franklin, NC at 8:00 this morning. Followed them to Asheville, NC where we stopped for gas and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Took Hwy. 23/19 to I-181N to TN, by Johnson City and Kingsport. Followed US23 to the Jenny Wiley State Resort Park campground. Ate supper above the lake at the park restaurant. Nice campground with very good showers, but had loud music and dancing 'til after 10:00pm. Glad to hear the quietness afterward. |
DAY 4: Sunday / Sept. 19, 1999 Had coffee at camp before we packed up. Drove about 100 miles before stopping for a Hardee's breakfast. Cut through W.VA and KY to Hwy. 7 and up by the Ohio River. Got gas in Marietta, then went up I-77 toward Akron. Met QBall, Preacher(Neil) and Jean Cabe and their friend Russ Rygien (a Ti Quon Do Olympian) at the West Branch campground. Followed them into Ravenna, OH to the Cabe's house for a great supper and good company. We were very thankful, too, for their offering each of us a hot shower. Made for a most enjoyable evening. Back to camp later. Had a primiive campsite on the water with indoor latrines and a sink within walking distance. |
DAY 5: Monday / Sept. 20, 1999 Breakfast at McDonald's in Ravenna. Jim and I put our yellow rainsuits on for the day (looked like rubber duckies); Dave and Ruth wore blue. Stopped at a H-D dealership, then had lunch in PA on I-90. Drove on up to and through Buffalo, NY and over to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Had a cold and very wet afternoon... stopped once under an overpass, as Jim could not see to drive. Both the rain and traffic were heavy in Buffalo. Stopped outside a bar in Niagra Falls and I volenteered to go in and ask for directions to the campground. The folks inside looked at me like I was crazy when I came in looking like a drowned rat. Took some time for them to get around to helping -- seems they'd all been drinking pretty heavily, but we did find Yogi Bear, the campground. It was right beside the QEW -- Queen Elizabeth Way (highway). Set up and plugged in the heaters and our blanket. Glad to find good, hot showers. |
DAY 6: Tuesday / Sept. 21, 1999 There was ice on the bikes when we stepped out of the campers this morning. Br-r-r-r! Luckily, the rain was gone. Went in to Niagara Falls for a BIG breakfast at $2.49 each, Canadian. As we drove in toward town, the mist of the falls was visible in the distance. Found a car wash on our way in... was good to be able to clean the bikes a bit. Enjoyed walking around the area at the falls. The plantings were beautiful. We all took the Maid of the Mist ferry... was quite exciting to get so close to the actual falls. [Can't imagine the power of the falls in their natural state; they are only running at 50% during the day.] Had a hot dog for lunch and shopped all around the area during the day for souvenier t-shirts, etc. Made reservations earlier in the day and had a great supper late this afternoon in the revolving restaurant, 775 feet above the falls, near the top of the 52-story Skylon Tower. Very scenic, as all around this area, the land is flat and you could see for miles from that vantage point. This was the best day of the trip for taking pictures. Back at camp tonight, Dave and Ruth got showers and went to sleep. Jim and I did laundry while we took turns getting our showers. Jim put his still wet Harley boots in the dryer for a while. Made quite a racket tumbling 'round and 'round. |
DAY 7: Wednesday / Sept. 22, 1999 Packed up this morning and drove the QEW up into Ontario and around Lake Ontario and up Hwy. 6. Found an H-D dealership in Shallow Lake and just north of this no-red-light-town, we found lunch at a small service station just above town. They had GREAT potato soup... the best ever! Followed Hwy. 6 to Tobermory Point. Set up side-by-side on a nice site in a q-u-i-e-t campground. Rode into town and ate supper at The Lighthouse Restaurant. |
DAY 8: Thursday / Sept. 23, 1999 Bought ourselves a pastry and coffee and went to the docks to wait for the ferry, the M.S. Chi Cheemaun. Talked to a fellow while we were waiting who reminded Jim and I of Mr. Bryant, from Blakely, GA. Fed bread to the seagulls there, too. The ferry crossed Lake Huron to Manitoulin Island. Continued up Hwy. 6 and stopped at a small, side of the road place in Little Current for a bar-b-que lunch. Turned west when we got to Hwy. 17. We camped at Echo Bay and, just up the road, we all did laundry together. Talked to a local lady while our clothes dried. She answered all of our various questions... eh? Had another nice and quiet night at camp. |
DAY 9: Friday / Sept. 24, 1999 Was a short ride from camp to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. There we took separate paths for the day. Jim and I wanted to take time to send coins to the grandkids from Canada. Dave and Ruth went on into the US ahead of us. Jim and I took time to write postcards, too. Crossed back into the US at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Drove down I-75. Crossed the high Mackinac Bridge, between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. What a ride! Enjoyed a nice lunch in St. Ignace just across from Mackinac Island. Jim really liked their fish and chips! From there we followed Hwy. 23 along the west coast of Lake Huron. Stopped at Forty Mile Point Light House. Good stop. Drove on to Alpena were we stopped at Wal-Mart. Over to Hwy. 65 and to Tawas Point. Joined Dave and Ruth at the nice campground out on the point. After we set up, Jim and I rode back to Big Boy's for a late supper. Dave's cousin, Little Dave and his sister and her husband, June and Dennis, joined us at camp that night, too. |
DAY 10: Saturday / Sept. 25, 1999 Grabbed coffee and a powdered donut at camp while we packed up. Followed Little Dave down Hwy. 23 and I-75 for about 100 miles to the Burch Run exit to Tony's I-75 Restaurant, for a breakfast we'll always remember, compliments of Little Dave. Wow!!!! They server gargantuan portions and delicious caramel candy afterward. From there, we all went our separate ways. Dave and Ruth beat a hasty trail home; Jim and I wanted to take an extra day or so to get back. Grocery stop first. Lunch out of the cooler later and a good day. Camped at A.W. Marion State Park, another primitive campground, just outside Circleville, OH. Set up just before dark. No bath. Ate a quick, light supper, while zipped inside the camper, to protect ourselves from the mosquitos. Early to bed. |
DAY 11: Sunday / Sept. 26, 1999 Early to rise... to a great surprise. Free breakfast on the grounds with a delicious hot ham and egg sandwich, homemade hashbrowns and fresh coffee. What luck! Got back on the highway and drove down to Chillicothe. Took Hwy. 35 over into W. VA, through Charleston. Nice route colored with fall leaves. Cut down Hwy. 119 to Hwy. 23 at Pikesville, KY. Rode on down to Natural Tunnel State Park to camp for the night. Was a wonderfully clean campground with excellent facilities (heated baths with double shower heads). Jim cooked Kogel Viennas with grilled onions -- yum! Great night. |
DAY 12: Monday / Sept. 27, 1999 Left Natural Tunnel, at Duffield, VA in a light sprinkle that, thankfully, didn't last long. Came back into Asheville, NC via Hwy. 23 and I-181. Got into a bit more rain in the Asheville area, but it was much better as we pushed toward home on I- 40. At the house by 2:30. Unpacked, then rested. |
Jim took advantage of this stop in more ways than one. We were already wet and miserable at this point and the rain continued all the way from here to Canada. |
Okay, Jim and Dave... what are you two cooking up this evening? |
Easy site to set up in -- close to neighbors, but clean and flat -- a good place to relax. |
This was Liz's best shot of the Canadian falls and the mist. SIMPLY AWESOME! |
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The falls on the USA side of the river, although a little less dramatic, is a site to see. Many of the supporting boulders have collapsed through the years. |
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We were all glad the rain had moved out of the area. For the most part, it was a beautful day. |
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Clouds did show signs of threatening rain off and on during the day. |
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Several of the Maid of the Mist ferries run the loop from their ports on each side of the river. They take turns carrying the tourists beside the American falls and into the mist of the Canadian falls. This was our ferry. Disposable rainsuits were passed to each passenger as we boarded. |
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The roar and strong power of the falls were unbelievable as the ferry's engines turned us around and pulled away to safer waters. |
Several folks, voluntarily and involuntarily, have gone over the falls through the years. In the small restaurant near the entrance to the Maid of the Mist ride, there are tales and photos of actual survivors. |
This shot was taken from our ferry as we were nearing the Canadian falls. |
Here we were getting into the big waves and the mist. |
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This is Skylon Tower. It's located just a block away from the edge of the river. A look out level is on the floor above the revolving restaurant. Both the meal here and the ride on the Maid of the Mist were well worth their costs. Made our day. There was quite a bit of walking today, but we all needed a good stretch. |
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Hurry up and wait... had to get in line early to wait for the ferry. |
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Everybody was very friendly. Jim took time to feed the seagulls, too. |
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Once we were aboard, Dave and Jim were busy for awhile. Was necessary to tie the bikes down for this journey. |
Took this photo as we were leaving the point. |
Not sure why the flag on the ferry was at half-mast. |
Crossed this iron bridge just after lunch in Little Current. |
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Much of the Ontario terrain is rocky. |
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The land was relatively flat and unvaried. |
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The flat islands in the area were interesting. |
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Had a great view from our rest stop at 10 Mile Point. |
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(These 2 pics were taken from other websites.) |
Q: Why are Yugos called "Mackinac Fliers"? A: Once a Yugo was blown off of the bridge. The wind is so bad at times, traffic has to be led across slowly as a safety precaution. |
Forty Mile Point Lighthouse is an unusual one. |
These powdered donuts'll hold us off 'til we get down to Tony's for breakfast! |
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We want to thank Dave and Ruth for joining us on this trip to Canada. It was our first "long" road trip on the bike and camper. Except for the rain on the way up, which we were not prepared for, it was an enjoyable ride! Although Jim and I had both camped in the past, almost 20 years ago, we learned a lot of good tips from Dave. We keep telling him to write a book. If he doesn't, we may just write "Dave's Camping Tips" ourselves. Jim and I kept a brief, handwritten log every day of the trip. Along with it, we kept all of our receipts for everything (gas, food, camping, ferry fees and entertainment). The whole trip cost us $334 US, or less than 30 dollars a day. Didn't really pinch pennies anywhere. Had a wonderful time! |
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LINKS OF INTEREST: |
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