Niagara Falls and Buck Shot Lake

Day 14  7/4  Everyone seems to think Niagara Falls is better from the Canadian side. I think they are more majestic from the Canadian side but you can get closer and more personal on the American side.  After crossing the Rainbow Bridge we spent the morning on the Canadian side of the falls.  It is built up with motels, casinos, shops and restaurants which includes beautiful walkways and landscaping.   Tip for those of you who may visit, you can park at the casino parking deck for only $5 a day.  After walking along the shore and taking pictures we rode up the hill on the Incline Railway Car which offered a nice view.  After lunch we went to the American side of the falls which is a state park.  You could get a lot closer to the falls to see the force of the water and see the build up of the rapids.  Both sides are worth seeing.  We were able to see some fireworks from the campground.  Happy 4th of July !

Rainbow Bridge and American Falls from the Canadian Side

Horseshoe Falls

Close up of Horseshoe Falls

The power of the water is amazing

Incline Railway Track

I hope this is a runaway buoy as it is just above the falls !

Close up of Horseshoe on the US side

Horseshoe on US side

American Falls on US side

Day 15 7/5  We used today to wash clothes, go to the grocery store, make granola, gas up the car and catch up on the blog. Wayne put a new bearing in the drivers seat.  It had been difficult to rotate and was making a terrible noise.  It is much nicer now.

Day 16- 18  7/6 to 7/8  Our travels today took us to the Rochester, NY area to park the RV.  Tom and Sandy, friends of Anne and Mike, offered to let us park the RV in their driveway so we could go by car up to see Anne and Mike Long. We met Anne and Mike on our first crossing to the Bahamas on Born to Cruise.  They were constant VHF radio contacts on the crossing, and we later met in person at the laundry room in Nassau.  If you followed us during our first cruise Anne and Mike own the boat "Beans".  They are still cruising, we have moved on to RV's.  We arrived at their home in Plevna, Ontario on Buckshot Lake, just in time for a wonderful dinner.  It is a joy to be able to see someone again after a long time apart and just pick up where you left off.

We enjoyed a wonderful weekend with dear friends. Anne and Mike have a nice place on the lake.  Along with the house, they have a two car garage, a boat house and a dock. Wayne counted 9 boats! Anne has several garden patches taking advantage of the sunny spots on their wooded lot. They feed the birds and the chipmunks but try to discourage the bears. The chipmunks have been trained to eat out of your hand.  They love peanuts and sunflower seeds. They stuff their cheeks then run to their storage place to stash it and rush back to you for more. While there we took a motor boat ride to see Tom and Sandy to thank them for the use of their driveway. David and J invited the 4 of us all over for sundowners on Saturday.  Sunday afternoon proved to be a perfect afternoon for a sail around Buckshot Lake followed by a quick swim.  In the evenings after dinner we enjoyed playing games and talking.

RV storage thanks to Tom and Sandy

Chubby cheeked Chipmunk

View from the screened in porch where we had lunch and supper

Wayne's new friend

They were standing in line for the sunflower seeds

Getting ready for our sail, the boat is a US 18

View of their house from the lake, boat house to the right

We all had a great time sailing

Anne taking down the sails

Wayne putting the boat back on it's mooring

Day 19  7/9  It was time to head back to the US.  We promised to get together as soon as possible with Anne and Mike, maybe at their place in Florida.  We picked up the RV from Tom's place and drove to Sampson State Park in NY.  We took a walk before dinner to explore the campground.