Saturday 28th September
After getting a glimpse of the falls last night we were eager to get back there in daylight to fully explore the Niagara Falls State Park. We were staying about 12 mins drive from the park so access was quick and easy ! Last night, after some research, we decided to purchase a Discovery Pass for the Park online giving us access to a number of attractions and areas within the park. Acting on our motel owner's guidance, we headed straight for the Cave of the Winds, as apparently that was the hardest attraction to program in with long waits and timed tours. Also the all day car park was right next to this entrance.
We arrived early enough that we could get on the tour of Cave of the Winds straight away ! A short film on the history of Niagara Falls and some of the characters involved, then into the change room for our sandals ... ?? Yes we get a complimentary pair of sandals to wear down to the Cave of the Winds, so off with our boots and socks, put them in the supplied plastic bag and on with the sandals ! Down the lift in a shaft in the cliff face built for access for the original power stations, through the tunnel, collect our yellow poncho, and off on our walk to the Cave of the Winds. The wooden steps and walkways we transgressed are de-constructed at the end of their Autumn or Fall months, and re-constructed after winter every year. 4 weeks to de-construct and 6 weeks to re-build ! The icy and wintery conditions cause havoc on the wooden structure. This walk takes us to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, on the way you understand why you get sandals .. to make sure you don't slip on the wet surfaces, the poncho to keep you dry .. well as dry as can be !
After the Cave of the Winds we caught the Trolley Bus to the Maid of the Mist boat ride site. This time we were issued with blue ponchos ... and like a herd of smurfs, made our way down to the dockside and onto the boat. The ride took us past all the waterfalls and right into the middle of Horseshoe Falls, where we sat for quite a while getting sprayed with water from all sides. What a great boat ride !
Off the boat and a hike up the hill from the dock alongside American Falls .. yes all to get drenched again ! Water had now run down the ponchos wetting our pant hems and socks ending up inside our shoes.
Our Discovery Pass allowed us access to a Theatre film, the Discovery Centre and the Niagara Aquarium, all of which we ticked off. As if we weren't wet enough, it started to rain as we took a quick walk into Downtown, where there was a German Octoberfest festival in progress. We went to Starbucks for a coffee where we mistakenly received an additional flavour added in the coffee resulting in a very disappointing drink. Finally we walked back to Goat Island where the car was parked and we checked out Terrapin Point for the best views of Horseshoe Falls from the American side of the gorge.
So far we have only been on the American side of the Falls, after leaving the Park, we crossed Rainbow Bridge into Canada for the first time, made our way to our motel and looked forward to exploring the Canadian side in the morning. Intial thoughts are that the Canadian side it a lot more tacky ! Lots of Casinos, bright lights, side shows, etc. , where as the American side was pretty sedate. We would have thought the reverse would have been the case !
Sunday 29th September
After our self catered cereal breakfast in the room, we made our way into Niagara Falls, Ontario. Most parking spots were $15.00 per day, but our eagle eyes spotted one for $5.00! After a quick circuit of town confirming it was the cheapest, we pulled in to discover the small print on the sign was $5.00 per hour !!!
So this is our 1 hour's view of Niagara from Canada! 😎😎😎
Everyone has told us the best views are from this side... and yes they are! Uninterrupted views of all 3 sets of falls.
As we said, the Canadian side of the falls is decidedly tacty as far as side shows and souvenirs shops go...it is very much like being at the Adelaide Royal Show...here are a few pics ...
Left Niagara Falls as the day was getting busier and headed toToronto .. our next stop. We met our host of the AirBnB apartment we had booked and it is a lovely apartment not far from Downtown. It has been newly renovated, but I made a mistake when I was booking it .. I thought the price was in Canadian Dollars .. turned to be US dollars .. so it is slightly more expensive than I was expecting. Oh well .. a bit of luxury costing us $200 AUD per night !