First-timers visit to Niagara Falls

October 13-16, 2013
Grand Island, New York
KOA of Grand Island Campground



Our travels from Canton, Ohio to Niagara started with a challenge. Vic could not get the Jeep out of neutral when we were leaving Canton.  I looked on-line for troubleshooting strategies and came up with several options to try: 1) turn the car on and off and the gears will slip back into alignment; 2) rock the vehicle back and forth; 3) check all the fuses (not sure why); 4) note the error message on the dash and call a service center.  We tried all of the above and more—there was no error message. We just decided to drive on to the Niagara area and see if it was still stuck in neutral when we arrived.  Our plans were to stay at an inexpensive Passport America park in nearby Grand Island. With the car stuck in neutral we would need to have a pull-through and this PA park, Cinderella Motel and RV, did not have any. They suggested that we go to the KOA about a mile down the road. Not our first choice as the least expensive sites available were $56 and, not worth it. Add to this scenario, that it was already growing dark and starting to rain pretty hard. Not fun. ( Note: We never plan to arrive in the dark, but there were two long delays on the freeway due to major accidents on our way here.) We headed to the KOA where we had to find our own site in the dark. Most of the ones marked available on their bulletin board were double sites where our slides would almost be touching the slides of the RV next to us. We did laugh a little as we circled the park four times before choosing a slightly more expensive private site considering we were going to need to call a tow truck in the morning. 

In spite of this ominous beginning, we remained upbeat about finally making it to the Niagara area. Our plan all along was to leave our motorhome and car on the U.S. side and do most of our sightseeing here from the Canadian side, so not having a car to use was not that big of a deal.


We found a dealership, Northtown Chrysler Jeep and Dodge in Tonawanda, about nine miles away and called their service center as soon as they opened at 7:30 a.m. Vic then called Coach Net as they provide towing for both our motorhome and toad, and they arranged for someone to come within two hours.  A little more than two hours later, Coach Net called to make sure the tow truck had come. They had not, so they called them and they arrived about ten minutes later. We were happy to see they had a flat bed as they were able to scoop up the Jeep, without having to push it into a towing position, and away she went. (Also, we discovered this morning that the battery was dead and the 4 wheel drive service light had come on—more $?)  We let the service center know we would not be able to pick up the car until the next day—in case, by some miracle, it would be ready sooner. They said they would call us as soon as they discovered the problem and get our approval for the repair and then send a courtesy car to pick us up when it was ready.





The weather was our next issue as rain was forecast for most of the days we planned to be here. I was no too excited about playing tourist in the rain, but it looked like there might be some sun breaks later in the day.  With this hopeful sign, we decided to book an afternoon tour that would pick us up right at the campground and take us to most of the major sights on our list: the Maid of the Mist boat ride, the Journey Behind the Falls viewing spot, the Whirlpool Rapids viewed from Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, the Floral Clock, and the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station on the U.S side.

We are seldom the paid tour types, but we had such a fantastic experience with this choice in Yellowstone that we had high hopes for a similar informative experience. We also discovered we loved the freedom of not having to figure out where to go or where to park, and in this case, negotiate customs, etc.  Well, it was pretty clear right from the start this tour guide was no match for the one we had in Yellowstone, but he was a character and we enjoyed his laid-back style. Another bonus was meeting the three other couples traveling with us, four of whom were also RVers. One couple had just completed their first year as full-timers and they were probably close to 80 years old. Their story of selling their beloved South Dakota home which he designed himself was moving as they realized it had become more of a burden than a joy. Both their sons and grandchildren live in Texas where they now spend their winters.

Our tour day happened to be a holiday in Niagara—Canadian Thanksgiving Monday and Columbus Day for the U.S. Consequently, there were more tourists out and about than a usual fall weekday. It sure was great to have Jim, our tour driver, wheel that bus into the shorter lines, walk us right through customs, then by- pass the lines for attractions that required special tickets.  (I am not good with lines.)  Also, we were lucky with the weather as the sun broke through creating an absolutely perfect fall day with temps in the low 70s—apparently unseasonably warm for this time of year.

Having never been to Niagara Falls before, Vic and I were both surprised by how touristy the area is—especially the Canadian side. The whole city is built around the tourist industry with large hotels, a space needle, casinos, bars, souvenir shops, etc. I guess I imagined more of a natural setting for viewing the falls. The boat ride fit in with the tourist trap concept, but I must admit it was thrilling to be on the boat up close to the roar and the spray of the falls. 

We did not even realize there were three falls: the American Falls and Bridal Veil on the U.S. side, and the most impressive falls, Horseshoe, on the Canadian side. Nor did we know how common it is to see rainbows on a sunny day because of all the water droplets in the air.  The best viewing is from the Canadian side as you get a good view of all three falls.

The American Falls



The Bridal Veil Falls (on the right)



The Horseshoe Falls



After going on the boat ride, our next tourist destination was seeing the falls from the ground level. To do this, you take an elevator down 150 feet through bedrock to large tunnels with portholes which provide a view of the Horseshoe falls about 1/3 of the way down. Here is where you really feel the amazing velocity of the water--2,800 cubic meters of water traveling 65 kilometers per hour!

From the tunnel we traveled north along the Niagara River on the Canadian side where they have built a phenomenal system of parks.  This is an area that I definitely would like to spend more time as there are hiking trails, an amazing Buddhist Temple, and a Botanical Garden with a Butterfly Conservatory.  The tour took us to several points along the river where Jim explained the geology of the falls which moved down the river over the past 10,000 years.  As a result, the world’s largest whirlpool formed when the horseshoe falls turned a corner around an old riverbed.  They also have an aero cable car that crosses the river here, but it didn’t seem to be running.





It was a brief and violent encounter: a geological moment lasting only weeks, maybe even only days. In this moment, the falls of the youthful Niagara River intersected an old riverbed, one that had been buried and sealed during the last Ice Age. The falls turned into this buried gorge, tore out the glacial debris that filled it, and scoured the old river bottom clean. It was probably not a falls at all now but a huge, churning rapids. When it was all over, it left behind a 90-degree turn in the river we know today as the Whirlpool, and North America's largest series of standing waves we know today as the Whirlpool Rapids.--http://www.niagaraparks.com/media/geology-facts-figures.html

We were also impressed with massive size of the Robert Moses hydroelectric plant on the American side which required enough concrete to pave a 900 mile two-lane highway. This plant is the fourth largest in the world, even beating out the amount of electricity generated by Hoover Dam.  Like most power plants, the building included much controversy, especially since most of the land was “expropriated” from the Tuscarora Indians. Not exactly an attractive site, but I do like the relative safety and clean output of hydroelectric power and this plant produces an astounding 2500 megawatts per second.  I hadn’t thought about the historic race to harness the power of this powerful force of nature, but it seems like the U.S and Canada have found a good balance in generating both tourism monies and power from this world wonder.


Our last stop of the day was to see the famous Niagara Floral Clock. It was interesting to learn that its hour and minute hands are crutches as it was built in the 1950s and the crutches were meant to serve as a memorial to those with polio.



By the time our tour ended, it was growing dark already. We had gotten word by now from the dealer that the Jeep needed a new motor for the electronic transfer case and a new battery. It was a bit of an ouch but less than needing a new transfer case! (I really do look for the silver lining.)  The Jeep would not be ready until late the next day—a bit of a bummer but I had already figured out a day of adventure for us that did not require a car. You guessed it—back to the parks along the river.


We discovered a bus station right across the street from the KOA with busses passing by every 20 minutes. The bus took us right to the Rainbow Bridge where pedestrians can walk across to the Canadian side.



The view of Niagara Falls, Canada while walking over the Rainbow bridge (on a much cloudier day).




From here we could take the Canadian WeGo bus to the parks along the river. This plan went really well until we were told at the tourist info center to pick up the River Road bus in front of the Bird Aviary.

Turned out that bus only ran south. I looked at our map and saw another stop just a short way up the road at the Bed and Breakfast area.  The maps are not drawn to scale, so we ended up enjoying about a two-mile uphill walk to the next stop. Thankfully it was a lovely day and the autumn views along the river were quite pleasant. 


Once we reached the stop and the bus came along, we had our second challenge of the day. The bus driver said we could only ride these buses with a pass and you could not buy a pass on the bus. We were told we would have to walk back to the station in town. Our first destination, the Butterfly Conservatory, was about three more miles up the road.  Thankfully, our situation was solved by two friendly Brits on the bus who handed us their two-day Adventure Passes which they said they no longer needed. The bus driver was happy to have our problem solved. The Brits said they were a gift from England. Cheerio! 



The Butterfly Conservatory was amazing.  Neither of us had ever been to such a place. Aside from the plants being gorgeous themselves, it seemed like a magical fairyland inside with over 2000 butterflies flitting about. One downside of this experience was discovering my camera zoom was not working. I was a bad girl at the falls where I am sure the camera suffered some water damage.  Vic and I both resorted to taking photos with our Samsung phones. We just couldn’t leave so many unusual butterflies behind without trying to capture their beauty in a photo.



The conservatory is part of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and Horticultural School.  We learned from Jim that the school’s three year master’s program only admits 12 students per year. These students earn part of their tuition by working on the grounds—and they are stunning.  One of the other highlights of walking around these grounds are the somewhat famous black squirrels. We saw several scurrying about but I never did get a photo of one of them.  I have to rely on an internet photo. They looked perfect for the Halloween season.



We did not get to visit the Buddhist Temple I wanted to see as it was closed for the season. Instead we enjoyed lunch on an outdoor patio with live music at the Hard Rock Café before walking back across the Rainbow Bridge and catching our bus back to the campground. With plans to leave the area the next morning, we were anxious to get our car back. The service center stayed open until 9 p.m. so we knew there was a possibility it could be rather late before we were able to pick up the Jeep.  Around 6:30, we got the call that it was ready and they sent a courtesy car to pick up Vic. Around 7:30, I got a call from Vic saying that he was being towed back to the Jeep Dealer!  Hard to believe, but the water pump went out on his way back to the campground.  (Are you kidding me???)  We may be naïve, but we ruled out our suspicion that the service center was taking advantage of us.  They seemed to be reputable and fortunately had the pump replaced by around 10 a.m. the next morning giving us plenty of time for a leisurely drive to do some wine tasting in the Finger Lakes Region which sounded especially good given the circumstances.

Road tripping from Cincinnati to Niagara Falls

October 11-13, 2013
Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio
Dry Camping in Parking Lots



We took off from our friends’ home in Newton, Illinois following two other couples in their Phaeton motorhomes on a three hour trek to Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati.  Roger, the safari leader, had heard that Jungle Jim’s International Market was an interesting place to visit—especially for us foodies, so we decided to give it a whirl as it wasn't much of detour (for us) from our planned route to Niagara Falls. Roger called ahead to see if they allowed overnight RV parking and they said it was fine as long as we found a place that was out of the way.

It turned out easy to find a place for all three motorhomes. In fact, we had several choices but this one worked quite nicely. We had plenty of room to put out all four slides and keep our towed vehicles hooked up.





Jungle Jim’s is advertised as “more than a grocery store, it’s a destination. . . and an experience you won’t forget!”  With more than 6 acres of store space, it is billed as the largest market in the country. Another way to describe it is the amusement park of grocery stores as it supposedly has a monorail and other rides but they were not working or perhaps never completed—couldn't tell. The store has been featured on the History Channel, Good Morning America, The Food Channel, NPR Radio, and The Travel Channel, but Vic and I had never heard of it before.



The place was pretty incredible in terms of carrying every food and drink one could imagine. As a major foodie myself, it was on the overwhelming side as I did not have a specific shopping list of hard to find items and was therefore tempted by way too much.  On our arrival, after grabbing a bite to eat at a Wings place, the six of us spent two to three hours mostly doing what Mike calls gawking at the amazing array of offerings.  My strategy was mostly to look on the first pass through the store, then make a second round for my actual purchases. 



Before starting this adventure, I needed to use the restroom which the tour guide at the front of the store said were a must to see as they won several awards.  Ha-ha.



I am happy to note that these deluxe port-a-potties were just fake entrances to very nice commercial looking bathrooms.

The bathrooms were located right next to the beer and wine tasting section.  How convenient. We all bellied up to the bar for some tastes of their featured discount wine which was a Pinot Noir and not very good.  (We are Oregon Pinot snobs.)



It also happened to be Friday evening pint night in the wine and beer section.  I think the deal was $2.00 pints and you got to keep the glass. It definitely drew a crowd and seemed a little odd to see people milling around this whole section of the store with pints in their hands. I even saw one guy with his i-Pad propped up on a case of wine just hanging out for the evening. This special beer deal is probably is a bit hit with the store in terms of upping their sales as it’s much easier to be a spendthrift after a few beers.



Here is a sampling of some of the more unusual items one can find at Jungle Jim’s.










The displays for specialty areas were pretty impressive too.  Check out the choices available for honey, butter, and hot sauce.







They even have their own hatchery with live trout, tilapia, perch, and blue gill for sale in the seafood department—something I have never seen before.I prefer to eat wild fish, so this was not something that appealed to me.  (Sorry for the blurry photo.)



I ended up buying things that were a little hard to find other places, but nothing too exotic: cambozola cheese, a favorite Argentinian wine, freshly steamed shrimp, cranberry walnut bleu cheese bread, aged balsamic, tarragon mustard, broccolini, wild mushroom linguini, and saffron pasta sauce.

The one thing I forgot to look for which I regret is Amarena cherries from Italy—amazing on ice cream, in panna cotta, or as a cocktail garnish. (No maraschino cherries for this girl.)

After our collective shopping splurges, we gathered together for appetizers and vino engaging in conversation about favorite trips, parks, and of course our views on the government closures and upcoming debt ceiling debacle.

I normally do not sleep well in parking lots, but I guess I felt safety in numbers as I didn't hear a thing all night—even the train that others heard tooting its whistle and rumbling by loudly every hour throughout the night.

In the morning, we had a relaxing couple hours drinking coffee and indulging in a few breakfast treats from our shopping excursion before heading out our separate ways. (BJ, Mike, and I also did one more round of shopping, just in case we missed something.)



Goodbyes held right in the parking lot were a little easier as the four of them, like us, are all headed to Florida within a month.  Meanwhile, our next destination was about a four-hour drive to Canton, Ohio with the sole purpose of Vic getting a chance to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Campgrounds in Canton are few and far between, so I came up with the idea of calling the Hall of Fame and asking if we could park there overnight. Happily, they said yes.  This plan would have been perfect except we arrived after they closed their gates.  Our quick remedy was to find the closest Wal-Mart. I guess I am becoming more resigned to these options, so we made it work.

In the morning we drove to the Hall of Fame where I sat in the coach and watched a very old movie (1941!)  on TMC called  Lydia with Merle Oberon and Joseph Cotton. I like college football and some pro-football, but I knew I wouldn't have enough background knowledge to fully appreciate the museum.  I sent Vic with the camera to take a few shots.



Vic’s overall commentary was that the visit to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame was a worthwhile stop. He has been to the baseball and basketball halls of fame; seeing the football one completed his interest in these three major sports halls of fame. Vic officiated high school football for thirty years so it is a game he knows well! He admits he wished he had given more thought to pursuing a career as a football official. His experience is sure handy when our friends and I are trying to figure out the penalty calls. 





From here, we travel to Niagara Falls, about 250 miles. Niagara was a destination for us in October two years ago, but they had an early cold weather snap that had us change our minds as a chance of snow was included in the forecast. Neither of us has seen the Falls so it is a classic first much like Yellowstone was for me this year.  We are steadily checking off the obvious bucket list destinations which is exciting as that brings the offbeat ones, usually my favorites,  higher up the list. Truthfully,  my all-time favorites so far have been places or events that never even made the list as I had never even heard of them before. All the new discoveries that lie ahead are sure part of the fun.

Mr. Rico is ready to roll. . . .

A surprise visit to a special cabin on the pond

October 6-11, 2013
Newton, Illinois
The Schafer Country Abode



In a great stroke of luck two years ago, we parked next to another Phaeton at St. Sault Marie Locks RV Park and had the good fortune to meet Mike and BJ, the owners of the Phaeton, and their good friends, Steve and Diane who were traveling with them in their Monaco Windsor. The park had picnic tables and fire pits in an area behind the motorhomes and, since they already had a fire going, we ended up joining them in what turned out to a fateful evening of enjoying wine and cheese together. The rest is history as they say.  Both couples winter in Florida and since we were planning to do so for the first time that year, we thought we would try out the park in North Fort Myers, Seminole RV park  where they were staying.  Since then we have spent two winters at that same park in Florida and have visited them here at their home in Illinois two other times.



We hadn’t actually planned on stopping here this year as our intention was to head directly east from Chicago en route to Niagara Falls. Dipping down into Newton from Chicago was about a five hour detour, but the weather seemed to be holding with gorgeous Indian Summer days throughout the Midwest and east coast. The big lure, aside from always enjoying our time with these special friends, was the chance to ooh and aah over the charming cabin Mike finished building on their pond since we were here last. He kept sending photos of the progress taking place this summer and each one looked more inviting than the last.  By the time we were approaching the Chicago area, he sent a photo of the completed cabin with a roaring fire by the pond and we knew we couldn’t miss this opportunity to acknowledge Mike’s accomplishment and experience the inviting atmosphere of their cabin by the pond.



Since we had seen most of the Newton area “attractions” before, we spent most of our time here  starting and ending each day in front of the centerpiece of the cabin, the stone fireplace.



With Mike and BJ planning to leave for Florida in a few weeks, Vic offered to help with Mike’s “getting ready to leave town list” which included mowing the fields, painting the siding on his house, and washing their motorhome.







While the guys worked, BJ and I did a little cooking, played cards, and fished on the pond!  She also endured our dogs’ crazy antics as their were carried away by the joy of running free on several acres.  Fortunately, this freedom wore them out pretty quickly helping to mellow their exuberance.  They also both remember her giving them bones last time we were here, so they tried to follow here everywhere in hopes of another bone bonanza which wasn’t to be this time—probably a good thing to prevent future begging sessions.



We also had two good visits with Steve and Diane too. They had just returned from the Albuquerque Balloon Festival—something we would like to see someday—and still had the energy to make the 45-minute drive from their home in Robinson to join us for dinner at the cabin one night, along with some other motor homing friends of Mike and BJ. 





The best part was ending the evening by sitting around a campfire by the pond.  You probably get the idea that I love a good campfire.  It’s near the top of my list for one of the things I love about this lifestyle.  Surprisingly, we have them all the time in Florida as the evenings get just chilly enough to (below 70!) to justify having a fire.

Other highlights of our time here were driving out to Robinson to see Steve and Diane’s gracious home where we shared a bottle of wine while lounging on their turn of the century’s home wrap around porch. Diane had napkins that said, “Fireflies and Front Porches, does it get any better?”  Only with the addition of friends. . .  (and maybe some vino fino).



Diane is well-known for her amazing flower gardens.  I was lucky enough to even catch a butterfly posing on one of the butterfly bushes.





Vic also had a first while we here—riding along in the cab of a combine while it was harvesting soybeans. Mike heard the combine working down the road and came up with the idea of taking Vic to see a farmer in action.  PB Finley, the farmer, was generous in offering Vic a chance to join him in the combine. Vic said it was pretty incredible to see the advanced technology of this equipment. The combine cuts the soybeans and pulls them via a wheel onto a conveyor belt, then into a chute where they are sucked into a hopper and separated from the plant and thrown into a holding tank—all via a computerized panel in the air-conditioned cab. Quite the experience.









One attraction we missed the last times we were here was visiting the grave of one of Newton’s most illustrious residents, Burl Ives at the Mound Cemetery. We took the opportunity to stop by here with Mike and BJ on the way to Robinson. I like visiting old graveyards and this one was no exception. There aren’t many hills around here but they managed to find one for this small chapel and cemetery overlooking the corn and soybean fields. Old Burl had one of the most prominent headstones, fitting for a man of his size and stature. The most touching part of his grave was the frosty the snowman statues that someone left at the base of his headstone.  I also did not know he served in WWII.










We also took a ride one night into the town of Effingham, one of the bustling metropolises about twenty miles away. This little adventure included a visit to an RV park to see another couple, Roger and Tammy, who are full-timers from this area. Roger and Mike used to teach together in the 70s.  (The irony is that all of these couples have teaching backgrounds like us.)  After a few hours of enjoying their great hospitality, we hatched a plan to rendezvous together to Cincinnati. Roger had seen a show on the Travel Channel which featured an outlandish grocery store called Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati. He convinced us we should check it out together and the idea took hold as we are all en-route to Jungle Jim’s today: three Phaetons traveling north to Indianapolis on I-70 then east (and a little south) to Cincinnati. Our original plan was to travel to Columbus, Ohio today, but it will still be there in a few days.  Here we are following Mike and BJ’s Phaeton on our way to Jungle Jim’s!  We have no idea what lies ahead on this spontaneous adventure, but I’ll let you know in a couple days. 


Or—we might just follow these guys.  Ha.



Before I end this post, I sure want to thank Mike and BJ for making our “detour” to Newton such a memorable time. Thanks you two!