Niagara Falls

(The first part of our trip was Palmyra. See our separate posting for Palmyra below.)

After Palmyra, we drove a couple of hours over to Niagara Falls. We stayed at a budget hotel, which I would not recommend. Splurge on the hotel. Our hotel offered a "free continental breakfast," which ended up being cold cereal with whole milk creamer (yuck) and juice. Oh, well. We had dinner at a casino buffet. It was definitely worth the price! (And no, we didn't actually go into the casino gambling area, for those who are concerned for our eternal salvation!)

Niagara Falls has become quite a touristy, commercialized place. We got a good parking spot but did not realize that the coupon we were given was for an expensive guided tour. I thought we were spending way more money than the website had said the attractions cost. My recommendation if you go to Niagara Falls: go directly to the actual State Park after you park, and get your tickets at the state park booths. Do not go into the huge building in front of the park. It's a privately owned building where they sell tours, along with food and tourist trinkets. The one good thing about the tour was the tour guide took us to a shop where they had video and actual crafts that had gone over the Falls. If it was busier, too, the tour might be worth skirting around the incredibly long lines (which were non-existent when we were there).

The first attraction we went to was the Maid of the Mist. This was what we had been looking forward to and what everyone we knew had been raving about. The Maid of the Mist leaves from both the Canadian and the U.S. sides of the Falls, so you can go on this fantastic boat ride no matter which country you're in. It takes you right into the bowl of the Falls. You get drenched by the spray. They give you free ponchos, which you definitely need. The girls loved getting wet (Baby Bear did not, though!). The ride got a bit choppy in the bowl, but nothing to get sick over.

Next, we went to the Cave of the Winds. Again, you get ponchos, and you need them. They also gave us free sandals to wear and a bag to carry our street shoes in. This is where (if you're brave enough) you can go to the Hurricane Deck and feel the full fury of the falls. Panda attempted to go with me all the way to the Hurricane Deck, but got scared at the water flowing over the steps, so I took her back to Papa and went by myself. I wasn't quite brave enough to actually go under the water falling down, but I got a good dose of its spray. Wow!

There were also spectacular views, both from the bottom of the Falls and the top. Because it was such a beautiful day, we got to see lots of rainbows, too!

We ate at the Hard Rock cafe and then headed for the Niagara Falls aquarium. It's an older aquarium, old style, hearkening back to the days when aquariums were small and not like zoos. They had a seal show and a nice little gift shop. Unfortunately, the most memorable event was an injury. Cinnamon Bear climbed up onto a step to see one of the first fish tanks and forgot to step back down when she turned around to leave. We were too far away (a couple was standing in our way) to catch her when she fell. She hit her chin, which made her teeth jam together. She got a rug burn on her chin, and her upper gums were bleeding a lot. She was in great pain. I had to hold her the rest of our visit at the aquarium, and we gave her Tylenol when we got back to the car. She was fine later that night but still has a dark tooth to show for her tumble down the step. (It's a tooth "bruise." A lot of children get them after an injury. It goes away eventually.)

Finally, exhausted but happy, we headed for home, sweet home!