Niagara Falls

 


Niagara Falls was epic and awe-inspiring in scale and scope and after a long day of driving to get there, the state park was the perfect place to run around and stretch our legs for a bit before driving across the border and landing ourselves in Canada!  We were all so excited to be out of the car that we spent the first 20 minutes or so just milling about the main viewing area of the Falls and enjoying the view.  It was a misty, cool, and fun interlude before heading over to the Top of the Falls Restaurant and crossing the second item off our to-do list which was dinner. 





{Let's just say that in the planning of this year's itinerary, I learned from last year's mistakes and made sure that getting food in everyone's system was a top priority as soon as we touched down at each pit stop .  Especially after being in the car for a LONG time and especially before attempting to do anything fun.  Because hangry children are NOT fun.  Just as an FYI.}









Aside from a brief downpour right after we had finished eating, it was a lovely evening at Niagara and we managed to squeeze in almost everything we had planned.  After taking a quick trolley ride around Goat Island, Scott took the older four on "Maid of the Mist" to get an up close and personal view of the waterfall, while Alex and Isaac chilled with me and rambled about the park. 










Lots of pictures were taken and mostly happy times were had before the evening drew to a close and things started to unravel.  Lots of tears {mostly Sophie's} and Grace's cracked iPod screen were the unfortunate ending to Day 1 and as we headed across the border to check into our Canadian hostel for the night, I was worried it was a dark omen for the remainder of our trip.









Thankfully, things started to look up as everyone LOVED the hostel and settled right in for the night.  There were two sets of bunk beds in each room, and after an extra long wind down, Isaac finally fell asleep on the bottom bunk in our room, where he was sharing the bed with me.  Moods were much brighter the next morning, and after eating a quick breakfast, we ventured out to see the Falls from the Canadian side before coming back to America and finishing up our festivities.




 {I loved seeing all the day lilies still in bloom up north.  These orange ones are my favorite, and their bloom has already been spent in our neck of the woods.}




Unfortunately, tears reared their head once more after spending so much time exploring the Canadian side that we ran out of time to squeeze in "Cave of the Winds" when we got back to the States.  Instead, we went with a quick look at Three Sisters Islands {much to Sophie's anger and dismay} and then hit the road once more!









Next stop?  Palmyra.  Thankfully, it was only a couple of hours away -- just long enough for the baby to get a nap in before gearing up for the next leg of the journey .  ;) 


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