Day 10: London, Ontario, to Batavia, New York

O Canada

I have to admit there's just a different sensibility in Canada, but it's difficult to explain. Everything seems more cared for, there's an awareness of their surroundings and appearances. Even very, very modest homes have well-tended gardens, the roads aren't littered with trash, and people in general are appreciative and courteous. Not universally, but it seems more prevalent. What up with that, eh?

10-4 Good Buddy

In any case, we entered the highway (Route 401) in London to start the day and were immediately aware that the entire righthand lane was populated with every kind of semi truck and trailer you could mention: cabs alone, freight liners, doubles, etc. At first we just thought it was an anomaly, but then we realized they all had their flashers on, and after several miles of this, we knew that this was more than a coincidence. Our speculation ranged from funeral procession to protests of gas prices. It finally ended with the lead vehicle - a police car. Hmmmmmmmm.

It's only now that we are learning that it was a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. That would not have been one of our first 30 guesses. More info at: http://parisstaronline.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1757972

Jazz 94.7

Finally we approached Lake Ontario, our final lake of the Five Greats. At the tip is Hamilton, Ontario, and at this point I have to give props to Jeff's favorite radio station: WAVE 94.7 Jazz. Listening online, he has found so many fabulous artists we never get to hear in the States. Tune in at
http://www.wave947.fm/. As we turned away from Hamilton, heading along the south shore of the lake, we could see Toronto's skyline in the distance.

ARGH! Matey!

As has happened throughout this miraculous journey, events and locations - along with the outrageously beautiful weather - seem to coincide with amazing synchronicity. Knowing we needed to dip our toes and fingers into Ontario to complete the cycle, we searched for an appropriate stop and AHOY! up popped a shipwreck across the highway. Pirate ship? It HAD to be. After all this was International Talk Like A Pirate Day! Coincidence? We think not.



We walked the plank of opportunity, taking pictures and dunking our feet in the water at the nearby marina. For more on the history of this 1914 vessel, visit http://www.cliftonhill.com/falls_blog/2007/01/02/lovable-niagara-landmark-or-a-highway-wreck-few-options-remain-to-make-use-of-the-old-pirate-ship-in-jordan/

The Falls of the Niagara Empire

Onward, closer and closer we drove to Niagara Falls, signs here and there and then

BAM

there it was! Yikes! All that water and spectacular natural splendor! It really took our breath away. We looked at each other, the same thought on our minds: I have to go to the bathroom. Then we realized that Niagara was much more than what we expected.

Although the Falls dominate the activity, the right hand side of the street was overshadowed with skyscraper hotels, the Hard Rock Cafe, Hershey's Kisses, Monster Attractions, Wax Museums, etc.



And the amount of people walking the sidewalks was astounding. As we searched for parking on the far end of town, we realized that we weren't suddenly in a passing rainstorm but that the spray from the Falls was crossing the road and raining down on us. What fun!

The next 4 hours were incredible. Deb had heard that the best viewing of the Falls could be had on the Maid of the Mist, a ferry boat holding 600 people which travelled right to the very base. (DEB: A big shoutout to my coworker Jon Ehret for this tip.) After an unneccessary wait of 45 minutes (the lines on the other side of the ticket booth had a 5-minute wait; live and learn), we got our blue rain slickers and boarded. I'm not sure I can accurately describe this experience. I hope the pictures and video give you some idea of the magnitude of this ride, and of the power and beauty of Niagara Falls. One of the additional pleasures was seeing all the rainbows the Falls created.

DID YOU KNOW? The amount of water flowing over the Falls is regulated by two hydroelectric plants, with higher flows during the peak summer tourist season. What you see is not the full flow. After being so close to the Falls in the Maid Of The Mist boat and hearing the roar of the water, it's difficult to imagine what it would be like with the river running at its fullest. Yowza! It would be crazy! For more Niagara facts: http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Facts_about_Niagara_Falls.htm

Those annoying tourists were still stalking us

Simon says
You know how sometimes things happen for a reason? Well, we had one of those times when we went to buy tickets for the Maid Of The Mist boat ride. We were walking toward the ticket booth when we saw the line to buy tickets snaking down the sidewalk and around a raised garden. There were probably 100 people in the line. A family got in line behind us and the gentleman asked if this was the line to buy tickets. This was the beginning of an entertaining, yet short, acquaintance with Simon.

Simon was at the Falls with his wife, sister and nephew from New Zealand, and his two daughters. Simon and his family live in Toronto.

When Simon learned that Steve was an artist, he asked Steve question after question about his work and the stained-glass windows we were transporting across the country. This is when the comedy routine began with Simon and his wife. She warned us about Simon's incessant questions and then in the same breath thanked us for keeping Simon occupied so he wouldn't bother her and the rest of the family! It was like a George Burns/Gracie Allen sketch. Steve, of course, joined in the fun.

Simon also offered up many fun stories like this one: When he came to Canada from Hong Kong, he went to a McDonald's and ordered an English muffin with no butter. Simon described the McDonald's employee who took his order as the stereotypical English schoolteacher in Hong Kong -- very stern and businesslike. She shouted out his order, " English! No butter!" Simon didn't understand that this was her way of abbreviating an order and it confused him. He responded, "Chinese! No sugar!" Everyone in the restaurant laughed! The McDonald's manager thanked Simon for brightening the day of all the customers by giving him a free breakfast!

As we got closer to the ticket booth, we learned that there were other lines, much SHORTER lines, to the booth. As much as we lamented the fact that we could have spent 10 minutes in line instead of 40, we appreciated that those 40 minutes allowed us to meet Simon. We wouldn't have traded that time with him and his family for anything.

Thanks Simon! Maybe we'll meet you again someday.

Niagara weddings
There is a beautiful park on the river parkway that has lovely gardens and a stunning view of the American Falls. During the 30 minutes we were there, we saw the end of one wedding and the beginning of another. What a magnificent site for such an occasion. I wonder how many weddings take place there each year?


Wedding No. 2

Scooby-Doo in Batavia
We found U.S. 20 and headed east. It soon became apparent that this stretch of the route would not have any accommodations for the night, so we headed north to I-90 and found ourselves in Batavia, N.Y.

We checked into the Quality Inn and found ourselves in a room with a beeping smoke alarm. We called the front desk to report this, and the receptionist gave us her best Scooby-Doo impersonation, saying, "Ruh-roh." We laughed out loud! We ended up in a different room and with a wonderful memory of our stay in Batavia.

Alex serves us dinner
If you are ever in Batavia and want a good meal, go to Alex's Place for ribs, steaks and seafood.. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal on the eve of our birthdays and we got one here. We walked into the restaurant and we were immediately bombarded with the sounds of boisterous laughter and conversation. It was packed! This place was the place to be on a Saturday night. The food and service were very good, and the atmosphere was very sociable and welcoming.

Clever t-shirt that made us smile
There is a ruler and a rock, both drawn with eyes and arms and legs.
The ruler is saying to the rock: "You rock."
The rock is saying to the ruler: "You rule."
We saw this shirt at Niagara Falls.

MORE TO COME, including:

• America's crack problem
• Tourists's behavior leaves much to be desired