Awesome views

What a treat - I did not have to drive at all today.  Art is here and took over behind the wheel.  Day 11 found us heading out first thing this morning for the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, Horseshoe Falls and all the sites associated with them.   Combo tickets included the Maid of the Mist boat ride, Cave of the Winds, Aquarium, Theatre and Trolley transportation.

Our first excursion was to hit the boat.  Raincoats were secured and donned, and off we went.  It was a thrilling ride.  I hugged the inside wall the whole time and the guys wandered around for a better view.  It was wet!  The rapids were incredible, speeding past at 60mph in some places and over three feet high.  The power behind those 76,000 gallons a second falling from the top is daunting.

After the boat, we traveled by trolley to the Cave of the Winds.   Art and Chris went off on this one and I stayed on firm ground above.  Apparently they have closed a main portion of the caves but they did enjoy their trip and the sandals and raincoat they had to wear.  

From here we went back to the car to head over the border.  The Canadian side was breathtaking.  We drove around a bit, stopped and had lunch on a patio overlooking the Niagara River, then headed to the quaint village of Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Just beyond the village we came upon Lake Ontario, our last hooray for the Great Lakes portion of our Bucket List.

Do not know what is next; I guess we will discover Buffalo or go back and check out the theatre and aquarium at the falls.  It is actually nice to slow down a bit and relax.  We leave this area Monday afternoon, so we have a chance to rest.