American Travels, week 2 part two

Day thirteen, Wednesday 8th of August

niagara falls

Of course we had to try again! On wednesday morning the skies were clear and everything looked set to go much better than the day before. After all the strange incidents of the day before, this day seemed set to be perfect. After deciding to make Niagara Falls a two-day trip, we booked a budget hotel in Olean NY on the internet. That way we could stay in Niagara Falls as late as we wanted to, without having to drive all the way back home afterwards. The drive went really smoothly and after checking in at the hotel and having a rest, we were off to Buffalo and Niagara Falls!

Buffalo is the second largest city in the state of New York, but mostly what we saw of it was the industrial area skirting Lake Erie and the Niagara River. After paying $0.75 to cross the bridge, we finally arrived at our destination. Unfortunately it seemed all of the commercial tour-operators were allowed to have signs saying: visitors centre, so it took us some time to actually find an official one. By then we were already parked a few minutes walk from the actual falls. So we took our cameras and our water and headed out on foot. It was a short walk through a beautiful (protected) parkland area that lead us to the amazing sight of the falls on the American side. Even from a distance you could feel and hear the incredible power of all that water rushing down the falls. Looking down you have the sensation of being very small, compared to this awe-inspiring spectacle created by nature. The bright sunlight reflected in the foaming water gives everything a heavenly glow.

American falls

canada

After having feasted our eyes and ears and cameras on the spectacle from every possible angle, we decided to venture over the rainbow bridge of friendship, understanding and peaceuful magical cooperation to the Canadian side. Here the view was possibly even more impressive. I'll add some pictures to give an impression of what it looked like, but it's an experience that's almost impossible to recreate. Even though the Canadian side of the falls is dominated by huge hotels and casinos, the pedestrian areas are very well laid out and very accesible for everyone. We walked down the entire promenade that borders the falls and the Niagara river to a spot just beyond the great Horseshoe falls. It was our plan to do at least one of the two trips down into the falls, as well as have dinner at the Skylon tower which houses a panorama deck as well as a revolving restaurant. Unfortunately the prices for the dinner were out of all proportion, so we decided not to go there and just have some subs instead. By then the line for the 'Journey behind the falls' had become much shorter and we could walk right in. After having our 'virtual' Niagara Falls picture taken and donning our complementary rainslickers, we were ready to take the elevators down to the water level and experience the waterfalls from the inside. The best pasrt was standing on the platform and feeling the riverwater splash on you, like standing in the middle of a rainstorm.

Canadian falls

lights & fireworks

Slowly the light had been fading and it was time to go up again and see the last part of the days amazing visuals, the lighting of the falls and the fireworks. Again we were reminded of how lucky we were to have had a flat tire, as the fireworks display was only on the wednesdays and the weekend! As night fell we found a cosy place to sit and watch the spectacle. The water and the lights seemed to attract a specific type of flying insect that filled the sky around us and crowded around the spotlights. Even so, the wonderful fireworks were a perfect close to an unforgettable day. On the drive home to the hotel, our carriage seemed to be changing back into a pumpkin as we found ourselves driving through thick fog in the dark with a almost empty tank. Just moments before our fuel ran out we finally spotted a gas station, and saw that we were almost at the hotel.

Journey behind the falls

Lights and fireworks

Day fourteen, Thursday 9th of August

ellicottville

After a good night's sleep and a 'continental' breakfast at the microtel inn in Olean we played some badminton in the parking lot and then set out towards the town of Ellicottville. This picturesque ski-resort had been recommended to us by Ben in Punxutawney, and it was just as nice as he said it would be! We parked on main street and had a walk around town, checking out the local shops and getting some info on the local lunch possibilities. We decided to have lunch at a place called 'Balloons'. While we were there the weather changed from sunny and hot to hot and wet, with fierce rain accompanying our departure from New York state, but not untill we had a chance to get a local delicacy called spongecandy, a sugary spongy interior covered with chocolate!

Ellicottville, NY

bellefonte

Just before we got back to State College we stopped in beautiful victorian Bellefonte. The rain had stopped, but the air was still warm and humid. We took a small walk around the park and the historical trainstation.

Victorian Bellefonte