Friday, August 19, 2016

Our Week at Niagara ends with a Splash!

We did have an action packed week at Niagara and had a lot of fun.  Here are our last 2 adventures before we moved on.  As you can see, it ended with a splash....or a lot of splashes!!!:)

We went on a tour of part of the Erie Canal.  We had really looked forward to this as we were supposed to go through two of the locks on the canal.  Unfortunately, the night before our tour there was a fire near the locks and they had to shut the locks down temporarily.  We drove into a lock so we could check one out but they had to back us out and we headed headed the opposite direction for a nice ride along the canal:







Heading toward the lock on the right



It was an interesting to check out the lock from the boats perspective even
if we could not go through




Backing out of the lock


This little boat was used to travel up and down the canal lighting lanterns so boats could make their way through at night
ahead of us the bridge raises so we can pass underneath

this old ice house was used to store ice blocks from the frozen Lake Erie for use in the summer

The story goes that this church was built by a boat captain who did not have time to leave the canal to be married
so he had the church built right on the canal and was married there!


looking down on the lock we had entered earlier via the canal

right next to the lock area we had a wine tasting in an old building, note the tin roof

We also checked out and bought a bottle of wine at the Chateau Niagara Winery that day
Our last adventure in the Niagara Falls area was the craziest and the most fun.....and wet!!
Remember the jet boat in my pics from the Whirlpool Trail?  Here we go!!!!!




about to have some fun, I took my meclazine!!!!

on the "wet deck" in back of the boat ready to go....

these folks hoped to stay dry inside......ha!

Here we gooooooooo!







we went through class 5 rapids!!

we made it back.....

just in time for me....I really pushed that, feeling a little off in spite of the meds (yes, I get motion sick) but it was worth it! May never do anything like it again........probably not?!?
 Yes, we had a great time in Niagara Falls!

Monday, August 15, 2016

The Maid of the Mist Tour, Niagara Falls

Soon after the Wind Cave tour, same day, Tom took us on the Maid of the Mist tour.  Pretty cool and we got a different color poncho....;)

Here is a pic of the falls from the rim.  See the little boat heading towards Horseshoe Falls?  That is what we are going to do next:)



looking down on the Maid of the Mist boat

there it goes into the falls!!!! Okay, not all the way, but really close!!!

lots of rainbows around here!
Now it is our turn.....off we go!



the power and beauty of the falls is just breathtaking!!!


I better get my poncho on!










it was so hot and muggy you did not want to wear the poncho any longer than you had to

WOW

Mike took these pics with his underwater camera 








heading back to the dock with the Rainbow Bridge in the background, one of the bridges to Canada

Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota

We were staying just a few miles away in Blooming Prairie and, of course, were going into Austin to a couple of breweries....how could we no...