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Old 08-19-2012, 03:41 PM   #1
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Niagara Falls

After leaving the FROG rally we headed east toward our next destination, Niagara Falls. The park we had planned to stop at for the night was full so we went to our backup park, Evergreen Lake Park. It was definitely not big rig friendly, but I managed to get backed into one of their sites.

We arrived yesterday at the Niagara KOA in Grand Island, NY. It’s very pricey, even for a KOA. I had to do some tree trimming in our pull-thru site to ensure tree branches didn’t damage the roof. I had to trim more branches than I anticipated because, once on the roof, I discovered that I wouldn’t be able to raise the television antenna without more trimming.



Today we visited Niagara Falls State Park. The falls are more spectacular than I anticipated. I also wasn’t aware that the water would be so clear and beautiful.





I took quite a few photos and then at 3 PM my Samsung camera quit working. At first I thought it was a dead battery but a new battery couldn’t bring it back to life either. Fortunately I brought my Canon camera on this trip as a backup. The Canon has taken thousands upon thousands of photos so I hope it will hold up for the rest of this trip.
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Old 08-19-2012, 04:14 PM   #2
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Welcome to my city. You picked a beautiful day to view The Falls. Glad to see you are enjoying the awesome Falls.
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Old 08-19-2012, 06:01 PM   #3
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Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing!
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Old 08-19-2012, 06:05 PM   #4
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thanks for the review oatman. my wife would like to go to niagra falls next year, and i have been half heartedly looking since we are still a year away from going.

what was the first park you planned on staying at? we were thinking early/mid august and were wondering if their summer nights are cool. got to be cooler than what we experience here in the midwest.
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Old 08-20-2012, 07:13 AM   #5
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The first park was Evergreen Lake Park in Conneaut, Ohio. The park gets mixed reviews on campgroundreviews.com. The roads were dirt and narrow, and the park is mostly seasonal campers. They do hold some sites for weekend/overnight campers. Perhaps I would have been happier if we could have gotten assigned one of the few pull-thru sites. As it was, I had to put the trailer at almost a 90 degree angle to get backed into the site we were assigned. I also had overhead electric wires to contend with that cleared my air condition by no more than 6 inches.

The KOA we are currently at is nice but pricey. We are in a deluxe site (more $$) that offers better spacing between sites. The pull-through sites at the back of the park are very close together. The park has two pools, one is heated and has a big slide, two fishing ponds, a bounce pillow for the kids, and free wifi along with other amenities. It's a good park for families, if you can afford it.
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Old 08-20-2012, 08:37 AM   #6
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Great pictures. Thanks for the memories. Funny thing about cameras. They are so complex inside with all the programs and software. Sometimes simple is best.
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Old 08-20-2012, 08:41 AM   #7
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Great pics !
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Old 08-25-2012, 06:16 PM   #8
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Yesterday was our last full day at Grand Island, NY. We really enjoyed ourselves doing all the touristy things while we there. Niagara Falls turned out to be so much better than I anticipated. We got pretty wet riding the Maid of the Mist boat to the base of the falls, and got very wet doing Cave of the Winds, especially on the Hurricane Deck. But I didn’t know what wet was until we rode the Whirlpool Jet Boat in the rapids on the river.

That would be me and Petunia in the rear on the far left about to to slammed by a wave.


Last night was the best though, as we stayed at Niagara Falls Park until nightfall to see the falls at night. We arrived at the park a few hours before dusk and walked out on the observation tower to watch the lights on the falls. Just before dusk we looked over to the Canadian side and there was a man walking a tightrope between the Skylon Tower and some other tall building. I didn’t see anything on the local news about this walk so I’m guessing it was Wallenda since he was in the area the past few days.



The falls at night are breath taking. The colors change every few minutes giving the falls a different look. We watched the falls for about 45 minutes and I don't think we saw the same color pattern twice. I think those who will be going on the Fireworks Over the Falls trip next year will be in for a real treat.



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Old 08-25-2012, 06:24 PM   #9
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thanks for the review oatman. my wife would like to go to niagra falls next year, and i have been half heartedly looking since we are still a year away from going.

what was the first park you planned on staying at? we were thinking early/mid august and were wondering if their summer nights are cool. got to be cooler than what we experience here in the midwest.

Did you know FROG is having a rally on the Canadian side June 30 -Jul 5 2013?

I'm planning to attend and see the falls for the first time next year at the rally.
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Old 08-25-2012, 06:38 PM   #10
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Beautiful photos. It never gets old
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Old 08-28-2012, 09:58 AM   #11
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OK, I was wrong in my assumption that the tightrope walker we saw at Niagara was Walenda, it was Jerry Cochrane. He performs this crazy tightrope walk from the Skylon Tower to the 53rd floor of the Hilton Hotel every evening at 7 PM. Now I know why there wasn’t anything on the news about this, it’s an every night occurrence.

I hope this guy has good Life Insurance.


BTW, I have to recommend the Skylon restaurant on the Canadian side for those who have future plans to visit Niagara Falls. The food at the buffet was excellent and the price included access to the observation deck which offers great views of the falls.

A view of the American Falls from the top of the Skylon Tower.



A view of Horse Falls from the tower.

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Old 08-28-2012, 10:47 AM   #12
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If you're still in Niagara Falls, you should look into touring the hydro-electric generating station. Something that gets overlooked at Niagara Falls. Here's an interesting link...

Niagara Falls History of Power

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Old 08-28-2012, 02:48 PM   #13
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If you're still in Niagara Falls, you should look into touring the hydro-electric generating station. Something that gets overlooked at Niagara Falls. Here's an interesting link...

Niagara Falls History of Power

Dave
It looks like I overlooked it too. We're already back in Missouri so it will have to wait for a future trip.
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Old 08-28-2012, 03:34 PM   #14
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Great pics! That's one of our future destinations.
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Old 08-28-2012, 03:40 PM   #15
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OK, I was wrong in my assumption that the tightrope walker we saw at Niagara was Walenda, it was Jerry Cochrane. He performs this crazy tightrope walk from the Skylon Tower to the 53rd floor of the Hilton Hotel every evening at 7 PM. Now I know why there wasn’t anything on the news about this, it’s an every night occurrence.

I hope this guy has good Life Insurance.


BTW, I have to recommend the Skylon restaurant on the Canadian side for those who have future plans to visit Niagara Falls. The food at the buffet was excellent and the price included access to the observation deck which offers great views of the falls.

A view of the American Falls from the top of the Skylon Tower.



A view of Horse Falls from the tower.

Does he not know there is an easier way to get to the 53rd floor?
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Old 08-28-2012, 06:41 PM   #16
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Great pics! That's one of our future destinations.
Thanks for the compliment. Niagara Falls really is a must see.
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Old 08-28-2012, 06:45 PM   #17
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Does he not know there is an easier way to get to the 53rd floor?
I'm like him, I hate stairs....
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Old 08-29-2012, 10:00 AM   #18
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Thank you for the pictures. The falls are so impressive! I have always loved them. I wonder if they are still a honeymoon spot?
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Old 08-29-2012, 10:24 AM   #19
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It looks like I overlooked it too. We're already back in Missouri so it will have to wait for a future trip.
Now that you're back in good old Missoure (my home state) you can go to Bagnell dam and tour the power plant there. Have toured it several times. 1st time in 1949 as a 9yr old with my parents. Scared the dickens out of me, but went back in 56 and enjoyed it. Took our kids there in 76. Love that whole area and all the beautiful caves around there.
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Old 08-29-2012, 01:38 PM   #20
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Thank you for the pictures. The falls are so impressive! I have always loved them. I wonder if they are still a honeymoon spot?
I wondered that too while we were there. I think most honeymooners today go to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico or the Caribbean.
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