Day 51, Niagara Falls

When I stumbled out of the RV this morning, heading to the showers, I ran into Kim and Ben sorting through the movie shirts.  They had all the big boxes out of our storage and the Lundgrens storage. We had all parked together late last night at an RV park near the screening..  I suddenly remembered that today was the last day we would all be together. The Lundgrens would take all the merch they needed to finish out the rest of the tour.  The Pipers would be striking out for home. Sad and exciting at the same time. I really have been homesick lately. Thoughts of the guinea pigs, my friends, and having MY OWN ROOM make me nearly desperate to be home sometimes!

The morning was for Niagara Falls, and I was eager to get started.  It is one of the most popular places to visit in the whole world, so I was pretty afraid that there would be no parking, even on a Tuesday.  As it turns out, there was a ton of parking, and the lot #3 which is for RVs was full of mostly seagulls! We would see a lot of sea gulls today, but I didn’t know it then.  

Kim bought us all wristbands so we could ride the scenic trolley which goes all around the island, and all the attractions for the Falls.  I especially wanted to go to this elevator that went down through the rock and behind the Falls. I knew it was expensive, so I went to a lot of trouble this morning to pass for 12 years old so that we could get a discounted ticket for me and save $8.  I figured that I could spend that money on more school shopping.  

We met the Lundgrens and Luis at the visitor center.  If you haven’t been to Niagara Falls, you have to put it on your bucket list.  I was so stunned by how huge the river is, how angry the rapids, how it drops off into nothing but mist and rainbows, how the wind comes off the Falls.  I am still not sure how I got talked out of the elevator ride, but we ended up going on this boat ride that we had to take an elevator hundreds of feet to get down to.  We had to wear blue ponchos so we didn’t get soaked in the mist when the boat bobbed in the bottom of the horseshoe part of the Falls. On the way back to the dock, it started pouring rain, really hard.  We were so soaked!

After getting our fill of Niagara Falls, we all hugged, Annie, Gary, Flannery, and Luis, and all of us.  Right at the Falls. It seemed about right after all we have been through, to part ways at this place.  

The rest of the day was driving, and lots more rain.  We left Buffalo NY and went through to Pennsylvania, and into Ohio, following Lake Erie.  Now we are not far from Cedar Point, which is the second largest amusement park in the world, and it is right on an island in lake Erie, or at least that is what it looks like.  I hope we can go there tomorrow, but if there is too much thunder, lightning and more rain, we may just keep driving!  

One more thing, cool bats and fireflies at this RV park.  Does anyone know why fireflies light up? Please leave it in the comments!