Erie, PA & Niagara Falls

It is October, and the weather is getting colder - high 30's - and drizzly. We hope to see some snow soon, but we are keeping our wish quiet. We know we are the only two people in the Northeast hoping for a few white flakes.


Our trip along Pennsylvania's only "seashore" was quick, but nice. We spent the morning driving along Presque Isle State Park - a significant place in history. In French, Presque Isle means "almost an island." This waterfront was worth defeating Great Britain for in the Battle of Lake Erie (War of 1812).


There is a monument in the park honoring Oliver Hazard Perry, the commander of the ship building Lake Erie Squadron, and the gentleman who messaged General William Henry Harrison on September 1813: "We have met the enemy and they are ours..." It is a quote we all remember from our middle school history class, but we don't always remember who said it and why.


It is always a delight to find a lighthouse when we aren't searching for one. We happened upon Presque Isle Lighthouse, but it is a fenced-off private residence. We were, however, able to view the structure from the beach.

The first American Lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

We zoomed past Buffalo, towards the town of Niagara Falls. We thankfully found a hostel run by a tiny Asian lady. She put us in a cozy single room in the attic on the third floor. It was a great old home, squeaky floors and everything! The lady was pleased to give us directions to Niagara Falls State Park, hints on free parking spots in the area, and the best places for some good "home cooked" meals. We assume she assumed our last name was Italian, and she sent us to the "Little Italy" neighborhood. She highly recommended Como and said "It is lot of food for not very expensive." And it was definitely Italian with gaudy plate crystal chandeliers and plump grandmas sitting along big-nosed husbands. Our waitress was the owner's daughter and guests were drinking red table wine and eating meatballs and spaghetti (or is it spaghetti and meatballs?). Richie fit right in with his dark hair and large proboscis (that's the scientific name for a nose).

We had to be rolled out of the joint after munching on spaghetti and meatballs (or is it meatballs and spaghetti?) and stuffed bell pepper. Mmmmmm...

There is a lot we didn't know about Niagara Falls.
First, we didn't know that there is an actual town called Niagara Falls, or that the falls are in a New York state park. We also didn't realize that the state park is the oldest in the nation, and that there are actually three falls - the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Falls). There was much to learn.


Our hostel host told us we needed to do one of the attractions at the park - either ride the Maid of the Mist or walk through the Cave of the Winds. Both cost extra, and both attractions involved getting wet. Considering it was 30 degrees, we chickened out and decided to spend the day walking and staying dry and warm.

Tourists walking the Cave of the Winds


Tourists braving the Maid of the Mist

We spent all day in the state park, walking every possible trail and being delighted at every turn. People told us the falls are best seen from the Canadian side and we didn't quite know what they meant until we crossed the border. The view was beautiful from the Canadian side because the falls are located on the American side.

This stuffed moose was in the men's room at a shop on the Canadian-side of the falls.

The Niagara River splits near the falls at Goat Island, which you can drive, walk, or take a trolley to. The island's namesake? John Stedman, the island's caretaker in the 1800's, had several livestock on the island. One very harsh winter, all his livestock died, except for one goat, hince the name Goat Island.

About 10% of the water flows to the east of the island to form the American and Bridal Veil Falls. The other 90% travels west of the island to supply the massive Horseshoe Falls. Just before the Horseshoe Falls is the International Niagara Control Works, which regulates the water flow to the falls. We found it interesting that the amount of water going into the falls is controlled and also that the hydroelectric power produced is shared between the U.S. and Canada (instituted by a treaty, of course).


Over the years, from tight-ropers to inner-tubes, Horseshoe Falls has been the place crazy people would come to challenge themselves and the power of the falls. The park only shares a few of these stories, as there are so many to tell. But our favorite survivor, which happens to be the first reported person over the falls, has to be 63-year old Anna Edson Taylor. She was a widow and teacher from Michigan who planned the jump for some cash. She even built her own barrel to ride in! We told ourselves that if the gift shop sold barrels, no matter the size, we'd splurge on one. Can you believe there were none to be found?!? There goes another million-dollar idea.

We stopped at a snack shack for a cup of overpriced hot chocolate and each ate a granola bar. We watched tourists exit the Cave of the Winds tour with rolled-wet jeans, wearing bright yellow ponchos and Cave of the Winds sandals. We were immediately accosted by these little guys begging for food crumbs.


And on our way to view the Bridal Veil and American Falls, I swear a mob boss and his chumps stopped and asked us to take a picture of them. The "boss" was a short guy, balding, but nicely dressed, and wearing an expensive trench coat. He was surrounded by a young group of men casually dressed - maybe his sons or nephews. Their accents were New York thick - and we were dying to ask them to say "Forget about it." One of the younger guys handed me his Blackberry to take the photo with, which I was happy to do. (I can't tell you how many people we've photographed on this road trip - and how many cameras we could have run away with!) They were a loving bunch of guys, each with an arm around the other and chummy - "like family."


There are numerous facts on Niagara Falls, but here are the two that amazed us the most:

1. The three falls release 750,000 gallons of water per second. That is 64,800,000,000 gallons of water per day!
2. And the most unexpected fact we learned while at Niagara Falls... Each year, between 100 million to 100 billion birds across the nation die because they collided with a human-built structure. When you look at it that way, those Windex commercials aren't as funny anymore.

"Pay toll to U.S.A."

One of the many reasons people hate America.


"Illumination" of Niagara Falls