My Amazing Adventure was going to end after I finished my visit in Detroit. At least that was the plan. But….while I was at my mom’s, my big brother Kevin was there and asked “where are you going after you leave here?” I took out my huge map and said “Well, I’ll visit you and Karen in Grand Rapids, then go to Ann Arbor, and end in Detroit.” He looked at the map to the only big blank space on it and said “What the heck? How come you’re not going to anyplace in the Northeast????” I had no reply. At least no reply that was going to satisfy him!

Kevin proceeded to write down his suggestions for the continuation of my trip. I was actually excited about it, since I had been a bit sad that my adventure was about to come to an end. I was ahead of schedule anyway – now I had an excuse to keep going!

So, on Sunday I left Detroit and headed east! It was a drizzly dreary day as I drove through Cleveland, Erie, and finally Buffalo, NY. And when in Buffalo, I guess one may as well try some buffalo wings, which I did at the restaurant that supposedly invented them.

A dear friend had suggested that I try a boat tour of Niagara Falls, so I took her advice and booked a tour for the following day. I spent the night in Buffalo and headed for Niagara Falls the next morning. I arrived in plenty of time (yes, I still have the early habit) so I stopped at a little place for breakfast. Ladies and Gentlemen, this was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had on my adventure. It was also the cheapest by FAR. I had two eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast and coffee for $3.75.  Holy Moly!

Fully fueled for the day, I drove to the tour pick-up spot. At 10:35, the bus pulled up and I, along with several other couples, loaded ourselves on. It was captained by a very unique guide, Chuck. Chuck was 61 years old, in incredible shape, with a LONG pony tail down his back. Chuck had clearly been doing this for many years. He let us know that he was going to give us the tour of our lives, and that he was watching out for us and was not ABOUT to let us get ripped off by all the tourist traps along the way. Our adventure began.

Chuck was like a Mother Hen, directing us here and there. Our first stop was the Cave of the Winds. Chuck took care of the paperwork, issued us our tickets, and ushered us into the room where we were given our designer sandals for the day. He even gave me the insider tip to twist the straps so the sandals would fit tight.

From there, he sent us down the elevators, where we traveled 175 feet below and were given lovely yellow ponchos. We got into line for the incredibly awesome deluge at the base of the American Falls! WOW!

Next, Chuck took us to Three Sisters Islands, where we got off the bus and took a little walk to all three for views of the rapids in the Niagara River right before Horseshoe Falls

Next was a stop for lunch, and then, what we’d all been waiting for…MAID OF THE MIST BOAT TRIP!!!

Chuck found a parking place where there was none to be found. This guy knew everything! He then quickly ushered us through the ticket booth to the distribution of the BLUE ponchos.Then, he left us in line for the boat with strict instructions to find a spot on the CANADIAN side of the boat on the upper deck when we boarded. He assured us this was the best spot of all. We all heeded his advice and upon boarding rushed to the spot. The boat departed and the voyage was spectacular! I was SOAKED!!!

Chuck met us as we all got off the boat and took us to the top of the observation deck for some classic Falls pictures.

Pretty flowers also along the way. Who doesn’t like pretty flowers???

What a fantastic day, and I’m so grateful that I took the tour. I have found on my adventure this summer that tours are the BEST way to see the sights, and they are worth every penny. Plus, I got to meet some fantastic folks along the way. And the nicest part of the day didn’t have anything to do with the beauty of the Falls. One of the couples on the tour who sat right behind me on the bus were from Cincinnati of all places! At the end of the day, as we all departed, the man from Cincy turned to me and said “It was so nice to meet you. Every time I looked at you today you were smiling.”

Another reinforcement!