Niagra Falls

 In October of 2020 I took a fall road trip up north.  I went in my 2000 Honda Odyssey which has been gutted and converted to a utility van with the option of making it into a mini camper.

My second day on the road found me at Niagra Falls State Park in New York. This is the first time I had visited the falls and they did not disappoint. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was an absolutely gorgeous day for a visit. 

I'm usually skeptical about others' reports of a place, especially tourist traps. But on this day my expectations were definitely exceeded.

The water was the most amazing blue-green color. The mist rising off of the turbulence below sometimes gave the whole scene a somewhat dreamy feeling.     

It's definitely worth it to take your time while you're there and to try to see it from every angle possible.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the border with Canada was closed. It would have been nice to walk across the bridge and see the falls from the Canadian side.

In this view from another part of the park, you can get a better view of the bridge mentioned above and some of the Canadian structures on the left. 

The tourist boats were running on both the Canadian and the American side. We were in the middle of a pandemic, and the way the boats were loaded with people revealed a stark difference in how the two governments were handling the virus. The Canadian boats had much fewer people on board and everyone was socially distanced. The American boats were packed with people shoulder to shoulder. Canada for the win!

So if you ever get the opportunity I would highly recommend a visit to Niagra Falls. Hopefully, you'll be able to go when there is NOT a pandemic racing through the world and you'll be able to visit the Canadian side as well.  A ride on the Maid of the Mist might even be in order.