DIARY

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During 2010 we have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever.

For Ontario the following were some of the highlights, nipigon, wawa, elliot lake, new liskeard, musselmans lake, Toronto which we are glad we visited although in reality were not that impressed by (along with Montreal in Quebec province, maybe as travellers we prefer being away from the big cities I suspect that is the answer, anyhow we did see the CN tower and surrounds and walked along the river’s edge to see all the restaurants, note the G20 conference was due to be on in Toronto whilst we were in Canada that year, getting up early to watch England get knocked out of the world cup football and flying our flag on the motorhome, tee-hee, Niagara falls which was just magical, we did do the maid of the mist boat trip and put on those flimsy pak-a-maks which in reality afforded little or no protection against the force of that water, we got close and also marvelled at some of the history of the fool hardy who went over the edge into it in a barrel, I ask you would you, we also read and saw how the devil’s hole whirlpool in the accompanying Niagara river was so forceful, we loved the Niagara area, 1000 islands boat trip from Gananoque which was just fantastic and covered that really weird Boldt Castle on route and an amazing number of very small but mostly exclusive islands with yachts etc and either Canadian or American flags proudly displayed and sometimes both, when we returned from the boat trip armed with the recipe Keef made 1000 island sauce to go with our salad, see the recipe below, percy lake, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake & beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay, the great lakes-superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them – I made a point no matter how cold the water was of taking one sock off and dipping my toe in them so I could say I had “swam” in all of the great lakes which along with the Prairie Provinces I remember studying at school with our Geography teacher the somewhat outlandish Rev Rooney who had spent much time in Africa being a missionary and photographing tribes and showing us schoolkids on the big screen – maybe I learnt my interest in travel from him, maybe it’s just in my DNA, the reality is I did do the toe dipping in all of them bar Lake Michegan, we didn’t go over the US border into that State, maybe another time, you never know, Niagara on the lake, the snow goose, Sinclair cove, mounties, ottawa, aguasarbon falls, entering central standard time,  lake superior national park, latchford, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park, Wilson island, passport, squirrels Canadian style, white river views, cousins in parry sound, a big welcome to Ontario but sadly not being able to meet up with annies cuz Jamie, bottles in the sewage systems at campsites to prevent odours when using the provided triple services, ha-ha, the lovely Ontario capital Ottawa, stouffville, niagara botanical gardens, floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, st Lawrence river, Gananoque town and harbour, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies and all those kid ex school pupils of Uncle Ralph’s who were now either teachers at his old school or worked in the local museum who helped us locate places of interest and aided our family research. Genealogy is fun, fact!

Here are a few words and facts in summary about Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls, city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, south-eastern Ontario, Canada, a port on the Niagara River opposite Niagara Falls, New York. The city overlooks the Horseshoe, or Canadian, falls cataract of Niagara Falls; the crescent-shaped cataract is 54 M (177 ft) high and carries nine times more water than its United States counterpart. Niagara Falls is an enormously popular tourist destination, and it also serves as a major source of electricity for Ontario.

The city is connected to the U.S. side of the falls by several bridges, including the Rainbow, Whirlpool, and Queenston-Lewiston bridges. Principal manufactures include processed food, abrasives, chemicals, automotive parts, metal and paper goods, and wines and alcoholic beverages. Logistics, i.e., storage and warehousing and information technology/call centres are also important to the city's economy.

Points of interest include Queen Victoria Park, adjacent to the Canadian Falls and principal site of the annual Winter Festival of Lights; the historical museum at Lundy's Lane, site of a brutal battle between American and British forces in 1814; The Maid of the Mist, Marineland, with Friendship Cove which provides interaction with Killer and Beluga whales, an aquatic theatre and a game farm; Skylon Tower and Pavilion, containing a revolving restaurant and an observation deck overlooking the falls; the Butterfly Conservatory at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens; Canada One Factory Outlets which features brand name shopping

And the accompanying Maid of the Mist, America’s most iconic boat ride since 1846, which was its maiden voyage.

See the raging currents. Hear the deafening thunder. And feel the refreshing mist of 600,000 gallons of water falling before your eyes every second. Experience it all aboard the iconic Maid of the Mist.

It’s the one and only tour boat fleet whose captains have safely navigated the mighty waters of the Niagara Gorge for over 100 years, taking tens of millions of visitors directly into the centre of the swirling mist. Dress code: blue rain poncho optional. But we highly suggest you wear it, or else… 😉

Before this date, rowboats ferried passengers across the Niagara River below the Falls. By 1846, however, entrepreneurs decided a bigger craft could profit by transporting people, luggage, mail and cargo. So, the first Maid of the Mist steamboat, large enough to carry a stagecoach and horses, was christened. In 1848, construction of a suspension bridge curtailed business and the Maid of the Mist was re-branded as a sightseeing adventure that still operates to this day.