Day 43 & 44 Niagara Falls, ON & area

July 1 & 2

Monday, July 1 - Niagara Falls & Area

Happy Birthday Canada!! 

We got another 24 hour bus pass for $7 and headed for the parade.  The parade came down along Victoria and Queen streets towards City Hall where all types of booths and a stage were set up for festivities after the parade.  We lined the street with all the other tourists and locals to watch the parade which lasted an hour.  A lot of musical bands, gymnasts and cheer leader type acrobats in the parade, no real floats to speak of.  There were two blocks of old cars and trucks lined up for display.  Walked by the B & B area along the shore.  Beautiful old homes!!

 Church on Queen Street

 Looking down parade route

One of the old houses along Niagara Parkway

Back to the campsite to relax.  The pool and hot tubs were empty!!  Just waiting for us! We headed for the bus at 8 pm.  The colored lights on the falls started about 9:15 pm  The mist from the Falls was coming back on us and you could see all the moths in the lights.  Fireworks started at 10 until 10:15 over the water falls but close to the Rainbow Bridge and the American Falls.  What a way to celebrate Canada’s Birthday with a few thousand people!  After the fireworks it was a mad rush for the bus.  We got on the first Red Line but it took about an hour to get to the KOA.

 Canadian Flag on Niagara Falls

Lights on Falls, Skylon Tower in Back 

 

Daily Stats:  Monday, July 1, 2013
Weather:  Cloudy, light rain in afternoon; High: 24 degrees; Lo: 19 degrees
Campsite:  Niagara Falls KOA
Walking:  10 km - Queen’s District Parade, B&B area & Falls 
West Coast heat wave; Vancouver 31 and Okanagan 40 (our coolest day lately)

Today's news event:  19 Arizona Fire Fighters died fighting blaze
Cirque de Solie – Ka, one of the performers since 2006 fell


Tuesday, July 2 - Fort Erie to Niagara on the Lake

We drove south to Fort Erie, viewed a brief 12 minute video the War of 1812, then our tour guide in period dress guided us around the fort; then a demonstration of loading and preparing to fire muskets by a young man dressed in the Red Coat (British) and Grey Coat (American).  Orders were called and then they fired the muskets, twice, in case we missed the demonstration the first time.  When the weapons were fired, it was so smokie, hence the dress code of the time so your own guys wouldn’t shoot you. 

 Musket fire

 

Did you know why the American army went from Blue coats to Grey coats?

Along the Niagara Parkway we headed north and stopped at the Chippawa Battlefield which took place July 5, 1814.  Back in Niagara Falls we stopped at the Aero Car to view the Whirl pool.

Aero Car crossing Niagara River and Whirlpool

Now the sun was starting to come out again, beauty.  Stopped at the two Sir Adam Beck Power plants facing each other across the Niagara gorge!  There is a huge reservoir behind each of the power plants.

A quick stop at Laura Secord’s Homestead.  She was the lady that walked 20 miles to warn the British that the Americans were planning an attack.  Finally arriving in Niagara on the Lake.  A beautiful little community, probably not so small about 15,000 population, we walked around the Historic Main street and had lunch. 

Niagara on the Lake Main Street

Weather:  Cloudy, light rain in afternoon; High: 26 degrees; Lo: 18 degrees
Campsite:  Niagara Falls KOA
Walking:  10 km – Ft Erie & Niagara on the Lake

Answer:  The British supplied the blue dye but once the war started, no more blue dye so the Grey Uniforms for the American Army.