Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is an up-close look at hydro power if there ever was one!  Two things we definitely learned ... the water is amazingly clear - rock bottomed Niagara River means clear water going into the falls and pretty turquoise water below.  And, the wind has a lot to do with whether the mist is a pretty part of a your photo or drenching you.  Tried to be a quick learner on that one, for our cameras' sake.  This is Horseshoe Falls -

A look at the Observation Tower and American Falls...

And the view of American Falls (left) and Horseshoe Falls from the Observation Tower.  That's Toronto on the right.

Not much "wildlife" in the park, but this little guy was intent on following Sophia everywhere and driving Kali nuts...

Speaking of nuts...

Unfortunately, on our way from Niagara to Lockport, NY to see the Erie Canal NHP, UPLNDR's transmission decided the top two gears, 3rd and 4th, had had enough of the Continental Divide and the other abuses I'd put the urban assault vehicle through pretending it was actually a Willys jeep.  We coasted into Lockport, had a terrible experience with the local AAMCO shop, checked into a motel and consulted the Yellow Pages.  Three minutes on the phone with the guys at Redline Automotive and knew they were the answer - they had the rebuilt from Buffalo ordered before we limped into their parking lot!  You can just tell good people from the get-go and even though it sucked to have dead days stuck in a rental car in Lockport, we knew the rig was in good hands, so we settled in for our longest stay at any one locale.