Popping Over To Canada

When you are at Niagara Falls and gaze across the Niagara River you are looking at Canada. It looks particularly commercial with blazing signs for hotels and two different casinos. There are actually two waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. Firstly there is the American Falls, which is solely on the US side of the border. Then there is the Horseshoe Falls which straddles the US and Canada. I was told the best view was to be had from the Canadian side so I thought, why not? I pointed the Chevy at the Canadian border and headed on over.

Now I have crossed out of America before by vehicle, when I left California for Tijuana, Mexico. That was twenty years ago but it was eerily similar. I lined up at the border with one car in front of me, had a two minute chat with a border guard and just like magic I'm in Canada. Five minutes tops, and that includes the waiting time. Same thing again when I crossed back to the US from Mexico it was wait in line, inch forward, watch the people in front get interrogated and their car searched, inch forward. So it was the same coming from Canada to the US. 50 minutes of waiting in line and its my turn. 

Ten minute interrogation, pop the trunk. Encourage them to go through my dirty laundry. Ask about how long will I be here? When am I flying home? Which airport am I leaving from? What job do I do? Lengthy explanation about what a Club Manager actually does. Yes it is hard to believe there is nothing like it in the United States. What would be the closest thing? Running an Indian casino. No I'm not from Texas. No its a rental car, that's where I picked it up from. Did you drive all this way? Yes. Are you on your own? Yes it's just me. How long did it take you? About four weeks. You can do it in two days. You probably could but I am on vacation and took the long way. Do you have anything to declare? No. What did you purchase in Canada? A T- shirt and some parking. At that point he hands me back my passport, wishes me a good day and I'm on the road again.

The view from the Canadian side is even better.

So I think I can say I have comprehensively "done" Niagara Falls. It is epic to see and the amount of water, its ferocity and the noise it makes, is astonishing.

I headed to Rochester for lunch but it left me a bit underwhelmed. It's kind of hard to top the natural beauty of the falls. I was going to head to Syracuse for the night but autumn is really starting to take hold now so I don't want to be on the roads after dark, especially not the interstates with the maniacs and their Chevy Silverados. 

I bedded down for the night at a place called Seneca Falls. I thought I would keep with the water theme. It turns out the town was the inspiration for Bedford Falls featured in the Frank Capra film "It's A Wonderful Life". It is a pretty little place. In honour of my location I ate at a real 1950's diner, had roast pork and the waitresses all looked and behaved in a much more authentic manner than the team in Miami. 

The plan is to head for Albany tomorrow, which is actually the capital of New York State. From there it will be through New Hampshire, Vermont, before ditching the car and spending a week in the big apple. I am already starting to dread the 22.5 hour flight home. I still have 17 days to savour before then.