End of the Rainbow, End of the Canal

After our time in Lockport we headed out to find the end of the Erie Canal in Buffalo.  But first we needed to take a detour.  We were so close to the Niagara Falls that we decided we just had to go visit.  We've seen the falls several times, but always from the Canadian side.  So we drove the backroads and byways into the town.  We arrived around 10:00 and the visitor sites were already filling up.  First there was the outrageous parking fee and the shamelessly garish souvenir shop (but it had restrooms).  Then we walked down to the park where the Falls are located and all visitors were shuttled through one entry where more souvenirs were for sale, and then we walked out into the park and past a few more vendors of trinkets before we reached the Falls.  We took many pictures, but we wanted a better angle, so we went through another gate and paid $1.25 each to climb up to a deck from which we took many, many more pictures.  It was a great sunny day for photos - if we could just get rid of all those people blocking the best shots and cluttering up the picture!

 The reason it is called Rainbow Falls

 Horsehoe Falls and Canada

Both Falls

If you ever need a cooling breeze, I can show you ALL of the pictures we took!  It was fun in a typically over-sold American way.  But I was most glad to actually see and hear the falls.  This is a majestic sight and sound.  It disappointed me to see people who just took selfies and walked away without even looking at the falls for a minute and taking in the beauty and power of this natural wonder.

After leaving Niagara behind, we headed to North Tonawanda for a second detour.  We just had to see the Hershell Carousel Factory Museum.  I love carousels and those beautifully crafted horses.  If you have ridden on an old, wooden carousel - perhaps the one in Greenfield Village - then you have ridden on one of the carousels crafted in this factory.  This was a stop guaranteed to delight the child in you.  And, the tour included a ride on the restored carousel!  In the factory we could see how the music rolls were made.  We could see how the animals were carved and painted.  We saw many fine examples of various carousel animals that have been restored to their original, colorful glory.

 Wood Shop

 Dennis and I riding the carousel all by ourselves!

Then, we drove on to Buffalo.  We went to the Canalside where a lot of work has been done to preserve park land and to make the riverside beautiful, fun and exciting.  There is an impressive naval museum there and people can take river cruises and history tours.  We found the canal terminus, now marked with signs and pictures telling the story of the joining of fresh water and salt water.  So, we did indeed tour the entire Erie Canal.

Marker at Canalside



And we, of course, had a celebratory beverage.

The empty glass on the table is Dennis'.

Since we finished our quest earlier than expected, we decided to drive to Corning, New York, for a trip to the Corning Glass Museum.  Not exactly heading toward home!