Shining with all his might

Travel Dates: Sunday & Monday, June 27-28

Currently cruising West on I-90 through Indiana and surrounded by a whole lot of nothing.... which gives way for a solid opportunity for a progress update.  The odometer is just past 1100 miles since our original departure and we're holding steady at 34/50 license plates (but we managed to spot an AK so we're confident in completion).  Backtracking to Sunday, we left off on our way up to Niagara Falls and holy cow, what an experience it was.  


We arrived in the late afternoon and linked up with a touristy group to try and pack in as much as possible.  We had a short stint upstream at Whirlpool State Park but quickly moved on to more exciting ventures aboard the Maid of the Mist ferry boat.  Done up in ponchos, we cruised into the belly of the Horseshoe Falls to really appreciate the natural power of the water flow.  (If memory serves correctly, the falls spit out roughly 92 bajillion gallons of water per micro second.  
From there, we journeyed over to the Daredevil Museum to scope out some of the barrels that have been used by the brave/crazy few over the years to spill over the falls.  



Our final stop took us back to water to the Cave of the Winds along the base of the falls on the American side.  While the actual cave has now collapsed, an elaborate series of wooden walkways enables you to walk right along the underside the waterfalls to truly get an up close and personal perspective.  Their "Hurricane Deck" actually enabled you to feel some of the pelting force of the falling water (and get mighty drenched at the same time. 


Overall, Niagara Falls was definitely a very cool place to check out.  It's one of those places that you're naturally familiar with from photos and literature but to experience in person makes all the difference and is definitely worth your while.


But enough of Mother Nature, we wanted to see what Man could do.  Our next spot landed us at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, home to the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."  Seventeen different coasters to launch, drop, twist, flip, spin and stir the belly.  Of that lot, we rode all but two which were for children and little people only.   Although it was the longest wait, their Top Thrill Dragster stood out as it shot riders 420 feet straight up into the air at 120mph.


We'd describe the rest in detail but words would do no justice.  We would definitely recommend a trip if you've never been.  Totally exhausted after 12 intense hours their, we trudged back to a hotel, only to rinse and repeat again today as we now head for Chicago.  Our stomachs are already starting to rumble in anticipation of  deep dish deliciousness.


-The Walrus & The Carpenter
















PS  Canada was also tasty...