Niagara Falls (and maple syrup!)

Pennsylvania!

New York!

Let me just start off by saying, waterfalls are fantastic. This is a fact. Now, there are watefalls... and then there are Waterfalls! Niagara Falls is a Waterfall.

Now, Niagara Falls has a lot of mystique surrounding it. It is big. It is famous. People go over it in barrels (for some reason). You can take a boat out into the roaring spray. It is a water fall lovers waterfall. But... we were coming at the end of the summer, water levels were lower... would we be disappointed?

We arrived at the falls full of nervous excitement! We wanted to ride the Maid of the Mist and feel the spray on our faces. The viewing platform that leads to the access elevators gave us our first real view. Let me just say, there was no letdown. The falls was present and accounted for, and boy was it a sight! Both the American and Canadian sides are visible from the viewing platform, the spray rolling off the rocks, the roar filling our ears... we needed to get closer!

The elevators delivered us to the base of where the river above thundered into the river below. We were on the US side of the river, and from the base of the falls the spray was so powerful that it obscured any view of the Canadian Horseshoe falls. Many a selfie was taken.

And then. We grabbed our ponchos and boarded the Maid of the Mist for our journey into the heart of the falls itself! As we left the dock our excitement reached a fever pitch! We headed up past the US falls, the spray lashing out at us! The cascade bombarding the rocks below! The magnitude was thus far unmatched by any on our trip! But, the best was yet to come! The boat continued on to Horseshoe Falls and proceeded into the heart of the beast! The power of the falls was absolutely overwhelming! From the center of the horseshoe the water pounding on all sides roared and sprayed and we were engulfed in it all! The ponchos didn't last long, it was too good for any such barrier! More selfies were taken!

Sadly, all to soon the boat turned back and headed for the dock. We passed by the US falls again on our way, then returned to the dock full of smiles, washed by the spray, remembering the feel of the roar in our ears and the mist in our eyes. After leaving the boat we explored around the falls for awhile, took a few more selfies, then headed back to the car, looking back often for one last view. Definitely not let down or disappointed even the least bit.

The next stop on our route is Acadia National Park, but on the way we  made a couple stops including Vermont!

Next we stopped in New Hampshire at a quaint little maple syrup farm called Spring Harvest Maple Farm (http://www.springharvestmaplefarm.com/)! The owners came out and talked to us for quite awhile, explaining the process, showing us their set up, and sharing about the life of a maple syrup farmer. It was well worth the stop, and we got some real maple syrup and some real maple sugar! Pancakes are imminent! And maybe some cinnamon rolls with maple sugar! And maybe some steel cut oats with maple syrup! And maybe a few other things too!