Day 7 - October 5, 2024

Our journey today took us through the last few miles of Minnesota, into Wisconsin, along the mighty Mississippi River, then into Illinois and finally Naperville (outskirts of Chicago). Beautiful countryside with quaint little towns, the Mississippi, lots of rural scenes and beauty. 

My aversion to interstate highways has nothing to do with not wanting to drive them, and everything to do with seeing the real countryside. The farms, the houses, the small towns and the scenery are worth the extra time. What should be a six and a half hour drive turns into a nine hour one. But that’s OK. I like to experience the country, not the traffic. The fall colours are just starting here. 

Day 8 - October 6, 2024

Chicago is amazing. Not a place I would like to live. It is far too big. But then Red Deer is too big for me. But I digress.

The first stop today was the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower. It was the tallest building in the world for over 20 years in the late 1900s. Great views of the city and Lake Michigan. There are glass balconies where you step out and look down 103 floors. And neither of us like heights. But we survived.

Next, we took the double decker, hop on, hop off tour bus. Only we just got on and stayed on for the full loop. Wonderful architecture, both old and new. The traffic on the drive (Uber) back to the hotel was insane. It was Bears game day so perhaps that added to the Sunday traffic.

Day 9 - October 7, 2024

We start the day with a train ride into the city and a stop at Millennium Park and “The Bean.” Then, if you aren’t tired of seeing cool architecture and beautiful buildings, here are more shots of downtown Chicago. This time from the Chicago River. We took an architectural boat tour and, if I was a good student, I could bore you with the details. The history and the architecture are fascinating, but I am afraid it would take too much time here, and I can’t remember much of it anyway. But I think there might be a few interesting shots here.

Day 10 - October 8, 2024

Not too many photos today. Just a long drive from Naperville, IN, to Cleveland, OH. On the way we were in a total of four states. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Just some beautiful scenery along the way, including a very large pumpkin patch and a cool spot with a “Joy” sign in the middle of the St. Joseph River. Bud E. had to stop for a photo.

Day 11 - October 9, 2024

First stop…the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you are ever able to get to Cleveland, Ohio, check it out. It is more than very interesting. We stent two and a half hours there but could have easily spent twice that long.

Next a four-hour drive (five and a half for us) to Niagara Fall. First the US side then Canada. Niagara Falls is very commercialized, but the falls are spectacular. Today we started in Ohio, passed through Pennsylvania into New York State, then on to Ontario. The fall colours are just starting to get into full bloom.

Day 12 - October 10, 2024

The day started with a ride on the boat up to Niagara Falls. The famous boat is the “Maid of the Mist”. That is on the American side, we took the Canadian one. I am probably wrong, but it seemed like we went really close. The sound, the spray, the power of 700,000 gallons per second pouring over the falls is indescribable.

Then a little walk along the top of the falls before deciding to drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is a beautiful little town, and everything here is still lush and green. The Prince of Wales Hotel opened in 1864 and is stunning. We had dinner at the Shaw Cafe & Wine Bar before heading back to our hotel.

In the evening, I went for a stroll, shooting a couple night street shots along the way before getting to the walkway overlooking the Falls. They light up the Falls at night and the lights are constantly changing colour. At 10:00 there is a fireworks display shot out over the river and that is what I went for. After shooting that, I took a few more street shots on the walk back to the hotel. Too many photos today. But this is only a fraction of what I took.

Day 13 - October 11, 2024

After a big day with too many photos yesterday, today we took it easy. We just went for a last look at one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a took the “Journey Behind the Falls.” Here you take an elevator down 125 feet then go down a tunnel 690 feet and look out at the falls from behind them. It really isn’t much to see. Just lots of water falling. You are only a few feet from it and the noise is like loud, constant thunder. You feel the ground shaking. Then there is a platform where you get very wet but get another view of the falls from the front side, up close and personal. I got a couple shots of the “Maid of the Mist” with a gorgeous rainbow. Tomorrow it is back to the US for a few days before heading to Quebec City for a couple days.

Day 14 - October 12, 2024

Niagara Falls, ON to Watkins Glen State Park NY, Taughannock Falls State Park NY, to Herkimer, NY. First stop, the US border and a little funny story. It was busy. Many lanes and the one we chose was slow. We were worried our border guard would be tough. We finally get to the booth, he asks a few questions, and I asked, “is it always this busy?” He said no and wondered if everyone was leaving Canada? I said yes, it’s too expensive. He commented that inflation was bad in the US, and I replied it is much worse in Canada. He asked about our Prime Minister, and I replied that “he can’t tie his own shoes”. The border guard chuckled, handed me our passport, and said have a nice trip! He didn’t even bother with most of the usual questions.

Next stop was Watkins Glen State Park. This was on my list to see, and it turned out to be just as beautiful as I expected. What I didn’t expect was the number of people. It was NUTS! The walk was longer than I expected as well so it took about two hours to walk a mile in and a mile out. But, in the end, it was worth it.

Next stop was Taughannock Falls State Park, also on my list. Also, worth it. But this time there was no hike. Just a few stairs to a viewing platform. A six-hour drive turned into 9.5 with the stops.