Beginning Big Blue 2023 -- Niagara Falls!
Two years ago I chronicled our 5 month trip through the American West. This summer Doug and I are heading north to Newfoundland. We plan to be on the road about 3 months. Welcome to this Big Blue Adventure!
We planned the route using the app “RV Life Trip Wizard” which has been a great help in finding camping spots and plotting mileages. The trip got so long that we broke it into 3 segments to be easier to navigate:
4 weeks — Niagara, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick (June 28 - July 28)
5 weeks — Newfoundland (July 29 - Sept 1)
6 weeks — Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Sept 2 - Oct 15)
Here’s the map of the first section:
Our First “Harvest Host”
We left our home near Washington D.C. around noon on Wednesday, June 28. The sky was hazy with smoke from a distant fire. Driving was uneventful.
About 200 miles in, around 5:00, in central Pennsylvania, we stopped for gas at a Sheets. I also bought a few grocery items so we wouldn’t have to deal with a grocery store. We didn’t have reservations for this first night because at the last minute we delayed our trip by one day.
We intended to stay at a State Park, but they all seemed out of the way. As we drove along, I remembered Harvest Host, which is an app we just joined, for a yearly fee. Small businesses (e.g. farms, wineries, breweries, country stores) allow self-contained vehicles to park on their property one night for free (no amenities), with the understanding that we’ll spend $20 on whatever product they’re selling.
So I checked HH and found a family farm called “Stem to Stable” near State College. This Mennonite family raises crops and lambs and eggs, and the in-laws raise Angus beef. They also breed Bernese Mountain Dogs. We were the only rig there, camped behind a large building beside a field of alfalfa. We enjoyed walking around the farm and looking at the lambs and goats. The dogs set up a chorus whenever we came near — 4 or 5 puppies, and 3 or 4 adult dogs. Big dogs.
We met the dogs and children, and bought 2 ribeye steaks, plus a dozen eggs. Then Doug set up our chairs, and the small TV table, and we sat outside with some snacks and a bottle of champagne leftover from my retirement festivities — my retirement is the reason for the timing of this wonderful trip! It was a lovely evening, with lots of swallows swooping. I felt ready to take a deep breath.
I don’t feel quite prepared for this adventure. We haven’t gotten around to buying groceries yet, and haven’t tanked up with water. But that is the nature of adventure. They come when we’re not quite ready.
Maid of the Mist
Our goal today is to arrive at Niagara Falls, US side, to camp for 2 nights at a State Park with electricity and water.
The biggest limitation of traveling in a truck camper is that once you arrive at a site, and set up, you don’t want to leave again until morning. Knowing that, we stopped at Maid of the Mist before we got to camp, although we hadn’t actually planned it this way. We are winging it.
Years ago, when our daughters were young, we all did Maid of the Mist. It really is loads of fun. On the spur of the moment we decided to do it again.
You’re handed a plastic poncho as you board — the American side gets blue ones and the Canadian side gets red. Our double-decker boat, the Nikola Tesla, was powered by electricity. One photo shows the huge batteries that recharge the boat between trips.
The boat takes you past the “American Falls” and right into the basin at the bottom of the “Horseshoe Falls”. The name “Maid of the Mist” sounds more romantic than the experience. We didn’t get misted — we got blasted with spray. We were completely drenched, head to foot. People were screaming of course, and we couldn’t see anything beyond the rain in our eyes. It was all quite hilarious.
After we squelched off the boat in our soaked shoes, we took a few minutes to go up some slippery rock walkways to the Crows Nest at the top of the American Falls. A large Indian family was celebrating Eid, and a jovial stranger offered to take a photo for me. He had a hard time drying the lens enough to get a photo. Of course, I returned the favor. His family looked so happy!
We dried off a bit and got back in Big Blue. On our way north to Four Mile State Park we bought groceries at a Tops Friendly Market. The store was just blocks from the falls, but a completely different neighborhood and feel. Lots of men who appeared to be homeless were hanging around the parking lot. It was painful to see the contrast between tourist glitz and a gutted inner city wracked by a racist history. I did notice lots of storefronts with organizations that were working to rebuild, I wish them well. Happy to shop at the Tops, and grateful that a major grocery store provides services here.
No problem getting to Four Mile State Park, where we had reservations for 2 nights. The roads were bumpy, but it was a straight shot, maybe 8 miles or so. The campground was situated along Lake Ontario, but without a beach area, or even access to the water.
Fortunately, we were able to tank up with a water spigot beside our campsite. Our spot was next to a playground that got lots of use. The air continues to be smoky and hazy. For supper we cooked one of the ribeyes. Delicious!
Four Mile State Park, NY
We spent the next day relaxing in Big Blue. I spent hours reading a book, “The Clean Daughter” by Kandel. We ate the other ribeye. We’re settling into the vacation vibe!
On to Canada tomorrow — on Canada Day!
This is fun to read! And fun that you're reading The Clean Daughter. Jill Kandel and I were in a writing workshop together some years ago, and it's fun to know her work is reaching people. Travel blessings!