Drive. Pray. Scream?: Day 44: Waterworks

Wow! Niagara Falls is more majestic and powerful than either of us expected. And although the crowds were huge, we were able to take in the two touristy things on our list: the Maid of the Mist boat ride into the falls' spray (fun fact: it's the nation's oldest tourist attraction, operating since the mid 1880s), and the Behind the Falls tour, walking through tunnels behind Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian side) and out near the base of the falls, 25 feet above the water. The sight that amazed us the most was standing beside the top of Horseshoe Falls and watching as 34 million gallons of water per minute plunged 175 feet into the basin. We learned that the water comes from all of the Great Lakes except Ontario, into which the Niagara River goes after its journey over the Falls. We waved to the Beaver Island water, wishing we could have squeezed in a visit and played in it on the island...one of our favorite places on earth (it's in northern Lake Michigan).

The girls now have a Canadian stamp in their passports (we had to ask for it and, as the stamper is so seldom used anymore, the passport control agent had to look around on his countertop to find it). We'd heard from friends familiar with Niagara that the Canadian side is less commercialized, and as we arrived from the south, we'd agree. But on leaving to the north and crossing the Rainbow bridge, which leads into downtown Buffalo, tacky tourist traps assailed us from every direction on both sides of the river. The Falls more than make up for the eye-sores, and we'd go back again in a heartbeat, hopefully to stay in a hotel overlooking the water; we'd like to watch the Friday night fireworks or even visit in winter when ice has transformed the water's plunge into castles.

We picked up another national park site on our drive out of Buffalo, and it's a mouthful: the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural House National Historic Site. The Wilcox home is the centerpiece of the exhibit, as it's the place in which Roosevelt was sworn into office following the death of President McKinley. Roosevelt, the consummate outdoorsman, had been in the Adirondacks on a hunting trip when McKinley was shot after delivering a speech at the 1901 Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo. Following surgery to remove the bullets, doctors initially expected a full recovery; but infection set in and he died eight days later. The national historical site was renovated just a year or two ago; it features interactive touch screens in every room and a multi-media experience in which Roosevelt's beliefs and platform are presented in a dynamic format. In our initial encounter with the man, we're convinced he'd be a source of great leadership and wisdom in our country's present circumstances; so many of the issues he addressed are before us today, in varying degrees. We look forward to engaging with him again on Long Island, when we visit his birthplace in early September. Hard to believe we're nearing August!