Friday 27th October
Day 10 of our trip and we finally feel like we are making progress. Yesterday we covered over 230 miles and today we carry on in that vein and plan on racking up a huge 360 miles in over six hours on the road. Heading up through the Catskill mountains, hopefully with some more fantastic Fall Foliage, and then up through the state of New York to the very northern end at Buffalo and finally, Niagara, where we planned to cross over to Canada to see the falls from the more Scenic Side.
Leaving Rhinebeck
There was little to hang around for, so after enjoying the Inclusive breakfast we hopped in the car early and got the show on the road. The opening sections of the drive were very scenic and we were quickly across the Hudson River and heading deep into the Famous Catskill Mountains.
Our route yesterday had taken us quite a bit out of our way and while today would get us back onto a more direct route, we still didn’t want to just slog the whole 300+ miles on the Freeway so we planned a route that started out following the Catskill Scenic Byway.
Catskill Mountains
Honestly, we were a little disappointed with this part of the route. Having been blown away yesterday by the buet of this area the Byway felt a little flat. This was possibly not helped by the fact the light was really flat. The heat of yesterday had dissipated and while it was still quite a pleasant day, a high cloud layer just blanketed out any light and left everything very lifeless.
We followed the Byway through sleepy villages, shallow valleys, and past the odd large hill that could scarcely be called mountains, all a little underwhelmed. Especially when we hit Margeretville, which I had misread as Margaritaville, which would have been far more exciting.
Really with the fall light and the so-so scenery we just pushed on, maybe we had just been spoiled yesterday.
Pepacton Reservoir
The Scenic Byway heads north at the head of Pepacton Reservoir, but we decided to pull off and follow the 30. The Scenic Byay had not really lived up to its name and the 30 followed the backs of this huge body of water all the way to its dam at Downsville. This reservoir holds 25% of New York’s drinking water and spans over 15 miles so it is pretty colossal and has some real opportunities for scenic beauty.
To start off it wasn’t great. We still had the same flat light and the road was just far enough back that the lake was obscured from view…
Around the halfway point this completely changed. The Skies opened up, the sun came out and the views became quite simply ridiculous! We stopped at the bridge midway and gawped at the stunning setting, the near-silent air adding a real calm and beauty to the scene. It was clear how much impact the sun was having as one way was golden and beautiful and back the way we came dull and lifeless.
We wondered about the hundreds of seemingly abandoned boats that lined the shores, wondering why they were there. We later found out that there is great fishing on the Reservoir for Troat, however, all boats must be steam-cleaned before launching. This is quite a hassle so the owners simply leave the boats shoreside so they do not have to be cleaned every time they use them. After all, this is drinking water for millions of people, they do not want any contamination!
We spent a long time exploring the beautiful vistas that now surrounded the dam and getting some really beautiful photos. The weather was still warm and the Still air really incredible. The traffic was super light on this road and you could hear the sparse cars and trucks coming a mile off, while most of the time it was just unbroken silence.
Upstate New York
After following the reservoir for a few more miles we reached the Pepacton Dam that looms over Downsville before dropping down into the ludicrously monikoered town, dubbed the Best Town by a DAM. There wasn’t much on offer to tempt us to stop. it felt a touch too “hick” for us and we had plenty of Gas and provisions so pushed on.
The route remained very rural and pretty as we passed farms, pastures, and quaint little red barns. It was all very picturesque. However, before long the roads kept getting bigger and the landscapes flattening out as we left the Catskills and headed for the wide-open ranges of the far north of the Country.
Before long we were on the Freeway and heading for Sysrcuse where we would pick up the Interstate 90, and start heading across the country.
Niagara – Rainbow Bridge
Having passed through Buffalow, we headed north to the border with Canada. We had booked our overnight across the border for a few reasons. The Views of the fall are far better on the Canadian side and the hotel prices were a lot cheaper, and you got much better hotels as well. On the US side, none of the hotels offer Falls Views but on the Canadian side, you would pay less for a Falls View than even the most basic hotel on the US side!
However, this meant navigating the US-Canadian Border. While heading to Canada there were few issues, you didn’t even need a Visa, just a passport, depending on your nationality, and the only problem was the potential for queues. However, it was fairly quiet and we were across the border and into Canada in around 30 minutes. Our bigger worries were for the re-entry to the States tomorrow.
Tower Hotel
We had chosen the Tower Hotel mainly for the novelty of sleeping in a cylindrical tower perched above the falls, and while the room was fairly basic and a bit run down we were still really happy. While it had been renovated in 2010, it feels a little like it was still adorned in its 1960s decor. Still… would you look at that View?
While the room was only ok, The view was stunning. We checked at the desk that we had got the reserved falls view room and the clerk assured us we would be happy. and he was absolutely right, one of the best views from any hotel we have ever had! and the room only cost Cad$ 240, which was around US$170, an utter bargain when we would only get a Holiday Inn across the border for the same money!
Sunset by the Falls
Despite wanting to spend time admiring our view, time was getting on and the sun getting lower and lower, we would have just enough time to get to the falls for Sunset.
The forecast had been a bit unsure about the weather, with some nasty rain on the way, but the timing was not clear, in the end, we were treated to stunning blue skies, however, it’s pretty much always raining at the falls as the spray from the downfall dampens the banks pretty much 24/7. However, it was still fairly warm although our journey north had definitely lost us a good few degrees of warmth. The sun was starting to go down and turning the sky a wonderful hue of orange and purple.
We wandered around getting some wonderful shots while we waited for night to fall and the Lights to turn on. Once the sun had gone we took the opportunity to hunt out some food.
All You Can Eat BBQ
Honestly, we were not sure what to expect of the City of Niagara. We thought it would be fairly small and understated, how wrong we could be. On the way here my Father-In-Law had messaged us, letting us know his thoughts on the place, and they were not kind. We arrived and concurred with his assessment pretty strongly. It was very tacky, and the streets were lined with large US chain restaurants and the low-end kind at that. There were several Casinos and the place had an air of Atlantic City, Reno, or for our UK readers, Blackpool.
Finding something to eat might not be a challenge but finding something we wanted may be. In the end, we noticed an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet right near the Hotel, but rather than the usual cheap Buffets this was a Teas BBQ Buffet…probably our favorite food in the States and something we had not planned for. It tried to get Kate interested in Poutine, but however I explained it, Chips and Gravy was not floating her boat, so BBQ it was.
An All-you-can-eat Buffet is never going to offer the best quality, but it was decent enough and we gorged on Smoked Brisket, Ribs, Salmon, Pork Belly, and all the sides. There was even a fantastic selection of Hot Sauces to try. A fantastic meal, until we got to dessert.
These were ordered individually, although still included In the price (as were the starters where we ordered up some Wings) and were absolutely amazing. Smores that came served in a sizzling hot pan with melted chocolate and marshmallows and an amazing Pecan Pie that really got us in the mood for Thanksgiving.
Overall it was a great meal and we were really pleased we didn’t cave and go to Denny’s or Applebees instead, they even had a Poutine station so we got to try the national dish…which is just Chips and Gravy…
Nighttime at the Falls
Stuffed to the Brim, we just had enough time to head back to the falls to take them in under the cover of darkness. Fortunately, the Falls have installed a $Multi-Million lighting system that illuminates the falls every night, otherwise, they would be a fairly limited spectacle in the dark.
With the light show on the falls are really stunning, as they changed colors throughout the night. From Hallowwen Blood Red to Ukrainine Blue and Yellow, Pride Rainbows, and the stunning Canadian Flag. However to be honest our favourite was simply brilliant white…
After a while of soaking in the sights and soaking in the mist, we headed back to our hotel room to take in more of the stunning views from our room and have a bit of a nighttime tipple as we did so. We left the curtains open overnight so every time we rolled over we could bask in the glorious view.
While it’s getting a bit of a Cliche, we have another stonking day ahead of us as we explore the attractions of the Falls, then stomp 275 miles back into America and across the country to have our wits scared out of us at Cedar Points Last Halloweekend Horror Night of the year!
Walking Total – 15,700 Steps – 8.2 Miles
Despite spending a long time simply driving we clocked up a lot of steps today. Niagara Falls are pretty huge and while we didn’t do that much, just a few “laps” of the viewing area and back up to the Hotel clocked up some pretty serious mileage. Also, the Topography of the town means there are not many direct routes from the main Hotel Area down to the falls, it was really close as the crow flies but a long detour was needed to get down to the falls.
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Day 11 – Morning at Niagara – Halloween at Cedar Point >>>