Road Trip Part 2, Niagra Falls

Day 2 of our road trip, we took a little trek up to Niagra Falls.  It was still cold, but sunny and pleasant none the less. 

Here is Papillon and Grandpa in front of Horseshoe Falls.

I had been to Niagra Falls once before, but it was a long time ago and we saw it from the Canadian side. This time we stayed State-side which provided a very different view.   It goes without saying that the falls are most impressive.

We walked from Goat Island (don't ask me which it is called that) where you can see Horseshoe Falls, around and off the island to the other side of American Falls. Papillon walked happily for a bit, but poor Little Brother's back hurt from bending over and Papillon wouldn't let go of his hand. So She ended up being carried by Grandpa most of the way.

We had to take the obligatory close-to-the-edge picture for Mom, complete with a "No Climbing Over Railing" Pose.

Little Brother taught Papillon "Where is Canada?" to which she enthusiastically  pointed and said "Eh!" like a good Canadian.

Grandpa taught Papillon "what a waterfall does" which involves a swoosh sound and a nifty hand motion. Papillon got very good at it.

While looking for a tourist shop to warm up in (note to self, Niagra Falls basically closes in the winter, so its probably best not to go in January. Oh well, you live and learn) we found this pretty sweet sign - you may have to click on the picture to see it.  It says "Unattended Children will be given an espresso and a free puppy". Clearly we had to get a picture of Papillon looking unattended next to the sign.

After failing to find a toasty place to thaw out, we opted to have lunch in the car before heading back.

After lunch, before officially returning, we stopped by the oft-forgotten, but equally-amazing-as-the-falls Whirlpool.  It's an impressively large pool along the Niagra river where the river takes a sharp turn to the right. It rushes in on the left side of the pool, goes around pool counter clockwise, but then to get out on the right hand side of the pool. In order to do this the current actually dips underneath the incoming flow.  It seems some people have ridden through the incoming rapids and around the whirlpool in a barrel. One poor chap tried to swim it, but he didn't make.

It was a pretty cool place. I would highly recommend paying it a visit if you ever find yourself in Niagra Falls. 

On the trek home, I swore that Papillon would take a good solid nap. It was, after all, a 2 hour car ride and she hadn't slept all day.  However, I was totally wrong and she stayed awake, the whole time. Crazy kid. 

Our day ended with a little dinner at a mexican restaurant. Papillon amused herself by arranging the sugar packets on the table ... .

..and drawing on a few with her crayons.

The next day it was time to make the long trek home.  We got up early and while we packed, Papillon sat in the bed having some milk and blueberry muffin for breakfast.

Papillon slept like a trooper on the way back! Her 2 hour morning nap allowed us to get 4 hours of uninterrupted driving in.  Miraculous!

On the second leg of the trip home I sat in the back with her (my arm was getting sore from reaching back to hand her things).  And we enjoyed a little peanut butter bagel for lunch. Peanut butter got everywhere...

...but it was worth it. Papillon was a happy camper as you can tell by her "smile for the camera" face!

When all was said and done, we logged 1200 miles on the road in 4 days.  Papillon was ready to be done with cars forever when we got back. But she really did a fantastic job with how much we abused her schedule all weekend long.