I am writing from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the second evening of our nine-day summer road trip to the east. This is such a special getaway since the last "real" summer vacation all four of us took was to the Grand Canyon in 2009! Matthew and I both took college classes over the summer, and before they start up for the fall semester, we decided to get away for a long-awaited, much-deserved adventure. I did not blog yesterday, even though it was the first day of the trip, so this post is for Friday, August 11. We were up just before 6:00 to do final packing and loading of the car, pick up my dad from work, grab some breakfast at Panera on the way out (blueberry bagel and an iced coffee!), and then just check off mile after mile on our way to Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). We stopped briefly in Illinois at 11:45 for fuel and to get lunch ready (we take lunch fixings with us on summer trips since it saves so much time, money, and our health!) -- almond butter on an English muffin, blueberries, a few other snacks, and water. Unfortunately, there was a ton of road work in Indiana and Michigan, leading to closed lanes and super-backed-up traffic. Nothing we could do about it other than wait and enjoy the beautiful forests and farm fields! We crossed the Canadian border near Point Edward, Ontario, and stopped for fuel and supper shortly afterwards. When in Canada...you have to partake of Tim Horton's at least once, so we did! Grilled cheese sandwich, potato wedges, water, and a sinfully delicious s'mores donut wrapped up the day's meals, and then I drove (first time ever in Canada even though it's far from my first visit!) all the way to our Howard Johnson Express motel in Niagara Falls. It was late (11:00 P.M.), but we had arrived safely! Since the falls are illuminated at night, we decided to drive just a few minutes from the motel to see them. The thundering water, mist on your face, crisp night air, and every shade of illumination made for an incredible ending to the first day. I was even satisfied with a few of the many pictures I took; it's not easy to capture a good one at night! We enjoyed them for awhile before returning to the hotel for showers and a very-welcome bed at 1:00 A.M.
Niagara Falls at night
~Anna
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