Northeast America and Canada with Hawaii on the way home: Belleville to Niagara Falls, ON, Canada

Today was an early start. We left the hotel at 7.30am for a stroll down through Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Most of the heavy going was completed down the 401 at 80-85mph do not a lot to see but as we were approaching the out-skirts of Toronto things changed, the traffic got really heavy, drivers were a lot more decisive in their lane changes and we saw an awful lot of apartment blocks; they were everywhere! Whilst we didn't drive through the downtown area we got really close and came within spitting distance of the CN Tower which is much like the Sky Tower in Auckland.

Our destination for lunch was Niagara-On-The-Lake a very quaint town about 30-40 minutes from Niagara Falls, ON. It is a little confusing as the other half of Niagara Falls is on the US side in the state of New York.

After doing all the necessary things like unpacking the bike and then parking the bike, then getting changed it was off to find the boat for our ride into the mist 😁. Again where we needed to be was within walking distance so off we went two by two (some one by one) only to get distracted by the Hard Rock Cafe and the need to have a cool drink: we didn't need to be at the boat at a specific time as they ran every 30 minutes or so. The Hard Rock was good and had some nice themes in it, like guitars signed by music legends, a couple of motorcycles and a lot of other music stuff.

Now originally we were going to walk across the bridge to the US side to take the ride into the falls but it was a long way and so it was decided by all that we would take the boat this side so down we went. Jo arranged the tickets; down in the lift we went and collected our red plastic poncho (on the US side they are blue) to try and keep us dry, and stand in line ready to be boarded. As I said previously the boats come and go about every 20-30 minutes; one will go from the Canada side then one from the US side; there are 4 boats in total and they don't seem to stop, but they do.

The boat trip past and into the falls was a real treat and really enjoyed by all. The Niagara Falls is actually three falls; the American Falls; the Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls. They are located on the Niagara River which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. Some interesting facts. The falls are 51 mtrs high, 85,000 cu ft/s of water goes over the falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie on the border whilst the American and Bridal Veil Falls are entirely in the US. The Horseshoe Falls are the most powerful in North America; all three are a valuable source of hydro power.

After getting wet it was a nice leisurely walk back to our hotel via a cafe for a drink and the Incline Train; it was way better than walking up the hill.

After dinner it was back to our room to watch the lights and fireworks display.