We took the obvious route, which didn't work. The major throughway did not allow bicycles on the shoulder. We were only about 1/2 mile from the bridge off the island, but we decided not to risk getting a ticket (or getting busted - you know how The Man is always trying to hold you down). Since the island is rather small and not too populated, there were no other roads close by (and no decent map). So Jim used his instincts to get us to the base of the bridge so we could use the pedestrian walkway across. This entailed trying a few dead-ends, then hitting a state park. Once in the park we found an unmarked and not often used foot path going through the woods in the general direction we wanted to go. Sure enough it took us to the base of the bridge! Lewis and Clark eat your hearts out!

The sign said we had to walk our bikes across the 3/4 mile bridge over the Niagara. For those who don't recall, Jim has phobias about heights and bridges. As Jim explains, "It's not so much fear as it is physical pain! When I get near the edge or look up or down, I hurt from my hamstrings down to my feet and I get a small bout of vertigo. So don't give me grief!" To prove himself a man, Jim stopped at the highest point of the bridge and looked over the edge. Marci was duly impressed that Jim didn't curl up in the fetal position and have to be carried off the bridge

Once off the island, we headed for the falls. Once again the road we wanted to take did not permit bicycles. Fortunately we knew about which direction to go, so we headed through an industrial area (Nabisco, Dupont, Occidental plants were there) where no tourists feared to tread. Eventually we saw that big spire/tower restaurant on the Canada side of the falls, so we kept heading towards that point. Lo and behold we made it to the Niagara Falls State Park!! Total distance: 12.4 miles (as opposed to the seven we anticipated). We didn't see any other cyclists while we were there - I wonder why!!

The falls are unbelievable. You don't just see them, you experience them. We saw them from several vantage points, including just a few feet from the edge at Rainbow Bridge. We also paid 50 cents each to take an elevator to the base of the falls where we walked out on the rocks. Sometimes the wind blew the mist our way and we got a little wet. My best guess is that the falls drop about 200 feet, but I could be wrong. We didn't appreciate the sheer size of the falls until we actually saw them. It was unreal.

Some people took the Maid in the Mist cruise out to the base of the falls. We decided not to - it did not seem worth the money. Our total cost for the trip was a measly $1 - no tolls, no parking fees, no snacks, etc. We are so thrifty!!

Back at camp we decided to hit the indoor pool. Unfortunately, they screwed up and put their indoor pool outdoors. We tried to explain to them that indoors is the opposite of outdoors. Jim even stood in the doorway, hopping back and forth saying, "In. Out. In. Out."