Smoky and the Falls
Earlier this year in March we visited Great Smoky Mountain National Park on the Tennessee side, however most of the roads to higher elevations were closed. (If you want to read that post click here). We decided we needed to come back to see more of the park in warmer weather. Just for fun we stayed on the North Carolina side of the park this time.
This is a great park for the hiking challenged as much of the park has road access with abundant scenic overlooks.
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome boasts the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The “Dome” refers to the mountaintop, not the man-made observation tower. The Dome actually lies within both Tennessee and North Carolina and is the highest point in Tennessee. On clear days, visitors may see as far as 100 miles.
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and Valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. While we were here we hiked two trails, Upper Hawksbill and Dark Hollow Falls. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet. We were a little too early for the fall foliage, but maybe next time.
Heading to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this time from the North Carolina side.
A Tale of Two States
Pennsylvania
From Niagara Falls we drove to Pittsburgh.
We got to catch up with Texas buddies who were in town for the PSU vs Pitt game.
It was a fun game if you’re a PSU fan.
We also got to visit with long-time friends for some overdue time together.
I woke Scott early the day before we left Pittsburgh because I discovered the small creek in front of our RV site had grown into an overflowing river. 102 was our site before we moved one back. The accumulation by our RV’s door came to the bottom of Scott’s calf.
We left Pittsburgh and drove across the state to Lancaster to visit family for two weeks. One of those weekends overlapped with Scott’s annual guys’ trip to Louisiana for an LSU game.
Louisiana
Although I asked Scott to take pictures, he came back with very few. (I wonder why?)
Next stop, the Shenandoah National Park area.
Not Niagara Falls
UPDATE: Scott’s knee is feeling much better. Thank you all for your emails and posts asking after him.
This is part 2 of our Niagara Falls trip… not Niagara Falls. If you did not see the video we did on Niagara Falls click here, it is awesome.
Buffalo
We went into Buffalo to find the original place that made Buffalo Hot Wings. The Buffalo wing was invented in 1964 at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York by Teressa Bellissimo. So what did we think? Well, they were good, but our expectation level may have been too high.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
A beautiful town in Ontario that sits right at the point where the Niagara River meets the Ontario Lake and across from New York and Fort Niagara State Park. The town is near a Horticulture school, so all the public and government lands are beautifully landscaped. The flower clock is one of their projects. A clock decorated in flowers that provides accurate time.
Also in this area are several wineries that make Ice wine. Ice wine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine.
Ice wine production is risky (the frost may not come at all before the grapes rot or are otherwise lost) and requires the availability of a large enough labor force to pick the whole crop within a few hours on the first morning that is cold enough. About 75 percent of the ice wine in Canada comes from Ontario.
We toured a few wineries and somehow ended up with a few bottles to take across the border to the U.S.
Devil’s Hole and Whirlpool Trail
A stone staircase leads down to the base of the gorge and the Devil’s Hole Trail, which offers spectacular views of the rapids and gorge rock layers. The Whirlpool Trail is at the end of Devil’s Hole. You can see across the Niagara River to tourists on the Canadian side watching the whirlpool and jet boats taking thrill-seekers for a wet ride in the rapids.
What is amazing about this hike is you witness the Niagara River more than 5 miles after the Falls and flowing at speeds up to 41 mph. AMAZING!!!
Fort Niagara State Park
We really enjoyed this state park. In addition to soccer fields, pavilions, and picnic tables everywhere, the park is home to the Fort and it’s museum. The museum has a short introductory film as well as guided tours.
You can interact with the employees dressed up in costume, including the blacksmith, a French trader, Continental or British soldiers, and a Native American.
The soldier was especially interesting to us as he demonstrated the musket.
Fort Niagara was an important military location for the U.S. During the colonial wars in North America a fort at the mouth of the Niagara River was vital, as it provided access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the continent. With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, however, the strategic value of Fort Niagara diminished.
Letchworth State Park (Grand Canyon of the East)
Letchworth State Park, renowned as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The Genesee River roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs–as high as 600 feet in some places–surrounded by lush forests. Voted the best attraction in New York State in 2017.
Wonderful park that has something for everyone…hiking, biking, scenic drives, camping, rafting, balloon launch and more.
Niagara Falls
We spent a month in the Niagara area and loved it. I am dividing our trip into two blog posts – Niagara Falls and not Niagara Falls – this is Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.
From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The famous Horseshoe Falls (2,200 feet across) lies on the border of the United States and Canada with the American Falls and Bridal Falls entirely on the United States’ side. During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second.
We went to see the Falls several times… in the morning and at night, on the American side and the Canadian side, from Skylon Tower, the Maid of the Mist boat, from the Cave of the Winds, and many other places. We wanted to share so many pictures that we made a slideshow of the best pictures. The end of the slideshow is the finale of the fireworks show from Rainbow Bridge. ENJOY!!
Two Thumbs Up for Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a group of 11 long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes in an area called the Finger Lakes region in Central New York. The lakes’ shapes reminded early map-makers of human fingers, and the name stuck.
We stayed in the area for two weeks, one week on Cayuga Lake (435 feet deep) and one week on Seneca Lake (618 feet). These two Lakes are among the deepest in the United States, with bottoms well below sea level. They are also the longest Finger Lakes, though neither’s width exceeds 3.5 miles.
The area is known for its waterfalls. We took some leisurely walks to view the very best in the area.
Watkins Glen, is home to well-known race track Watkins Glen International, host of NASCAR Cup Series, IndyCar. (I didn’t know this, but the event was going on while we were in town). Watkins Glen State Park is a treasure and it was voted #3 best state park in the country. Within two miles, the glen’s stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade.
Corning Museum of Glass
This was a fun museum with over 50 demonstrations every day. The exhibits range from ancient times to modern glass design. It was well worth the time. Below are just a few of the neat items we saw.
Our last stop in New York will be the epic Niagara Falls.