Greetings from “The Falls”. I’ve visited more times than I can count, yet here I stood again, slack-jawed. I remember visiting as a child and realizing that people traveled from every corner of the world just for this — which made me feel equal parts proud and insufferably smug. What still surprises me is how close you can get to the falls themselves on the U.S. side. (Fun fact: Niagara Falls State Park holds the distinction of being the oldest state park in the nation — something worth knowing the next time you need to impress someone at a dinner party.)
Relaxing, however, was another matter. Legend had opinions about every bush along the rocky outcropping, and my nerves had opinions about that. Once we’d collected our obligatory snapshots and retreated to safer ground, we made our peace with the park’s many quieter acres. As usual, the sight of two imposing looking German Shepherds caused a bit of a stir, include from some civic-minded (ahem) good citizens who loudly remarked dogs should be left at home. We just smiled and waved. Under my breath, I mentioned to Brandi that the dogs were better behaved than many of the untethered children. Legend, to his credit, did not dignify any of it.
This afternoon we said our goodbyes to Brandi and Nike, who rode on over the Peace Bridge and into Ontario. Legend and I are heading the other direction — taking the slow lane, roughly tracing the old Erie Canal route. Low-key observations from the road, as promised.
