In August 2016, we towed Shining Hope up toward Grand Island New York from South Central PA to spend the week touring Niagara and the local area. Just to note, traveling across route 21a west out of Warsaw, NY toward Buffalo you’ll come across some high ground peppered with these HUMONGOUS windmills. A cool sight for sure!
We checked in and stayed for the week at Branches of Niagara Campground. What a nice place. Only complaint is that every time you leave Grand Island it costs you a dollar to get back on it! We did that plenty of times and gave up lots of dollar bills! We do, however, HIGHLY recommend Adrian’s Custard and Beef on Grand Island Boulevard just off Whitehaven Road. Delicious custard – we hit the place up several nights during our stay.
Oh my, did we ever do Niagara. We did the New York side, we did the Canadian side, we walked across Rainbow Bridge to Canada one late afternoon so we could see the falls lit up at night. We explored every nook and cranny of the region, and we will surely return. We rode our bikes all around Goat Island on the New York side, which we highly recommend. You can find free parking on Buffalo Avenue across from the Holiday Inn……nice!
Another highlight was taking our bicycles to Dufferin Islands State Park, on the Canadian side where we parked the truck for free, unloaded our bikes and rode along the river right up to the Horseshoe Falls and all along the area there. We rode up to the Skylon Tower, parked the bikes at the base, took the elevator to the top, and had lunch. We walked our bikes down Clifton Hill, as the crowds were pretty thick, but what a great way to tour the area.
We drove the truck up to Niagara on the Lake, unloaded the bikes there, and rode all around. If you’re a wine aficionado, the shore of Lake Ontario has a bunch of winery options……..I recommend a designated driver for this trip for sure.
We even showed up at Lock 3 on the Welland Canal, a very fascinating place, especially when one of the BIG ships comes through. Our timing turned out to be impeccable and we got to see the whole operation, and it was quite awesome.
And if you happen to find yourselves in St. Catherines, Lakeside Park has this Carousel you can ride for nickel…..no kidding. That’s five cents in U.S. currency! We really enjoyed that bit of nostalgia.
My lovely bride, whom I affectionately refer to as the Navigator, loves Mission style furniture and all things from the Arts and Crafts era. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a place in East Aurora, New York, called the Roycroft Inn. Hence, against my better judgment, I found myself en route. Well, what a town, the whole place is devoted to this Roycroft business and its history, an entrepreneur of the era named Elbert Hubbard, and the manufacture of Mission style furniture and other wares. She was in heaven. Be sure to check out Hubbard’s book, “A Message to Garcia”, and have lunch at the Roycroft!
Do you know the location of the origin of the Buffalo Wing? Well, I do now, thanks to the Navigator. She had me driving right in to Buffalo, to the Anchor Bar. When you go, order up some deep fried Buffalo Wings, sit back, and enjoy! What a crazy place inside, you have to see it to believe it!
My lovely wife even led me to the Erie County Fair, which is held in Hamburg, NY. Sheesh! A guy needs a roadmap just to find his way around INSIDE the fairgrounds. Indeed, this fair is the biggest I’ve ever seen, and a great place to go if you’re in town when it’s going on.
One day we took a trip up the Robert Moses Parkway, all the way to the end, then left on Lake Road to Olcott, NY. What a picturesque town, with some quaint shops and a lighthouse to boot.
Finally, we decided to get a wee bit of hiking in and drove over to Whirlpool State Park. We hiked down in to the gorge, and right on to the ‘flats’ where the Niagara River dumps in to the Whirlpool. If you have the physical ability to do so I highly recommend doing this, but take water and snacks for sure, and don’t fall in!
Respectfully,
Major Airhead
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