Day 8--Niagara Falls to Indiana Dunes State Park

Niagara Falls, NY.  October 2, 2012

Breakfast at Indiana Dunes

Dad has a viral something…fever, sneezing, headache, sore throat.  With a little aspirin, he feels much better, and luckily, we are past the main activity of this trip and on our way home.  He slept pretty well last night, and the rest of us are loading up on vitamins.  Our campground was only about six miles from the Famous Niagara Falls.  We were there before 9am.  It was slightly rainy for just a few minutes, but cleared for us to walk around the park and get some good pictures. Early October has to be the best time of year to hit this tourist destination…absolutely no crowds.  It’s a fun stop if you are sort of in the area…!  Then it was a shuffle-off-to-Buffalo, where we checked back with the Wal-Mart we’d stopped at the night before, to pick up pictures they’d developed from Janet’s camera.  Jan and I spent an hour or so on the road loading almost 500 photos into two albums.  Mom and dad are so surprised and excited to have printed pictures to show their friends as soon as they get home.

As we passed Erie, Pennsylvania, Mom saw a sign for Cracker Barrel and wanted to stop for lunch. Yum…meatloaf, pork chops, salad, and blueberry pancakes!  We could have eaten in the RV, but it was great to sit still for a bit.  Dad got a good nap in afterward.

This driving is a lot faster and easier than our Lincoln Highway.  Interstate 90 goes along the whole east side of Lake Erie from Niagara, NY; through a corner of Pennsylvania; and to Cleveland, Ohio.  Then it turns west to Toledo, Ohio and Indiana, where it curves around the south end of Lake Michigan.  We’ve been in light rain most of the day, with grey skies.  We are spending the night in the Indiana Dunes State Park—an RV camp with showers, electrical hook-up sites and separate dump/water locations.  The Park has 3 miles of sandy beach right on the lake. 

Here’s some views on the best parts of the trip:

Mom says--

“the area around Port Byron and the cemeteries--the Nye family cemetery was amazing… and Bye and Bye Hardware. “It’s hard to choose just one thing.  It was almost like going to Alaska the first time.  Every time you went around a corner there was another more gorgeous view! One of my favorite memories of the trip will be walking across the Erie Canal in Lyons and Keith breaking into song.”

Dad says—

“It’s hard to say the best part…probably, the trees in northern Pennsylvania, and the people we happened to meet. “

Keith says—

              “the fall colors in the Alleghenies, and seeing the Ewald graves.”

Jan says—

“seeing Honey Gram’s grave, and all five of us being on this bus  together.  Everyone we came in contact with was so friendly, helpful, and excited about what we were doing.”

Marcia says—

“the Ewald cemetery in Lyons, spending time with the family, the surprising ease and appropriateness of the RV rental, and experiencing the history and geography of so much of our country.”

This statue of Nicola Tesla, inventor of Alternating Current
is outside the entry gate to the Falls, where lots of electricity
is generated with hydroelectric power.

flowers at the Falls

We passed Progressive Stadium where the Cleveland Indians play. 

Mom and Dad enjoying the trip