Off to Nova Scotia & Newfoundland, hopefully!!

We're on the road now headed toward the Atlantic provinces of Canada by way of northern Virginia to see relatives first.
So far: the backup camera screen is way too small (2.5 inches) and occasionally very fuzzy; and the passenger side mirror vibrated off again; the cruise control was not working, even when he tried, tried, and tried yet again over the past three days. Found out it helps to plug it into the thingy under the dash. The mirror is fixed again with the help of his plumber brother. The backup camera is a wireless variety and was borrowed from a neighbor, so we will purchase a hard wired, LARGE screen version when we return from this trip if we can't find one in a store along the way.
Our RV does have a large rear window, and with the help of a magnifier thingy on it, the driver can see out of it. On a hot day, though, we put up a cardboard shield behind the front seats and into the cabover in order to have a/c which blocks the mirror so having a backup camera is a real upgrade and especially nice when the passenger mirror comes loose or falls off.
Except for the first day, the weather has been cool with colder nights. Today can't seem to make up it's mind to be sunny or rainy. My sister's church is suppose to have its annual picnic today at 4 p.m. Or maybe not.

Fall in Glen Echo, VA

These photos were taken at my sister's house on the Browntown Road in an area known as Glen Echo.

The flame bush came from Mt. Vernon where her father-in-law worked;



this view of Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive is from the pasture at the top of their property,


This huge tree is in their front yard.

These photos don't do justice to what we were seeing every day for over a week driving into town and back. One drive we didn't get to go on this year was through the George Washington National Forest from Waterlick on US 55 south to Luray through the Fort Valley area. In many areas along this road, the road forms a tunnel through the trees then comes out into a valley with the mountains as a backdrop on both sides.

Nearly Rained Out in Gatlinburg

The weather may have been wet, but we had a good time with Patricia, Bob, BJ, and David at the Westgate Great Smoky Mountain resort last week. The rooms were wonderful with fireplaces, hot tubs, balconies, kitchens(ugh!), and a fantastic view of the national park. We mostly spent the week being couch potatoes in front of the fireplace watching the big screen tvs or sitting on a balcony looking at the mountains.


We took a tour with a company owned by former NASCAR photographers, Rich (40 years) and his wife, Jane, (8 years) which was part history of the area and Dolly Parton's school, house, and church, as well as a scenic drive where they helped us with camera settings to get great photos.
The resort offers several shows during the week which we enjoyed. The craft make-and-takes were scheduled for an outside picnic area and got rained out except for the card making which Patricia and I did.


When we planned this trip, we had decided we would go the the morning aerobics in the indoor heated swimming pool except Patricia didn't find her suit until Wednesday evening. We all three did get a massage in the spa which was a wonderful experience.
We returned to David's and BJ's in Clinton, SC, to get our RV on Sunday. Monday we left to head up to Front Royal and Luray to visit family for a couple weeks before returning home.

The Last Couple of Days in Niagara

After driving to the Fallsview Parking lot south of everything in Niagara, we parked the RV, got out and walked about a block to the bus stop where a PeopleMover bus was parked and waited and waited (about 20 minutes) for the driver to come back. We then found out the bus was not coming to this parking lot for regular runs until June 1! We drove back north and found a pay-to-park lot behind the Skylon Tower where we could pay to park for 24 hours (they charged us for two slots). This lot was not very large but placed us near the Table Rock Visitors' Center and Journey Behind the Falls as well as numerous restaurants.
After hiking down the hill which was about a 12 degree slope, we walked along the viewing area and got really great views of the falls in both countries. Unfortunately, about this time I realized I had left the camera in the RV. Not wanting to climb that mountain twice in one day, I looked for postcards about the Journey Behind the Falls but couldn't find any.
The Journey was truly behind the falls. We went down to the lower level, going straight ahead to a balcony that looked down on a patio reached by stairs,then we walked down a long tunnel which had two other tunnels off to the left that brought us within three to six feet of the water. The roar was very loud, the water looked like it was swirling up, and the tunnels are crumbling so we couldn't get as close as others had done in years past.

The next day I rode up in the 'yellow bug' elevator to the top of the Skylon Tower to see the whole area for about 80 miles in all directions.
We left the next morning to again drive down the Niagara Parkway. The odd thing about this very pleasant drive is that on the east side are numerous little wayside picnic/parking areas with great views of the river while on the west side are numbered service roads with five or six houses ranging from modest to mansion set back from the roads and open lawns between the service roads and the parkway. We left Canada by way of the Peace Bridge. Re-entering the US this time did not involve an onboard Ag inspection by a customs/ag agent. I guess that's only in Washington state.

The Niagara Parkway in Canada

After crossing over into Canada this morning by way of the Queenston Bridge (under construction and a big MESS), we turned south along the Niagara Parkway. Our first stop was to closely examine the huge Floral Clock. The bedding plants are changed twice a year and is different every time. It also chimes on the quarter hour.

Further down the road was the Whirlpool Aero car over the reversing whirlpool in the Niagara River that we had seen previously from the American side. This was an adventure I really wanted to try despite the vertigo caused by an inter ear problem. When we asked about the trip across to the other side in the aero car, we were told only 30 people at a time are allowed in the car and that the trip is about 20 minutes with everyone standing the whole time; those in the center section stay in that part for the trip back, the people on the right trade with the people on the left so every one has a good view of the whirlpool. For me it was a white-knuckle ride but very enjoyable. The guide told us how the whirlpool was kept clean because of the diversion of the falls upstream at night allowed the dead debris to travel away from the whirlpool and further downstream. He also explained when we reached the opposite side that the silver car we saw in the tunnel was an escape car in case the cable(s) broke or we had an other emergency.


We drove almost to the southern end of the Parkway (about 50 miles) just to get oriented and to see where we could park.

Four-Mile State Park

This is a truly relaxing park to be in for any length of time. All the sites are grassy and level. I read the sign that stated on a clear day you can see the Toronto Skyline and with all the buildings identified. All I could see was grey sky and water for miles and miles!

Some More Exploring of the Park

After another night at Four-Mile State Park, we returned to the Niagara Falls area and took another turn around the entire Park on the Scenic Trolley. This time we got off at Three Sisters Islands to explore. These are really three very large rock piles with some vegetation and some very large trees. They were named for the daughters of a friend of the owner.
We returned to the Scenic Trolley and got off at Prospect Point where we could get a close up look at the American Falls from the north side.