Moon over Niagara

 

A view from our room last evening as the full moon came up over the falls. And speaking of full, what a day seeing the attractions.

 

John remembered going behind the falls when he was here as a kid. They haven't painted the tunnels since then.

It was pretty amazing, feeling all that power up close and personal. My thoughts down under turned somewhat morbid, thinking of the 5,000+ bodies recovered from the bottom of the falls over the years-- mostly suicides, but many senseless daredevil stunts in barrels and such, including a guy who thought it would be fun going over in a kayak. He was never seen again.

Have I mentioned Niagara Falls Park is a goldmine for Ontario? We heard as many foreign languages as English in the crowds, and we were here on a weekday in the off season. This visitor center is filled with restaurants, bars and a giant shopping area. Yes, everything is very expensive.

Anyway, on to a more relaxing attraction in the afternoon: The Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. 

 

We had a nice dinner in the hotel steak restaurant-- which doubles as Ihop during the day.

We head back to Buffalo today, and spend the night at the same airport hotel where we started our adventure. The weather is chilly but nice, so we might stop at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens this afternoon. And maybe some Buffalo wings for lunch at the iconic Duff's? Tomorrow we part ways with New York and fly home. What a trip. 

Niagara Falls!

 

When we parted the drapes in our room on the 29th floor at the Tower Hotel...

This was our first view of Niagara Falls! Nothing really prepared me for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

We got settled in, then rode the little tram car down the river bank for an up-close look.

And later, the beautiful lighted view from our room, with the constant sound of the falls going all night.

I once asked John where he wanted to go, if he could go anywhere in the world. 

He showed me a picture of the IHop restaurant on the 26th floor of the Niagara Falls Tower Hotel. What a peculiar man! But I was soon intrigued, and got to work planning an entire trip around a 2-night stay at this hotel. I made the reservations many months ago.

And it just goes to show you, dreams can come true...

A spectacular sunrise outside our breakfast table at the IHop. 

Eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes. Someone looks happy.

Older than the hills

 

 

 

Fun fact of the day: When the Appalachian Mountains first formed 2 billion years ago, they were about 50,000 feet tall. Today, the tallest peak in the Adirondacks is Mount Marcy at 5,343 feet above sea level. 

 

Time does wear ya' down...

 

The iconic Cascadilla Gorge Trail connects downtown Ithaca with the Cornell Campus through one of the most picturesque gorges in the Finger Lakes Region. It was formed in only the last 20,000 years, as the ice sheet retreated from the area.

 

 

 

It is stunningly beautiful place. I've never seen anything like it, and on a cold, rainy, weekday morning, we had the trail mostly to ourselves going up. I look like a blimp from all the layers, but we hiked the hundreds of steep rock stairs to the university above town.

Speaking of older than the hills-- we went to a campus bakery for bagels and coffee, where we felt like true fossils among the student crowd.

So our stay in Ithaca comes to an end, and we check out of our little bungalow today and head to Niagara Falls, a 150 mile drive. I have to admit, the weather was a bit of a bummer, but fortunately we had that one beautiful day for the boat ride on Saturday. The rest of the week looks cloudy but mostly dry. We'll take it.

That said, the eastern fall rain does have its own special charm. In Seattle, the mellow seasons change slowly, but the nip of winter is truly in the air here.

And the rain came

 

We had a good day yesterday, despite the almost constant rain. After a slow Sunday breakfast, we went to the  Johnson Museum of Art  on the Cornell campus overlooking Ithaca.  

From the top level, there are sweeping views of the city, the college, and Lake Cayuga off in the mist. Designed by I. M. Pei, the museum opened in 1973, and has always been free to the public. 

I went to San Diego State, and find these centuries old, ivy league campuses awesome and intimidating,  although I suppose they are filled with normal (albeit very smart) kids like any other college. 

Anyway, the art collection was splendid, from ancient to modern, and the museum is about the perfect size to see everything comfortably in a couple hours.

The special exhibit covered 300 years of Latin American art, and the impact of colonization, evangelization, and the transatlantic slave trade. Interesting, but heavy (brutal) stuff.

Still raining in the afternoon, but we drove out to Taughannock Falls State Park for a soggy photo at the overlook. We did not hike the slippery gorge steps. 

At 215 feet tall, it's the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. To put that in perspective, Niagara Falls is 167 feet high.

 Speaking of which, that's where we're heading Tuesday. Tomorrow, another wet one in Ithaca.

Pilgrimage

 

It was a thrill for me, finally visiting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I've enjoyed their publications, admired their work and used their birding apps for years.

We took the early morning bird walk in Sapsucker Woods. There were 25 of us, led by an expert from the local bird club. It was a beautiful morning although breezy, and in autumn there are fewer birds around.

Still, even on this slow day, we saw among others, a bald eagle, kingfisher, red bellied woodpeckers, red winged blackbirds, wood ducks, and some lucky people caught a glimpse of the northern shrike (butcher bird) a rarity here that got the birding experts excited. John saw it; I was looking elsewhere, darn.

The newly remodeled visitor center was magnificent...

 

A glass, multi-level building with beautiful views of the pond and woods. It was fun seeing my favorite Cornell Lab Feeder Watch Live cam . Check it out!

 

In the afternoon, we took a two hour narrated "eco tour" up Cayuga Lake.

It was fascinating learning about the long history and geology of the area. The architecture in Ithaca is wonderful, and I loved seeing the historic homes along the lake and hearing all the stories.

So-- it was a great but exhausting day. After the boat trip, we got take out food at the giant Wegmans grocery store and headed back to our cottage on the hill, rather than fight the Saturday night crowds down on the Ithaca Commons. 

The weather made an abrupt about face last night. It is pouring rain today, so inside activities on the agenda.