Day 28 - 29 - Grand Rapids, MI

Crossed the Canadian/U.S. border for the last time this trip, at Sarnia, ON/Port Huron, MI. (Note: I am always amused and surprised by what the customs people at both the US and Canada borders are looking for. This time it was just beef. In the past, it has been any of the following: potatoes, apples, oranges, pears, chicken, beef, cherries, berries, fish. I have had to relinquish almost all of these over the course of our travels, depending on .........what I don't know - the latest disagreement between the two countries, I suspect!)

We visited the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI. We have visited many of these presidential sites, and they are always interesting and well done. It is amazing how much Ford did and accomplished in his mere 30 months in office. Also amazing is the impact Betty Ford had on our society and women's roles in that time.

Day 26 - Niagara-on-the-Lake; Niagara Falls

We crossed the U.S./Canadian border once again and camped in Niagara-on-the-Lake. While we had seen Niagara Falls 11 years ago, we decided to drive down to Niagara and see them again. They are awe-inspiring. The volume of water passing over the two falls is amazing. Needless to say, both the Canadians and the U.S. are generating power at huge power plants here, but the beauty of the falls is intact. Our weather was perfect as we walked along the sidewalks the length of the viewing area - about 1 1/2 miles one way. It's not too crowded yet. As of mid-June, the "season" has only just started to get in full swing. We are still seeing many weddings at scenic venues throughout the area.

How to describe Niagara-on-the-Lake......it is certainly a little bit of Disney. This town is perfection - the shops which line the main street are charming. The Prince of Wales Hotel, which was recently renovated (pictured here), is surrounded by flowers. We walked in the lobby to see a little of it - an amazing restoration with some beautiful Victorian detail presented in sort of a modern way. The houses in the town are mostly "done" - very pricey by eastern Canada standards - to be situated on the drive along the river means a minimum of $700K Canadian.

We went to a play at one of the George Bernard Shaw Festival venues. We saw "Too True to be Good". It was EXCELLENT - very witty, thought provoking and well-acted.

Day 23 - Huron Township, NY

We drove up to the township of Huron, NY, near Lake Ontario. Gary had researched and found out that his great great grandparents lived in this region and are buried here. After some searching and walking around a cold, damp and windy cemetery, we found the headstone, pictured here. They are Martin and Catherine Snyder.

We then drove up to Sodus Point on Lake Ontario, toured the very pcituresque lighthouse.

Then we looped around to follow the Erie Canal east through Seneca Falls, and to Seneca Lake where we tasted wine at the charming Belhurst Winery, overlooking the Lake. They were very busy there with at least three weddings taking place. Belhurst is in the very beautiful town of Geneva.









That night we had dinner at the Pumpkin Hill Restaurant in Aurora, NY. It is an old farmhouse charmingly updated for its new life as a fine restaurant.