July 22 -

Wow, here it is January 2009 and I am just barely getting to writing about my latest trip on "The Coolbeans". Some had thought that I wasn't traveling with my Husband anymore on the lakes since they had heard that we bought a home in Vermont. No, thats not it at all. We did buy a home in Vermont for sure and are very happy here, but owning 11 acres in the woods has kept us busy and me from sitting here at the computer for great lengths as well. As always I do keep some notes while I'm on the ship but I have to admit I probably don't remember everything that happened but lets see how it goes!

I drove from our home in Vermont, left around 9AM and arrived in Canada at 5:30PM , got a room at a Motel in Fort Erie. ( Which by the way I will NEVER stay in again! Yikes!) The drive out was interesting as there were torritial rain storms and tornado warnings all across New York and also in Ontario. Luckily I didn't see any as I'm not sure I would of known what to do! Once I checked in to the motel I had some time to kill since I wouldn't be meeting up with the ship until the next morning at Lock 8 in the Welland Canal. I decided to pick up my camera and walk over to the Park on the Niagara River. I really didn't stay too long there as once I got to the river there were some really wierd cloud formations coming in and the wind started up. I hastly walked back to the motel and tried to be patient waiting. ( I'm not very good at that!)

The photos here are shots I took in the park, the Niagara Parkway, a road that leads along the river, a beautiful drive with views of vineyards, botanical gardens, butterfly conservatory and of course the Falls themselves.