Sunday, June 2nd
Our first full day in New York had us visiting Watkins Glen State Park, as well as Letchworth State Park. We saw some amazing waterfalls that looked like they were out of a story book/fantasy movie. These are things I had no clue were in New York and I am so excited to come back and explore more of this state. After both of those we headed to our campsite for the week - Four Mile Creek State Park, about 25 minutes from Niagara Falls.
Monday, June 3rd
A nice quiet day after work to stock up on groceries, on the way we stopped at Fort Niagara State Park to check out Lake Ontario for the first time. We weren’t able to explore the Fort because it was a Monday night and closed, but it was still a beautiful park to walk the beach and skip rocks. Another day where I feel so lucky to see this kind of stuff on a weeknight!
Tuesday, June 4th
Gabby flew into Buffalo to visit for a couple days around my birthday! I picked her up in the morning and she stayed busy while Zac and I finished up our work days. After that, we ventured to the US side of Niagara Falls, along the way we stopped at a few overlooks that featured whirlpools and glimpses of the falls. Once we arrived on Goat Island we were hit in the face by an awful fishy smell that got stronger and stronger as we walked to the observation area. Fortunately, the views compensated for the scent and we were left in awe by the falls. After checking out some more views along Goat Island, we headed on an errand for Gabby’s dad and stopped at a local custard and beef shop (I know, weird combo). They had plenty of gluten free options and a famous sandwich called “Beef on Weck” that we all had to try out of curiosity. Overall, not bad and Gabby’s ice cream sandwich was to die for.
Wednesday, June 5th
Gabby and I started my birthday/day off by heading to Canada! I had never been so I was very nervous crossing the border, but Gabby was the perfect copilot and calmed me down immediately. Once in Canada, we headed straight for the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara which turned out to be 10x better than the Detroit Zoo butterfly house. After that we wandered around the botanical gardens and then headed to a winery. Next, we drove a little further north towards the town of Niagara on the Lake, which we both instantly fell in love with. The small town vibes and old architecture were the perfect destination for an afternoon stroll. We headed back to the campsite to pick up Zac when he was done with work and then went back to Canada to check out their side of the falls. When we arrived, we felt it was a right of passage to go on the Niagara boat tour, and I’m so glad we did. What an epic experience! We finished out the night with dinner and a view of the lit up falls as well as the fireworks display. This was such an excellent birthday, I feel so thankful for all of the beautiful things I am lucky enough to see in my 28th year!
Thursday, June 6th
Bid a sad farewell to Gabby and dropped her off at the airport. Zac and I finished our work days and decided to check out more of the touristy things on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Zac’s family had told us about a haunted house they went to 20 years ago so we had to check one out. Definitely not as scary as I was expecting, but still very fun! Then we walked through a wax museum and rode the ferris wheel during sunset. This evening made me feel like a little kid again at a carnival, even finishing the night with an Oreo funnel cake.
Friday, June 7th
After an eventful week we decided to slow it down and have a relaxing evening. We cooked a quick dinner and then took a nice stroll around the campground before starting to pack up the rv for our early morning departure.
Saturday, June 8th
Our goal for the day was to get back to Michigan - through Canada ideally. We were unsure if we would have problems crossing the border due to our trailer not having a license plate yet. We got our necessary paperwork together to prove that we didn’t steal the damn thing and set off to the border bright and early. I was also concerned about crossing with Scout in the car, everything I had looked up told me to make sure we had documentation of his up-to-date vaccinations. So we had a folder of all of his paperwork ready as well. We drove up to cross into Canada with no one in line before us, they asked if we were just passing through to get home and what our truck plate was. No questions about the RV or Scout, and they sent us on through! Next we just had to get back into the US - which takes a considerably longer amount of time for some reason. We arrived at the border and noticed an hour backup on our GPS. It took about that long to get up to the gate and they asked us about the same amount of questions as we had earlier. No questions about the RV or the cat, what was I so worried about?? Thank goodness we made it back to Michigan without any hiccups, now time to see some family and friends!
Feeling so much love this week! Of course I made a reel to commemorate, so feel free to watch it here. And if you haven’t already, subscribe below to keep up with where we are going to be next!
Thank you for following along for Week 6, we will be taking a brief (2 week) hiatus to see family and friends in Michigan - so you won’t get an update here until Week 9 when we are in the UP. Stay tuned!