a happy heart: A Girl and Her Dad: Road to Canada (Day 4)

We left Toronto a little before noon today and headed for Niagara Falls. Seeing as we didn't have any source of navigation, we made it there fairly smoothly. Though, we did stop at good ol' Tim Horton's for some coffee. And for directions. It seems that our pal Tim never lets us down.

After about an hour of driving, we arrived to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Also known as the Wisconsin Dells on steroids. Dad and I were astonished at how something so beautiful such as Niagara Falls could be turned into such a tourist fad. And because it is the off season for tourism (who wants to see a frozen waterfall?), everything seems extra creepy. It probably all belongs in a horror film: wax museums, Dracula's museum, Marine World, haunted houses, flashy neon signs, giant dinosaurs, etc.

Though, the Niagara Falls itself is absolutely incredible. I would actually describe it as being overwhelming. The amount of beauty this one waterfall can hold, is breathtaking. Just when I thought our trip couldn't get any better, it did. We spent a few hours taking pictures while parking illegally and always having to make sure there were no police ticketing us. Due to the mist being emitted from the Falls, it felt as if it were raining inside the car.

After standing in front of the falls for a little bit, we went back to the hotel and hung out. We went out again to explore what was beyond the creepy outskirts of the touristy area. We didn't run into a whole lot, so we decided to turn around. And good thing we did because we were able to see Niagara Falls lit up with several different colors. The chunks of ice looked like heaping piles of cotton candy and the flowing water was even cooler looking. I can't describe it without making tons of weird references. As I was taking pictures the second time around (when it was dark) someone came up to me and asked me how my pictures were turning out, what my camera settings were, etc. Turns out, it was someone Dad and I had met at the CN Tower yesterday. What are the chances?

Once we got cold from the Falls, we headed back to the hotel and warmed up. From there, we went out. Well, once again, everything was closed. However, we managed to have one drink. While we were at the bar, we ended up running into an older couple that were from the Milwaukee area. That was pretty crazy. And by older couple, I mean Mom and Dad's age. But, Dad did get the senior discount at our last hotel, so I feel that it is safe to use the term "older couple"...

Oh, and breakfast tomorrow includes waffles. In the back of mind, that's all I've been thinking about...