Day 8-9: Niagara Falls (Eric)

Day 8-9 (June 6-7, 2021): I hadn’t had a chance to blog about Niagara Falls as we’ve been busy exploring Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park (more on that in another post). But I wanted to get something posted before too much time passed as I was afraid  I wouldn’t remember as much about the experiences we had while visiting the spectacular Niagara Falls State Park. 

First of all, if you’ve never been to the area, be warned that it is a little on the touristy side (with a Hard Rock Cafe, a wax museum, and a large number of cheesy gift shops), but the falls themselves are a sight to behold and worth the visit. 

We stayed at the Hyatt Place in Niagara Falls which is conveniently located near the falls and some of the aforementioned tourist traps. But it is a nice hotel and the location can’t be beat. It also has a nice view of Canada from the window which Bitey enjoyed. I think he’d like to be Canadian. 

Since we were there for two days, we explored the State Park and did the overlooks, The Maid of the Mist  Boat Tour, and The Cave of the Winds. All three were amazing, but if you’re pressed for time or money, you can experience the majesty of the falls for free from the overlooks. Niagara Falls technically consists of three different falls, the America Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls. There is an overlook for each one, and it is a little bit of a walk to go onto Goat Island to get to the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls overlooks, but it’s worth the trip. Here are some of the views from the overlooks. 

America Falls…

Bridal Veil Falls…

What you’re seeing below are tourists on the Cave of the Winds excursion (more on that later). 


Horseshoe Falls…

Away from the overlooks, the park itself is beautiful and you can get away from the crowds and see some views of the Niagara River which is an impressive sight as well as the river picks up momentum to go over the falls. 

If you happen to be in the area at night, the overlooks are worth revisiting as they light up the falls with different colored lights intended to either celebrate a recent event or represent the colors of nature. It’s nothing short of spectacular. 

Now on to the Maid of the Mist Boat Tour. This is not cheap, and between the Cave of the Winds excursion and the boat tour, I would pick the cave (which by the way exists only in name now, so don’t expect to see an actual cave). In my opinion, the Cave excursion is more exciting and cheaper, so if you only have time for one, I recommend this. 

Having said that, the boat tour is an adventure too and includes a view from the observation deck before the boat trip which provides some more panoramic views of the falls. 

The boat tour is cool because you get to see the falls from a different perspective, and the tour takes you into the center of the Horseshoe Falls where you get pummeled by the wind and the spray. It’s quite an experience. 

The Cave of the Winds excursion involves taking an elevator down to the base of Bridal Veil Falls where you explore via a man made walkway (which is rebuilt yearly during the spring). The most exhilarating part is the Hurricane Deck which is an area where you’re getting slammed by the force of the falling water. It sounds intimidating, but it’s definitely worth the visit. I could not use my phone camera for parts of this for obvious reasons. 

We also found time to walk down river along the Niagara River Gorge Trail. This is a scenic trail that definitely gets you away from the crowds. We saw very few people, and it was nice to explore a part of the area that fewer people visit. 

We also saw some pretty flowers…

And a hawk…

We left Niagara Falls with a 12 hour driving day to head to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. More on that to come…

Day 6-7: Cuyahoga Valley (Eric)

Day 6-7 (June 4-5, 2021): Our next destination was the Cuyahoga Valley National Park where we actually spent three nights total, but did most of our activities over two days. While this park is not quite as majestic as some of the more popular parks, it still has some interesting features that are definitely worth checking out. 

I want to start by acknowledging my travel planner extraordinaire, best friend, love of my life, and wife, Jenny who always finds some incredible places to stay. The Sheraton at Cuyahoga Falls was no exception. Situated in the quaint town of Cuyahoga Falls right next to the Cuyahoga River. We could look out our window and see an amazing view of the rapids and waterfalls on this part of the river. The food in both the restaurants was decent, but we definitely enjoyed Beau’s food better. However, The Jetty was cool because it was outside overlooking the river.

Here are some pictures of the hotel (including some of Bitey exploring the room)…

As we ate dinner at The Jetty, we watched this kayaker playing around in the rapids. 


Our first night in the area was spent exploring the little town of Cuyahoga Falls. Even though it was raining, it was still a cool place with some interesting sights, including a rainbow provided by nature. While wandering, we stubbled upon an amazing ice cream store called Pav’s Creamery. This place was so good we visited it again on our last night. We tried two of their flavors, salted truffle caramel and chocolate putter butter cup, both were yummy. This particular establishment was unique as they also served “adult” milkshakes, and although Jenny wasn’t tempted to try one, she has come up with a plan to try to create them at home. A little warning, on weekends this place is very popular. 

The next day we had bought tickets on the historic railroad that runs the length of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was an interesting way to get an overview of the park and learn about some of the park’s history and features. We splurged and bought tickets for the nicest car, and it was definitely a more relaxing experience than it might have been otherwise as there were only a handful of us in that car while many of the others were much more crowded. If you like trains, or you’re spending a fair bit of time in the area, I would recommend this experience. If you’re just visiting for the day, you might want to explore the park by car, bike, or foot instead. One of the interesting features of the rail line is that you could bike the length of the park and catch the train back. You could also do this with a kayak. 

And now pictures of the experience…

After the train ride, we went to explore an area called Tinker Creek and did a few short hikes to some waterfalls. The first was called Bridal Veil Falls and the second was called Great Falls. Both hikes were shady which was nice as the weather had gotten a little warm. It was nice being in nature after visiting cities for the first part of this trip. 

Here’s a deer we saw on the first hike…



Bridal Veil Falls…



Great Falls…






After working up an appetite, we decided to visit Szlazay’s Farm and Market which we passed on our railway trip. During the summer, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, they also have food stands set up that sell local foods. We got some fresh lemonade, roasted sweet corn, and some polish sausage. Finally, we shared a fresh fruit sundae for dessert. All were very good. I recommend a visit to this place if you’re in the area. 

Next, we headed to what I considered the coolest hike in the park both literally and figuratively, The Ledges. This hike is a relatively short loop trail where you hike through narrow rock formations and beautiful forest. It is shady, so during hot weather, it keeps you cool. The Ledges themselves are definitely worth exploring. There is a trail that skirts around the ledges, but I highly recommend clambering around the rock formations. It’s a fun experience…

Finally, we visited Beaver Marsh. This is a picturesque area near the Cuyahoga River which as the name implies as been populated by beaver. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the beavers, but we did see some other interesting flora and fauna. In fact, we enjoyed the area so much, we visited a few times while we were in the park as the animals can be active at different times of the day. Below are some of the sights we saw along the trail. 

Beautiful flowers…

Several species of birds…

Turtles (including a large snapping turtle)…

The highlight for us was this muskrat…

Saturday started with a visit to an awesome breakfast place called The Blue Door Bakery. It’s a cool place run by a retired marine that serves excellent breakfast food. We enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to eat there again on Sunday before we left town. 

The rest of our day involved visiting parts of the park we hadn’t seen yet as well as a return to Beaver Marsh and Szlazay’s. 

One of our stops included a short walk to a historic covered bridge. 

We also did a loop trail to the popular Brandywine Falls. While it is possible to see the falls without completing the whole loop, I highly recommend doing the whole loop as the trail takes you down into the gorge and away from the crowds. We also visited the town of Peninsula after our hike to see the town and grab lunch at a place called The Winking Lizard which was reasonably good with a lot of character. 

And finally a cute picture of Bitey…