New Columbia, Pennslyvania to Lewiston, New York – 18 April 2023
We had a one night stay booked at Camp Bell RV Park in Campbell, New York. It was a tiny town in the middle of nowhere but it would have been too long a trip to go directly to Lewiston in one day. When we arrived at Camp Bell it was deserted. Luckily there was an emergency telephone number on the office door and we were able to get hold of a guy named Ed. Ed informed us that the campsite had not opened up yet for the season even though their online system had both accepted our payment and assigned us a site. We asked if it was possible to still stay as we didnt require any hookups for one night. We were very relieved when he agreed. There were a number of RVs parked in the campground but they were all empty. It was kind of eerie being the only ones there, but Jax was allowed off leash and he could at least run around and stretch his legs after the long car journey. We were running out of food and needed to do a grocery shop but the nearest grocery store was out of town, so we went to the garage shop and bought a couple of Subway salads and stocked up on the healthiest snacks I could find for “pad kos” for the next day which turned out to be Beet eggs (boiled eggs in beetroot juice – kind of had a pickled taste to it), pepperoni and cheese sticks, apples and mandarins.
Our final stop in the States was Lewiston, New York on the opposite side of Niagara Falls in Canada. We stayed in a KOA RV Park there which was quite close to the border. Got met by a cold front the first couple of days and had to dig out the old thermals again.
On our way in we crossed the South Grand Island Bridge which is a pair of twin two lane truss arch bridges spanning the Niagara River between Tonawanda and Grand Island in New York. Each bridge carries two lanes, both going in opposite directions. The southbound span opened in 1935 and the northbound in 1963. I noticed only after taking the photo that you can see the Canadian Niagara skyline in the distance with spray from the Falls.
That evening, we didn’t feel like going grocery shopping, so went out for supper in the nearby town at the Cask and Cow. I had a Bean burger with brie and peaches with a side of asparagus. It was to die for. Derek ordered a Ribeye burger which he was pretty happy with as well.
The following day we popped over the border to Niagara on the Lake in Canada for the day, to pick up some prescription medication. It was a good opportunity to have lunch at the Canadian Niagara Falls. We found a pet friendly spot with a great view and enjoyed a nice lunch. I had the Atlantic Salmon with herb butter and Derek had a Steak. The Falls were just as lovely as we remembered. They are made up of three Falls and considered the second largest Falls in the world. They are approx. 12,300 years old and were originally formed from glaciers. They are extremely powerful with 168,000 cubic meters of water flowing through the Falls every minute. Hydroelectricity is one of Niagara Falls’ most important products. Together, power plants on both the American and Canadian sides of the Falls have the capacity to produce up to 2.4 million kilowatts of electricity.
As we were getting ready to leave Derek and I both got an emergency notification on our phones from our daughter Jolene. We tried to contact her but she did not answer. This was extremely worrying. We phoned 911 which diverted us to 911 in Niagara. When we told the operator about Jolene they suggested we phone Vancouver Police as her emergency notification was coming up from there. After about 30 mins of talking on the phone with them, they tracked her down to the factory in Vancouver where she picks clothes for her shop and found that she had dropped and smashed her phone. She tried to switch it on but had activated the emergency notification. Well at least she was ok but it was quite a scare as we thought she had, had an accident.
The next couple of days we hunkered down in the RV to catch up on stuff. It was a busy time work wise for me and I had lots of follow ups and organizing to do. Also, I have been approached to mentor a student who is in the Northwest Indigenous Advancement of Cultural Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Victoria. We have been chatting for the last couple of months about a dog wash business she wants to start. Very determined young lady. I am looking forward to it! Derek in the meantime was getting stuck into a number of technical courses from Lippert. The Schwintek slide out, Hydraulic through frame slide-outs and also one on Axles, Brakes and Hubs. We were also hoping that our new mattress would arrive. We were running out of days in the US and if it didn’t arrive before we left for Canada, we would have to make a special trip back again to fetch it and then probably pay customs duty on it.
On Friday, we took a break and went for a walk at Devil’s Hole. We certainly got our steps in – literally. About 900 of them in total to go down and back up. No wonder it’s called Devil’s Hole. Great views though of the Niagara River. After that we continued along the road to Whirlpool State Park and stopped to take photos of the churning, swirling Niagara River. Then we drove on to the Niagara State Park. It was weird being on the other side and looking at Canada – we could even see the restaurant where we had lunch earlier in the week. The Falls on this side were absolutely spectacular. It was amazing how close you could get to them and the spray lifted high into the air creating this surreal surrounding. We took a walk along the walkway taking lots of videos and photos and came across a very large statue of Nikola Tesla. Afterwards we drove through the park hoping to be able to get onto the tall observation tower but it seemed to be reserved for those who paid to go on the Maid of the Mist boat which operates up to the Falls.
On the way home I noticed a sign close to the RV Park for the Shrine of Fatima. When I googled it and saw how beautiful it was I had to see it. So the next day after the morning Mass has finished, we went to take a look. I can only describe the experience as spiritually uplifting and inspiring. Surprisingly enough Derek admitted to feeling the same – I think it was his Catholic upbringing.
The Lady of Fatima (catholic title of Mary, Mother of Jesus) Shrine was built in 1954 by Catholic Polish and Italian communities in the Niagara Falls region. It is a place of beauty, art, communal prayer, and renewal to thousands who visit the Shrine each year. The natural beauty of the Shrine is highlighted by a magnificent Dome Basilica covered with two layers of glass and plexiglas, with a contour of the Northern Hemisphere of the globe. The Dome measures 100 feet in diameter and is 55 foot high.
The entrance to the Basilica is down the Avenue of the Saints. There are over one hundred life size marble statues representing Saints from every race and walk of life around the property and around the serenity of the Rosary Pool.
We climbed the 63 steps on the outside to the top of the Dome, where there is a huge, majestic statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue, carved from Vermont granite, is 13 feet high and weighs 10 tons. From the top of the Dome, we saw the entire Shrine grounds and surrounding countryside.
Finally it was time to leave and our mattress still hadn’t arrived. However, the good news was that the tracking said it would arrive today. We packed away everything in preparation for the move and asked the owner at the KOA if we could have a late checkout. About 3pm it arrived. We were able to get rid of our old (month old) foam mattress in a dumpster ($400 down the drain) and lay the new mattress on the bed to expand. Time to go home to Canada!
