Day 2: Niagra Falls

As with Lockport, the visitor’s center at the falls was also closed.  There were a few gift shops as well as eating places that were open.  No tours.  No boat rides.  No crossing the Canadian border – because even if the border was open, we don’t have passports.

There was a time that one could travel to Canada from the states (and vice-versa) without a passport if one had another form of ID.  Apparently that is not the case anymore – though I don’t know when the change occurred.  I would guess in 2016 when Trump became president.  What a jerk!  What is wrong with people to have elected and voted for him!  I hope that citizens in other countries are aware that Donald Trump does not represent me nor most of those I associate with.

Not much to say.  Enjoy the photos.

closeed

Hard Rock Cafe bordered up; closed

gift shop open

taken from visitor center

visitor center: closed

buildings on Canadian side of falls

Niagra river

Jenna's idea to pose this way

bridge over river

Jenna took this one of the falls

took several of the rainbow effect

 

 

 

First Day: Lockport

The first picture that I took as we made our to the locks

Behind the gate is the first lock which would  raise or lower level for each boat 

Jenna impersonating a game show model

Randy told us that the boats would line up and spend three days waiting for transfer

He said that is when the town started to build up as those transporting would have a three day wait

notice the height of the stairs.  I had to bend my knee with each step

the jackhammer crew that Randy kept on apologizing for.  They
 are working on another set of stairs so they're not so steep

newest lock is on the left opposite of the red platform

I think this was a gift shop that was closed

Jenna liked the optical illusion of being a wall goat.

Randy, Jenna and Roland

pay attention

I took this from the railing of that bridge

This is the bridge from picture prior.  Ends at the church.

This was taken from the church end of the bridge

In addition to the locks we were introduced to downtown lockport and the high school near Randy's house.  Here are some more pictures that I took (out of many)

 

Jenna took this closeup of the church

downtown Lockport

Stupid Americans

               I don’t know which is worse, the coronavirus or the stupidity of some individuals who seem to make it hard for everybody else.  I heard on the news that Paris and Spain (wasn’t France and Spain or Paris and Madrid.  Two different sources – one using the capital and the other mentioned by country) have just barely gone into phase one.  Now these are other countries that had the virus before the US did.  Why did the United States feel superior to open in phases long before countries who were hit before?  Too many believing the numbers given are a hoax.  There is no way that US would have more cases than China.  I don’t know how accurate the numbers are in China, but it doesn’t surprise me that we have more cases.  It has always been my opinion that we opened too soon, and now cases are skyrocketing because some citizens couldn’t wait.

            That is just the tip of the surface.  Today I heard Trevor Noah comment on the politics of wearing the mask.  Certainly there are drawbacks to wearing them, but come on!  Show some respect for those you may come in contact with.  I don’t know anybody who likes wearing them, but they are required in many public places and should be.  Get over yourselves already! I will wear a mask just to offend Trump and his supporters.  

What an idiot!  I suppose his followers are the theory behind “Zombie Apocolypse”

Old People in the Attic

As I was busying myself with posting my pictures to facebook, I was notified to view my memories.  It’s funny how so many of my memory posts have triggered thoughts for things that are happening this year.  On June 19^th it was the memory of four different albums I had posted from a trip we had taken back to Salt Lake in 2017.  We were staying at the house where we had once lived.  By then Randy and Carrie had moved in and made the house their own.  We were staying with them three years ago.

no family members currently reside or have anything to do with this house

A year and a half later we went for Christmas.  By then Randy and Carrie had moved to Eagle Mountain to a house larger than I thought was necessary.  I don’t guess they were planning on moving again so soon. 

Randy had wanted us to stay with them, but it wasn’t a practical location for all of the family to meet – not that the hotel was.  That was probably more inconvenient for everybody, but just as neutral of a location, I think.  Plus we were tired.  Randy’s house would have added at least another hour.

And this year we went to stay with Randy again – only it was in New York instead of Utah.  He’d been given this opportunity to become a safety inspector and had interviewed for and accepted the position in Lockport – about 30 minutes outside Buffalo and 20 minutes from the Canadian border (or was it the other way around?)

Not quite the house they had purchased in Draper, Utah.  Lockport is a very old town with housing created during the turn of the 20^th century – thus the home they are currently residing is over 100 years old.  When we drove up to it I was reminded of the McCallister house in “Home Alone” 

Randy led us up 32 stairs from the bottom floor to the attic.  After being cramped in a plane and car (as the car seat had not been removed and Jenna and I were squished in the back which really wasn’t any less roomy than flying from Seattle to Detroit) my body felt like it had climbed over 100 stairs to get to the attic where they store the family members who come to visit – except for Jenna who was given a choice between the attic or the basement.  I don’t think I had visited their dungeon basement until our third day there. 

The basement was definitely cooler but the attic was only hot the night we arrived (well, half of it.  Randy had cooled off the room with the two beds – which was nice.  He said it normally doesn’t get that hot – which it didn’t.  I like the summer temperature.  I would not want to live there during winter however).  I was cold only one night during our stay.  I think Jenna could have used another blanket.

On our first day there Randy took us over to the Locks District and gave us a tour of the Erie Canal.  There is a little history at this site.

Randy apologized that we weren’t able to do boat tours or the zip line or that the jack hammer tearing up the stairs was so loud.  The pandemic wasn’t his fault.  As I mentioned before, New York had just started phase one.  Of course places were going to be closed.  But it was okay.  Randy was quite informative and we were able to get a huge number of pictures without other tourists around. 

I have ridden on boat when a lock was used (see here) but would have liked Roland and Jenna to experience it as well. Or just even see it in action.  It really is quite fascinating.