It was time to head back to the States today. We got off to
a slow start with a late breakfast, but I think the real issue was that nobody
wanted to leave. All of the kids exchanged emails and promised to be pen pals
(Okay, parents thought of Pen Pals and
the kids told us, “Wouldn’t it be easier to Skype). It was a hard morning for
Jen as she had to say goodbye to Delphine and Corinne, not really knowing when
we will see them again. I know I am game for Ottawa whenever and may even be
willing to hit up France in the future.
Once we got on the road, it was beginning to look like a
long haul. I had become grumpy at this point because I had not collected the
required Canadian souvenirs and we were
crossing the border that night. My only real gripe about Canada would have to
be the fact that you could not even tell they had just hosted the biggest
women’s soccer tournament in the world one week before. Not one sign, poster,
t-shirt, hat, etc. We never did find anything, but Canadian crap was abound
later in the day.
Around lunch, we stopped at a neat little dock side
restaurant on Lake Ontario. Although a minor, one hour stop, this was a big
deal for the Perry clan. After lunch we walked down to the lake and the kids
went swimming in the bare ass cold water. This means that we now have pictures
of all four of us swimming our standing in each of the five Great Lakes (Huron,
Ontario, Michigan, Superior and Erie). Not many southerners can say that- and
yes Jen, you are a southern girl now.
After our swim, it was back on the road to travel through
the barren stretches of Canada until we reached Niagara Falls. As most of you
probably know, Niagara Falls is in both Canada and the United States. One side
of the Falls is a beautiful National Park, the other is something similar to
the main strip at Myrtle Beach. I beat you can’t guess which is which. Wrong!
The Canadian side is the tourist trap and that was awesome because I needed
some maple leaves and moose gear.
We began our tour walking down the main strip looking at the
Falls and watching all of the tourist. We decided that since we didn’t know
when we would ever return, the boat ride into the Falls was a must. This seemed
like a great idea until after we purchased the tickets and Jake began to say he
was scared and didn’t want to go. After
a little coaxing and his safety poncho, he agreed to go if we stayed on the
bottom level of the boat. I am so glad he agreed as this was one of the true
Wonders of the World as far as I am concerned. As we travels within a couple
hundred feet of the base of the Falls, we were hammered with what felt like a
hurricane force rain storm. Fortunately, when we looked over at Jake he was
grinning ear to ear and was already asking if we could go again. Although
photography was tough we got a few good shots, including a full rainbow in
front of the Falls.
On a side note, any lunatic that would go over those things
in a barrel or tight rope across the top has a death wish. Having seen them in
person now, I can’t even imagine that idea coming into someone’s head unless
they were actually hoping to die.
Much to Jen’s chagrin, she knew
it was finally time to load up on cheap Canadian souvenirs for the kids (okay-
and me!). As we approached the first store, Jake had to pee. I told the ladies
to go in and we would find a restaurant. In a stroke of pure luck, the first
restaurant we reached was the Niagara Falls Brewery (No, I am not lying). As
Jake went to the bathroom, I inquired about purchasing a pint glass. The guy
said they were $12 (Canadian), but if you bought a beer they were half
off. Learning that a beer was only six
bucks, I quickly did my math and figured out I could get a glass for $12 or a
beer and a glass for $12. As one to never pass up a bargain, I am sure you can
figure out my choice. After my quick, refreshing drink, Jake and I rejoined the
girls and completed our shopping tour.
The last haul of the night took us through the boarder
check in Detroit and in to Ann Arbor and Jen’s best friend Leah’s house around
1:15 am. Exhausted, all we wanted to do was sleep. Naturally, that means we
drank beer until 3:30 then fell asleep.
Now what to do in Jen’s old
stomping grounds!
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