Search: Advanced | Preference
Traveling Boy means the travel adventures of the Traveiling Boitanos
Travel adventures of Eric Anderson Boitano
Travel adventures of John Clayton
Travel adventures of Deb Roskamp
Travel adventures of Fyllis Hockman
Travel adventures of Brom Wikstrom
Travel adventures of Jim Friend
Travel adventures of Timothy Mattox
Travel adventures of Corinna Lothar
Travel adventures of Roger Fallihee
Travel adventures of Tamara Lelie
Travel adventures of Beverly Cohn
Travel adventures of Raoul Pascual
Travel adventures of Ringo Boitano
Travel adventures of Herb Chase
Travel adventures of Terry Cassel
Travel adventures of Dette Pascual
Travel adventures of Gary Singh
Travel adventures of John Blanchette
Travel adventures of Tom Weber
Travel adventures of James Thomas
Travel adventures of Richard Carroll
Travel adventures of Richard Frisbie
Travel adventures of Masada Siegel
Travel adventures of Greg Aragon
Travel adventures of Skip Kaltenheuser
Travel adventures of Ruth J. Katz
Travel adventures of Traveling Boy's guest contributors

Colorado ad


About Richard   write me    Feeds provide updated website content        

rainbow at the Niagara Falls

The Shortest Road Trip

Story and photographs by Richard Frisbie

he Canadian side of Niagara Falls has a 35 mile linear park, called Niagara Park, with seemingly endless attractions stretched along the full length of the Niagara River. I recently spent several days driving to each, sampling fantastic wines and great food while enjoying the rugged beauty of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It became one of the shortest road trips ever and a friend and I had a blast doing it!

From tunnels under the falls, to zip lines into the gorge, and from a soaking boat ride to the base of the falls, to a challenging hike along the shore of the grade 6 rapids, Niagara Park's attractions are amazing. There are tranquil gardens to stroll, a butterfly house to get lost in, and historic sites to visit between the adrenalin rushes these outdoor adventures kept causing. We had no idea that there was so much to do in this elongated park.

Mackenzie Printery
Mackenzie Printery where they tricked us into printing our 7 year Apprenticeship Agreement!

For all you hikers out there, Niagara Park has 9 miles of walks and trails along the Niagara River which are accessed through six different nature areas. Some are handicap accessible while others are quite rugged. Some have stairs and elevators from the escarpment down to the water's edge, while others are a hike, so no matter your level of ability you can visually experience the class 6 rapids below the falls. Good thing, because there's no way you're going in them. They're far too dangerous!

If you want to be on the water, just upstream from the rapids is the modern Hornblower Niagara Cruise. As many as 700 passengers every 15 minutes depart from the festive restaurant and park landing for the cruise to Horseshoe Falls. The Hornblower fleet alternates with the American side's venerable Maid of the Mist, but only one boat at a time is in the powerful, raging waters of Canada's Horseshoe Falls. Dressed in iconic free ponchos, red for Hornblower and blue for Maid of the Mist, passengers brace themselves as the decks are awash with some of the 600,000 gallons of water that pommels over the falls each second. Each Second!

Horseshoe Falls seen from an approaching Hornblower boat
From the deck of Hornblower approaching Horseshoe Falls

Blue Morpho butterfly
A rare Blue Morpho butterfly poses

You can only get closer to the falls by taking the Journey Behind the Falls, descending by elevator and stairs to the 126 year old tunnels behind (and under) the falls. There, in damp and thunderous tunnels, you can feel the vibrations of the crashing falls and the roar of the cascading river feeding them, before walking out to the edge for a full behind-the-falls soaking. There is also a tunnel to the side where you can walk out and look down at the boats entering the falls below. It is amazing to go from one attraction to another and see just how close the boat gets to the falls from a different, dryer, vantage.

When you are ready for some more tranquil entertainment, The Botanical Gardens offer a large diversity of plants and environments with tree-studded lawns, bogs and ponds planted both naturally and formally, all surrounded by dramatic plantings and landscapes of trees, shrubs and flowers. I found myself walking down a long allée of tall hemlock trees leading into a fabulous rose garden.


Amazing allée of hemlock trees

There is also a walled herb garden, wildflower butterfly fields and a pyramidal glass conservatory filled with exotic butterflies. Inside I walked through rocky paths around large waterfalls and under towering jungle trees, and everywhere I looked were thousands of colorful butterflies in all shapes, hues and sizes. That was an amazing experience!

Continuing the horticulture theme, the road back to the falls passed the Floral Clock, an odd attraction of a large mechanical clockface tilted upward and planted in a different elaborate design for each season. It was a colorful mosaic of standard annuals that only briefly caught my attention.


The elegant entrance to the Floral Showhouse

Then we went on past the falls for a truly unique horticultural experience at the Floral Showhouse. At first I thought it would be a redundant rehashing of the extensive plantings of the Botanical Garden, only on a much smaller scale. And then they blew my socks off with their most impressive collection of Amorphophallus Titanum, a.k.a. Titan Arum.

I'd read about a National Geographic expedition into the jungles of Sumatra in search of these extremely rare plants. It ended at the site of the rotting remains of its giant flower, still a rare sighting of a floral oddity fast disappearing in its native setting.

Titan Arum
Titan Arum in full stinky bloom growing next to 3 "leafs"

When we first walked into the Floral Showhouse's magnificent greenhouse I thought the toilets had backed up. Then the stench got worse and I thought someone had died. I was almost right. What the guide proudly showed us was the huge flower of the Titan Arum, commonly known as the corpse plant.

Since 1878, when the western world first discovered this unusual plant, fewer than 200 documented bloomings have been recorded outside its dwindling jungle habitat. Only 40 blooming-size plants are known to exist outside of Sumatra. What I'd stumbled upon was the largest collection of those plants in the world – and one was in bloom! Now you know what I meant by a "truly unique horticultural experience."

The flower only lasts 24 hours. In that time the 8 ft tall flower opens, attracts the insects needed to fertilize itself and then collapses into a stinking, rotting mass. Sometime after that a large, tree-shaped leaf grows up into a 20 ft. canopy of green and lasts for months, or longer, feeding the corm-like roots below. Then that collapses and eventually the cycle begins again. It is an amazing sight to behold.

The Floral Showhouse has more than 60 plants now, some just seedlings, but enough blooming ones that it experiences 2 or 3 similar shows a season. Plan your trip in advance and try to be there when the Titum Arum blooms. It is an unforgettable event!

I know I casually mentioned that we passed the falls to do this and were near the falls to do that, but I don't mean to diminish the falls themselves. Six million cubic feet of water pour over the falls every minute. They are captivating, mesmerizing, and steal your eyes away from everything else in a demand for your undivided attention. We took turns dragging each other away from the hypnotizing gigantic deluge of water to take in all the other attractions Niagara Park offers.

the writer at the Canadian side of Niagara Falls
Me blocking the amazing view of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls

The brand new ziplines down to the old power generating plant below the falls fly over the Hornblower's landing, while the 100 year old Whirlpool Aero Car crossed the giant whirlpool a mile below the falls on cables strung over to the American side. Thrilling and sedate, respectively, both offered another view of the raging river below.

There were wineries for tastings, early Canadian military and literary sites for fascinating educational tours, and great restaurants to frequent. We drove 35 miles in three days, had artisanal brews, local cheeses and excellent farm-to-table fare, to complete the shortest road trip ever.

Hotels

For a base camp there are lavish Casino Hotels, chain lodgings and the particularly elegant Double Tree Fallsview Resort and Spa by Hilton.

charcuterie plate at Queen Victoria Place Restaurant
The charcuterie plate at Queen Victoria Place Restaurant

Restaurants

The particularly honky-tonk downtown sported a great brew pub with the perfect third story aerie for views of the seemingly nightly firework displays. More elegant dining was had at Queen Victoria Place Restaurant and Elements on the Falls, both with spectacular (and dry) views of the falls, and there are fast food and casual dining chains dotting the landscape.

Adventure Passes are available for discount admittance to a variety of attractions. Ranging in price from $54.95 to $84.95, each include a two-day "hop on and hop off" WEGO bus transfer if you want to pass on the road trip aspects and avoid the parking hassles everywhere. Visit http://www.niagaraparks.com

Related Articles:
Exploring Western Canada with VIA Rail; Therapeutic Glimpses of Canada; Two Canadian Winter Festivals; 3 Things We didn't know about Nova Scotia


Name: Required
E-mail: Required
City: Required
Feedback:
 

Let Richard know what you think about his traveling adventure.

* * * * *

Hey Richard - another winning series of words, all put together in your usual brilliant, and very creative format. And hey, love those glorious photos - Wow, what scenery - looks like some sort of paradise. What a super life you lead!!!

--- John Clayton, Palos Verdes CA

* * * *

I want to go there!!!!!!! Mmmmm! Yes! Love the photos and your article, Richard! Have read the book, seen the play several times and now dream of seeing these historic places. I've been wanting to go to Spain for some time. Now at 12:30 a.m. I'm heading off to bed with songs from Man of La Mancha ringing in my mind. Thanks!

--- Betsy Tuel, Rosendale, NY

* * * *

You are fortunate to have Richard on your staff. Richard is a fantastic writer and a wonderful person. Congratulations to Richard and to you.

--- Denise Dubé, New England



© TravelingBoy.com. All Rights Reserved. 2015.
This site is designed and maintained by WYNK Marketing. Send all technical issues to: support@wynkmarketing.com
Friendly Planet Travel

Lovin Life After 50

Big Sur ad

Tara Tours ad

Alaska Cruises & Vacations ad

Cruise One ad

Visit Norway ad

MySwitzerland.com

Sitka, Alaska ad

Montreal tourism site

Visit Berlin ad

official website of the Netherlands

Cruise Copenhagen ad

Sun Valley ad

Philippine Department of Tourism portal

Quebec City tourism ad

AlaskaFerry ad

Zurich official website

Zuiderzee Museum ad

Like-a-Local.com