Wednesday, Aug 17 Today is our last day of driving a scenic road – It began with the The Great Lakes Seaway Trail. We were in no particular hurry, and we made a few stops along the way. Cape Vincent was a point that marked the end of the St. Lawrence River and the beginning of Lake Ontario and there was a nice little walking path along the water. In another 50 miles we arrived at Sacket’s Harbor, a historical site from the War of 1812 when it was the most active naval station in the United States. Here, the British and US Navies were engaged in a shipbuilding race to control Lake Ontario, but they never met in a major battle on Lake Ontario! The town was quiet and quaint, and we were able to park along a main street and walk down for views of the harbor. Out on the “point” we did the self-guided Sackets Harbor Battlefield walking tour, then back into town to do a few of the little shops. At the trailer we loaded up a snack plate for lunch, and got back in the truck to continue on our way. Our scenic route changed over to the Lake Ontario State Parkway – at first it was nice and smooth with good views of the Lake. Gradually over the next 60 miles the road deteriorated . . . and then ended and became Route 18. This took us the last 30 miles into 4-Mile Creek State Park. We remember this park so well from 1986 when we were returning from a camping vacation in our pop-up trailer and met Tom’s parents in their Volkswagen Camper Van. We remember lots of open area and grass from that visit, and were pleased to see lots of green grass and very mature trees providing lots of shade. We spent a couple days touring Niagara Falls! After supper we walked directly behind our trailer and down to the lake’s edge where we had a beautiful view of the sunset. A whole lot of other people had the same idea! Goodnight! Thursday, Aug 18 Our last day sightseeing! Tom made omelets and by 9:00 we were off to Niagara Falls, the American side. The first stop was Devil’s Hole, and a walk along the shoreline trail. I can’t honestly say that we pinpointed the Devil’s Hole – I was expecting something that had a distinct appearance to it! People often ask us what Pippa is a "mix" of -- I am going to show them this picture! Next was the Whirlpool – several miles down from the base of the falls. Again there was a nice walkway with viewpoints. The old gondola car implies that rides back and forth above the Whirlpool appear to still be in business. Our Four Mile Creek Campground gave us free parking tickets on Goat Island ($15!) and from there we could walk the Niagara Falls State Park walkway to all of the viewing points. We have been here many times (the last two times was in the middle of winter when everything was frozen) but it is always a breathtaking experience. This time we did not have our passports and saw everything from the American side – and we did it all in record time! By afternoon we were back at the campground, lounging in our backyard, viewing Lake Ontario, and enjoying every moment of the perfect weather. I told Tom we would celebrate this last night by going out to eat – but we simply could not pull ourselves away from the campground! We threw together a great meal and continue enjoying our last night camping. Tom initiated a little trip summary questionnaire:
Favorite: Campground? Campsite? Meal? View? Personality . . . I will let Tom say some parting words to conclude this vacation. Hi! This was a wonderful trip -- starting with NOVA and Airstream friends and ending the way I like camping best -- just Ella and I. Highlights were lobster, new potatoes from northern Maine, old and new sights to visit and study, rocks, boulders, mountains, cliffs, ocean and lakes, and of course the friendly people we met on the way. We are truly "Living the Dream!"
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |