To Niagara we went ... and by Toronto we came

Over July 4th this year, Charles, Kim, and I took a nice road trip up north together. None of us had been to Niagara Falls or Toronto, so we piled in the car and headed up there. CG & Kim arrived here late Friday night 01 July, spent the night here, and we headed out at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday. We passed by Williamsport, PA, and took some photos of the Little League World Series stadium. Later that morning we drove through upstate NY (who knew there was that much agriculture & farming in an area that is a- in New York, and b- gets darn cold & snowy in winter?). We had packed a lunch, and arrived at the parking area for Niagara around 12:45, just as they were closing it b/c it was full. We ate lunch in the car, then walked around the falls area, snapping photos and being touristy (and dodging the huge crowds that roamed the park). Parking cost us $10 (I think), but at least it was there! After viewing the US side of the river for about 2 hrs, we crossed over to the Canadian side, where parking was much more scarce. I ended up dropping CG & Kim off at one end of the street and doubling back to meet them after they'd snapped a few pics of the Canadian side of the river.

Our curiousity of natural wonders satisfied, we made our way onward to Toronto. After a small detour owing to the supposed closure of the main freeway, the Queen Elizabeth Way (there were only 5 signs leading up to it - so we didn't chance it), we arrived at our hostel, the All Days Hostel. Turns out it's in a great location for exploring downtown Toronto by foot - just a few minutes' walk to the main street, and about 40 mins up from the water. We enjoyed our visit, eating some great local foods & just wandering around the town (I found a Chilean tienda that sold empanadas and humitas!). Sunday morning, we walked around in the morning, including a visit to a church near the hostel, then headed back toward the US. We went east along the northern shore of Lake Ontario and crossed the St. Lawrence River just north of Watertown, NY, at the northern terminus of I-81.

It was a great - but short - vacation, with lots of neat sights, sounds, tastes, and smells! Here is a selection of pictures.