Sunday, May 07, 2006
Oh Canada
OK, so the Internet connection I had in the last motel was completely hopeless. Kept giving me a few minutes, then would fail to upload so I gave up.
Following the visit in Rhode Island I have had a lovely leisurely drive through Massachussets, upstate New York and across into Ontario. On Diane's recommendation I got as far as and spent the night in Lee, close to the New York state border. The first lodging I found was this lovely old house done up as a restaurant, with a couple of rooms upstairs. Decided to treat myself to a suite - all they had available. Seemed like a blow-out, but very nice for a change.
The next day (Friday) was probably the first of the whole trip when I didn't feel pressured to get somewhere or visit someone. So the first stop was a laundromat, getting a much-needed freshen-up to the contents of my suitcase.
Then it was off through the old town of Stockbridge to an area called Monument Mountain. This was a walk to a lookout point called Squaw's Peak - about 30-40 minutes each way, so enough for a bit of exercise, but not exhausting. A lovely day to walk, as you can see from the pictures. Apart from one small slip where I turned my ankle on a tree root, it was a most enjoyable diversion from the driving. Spring foliage was just appearing on many of the deciduous trees, giving a soft green mixed with the various colours of trees that flower early.
After my walk I followed the highway up to Albany via the NY Thruway. Feeling that I was still under no real time pressure I decided to take a more minor road, the I20, through the upper state instead of the Thruway. This was much slower, winding through a whole list of smaller towns. Some of these showed much faded glory, with old large homes falling into obvious neglect. It was a lovely day, and I was sure this alternate route was a good choice.
I stopped for the night near a town called Skaneateles. This is one of the main towns in an area called the Finger Lakes. Check out a map and you'll see why. Obviously another summer resort area for some very wealthy people, looking at some of the real estate around the lake edge.
Saturday dawned very wet and cold. Steady rain, and my car telling me it was 44ºF outside - I figure that's about 7ºC. So the only thing to do was drive. By the time I made Buffalo it had stopped raining, and was turning into a much nicer day. I figured that following I20 westwards was bound to get me across into Canada, until I realised I was heading below Lake Eire, and further south into New York state. So finally worked that out and crossed the 'Peace Bridge' into Canada.
Next stop had to be the Niagara Falls - I mean, how could I not? The day had turned into a beauty by now, so it was a very pleasant walk around. I don't think I was surprised by the high-rise hotels all around, but I was rather surprised by all the tacky 'side show' attractions.
Anyway, the Falls themselves are quite spectacular - definitely best viewed from the Canadian side, as I had been told. I walked the full length of the area and back, enjoying the sunshine and just taking in the side-show of the people. This is obviously a very popular place to come for Americans for things like honeymoons, family reunions, special birthdays, etc. All sorts of groups from all sorts of places.
Had lunch (or was it dinner?) at a place called Tony Ramo's, which is supposedly famous for its ribs. So of course I had to work my way through a plate full. Very good indeed - Katherine, you'll have to look out for one of these restaurants next time you're in the US.
After spending the night at a very cheap motel in Niagara (guess I shouldn't complain about the crap Internet connection), today (Sunday) I have driven up to Waterloo, ready for my next meeting tomorrow. Took a bit of a detour as I looked for the right highway rather than going all the way up to Toronto, but that was also a good choice. Found a small diner in a town called Campbellville where I had probably the best breakfast all trip - mind you, it was nearly midday by then so I was well ready for it.
OK, so the Internet connection I had in the last motel was completely hopeless. Kept giving me a few minutes, then would fail to upload so I gave up.
Following the visit in Rhode Island I have had a lovely leisurely drive through Massachussets, upstate New York and across into Ontario. On Diane's recommendation I got as far as and spent the night in Lee, close to the New York state border. The first lodging I found was this lovely old house done up as a restaurant, with a couple of rooms upstairs. Decided to treat myself to a suite - all they had available. Seemed like a blow-out, but very nice for a change.
The next day (Friday) was probably the first of the whole trip when I didn't feel pressured to get somewhere or visit someone. So the first stop was a laundromat, getting a much-needed freshen-up to the contents of my suitcase.
Then it was off through the old town of Stockbridge to an area called Monument Mountain. This was a walk to a lookout point called Squaw's Peak - about 30-40 minutes each way, so enough for a bit of exercise, but not exhausting. A lovely day to walk, as you can see from the pictures. Apart from one small slip where I turned my ankle on a tree root, it was a most enjoyable diversion from the driving. Spring foliage was just appearing on many of the deciduous trees, giving a soft green mixed with the various colours of trees that flower early.After my walk I followed the highway up to Albany via the NY Thruway. Feeling that I was still under no real time pressure I decided to take a more minor road, the I20, through the upper state instead of the Thruway. This was much slower, winding through a whole list of smaller towns. Some of these showed much faded glory, with old large homes falling into obvious neglect. It was a lovely day, and I was sure this alternate route was a good choice.
I stopped for the night near a town called Skaneateles. This is one of the main towns in an area called the Finger Lakes. Check out a map and you'll see why. Obviously another summer resort area for some very wealthy people, looking at some of the real estate around the lake edge.
Saturday dawned very wet and cold. Steady rain, and my car telling me it was 44ºF outside - I figure that's about 7ºC. So the only thing to do was drive. By the time I made Buffalo it had stopped raining, and was turning into a much nicer day. I figured that following I20 westwards was bound to get me across into Canada, until I realised I was heading below Lake Eire, and further south into New York state. So finally worked that out and crossed the 'Peace Bridge' into Canada.
Next stop had to be the Niagara Falls - I mean, how could I not? The day had turned into a beauty by now, so it was a very pleasant walk around. I don't think I was surprised by the high-rise hotels all around, but I was rather surprised by all the tacky 'side show' attractions.
Anyway, the Falls themselves are quite spectacular - definitely best viewed from the Canadian side, as I had been told. I walked the full length of the area and back, enjoying the sunshine and just taking in the side-show of the people. This is obviously a very popular place to come for Americans for things like honeymoons, family reunions, special birthdays, etc. All sorts of groups from all sorts of places.
Had lunch (or was it dinner?) at a place called Tony Ramo's, which is supposedly famous for its ribs. So of course I had to work my way through a plate full. Very good indeed - Katherine, you'll have to look out for one of these restaurants next time you're in the US.
After spending the night at a very cheap motel in Niagara (guess I shouldn't complain about the crap Internet connection), today (Sunday) I have driven up to Waterloo, ready for my next meeting tomorrow. Took a bit of a detour as I looked for the right highway rather than going all the way up to Toronto, but that was also a good choice. Found a small diner in a town called Campbellville where I had probably the best breakfast all trip - mind you, it was nearly midday by then so I was well ready for it.
// posted by Mark Northover @ 12:52 PM 
