Niagara and Toronto

Saturday morn we headed up to Niagara falls. We started off on the American side. We had only seen the falls frozen before, so they looked totally different this time and very beautiful. There is so much water pumping over the falls and it is flowing so fast - it is incredible! Something like 183 billion litres flow over the falls per minute (in summer. 63 million in winter).

The top of the falls on the American side

Looking over the falls to Canada - there is a Maid of the Mist boat under the rainbow

After looking around for a while, we boarded the Maid of the Mist. This is about a 1/2 hour boat cruise that takes you right up to the falls, so that they are about no more than 20 meters away from us. We were bobbing around in the water for a few minutes getting soaked from the spray of the falls. It was a really great ride - we had a ball.

Judes had a bit of trouble getting her poncho on...

Part of the American Falls

On the Maid of the Mist up close with the falls - there is water spraying everywhere, hence the dots all over the lens when we took the photos. We were about 20m away from the falls here

Up close with the falls. The water below is extremely choppy - the boat ride took us right in to the rough water. Good times.

Bruce and Judes in front of the falls

We then drove over to the Canadian side. We were all hungry so we stopped off for some burgers at Hooters. We walked down to the falls and had a look around and grabbed some drinks while over looking the falls.

Part of the Horseshoe Falls looking from the Canadian side. This was also our view whilst sipping on a few cold bevies

Looking at the bottom of the falls and the bridge that links the USA and Canada

Family shot in front of the Falls

We then done the Journey Behind the Falls - this is a tunnel that goes behind the falls and you can look at the back of the falls. It was very average and not very exciting. So we left and drove another hour and a half to Toronto.

We stayed at the very swish Hilton Hotel. We went for a walk through the town and stopped at a bar called Philthy McNasties for some drinks and a couple of games of pool, then found a really nice Indian restaurant for dinner. If anyone wants to try a really nice shot, then try this: Blended mango with Kahluah - Yum!

We then stumbled across the Toronto comedy festival, and met some interesting characters roaming the street.

Shame the position didn't help Brucey win any games of pool!

Judes with the Comedy Fest Character

Ryan with a Comedy Fest Character

Kristy with another character

Sunday morning we walked down to Lake Ontario and went for a stroll - it was really pretty. We went past the CN Tower (the worlds tallest building) and had a quick look inside, then over to Chinatown and the Kensington Markets, which are very alternative - they sell everything from fresh produce to Jamaican clothes, to fairy outfits. There were also a few pirates roaming the streets!?

Bruce and Judes in front of the CN Tower

Down on Lake Ontario

Jamaican Fellas in Kensington Market

After a delicious lunch in Chinatown, we headed back to our car. Bruce and Judy headed up to Montreal for 2 nights and we returned home. On the way home we were stuck in a traffic jam for over one hour. It turns out that they were diverting the entire freeway at one particular exit. There were absolutely no detour instructions telling us where to go, but somehow we managed to do the best possible track to get back on the freeway! We then got stuck for about another 45 minutes trying to get back in to the USA.

Juice and Brudy Arrive

Wednesday arvo we drove to Cleveland to pick up Bruce and Judy from the airport. They came to our home to enjoy a turkey roast (the turkey never seems to end - we are still eating it!) They seemed to have bought the bad weather with them - just non stop drizzle.

Thursday Kristy took them shopping at the factory outlets, then around Erie for a look.

Friday Kristy drove them to see the Amish people in Ohio, about 3 hours from our house. Once we hit the country, the horse and buggies came thick and fast. After a quick browse through the Amish shops, it was time to turn around and head back home. We thought it was a good idea for Judes to get some practise behind the wheel, so after getting out of the busy town, Kristy pulled over, gave her some instructions, and let her take the wheel. Judes had been driving for (no exaggeration) less than 60 seconds, when she approached a horse and buggy at the crest of a hill. Kristy told her to move over, and that cars coming the other direction will allow for her to go over their side a little. Judes seemed to ignore these instructions and thought she would see how close she could possibly get to the horse and buggy without hitting them. By this stage Kristy was screaming all sorts of obscenities at Judes, telling her to move over - she missed them by the skin of her teeth! Very close call. It didn't take long for her to line up her second target. This time is was a very close call with a letterbox. We couldn't wait for her to reach a main road with wider lanes! The rest of the drive home was relatively stress free.

Lookout! Judes is on the road now!!

After picking up Ryan from work, we headed down to our fav freebie bar for drinks and the free buffet along with a couple of games of pool - Judes sunk her first ball ever! We then picked up a rental car for Bruce and Judes and went for a lap around Presque Isle to look for deer and watch the sun set. This time Bruce got to have a practise drive around town - although he was nervous, he was a speed racer and done pretty good. Although we didn't see any deer (because half of Erie was at Presque Isle), we did spot frogs, fire flies, rabbits and a skunk.

Sunset at Presque Isle

At the Lake Erie light house

Dew Tour - UNREAL!

Saturday we went to the Dew Tour in Cleveland, which is a combination of BMX, FMX (Motorcross) and skateboarding, and we had an awesome day!

The comp started at 1pm. Earlier that day we tried to buy tickets to the event from Ticketmaster at a local supermarket. What we thought were $15 tickets soon turned in to $78 for the 2 of us. We decided not to buy the tickets and wait til we get to the event to buy them. Good thing we did, cause we ended up getting them for $13 each!

The first thing we went and watched was the BMX preliminaries, which featured some Aussies which we cheered extra hard for. These guys were really good.

One of the pro bmx-ers

When that was about finished, we headed over to the skateboarding vert ramp, like a half pipe, to watch the finals. On the way, we got heaps of free stuff from all the sponsors, like food, drink, bags, etc.

The finals featured some of the best skaters in the world, including the number one snow boarder and skate boarder in the world (and who we were going for) Shaun White, along with Bob Bernquist, Andy McDonald and Bucky Lasek. There was also a European skater whose last name was Ringstrom, but to us it looked like Ring Storm, so that was his name for the day, which we thought was really funny. The first round saw these top four skaters in the bottom 5, the second round all players, except Shaun White improved and moved up to the top 3 spots. The third and final round saw our man Shaun come through and clinch the win from Bucky with an awesome ride! This guy gets so much air and has so much skill, its amazing! It was a great comp.

Shauno getting some air!

Nice trick - it looks better when the picture is enlarged

Go Shaun!

While we were walking around, some guy heard our accents and we told him we were from Australia. He asked Ryan if he was into skateboarding or bikes. Ryan said skating, and the guy asked if he was famous! Ryan (much to his regret) said no. He loves the story though!

You wish you could afford that X Star!

Next up was the FMX, although this had mostly been called off due to the wind, however there were 4 or so riders still out there having a practise. These guys are freaks! The photos below show why!

WOW!

How good is that?

After this we watched some armature skate boarding - these kids were really good, and will probably be stars in a few years time.

Up and coming for sure

It was then home time for a nice grill and some drinks (after a quick look through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)!

We have some pretty good footage of Shaun and Bucky, along with some moto and bmx stuff if anyone wants us to send some files through.

Fastest, Tallest, Biggest!

We woke up early Sunday morning and drove 3 hours to Cedar Point, Ohio - a roller coaster and amusement park. The park has 17 roller coasters, including the worlds fastest, tallest and biggest roller coaster in the world - all rolled into one (The Dragster)!

An overall shot of the park - the tall ride you can see is the Dragster

We started off on a coaster called Mantis - one of the tallest and fastest stand up roller coasters in the world, sending us around 4 loops at about 60mph (nearly 97kph). It was a good ride to start off the day.

Next up was Mean Streak - one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world. With heights of 161 feet (50 meters), speeds of 65mph and almost a 1 mile track, it was a rough ride. Being all wood, it was rickety and threw us around big time. It done some damage to Ryan's shoulder and bruised Kristy's back and shin. We couldn't wait for this one to be over.

We hit a couple more coasters, working our courage up for the Dragster. As we got closer, we both got a little more nervous. Here are some facts about the Dragster:

Length: 2800 feet (853m)

Height: 420 feet (128m or 42 stories high)

Angle of lift: 90 degrees

Vertical drop: 400 feet (122m)

Angle of decent: 90 degrees

Launch Speed: 120mph in under 4 seconds (193kph)

Angle of twist on decent: 270 degrees

Drop speed: 120mph (193 kph)

This is the Dragster - you get at a 90 degree angle at 120mph up the LHS, go over the top, and come down at 120mph, at a 90 degree angle, twisting 270 degrees. All over in 16 seconds!

It was finally our turn, and the ride was really good, and no where near as bad as we thought it was going to be. Although we only had a lap belt holding us in, we felt very secure, and because you were going so fast, you didn't really have time to worry anyway! It was an awesome rush!

After a bite to eat, it was time to hit some water rides to cool down. We then lined up for the parks brand new ride - the Maverick. Maverick had only opened a matter of weeks before we arrived and we had to line up for 1.5 hours just to have a ride that lasted barely 2 minutes! Once again, we were locked in so tight and felt so secure that we were ready for anything. This ride topped all the other rides in the park - loops, twists, turns - it wasn't dull for one second! There was even a drop that actually inverted and was at an angle of 95 degrees sending us at speeds of 75mph! We absolutely loved it, and it has definitely cured Ryan's fear of roller coasters!

Click on the the link below to watch the actual ride! Its good.

http://maverick.cedarpoint.com/ride/video/?video_id=16

We went on one more coaster, then called it quits, leaving the park bruised and battered, but we still had a great time!

Bonjour!

Well, we have only about 4 weeks left in the USA and only a few more journeys to report back.
This weekend we drove 7.5 hours to Montreal, Canada. The drivers in this place are crazy! If you aren't doing 20km over the speed limit, then you will be left for dead! Approximately 67 percent of Montrealers speak French as a first language, and nearly 95% of the population speak French. We could have sworn we had just driven to France, not Canada.

This weekend we thought we would get some preparation in for Europe, and stay in a backpackers hostel, on recommendation from Luis who had stayed at this particular hostel before. Friday night we checked in and were shown to our fluro aqua and purple room. We walked to a road full of bars and cafes and hung around there for a while, before calling it a night.

No, it wasn't a dead body in our room!

Saturday morning we woke up excited - Luis had told us the hostel had a Hawaiian owner who cooked up a storm for brekkie. Kristy was picturing bacon and eggs with some pineapple cooked on a grill. We went downstairs and saw a box of cornflakes. Ryan went to ask the hostel manager which milk we should use while Kristy got the crockery and cutlery ready (there was still no Hawaiian man to be seen). The hostel manager told Ryan that there was in fact no milk for any cereal, that the only food they provide for (the included) breakfast was bread, butter and jam. Nice one Luis! To make matters worse, Kristy had the flu and it decided to hit the hardest that day! The good thing about the hostel was they let us use their bikes for free. Everyone in Montreal cycles - the infrastructure for this is excellent. After our toast, we set out for a cycle around the city. Our first stop was the Olympic Stadium built for the 1976 Olympics.

Riding around Montreal - This was before Ryan popped his tyre!

In front of the Olympic Stadium


And the winner is......

We continued cycling, but by this stage Kristy's nose would not stop running and she could barely see from the water pouring out of her eyes. When we found a chemist she almost cried with joy. It took about 10 minutes to locate cold and flu tablets as all the packaging was in French, then another 5 minutes to work out that if you turned the package over, the other side was in English! We also had to get air for Ryan's rear tyre, which he popped riding down the stairs at the Olympic stadium.

We rode over a huge bridge with awesome views to a little island which had the Biosphere, not sure what its purpose really is though.

Ryno at the Biosphere

We continued riding until we reached the historic downtown area and Old Port. The area was filled with cobblestone streets and old buildings, lots of cafes and live entertainment. It was a really nice area and the atmosphere was great. We stopped here for lunch.

We rode back to our hotel. We think in total we rode about 15km's. We freshened up, had some drinks at the hostel, then caught the Metro downtown to the Comedy Festival. The festival has 2 elements - indoor and outdoor. The indoor shows you need to buy tickets for, but the outdoor events are free. We decided to stick with the outdoor events. Despite the fact that it was raining, there were thousands of people out and about. There were strange large headed characters walking the streets, heaps of live entertainment and stacks of bars. We just wandered through the streets for a few hours. We think a lot of the outdoor comedy had been postponed due to the weather. When we got back to the hostel Ryan stayed up talking to other backpackers (including an Aussie) and Kristy went to bed.

Kristy in the streets with one of the characters walking around. This is where the Comedy Festival was held.

Despite the fact that almost everything was written in French, we could read this sign!

Sunday, we enjoyed more toast, checked out and caught the metro down to the Old Port area again. We walked through the cobbled streets and around the wharf, had some lunch in a nice cafe, caught the subway back to our car and headed off.

One of the old buildings down near the Old Port

Kristy at the port

On the way home, we went for a small detour through the Thousand Islands, where Thousand Island Dressing comes from.

Any of the Thousand Islands that were big enough, had houses built on them

We had to go through customs when entering back in to the USA. Way back when we arrived in the USA, Kristy had a special form stapled in her passport to say she was in the country as a visitor for 6 months (Ryan didn't need one as he is here on exchange). She had to rip this form out of her passport and send it to the US Consulate so it could be extended by one week, as it expired one week prior to us leaving the country for Europe. When the form was sent in, the Consulate issued a receipt to say that they had received the form. We rang the consulate before leaving for Montreal and they told us Kristy wouldn't have her new updated form prior to leaving for Europe (taking over 4 months for them to process the form), but should be OK to cross the boarder into Canada, as long as we had the receipt as proof of sending in the form. So, we are going through customs and the form obviously wasn't in Kristy's passport, but we had the receipt with us. Of course the officer wasn't convinced, so we had to go inside the customs office and wait while they investigated. This actually turned out to be a good move as they issued Kristy with a new form then and there on the spot for $6 and we were out of there within 20 minutes (as opposed to the $200 fee sending the form in to the Consulate and over a 4 month wait). They were also the nicest customs officers we had seen.

In summary, Montreal was beautiful and we are definitely ready to go to Euro now!

As promised, here is the pic of us with the Playboy Bunny at the Hugh Hefner Playboy Club, Las Vegas!

A Fairly Quiet One...

Not much excitement to report back this weekend. We spent the weekend chilling out after a fairly full one week in Vegas and Utah.

Saturday we got to sleep in - yay! We pretty much bummed around the entire morning. Lunch time we headed out to Presque Isle, which is a peninsula off Erie. We went and had a look at the 'beach' (and we use the word beach very loosely).

Can you believe that we were walking on this exact spot only a couple of months ago?

Erie 'Beach'

Kristy - Lake Erie. There was no wake boarding action happening either.

After a drive around, we went to the Erie Greek Festival. Well, that was a flop. They had been talking it up on the radio and TV. We go down there and there was crappy Greek music playing (not even live), and 3 food vendors who all sold the same food and drinks. The funny bit was you had to buy tickets, then exchange the tickets for food, which to us seemed a little backwards. There was no one there, and heaps of empty seats in the hot sun. We left fairly quickly, but not before a quick bite of some Greek food.

Bargain - $11 for a case of beer!

We finished up the night with a 'grill' on our back veranda.

Grillin

Sunday we went to Buffalo with Louis (from Ryan's work) and his girlfriend Katherine. The Taste of Buffalo festival was on. This festival beat the Erie one hands down. Heaps of live music, every restaurant in Buffalo had a stall it seemed and heaps of people. We spent a few hours wandering through all the stalls and sampling different food from each of the vendors. We tried things like: Catfish nuggets, Cajun shrimp, Pot stickers (dumplings), but we steered away from the Dogfish burger!

With Louis and Katherine at the Taste of Buffalo

With a drink and catfish nuggets

We had another grill at home and that was our weekend.

Tis a lazy nation. They don't even push their own mowers.....

...... Drive through banks.......

Not to mention drive thru pharmacies, post office boxes and drive thru beer (only) shops.