Today we visit a Merry-Go-Round Factory, walk to the brink of Niagara Falls, and spend the night at a winery with a railroad theme.
0906 66,982 62°F Youngstown, NY
0957 67,005 66°F North Tonawanda, NY 586'
Just south of Buffalo we found the
Admission includes two tickets for a carousel ride.
The first Merry-Go-Rounds only used horses. Exotic animals, like this zebra and ostrich, joined them later to make the rides more interesting.
Machines on the factory floor were powered by pulleys from an overhead drive system.
Displays were well done, with full size B&W photos of workers. Here you can see the horizontal layers of wood joined to make a horse.
Beth and I agreed that this lion was our favorite of all the carved animals in the museum.
The back end of the calliope is as interesting as the front. It has two rolls of music and lots of air lines to power the organ and drum parts.
Music rolls are still made on vintage equipment here in the museum. They are available for purchase in case you want to expand the repertoire of your calliope.
Herschell also made automobile and truck engines, like this V8 used to power fire engines. During WWII they manufactured Liberty engines under license.
They even made miniature steam engines for amusement parks.
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learning a little about the golden age of carousels.
1127 67,006 North Tonawanda
Just down the street is the Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier
Built around an old Erie Railroad Freight Depot, they have some rolling stock on display outside. We didn't stay as they are only open on Saturdays.
We noticed that, in this section of town, the streets have carrousel animals on their lamp poles.
1205 67,019 76°F Niagara Falls, NY 560'
Goat Island RV Parking lot #3 is free with a campground receipt. There was plenty of room to park and, at this time of year on a weekday, there were no parking fees for anyone.
The parking lot is at the opposite end of Goat Island from the falls. The river is just starting to pick-up speed and was calm enough to be popular with seagulls.
Walking along the river, we see it start to drop and form whitewater as it passes under the Goat Island bridge.
As we approach the north end of the island spray was visible, above the edge, rising from 180 feet below.
The American Falls are in the foreground while the Horseshoe Falls are in the distance.
Crossing the bridge to the other side of the American Falls gave the most interesting viewpoints on the US side.
There are all kinds of paid viewing options like the balloon and tower in this view. The free views in the state park were fine for us.
We took lots of photos for groups we met and one couple finally returned the favor.
Seagulls calmly stood in the water, totally unfazed by the precipice.
The Maid of the Mist...
...lives up to her name!
Peering over the edge, we could see folks getting very wet while posing near the Cave of the Winds.
While we had visited the Canadian side before, this was our first visit to the American Falls. This is a great place to capture rainbow photos.
Both sides have beautiful views and we would recommend seeing the falls from the US and Canada if you have the time.
There is a shuttle between the falls and the state park parking lots if you don't want to walk. We only rode it one stop, so we got lots of steps in today!
1530 67,019 Left Niagara Fall State Park
1555 67,028 81° Lewiston, NY
Crossed the 1,594 foot long Lewiston-Queenston bridge, passing 370 feet above the river before reaching Canadian customs.
The view is downstream of Niagara Falls, looking north towards Lake Ontario. We chose this crossing thinking it would be less crowded than the bridge at Niagara Falls and there were no delays.
1640 67,067 Stoney Creek, Ontario
Puddicombe Estate Winery – Harvest Host
Purchased snacks, beers and peach cider from the mom of the owner.
There are two cabooses, a passenger car, and a ride-on miniature railroad on the property. When I asked the owner's wife why they had trains, she responded "He likes trains."
I sought out the owner, thanked him for being a host, and chatted for a bit about trains and camping. Even though the trains only run on weekends, he encouraged me to go visit the engine shed. While out there, I checked to see if the train was made by Herschell in North Tonawanda, but it wasn't. It was built by Chance Mfg in Kansas.
After dinner the tracks through the winery beckoned, so more walking ensued. I couldn't resist capturing the sentiment on this trackside post for our chorus friends.
Timing was good as the tracks looped back just as the sun was setting behind the Niagara Escarpment.
We highly recommend this Harvest Host if you are traveling through Ontario between New York and Michigan.
Goodnight from Ontario
Today's Route
(Click on any image to enlarge it)
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