Leg 2 of our North American/Great Lakes holiday took us to Niagara-on-the-Lake, on the Canadian shores of Lake Ontario.
We were there to visit our friends Ed & Lorna at their lovely new home:
which also gave us an opportunity to meet their two adorable new dogs, shelties Teddy and Maddie. So sweet!
The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is idyllic -- it's a small village, but one with important historic ties, a quaint Main Street, and lovely water views. On our first full day in town, Ed led us on a bicycle tour of the region. That's him way out in front, much the way he always was on our hikes through the English countryside. "Hey, wait up Ed!"
No, not really -- he went easy on us. Actually, leading guided bicycle tours of the region is a retirement sideline for Ed, so we were in the hands of a pro! We got a great tour of various historic sites, like this small fort from the War of 1812.
From 1812 through 1814, the region was a hotly contested battleground in the war between the Americans and the British (supported by the Canadian militia). After our history lessons from Ed, we stopped for coffee at a local cafe in town,
then later for lunch at a local farmer's market,
We rode through lots of rich farmland:
Because the climate in the area is atypically mild for Canada (it is protected from the weather by the Niagara Escarpment), we found many fruit orchards, and even vineyards!
Ed gave us expert information about the vines,
then led us into several of the 85(!) wineries in the area:
to taste the final product!
That night we had a fun dinner out, followed by a great production of the comedic play "Born Yesterday" at one of their local theatres. The following day was Canada Day, and we were delighted to spend their national day visiting Niagara Falls (just 15 minutes away) with our favorite Canadians!
The falls were every bit as impressive as we had hoped -- it was fantastic to see 5 million cubic feet of water going over the crest of the 188-foot tall falls every minute. The "Maid of the Mist" boat looked tiny next to the base of the falls:
This photo shows the American Falls on the left, with the edge of the more famous (and more spectacular) Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the right:
The Horseshoe Falls:
On the way back home, we drove along the Welland Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Lake Erie is an impressive 326 feet higher in elevation than Lake Ontario, so the canal includes 8 locks over its 27 miles. We were lucky to be at Lock #1 when a ship came through, so we were able to see the lock in operation. The ship behind Ed & Lorna dropped 50 feet in a matter of minutes:
That night marked the arrival of our mutual friend Chris, who had travelled from Baltimore to Toronto for a meeting. Ed & Lorna had managed to keep his imminent arrival a secret from us; we didn't know he was in town until we saw him pull into their driveway as we enjoyed a glass of wine on their front porch! Ed & Lorna made us all a delicious dinner, and we retired to the porch again for after-dinner drinks:
We had a great visit, and fell in love with the area. We look forward to our next visit!
Leg 2 of our North American/Great Lakes holiday took us to Niagara-on-the-Lake, on the Canadian shores of Lake Ontario. 
We were there to visit our friends Ed & Lorna at their lovely new home:
The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is idyllic -- it's a small village, but one with important historic ties, a quaint Main Street, and lovely water views. On our first full day in town, Ed led us on a bicycle tour of the region. That's him way out in front, much the way he always was on our hikes through the English countryside. "Hey, wait up Ed!"
No, not really -- he went easy on us. Actually, leading guided bicycle tours of the region is a retirement sideline for Ed, so we were in the hands of a pro! We got a great tour of various historic sites, like this small fort from the War of 1812.
From 1812 through 1814, the region was a hotly contested battleground in the war between the Americans and the British (supported by the Canadian militia). After our history lessons from Ed, we stopped for coffee at a local cafe in town, 
then later for lunch at a local farmer's market, 
We rode through lots of rich farmland: 
Because the climate in the area is atypically mild for Canada (it is protected from the weather by the Niagara Escarpment), we found many fruit orchards, and even vineyards! 
Ed gave us expert information about the vines, 
then led us into several of the 85(!) wineries in the area: 
That night we had a fun dinner out, followed by a great production of the comedic play "Born Yesterday" at one of their local theatres. The following day was Canada Day, and we were delighted to spend their national day visiting Niagara Falls (just 15 minutes away) with our favorite Canadians!
The falls were every bit as impressive as we had hoped -- it was fantastic to see 5 million cubic feet of water going over the crest of the 188-foot tall falls every minute. The "Maid of the Mist" boat looked tiny next to the base of the falls:
This photo shows the American Falls on the left, with the edge of the more famous (and more spectacular) Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the right:
The Horseshoe Falls:
On the way back home, we drove along the Welland Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Lake Erie is an impressive 326 feet higher in elevation than Lake Ontario, so the canal includes 8 locks over its 27 miles. We were lucky to be at Lock #1 when a ship came through, so we were able to see the lock in operation. The ship behind Ed & Lorna dropped 50 feet in a matter of minutes:
That night marked the arrival of our mutual friend Chris, who had travelled from Baltimore to Toronto for a meeting. Ed & Lorna had managed to keep his imminent arrival a secret from us; we didn't know he was in town until we saw him pull into their driveway as we enjoyed a glass of wine on their front porch! Ed & Lorna made us all a delicious dinner, and we retired to the porch again for after-dinner drinks:
We had a great visit, and fell in love with the area. We look forward to our next visit!
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