9.9.13 Birthdays! Buffalo Botanical Garden and Niagara Falls

September 9, 2013: Allie and Terri's Birthday.  

Allie (and Irie) get to go to Doggie Day Camp; Terri (and Jim) get to go to Niagara Falls.

Spent most of my birthday in Terri's birth state, New York. We drove ~280 miles today and Terri's birthday spanned 2 states (PA NY) and 2 countries (USA Canada); we dropped Allie and Irie off at Petsmart Doggie Day Camp, made a quick stop at Buffalo Botanical Gardens and spent hours at Niagara Falls (on both the USA and Canada sides).  Loooooong day, MAN we all are t-i-r-e-d! (~12.5 hr trip today).

Allie's Morning Birthday Swim on Lake Erie

 Dead calm.

 Buffalo Botanical Gardens

Niagara Falls!

 American Falls on left; in distance, Horseshoe Falls; Ontario on right.

 From the observation deck, looking DOWN....

 hereeeeee we gooooooo.  In background, Bridge to Canada.

 Before

 Before

 During....

Niagara Falls! ha!

After

 After (American Falls in background)

Back on Shore

 Short walk to base of the American Falls

 Really, just wow!  

Off to Canada

 On our way to CANADA... via Pedestrian Bridge.

 The International Boundary between USA and Canada.

 The falls from the Canadian side...

 American Falls (view from Canada)

 Horseshoe Falls (view from Canada)

 A walk through the park.

 Heading "Home"

 Going HOME!

 It costs $0.50 per person to leave Canada.  Really!

Complete with "change" machines.

You can leave USA for free... but you need to pay to get out of Canada. :)

 One last look of the falls... (from Canada).

 Head in the USA, feet in Canada.  :)

Left foot in USA... the "rest" in Canada.  Niagara Falls in the distance...

 Picking Up Allie and Irie

 Allie and Irie spent the Day at Doggie Day Camp at Petsmart in Orchard Park (near Buffalo NY).