We went with the Millers to Jellystone Park just outside of Niagara Falls. We rented a cottage (#135 Yogi Size) since we didn’t want to ‘rough-it’.
Thank God it was air conditioned. The weekend was the hottest one I can recall. Each day was humid and at least 30 not including the humidex. On Friday, it was 36 with a humidex of 45! It was so hot that a visitor from Chicago noticed that everyone was ‘dogging’ it that day and asked us if was because the economy was depressed. I guess in Chicago they get some really hot days and he didn’t realize this is the exception for us.
Each day we spent plenty of time in the park. The kids didn’t know anything about Yogi Bear before coming. But by the time they left they knew what it was all about. We even took the prototypical photo with the 20ft Yogi statue at the front of every Jellystone.
Much of the time was spent in the pool. I’ve never been so anxious to get in a pool before. It was that stifling outside. We also spent time participating in the park events: wagon rides, the activity centre. The weekend’s theme was Halloween in July. At Jellystone, each weekend over the summer has a theme. We thought this was very cool. The kids enjoyed playing dress the mummy (with toilet paper), build the skeleton (team event) and dressing up in costumes (clone trooper and fairy) and going around the camp trick-or-treating. We decorated our cottage with lights and many other sites had quite elaborate settings as well.
Friday was the only day we went into the Falls. We shuttled into Clifton Hill and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids were ecstatic (and so was I) about eating in a simulated rainforest. They kept counting the minutes between the ‘thunderstorm event’ when the animals get very animated. They were caught off guard at first, but then loved it the other times it happened.
We then went to the Ripley’s Museum. I was a bit skeptical at first as to what’s beyond the gate….but it was fantastic. We enjoyed most the tunnel that had spinning lights that made you feel like you were the one spinning around. Very vertigo-ey.
Then we walked down the Hill all the way across to the falls. In 45 degree temperatures with a kid on your shoulders…..it was difficult to say the least. But when we got closer to the falls, the mist must have dropped the temperature 15 degrees (to a wonderful 30 celcius) and it was nice.
On the way, we saw a tight-rope walker going from the Skylon to the Marriott hotel. This was the first time I’d ever seen this live and was grateful to see it. Just the week before, a different walker crossed the Horseshoe falls right thru the mist. It took him 24 minutes. That to me is unbelievably incredible. I can’t even fathom the bowling balls it takes to do that stunt.
All in all, we had a wonderful time with the Millers. Campfires at night….lots of reebs….couldn’t ask for anything more!
