When Adam checked in at our campground in Michigan they gave him a keycard for us to get in and out of the gated entrance. He had to leave a monetary deposit that would be returned when the keycard was given back. This was all well and good except nobody was scheduled to come into the office until well after we wanted to be on the road. There was an option of mailing it back and getting our deposit back in the mail but neither of us were fans of that plan. Surprisingly (as is usually the case for Adam’s luck) someone was there early that day and we were able to take care of it before we left.
At 8:30am we started our 270 mile drive and were on our way into Canada, the only leg of our journey outside of the United States.
We wanted to get going early because we weren’t sure how long it may take to get through customs at the border. Because we had the RV we didn’t know if they would want to enter and inspect. Thankfully that did not happen and it was relatively quick and painless. The border patrol officer checked our id’s, asked a few questions and that was that.
It was about 1:30pm as we were pulling into our new site at the Niagara Falls KOA campground. As we were approaching our site a nice couple was sitting outside a few sites away and they were waving at us and saying, “Hi PA!!!” It turns out they were from PA too in a town just outside of Lancaster. The girls and I went to talk with them and pet their beautiful dogs. Adam tried to set up camp quickly so we could have as much time as possible checking out our new location.
Since it was past midday we decided to go to Niagara on the Lake for the rest of the day and keep the touristy falls section for tomorrow. As we drove we noticed there were tons of wineries. There was a large amount of land for sale that was previously a winery and looking for a new owner. Adam and I both took notice to it and daydreamed of the unrealistic possibilities. The girls started spotting the wineries too and were continually asking us to stop at one. They have now been to their fair share of wineries and adore how they are treated each time and usually given a special drink. Adam and I were on the fence about stopping at one but when we saw Wayne Gretzky’s winery and distillery that sealed the deal. Why? For Adam, he was excited about the distillery. For me, somehow I was positive Gretzky spent part of his career as a Philadelphia Flyer. I was actually so sure I told one of the employees that we were from Philly and we couldn’t drive by without stopping. I wondered at the time why he could barely muster a lackluster response.
Since we had our fair share of wine tasting on this trip we decided to change it up and do the whiskey tasting at the distillery this time around. The girls were very well behaved and went to sit under the window out of everyone’s way while Adam and I did our tasting. Whiskey is not really my thing, especially when drinking it neat.
Adam enjoyed the first two a lot more than I did. As soon as I took a tiny sip I could feel the burn going the whole way down my esophagus. When it was time to taste the cream whiskey I found my spirit of choice. Think Bailey’s but SO much better. We both really enjoyed it so we bought a bottle to take home with us.
The facility here was beautiful and we quickly walked around to check it out, including the wine side. There were tons of pictures of Gretzky playing hockey lining one of the hallway walls. As we walked I kept anticipating the picture or pictures of him in his Flyers uniform. When that did not happen I was so perplexed. I was guessing maybe it was showcased in another hallway or maybe he was only on the team for a very brief period of time (not worthy of commemorating it with a photo).
After our quick walk through we headed back to the car to continue on our way. It didn’t take much longer to arrive in the heart of the gorgeous little town of Niagara on the Lake. We lucked out and got a great spot to park the truck right on the street. Almost immediately we realized just how lucky it was when we spotted Balzacs Coffee Roasters directly across from where we parked. As we opened the door the incredible aroma of coffee roasting welcomed us.
The girls noticed an adorable kid size bistro table and ran right over to claim their spot. There were packs of wiki stix, paper and crayons to keep them occupied. It had been quite some time since they used wiki stix and they couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Adam noticed a cortado on the menu and inquired. The very kind barista told him it is espresso mixed with an equal amount of warm milk. Since it was already getting pretty late and would be bedtime before we knew it we decided to share one. This proved to be the pick me up we needed and our new favorite coffee beverage.
The girls were hard at work using their wiki stix to create. Lily put them on a piece of paper and made an RV driving on a road.
We could hear their giggles from where we sat as they made wearable art glasses and tried them on. When they saw us looking at them they ran over to us and brought a pair for Adam to try.
While Adam was playing with the girls I remembered about my Gretzky question and signed on to the wifi. As I found Gretzky’s bio I chuckled to myself as I learned he never, ever played for the Flyers. The bartender’s response now made complete sense as did the missing photo. I shared my mistake with Adam and we got a good laugh at my expense.
We could feel the clock ticking so we decided to pull ourselves away from our new favorite spot. As we walked outside we spotted a woman walking with an umbrella stroller. Normally this would not be out of the ordinary but this time it was extraordinary. She was pushing two precious little dogs. The woman was very kind and stopped to introduce us to her little friends as she noticed the adoring glances coming her way. She told us how she rescued them and takes them everywhere in their stroller. We were very happy to shower them with love for a few minutes.
As we turned the corner and the main street of this town came into view it truly took my breath away. Picturesque, quaint, absolutely gorgeous! The streets were lined with spectacular gardens on either side and in the island as well. We had a great time walking in and out of the stores.
Lily loved the hand and foot wooden sculptures that sat outside an art gallery.
As we started to get hungry we came across Fournos Restaurant – a Taste of Greece. The weather was delightful and they had a nice patio where we could sit and dine al fresco. We decided to get their sampler platter and share it. The food was delicious and we all enjoyed it.
After dinner we walked around a bit longer before heading back for the night. We knew we had a full day tomorrow so we made sure not to leave too late. We relaxed together and watched tv before going to sleep for the night.
