Back to the USA

Aug 25, 2008

Back in the USA! We had about 1 hour ride to where we were to meet to cross back into the USA. It was a pretty ride. We stopped by the Whelan Canal and watched a ship in the locks. Then we traveled up along the Niagara River. There are Huge Hydro Electric power plants on both sides of the river. Water is actually diverted from above the falls to reservoirs then the water rejoins the river after travelling though the power turbines. Most of the water is diverted to the reservoirs at night and the river is allowed to flow at near full strength during the day so the falls look good for the tourists. It is really quite an ingenious system. After we had all gathered in a parking lot, we proceeded en mass to the border crossing. It turned out to be the easiest border crossing I think any of us ever had. Ed V the tour director had previously been in contact with customs and had gotten us all preapproved to cross. As we approached the customs stations they had several agents there and they waved the whole group through. We didn’t even have to stop. The Vehicles did get a little bit of inspection but it went well for them as well. The ride on the US side was surprisingly flat and the roads pretty good. It was different not having stops to make every few miles, but that was ok. We did stop about 1:00 and had some pizza. The scenery is mostly farm land and trees with a few wetlands mixed in. It reminds me of central Minnesota. We are staying at an RV Park tonight in Byron New York. Not a fancy Park but nice.