Finally On the Road

After careful and long-time planning our 2013 trip to Newfoundland...we ran out of time!  We decided it was too late in the season to rush and get in and out of Newfoundland before the weather changes so we opted for just a part of the first trip we planned.   We'll go to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City then find our way back home.

So we finally set out on August 22 for our first destination of Niagara Falls, NY.  All the stops along the way will be just for the night.  We first stopped in Gadsden, AL, at Noccalula Falls Campground.  We've stopped here a few times before.  The time we had site #12 (too small for my liking).  Next time we will try and get into #18 or #19.  We've camped in #19 before...plenty of room to maneuver.  Next morning we got up and on the road and headed for Lexington, KY, where we stopped overnight at the Wal-Mart off I-75.  Nice area with a beautiful park right at the foot of the parking lot.  In the park was a monument to race horses with several "headstones" for some important Kentucky horses.  (See the pics.)

After a very pleasant evening there we got back on the road headed north and drove through Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio, finally stopping at another Wal-Mart in Ashtabula, Ohio, just off I-90 on the shores of Lake Erie.

Last leg got underway headed east on I-90 crossing into Pennsylvania and then into New York and on the New York Thruway...a toll road.  We finally got off the NYTW in Buffalo and paid our toll... $11.80.  We were able to follow our navigation program through all the interchanges and arrived at our campground too early....We could not check in until 1 PM!  We found the local Wal-Mart where it appeared some families actually use the huge parking lot as a campground.   Lots of children riding scooters around a wagontrain of trailers.  We unhooked the tow and took it for a wash and managed to find a Dairy Queen for lunch and, of course, a blizzard!  By the time we got back it was time to head to the campground, Niagara Falls Campground and Lodging.  We checked in and parked in our site, #41, with no problem.  The campground has a tour office so we checked on tours and purchased the Big Combo Tour of both American Falls and Canadian Falls.  We'll do one on Monday and the other on Tuesday.  So happy to be here safe and sound.