"DON'T CALL US TO BAIL YOU OUT"
JUNE 06 2011..................

AKA as the NIAGARA FALLS CAPER.

Georgia had never been to Niagara Falls.  So, of course, we had to take a road trip to said falls.  Asked Dan if he wanted to go, he wasn't really interested, so Georgia and I planned a few days at the falls.

We made our hotel reservations in advance, a lovely hotel right at the Canadian end of the Peace Bridge. 

I believe it was a Thursday that we left early in the morning.  It takes about 6-7 hours to get from my place to the Canadian side of the falls, depending on how many photo stops we made on the way.

We arrived in Buffalo, and crossed into Canada there, as I had been to the falls before, and the Canadian drive is spectacular and beautiful, scenery all the way.  We breezed through customs, with photo ID's and passports in hand.We arrived late afternoon, checked in to our hotel, then started exploring.  We scoped out all the touristy things that we thought we would like, had supper, and just loafed.

Friday was a good day.  We rode the Maid of the Mist, you have no comprehension how tall the falls actually are until you are in the water in this little tiny boat looking up.  WOW!!!!!!!!  We drove along the falls to the whirlpool, stopped at the numerous overlooks, visited the butterfly conservatory, seeing thousands of beautiful butterflies.


We hit the aviary, the gardens, walked, and walked, and walked.  Somewhere along the line someone told us if we wanted to photograph the falls in the evening, when the colored lights came on for the light show, to walk out onto the Peace Bridge, the perfect vantage point.

Of course we are always looking for vantage points.  So after supper, before dusk, we decided to check out the view from the bridge.  This was going to be a photo shoot, not a shopping trip, not a luncheon, not a sight-seeing trip, nothing but a photo op.  We like to travel light when photo-oping.

So, what do we need?  Cameras of course.  Extra batteries of course.  Anything else?  Not that we can think of.  Peace Bridge, here we come!

To get on to the bridge we have to pass through a small building, and put a coin in the turnstile to exit the building on to the bridge.  We had coins in our pockets, we were always looking ahead.  Right.  Famous last words.

The information was correct.  The view was perfect.  We found a spot on the walkway next to the railing, with a bunch of other photographers wanting to get that "perfect" picture.  Shortly the lights began coming on, yellow, blue, red, green, shining on the falls, giving them a spectacularly beautiful glow.  We are taking pictures like crazy, just like everyone else.


While engrossed in our prize-winning shots, we, of course, we are talking.  When did we not talk?  About that time a couple of tour buses came across the bridge from the USA, going into Canada.  I am telling Georgia about the time I took a tour into Canada and the falls in December, to see all the Christmas lights and decorations.  I told her how the tour director advised us to have our ID's ready when the customs agent came aboard, we probably would not need them, as long as we didn't say or do anything STUPID.

ID's.  CUSTOMS.  ID's  UT OH.  WE ARE IN DEEP (your know what).  OUR WALLETS, ID's, etc. ARE IN THE HOTEL.  WE ARE BETWEEN COUNTRIES, OUTSIDE OF CANADA, OUTSIDE OF THE USA, ON A BRIDGE, AND NO ID's!!!!!!!!!!!!

We look at each other, then at the little building we came through.  Leaving Canada to get on the bridge, there was no Customs to go through, and if there was a sign telling us we were leaving Canada, we did not see it.  But going back.  We would have to go through customs.  We are getting in deeper and deeper.

We start trying to figure out what to do.  Don't even have our cell phones, they are also at the hotel.  Georgia says to me "Do you think that if we get arrested, they will let us call home and ask for help?"  Scratch that idea.  I know both Dan and Jerry would just tell us "You got yourselves into that mess, you can get yourselves out.  Don't even think of asking us for bail money".

So, here are these two idiotic geniuses, two women without a country, standing on a bridge over the Niagara River, with no way home, in either direction. 

Light Bulb time.  I just remembered that I DID have our room key in my pocket.  At least we didn't leave that in the room.  One point for us.  100 points for Customs.  We are losing fast.  And time is running out.

We decided to play the part of dumb senior citizens to the hilt.  We really did not have to do much acting, that's what we were. We head towards the little building at the end of the bridge, go through the turnstile and stop in front of the customs lady.  She looked tired.  This doesn't look good.

She asks for our ID's.  We try to look really stupid (not really a hard thing to do) and I proceed to tell her that we were so excited about being at the falls, how we had been told the VERY BEST pictures would be from the bridge, that we could hardly wait to see, we only brought our cameras with us.  Left everything else in the hotel.

Then I showed her our hotel key (it was an actual key, not a magnetic card) and told her that we would be more than happy for her to hold one of us hostage, while the other one went to the room and retrieved our ID's.  She just looked at us, looked at our cameras, looked at us, expression never changing.

Doesn't look good.  We hadn't gotten to the place where we had decided which one of us would be hostage.  And we waited.  And waited.  Finally she just ran her fingers through her hair, told us to go on through, but to NEVER NEVER NEVER pull such a stupid trick again.  We could have kissed her, but then we probably would have been arrested.

I don't think we started breathing again until we were at the hotel..  I also think the ONLY thing that saved us was the fact that we had no packages, no purses, nothing but one camera each, and a Canadian Hotel key.

We were right about the guys.  When they heard the tale, they both told us that no way would they have bailed us out.  We dug our hole, we could get ourselves out of it.

I know one thing - I NEVER go anywhere without my ID, at least in my pocket if I want hands free to take pictures.

Saturday we drove across the Peace Bridge, ID's in our hot little hands, and on up to Youngstown New York to visit old Fort Niagara.  Returned to Canada late in the day, then on Sunday morning headed for home.  A few more gray hairs.  A few more wrinkles on the faces, and eternally grateful for the customs lady who took pity on us and let us back into the country.


I'm sure by now you have all decided you really don't want to go on photo ops with us.  Have a great day and God Bless.