MAID OF THE MIST EXPEDITION!

In case I forget the chain of events that led to being able to get this photo of me holding a bottle of Niagara water, while simultaneously being in a boat cruising on the Niagara River, I am writing it down in this blog post!

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the United States of America!  It is always free to walk into the park and experience the falls! 

Visitors walk along a scenic path beside the river, to get to the falls area. 

The green cylinder is the ticket booth to start the process of purchasing tickets to ride the famous boats, Maid of the Mist (www.maidofthemist.com).  I was with the Making Memories Tours group (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com) that came to New York via motorcoach, and our tickets had been purchased in advance, so we did not have a long wait in line.  I had visited this state park in the past (see blog dated September 12, 2008 in the archives), but the line to purchase tickets for the boat ride was so long, and my time there was so short, I had to forego the boat ride.  Hence, my excitement at the prospect of getting to cruise under the falls on this trip!

After one has their tickets, they proceed across an elevated walkway at ground level, where they wait to get onto an elevator that will carry them to the bottom of the river gorge.  The photo below shows a docked Maid of the Mist boat, waiting to take on more passengers.  

While I was waiting for the elevator, I snapped a photo of a glass door with the maple leaf emblem saying "All are welcome here", so that means that even the Arkansas hillbilly reflected in the glass, is welcome!

On the walkway, there is good view of bridge that spans the Niagara River, and connects the USA to Canada.  

 When you purchase a ticket to Maid of the Mist, it includes a "one size fits all" blue poncho, intended to keep passengers from getting completely soaked, when they are at the falls.  

The front of the Poncho has the Maid of the Mist logo, noting its origins go back to 1846!

Apparently most people discard their wet raincoat after the cruise, as evidenced by the huge bags of thrown away raincoats.  However, I kept mine, as did several other people in our group.  

The Maid of the Mist is proudly celebrating America's 250th birthday, as seen by the painting on the top deck.  The name Nikola Tesla on the side of the boat, is a reminder that all the boats in their fleet are now fully electric.  

On my previous visit, I had gone down the stairs pictured in the photo below.  However, there were no people on the steps this time, and I could later see that the top was closed off, with several pieces of heavy equipment apparently doing repairs at the facility.  

Across the river on the Canadian side, we could see a boat full of people in pink ponchos, which is their signature color vs. the blue colors of the American side.  

I was amused at this sign as I exited the Maid of the Mist area, knowing that, indeed, a ride on Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls, is a "BUCKET LIST" item for thousands around the world!  In fact, these falls produce 750,000 gallon-BUCKETS PER SECOND!

As our motorcoach was driving across the bridge, I noted there was a walkway on the bridge for pedestrians, so they could say they "walked from the USA to Canada".   That is exactly what several friends and I did in June, on a much longer bridge.  You can read about that adventure in the archives, in a blog dated July 7, 2026, titled "International Bridge Walk Expedition!".  

Once our boat made it across the bridge, it was time to go through Customs.  Everyone had to get off the bus, go inside the building, then stand in line, to show their passport.  While we were doing that, officials were inspecting our bus for contraband.  Apparently, we all passed, because we were able to reboard the bus, in just a few minutes.  

 

 It was just a short drive to our hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls, so after I was settled into my lodging, I went outside to explore the area.  Since so many of the hotels have the word "niagara" in them, I took a photo of the exact name of my hotel, with the landmark tower in the background, so I could find my way back "home" after walking around the area.  

When I made my way across the street to the sidewalk above the falls, I was delighted to see there was a rainbow over the falls, so I asked another tourist admiring the sight, to take my photo with the rainbow in the background.  

The photo below shows the top of Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, as seen from the street-level of our hotel.

 In case there was any doubt as to which side of the river contain the Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian flag, with its red, maple-leaf center, removed all doubt.

To get from street level, down to the level of the river, one can take a long walk, or simply pay for a ride on the funicular, that transports several people at a time, down the steep slope, to the bottom of the gorge.  

The next morning, I was out as soon as it was daylight, to see what the falls looked like, in the early morning.  Because of the temperature differences in the air and the water, the scene was completely obscured by mist from the falls, but the sun could be seen, peeking through, from the American side.  

After my morning walk, and a nice breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus to go see the "Floral Clock" (www.niagaraparks.com), pictured below.  It is situated close by the river, and the hands of the clock are powered by the hydroelectric energy generated at Niagara Falls.  It also has Westminister chimes that ring every quarter hour.

I am very thankful I had the opportunity to visit the world famous Niagara Falls, on both the American and the Canadian sides.  When our Maid of the Mist boat was next to the falls, with nothing being heard but the roar of millions of gallons of falling water, I was reminded of the Scripture verse from Revelation 1:15 that says, "The sound of Jesus is like the sound of many, many waters."  Thanks to this trip, I now have a better idea of what that verse means!  Needless to say, this "Bucket List" trip, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

PUT-IN-BAY EXPEDITION!

It was a commemorative coin from the U.S. Mint's series on state quarters, that was probably the seed that was planted, making me want to see the subject of this 2013 twenty-five cent piece.  Up until I saw this quarter, I was familiar with most of the subjects embossed on the state quarters.  In fact, I published an article about the Indiana State Quarter, called "The Quarterly Expedition", that you can see in the archives, dated May 23, 2011.   However, I had to do some research to find out what the "Perry's Victory" quarter was about, and where in Ohio, it was located!  

 

Getting to the location of the Perry monument involved boarding a ferry at the Cataba Island dock, in Ohio,  then cruising a few miles across Lake Erie, to land on the dock of Put-In-Bay Island (www.visitputinbay.com).   I had traveled this far on my quest, on a big motorcoach,, as a part of Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com), so a boat ride was a nice change of pace.  Although a few cars are allowed on the island, our group went on foot, and walked onto the ferry.  For people whose bladder starts to spasm, as soon as they see a big boat on the water that might not have a toilet, you can notice there is a port-a-potty located in the holding area, just before boarding.  

While we were in the holding area, I noticed some of the people in the group in front of us, were wearing the uniform of National Park Service employees, so I assumed they were taking the ferry to Put-in-Bay (abbreviated PIB), to report for work at the National Park Service Perry Victory Monument.  The EMS worker, accompanied by an empty stretcher, is a reminder to say there is no hospital on PIB, so avoid having an accident, which would probably involve a helicopter flight to the mainland!

 

Getting onto the ferry involves a bit of walking and stair-climbing, so keep this in mind, when planning your visit.  

This is the view from above, where most people go, once aboard the ferry.  

When we disembarked from the ferry on Put-In-Bay Island, we hopped onto an open-air trolley, to get a narrated tour around the island.  

The cart driver gave each of us a souvenir PIB bag, that had maps of the island, post cards, attraction brochures, and a souvenir ink pin.  

 

Many visitors rent golf carts during their visit, and the rental office is adjacent to the ferry landing.

 

I was thankful not to have to deal with driving, because it gave me hands free, for taking photos!

 

Our tour package included a fifteen dollar meal voucher, so the tour driver was pointing out places where we could use the voucher, such as the easily-accessible Burger and Fries cafe.

 

PIB has a nickname of "Key West North", and even has a miniature replica of the famous Key West, Florida, landmark:

I decided to use my meal voucher at a cafe on the boardwalk, that allowed me to sit on the deck and watch the boat traffic. 

At the Boardwalk, I noticed a small poster advertising harbor tours, on a decommissioned Coast Guard boat, which caught my interest, because I have a friend on active duty in the Coast Guard:

 I saw a man on on the boat preparing it to set sail, and he told me that no advance reservations were required, and I could go on the next tour, which left in five minutes.  He took the payment with my credit card, and VOILA!  I was cruising like a cadet, in a decommissioned Coast Guard vessel.  The boat only holds six customers, and it departs, even if there is only ONE customer, which was the case today!  The Boardwalk looked entirely different from the water, than it did from the land!

We circled the C-Shaped island, which gave us a good view of the Perry Monument:

 

The boat captain put the boat in neutral, and came down from the upper bridge, to where I was sitting, to see what questions I had about the tour, so far.  I asked if he would take my photo, and I explained I usually lift my arms in gratitude in a photo, to give thanks to God for getting to see a particular scene.  He very skillfully lined up the shot, so it would appear as if I had the Perry Monument, resting in the palm of my hand!

The harbor boat tour also cruised by the dock of The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory, that conducts fresh water research.  When I posted photo of this on Facebook that day, a friend from my church commented that he had done some of his graduate studies in environmental science at this location, and lived in the "castle" building which housed students at that time.  

When the very enjoyable 45 minute boat tour ended, I disembarked, and started walking back through the main part of town.  That gave me the opportunity to enjoy the shaded tranquility of DeRivera Park

Across from the park, is the hundred-plus year old Round House, which has a very colorful interior, as well as its distinctive exterior shape:

 

Eventually my walk down main street led my to the site of the National Park Service Facility :

After getting my obligatory NPS rubber passport stamp, showing the date and the location, I watched the short video, telling about the famous Battle of Lake Erie, which was a part of the War of 1812.  Then it was time to study the diorama that had miniature ships, depicting their location during the battle.  I thought of my son when I saw the diorama, because he often sets up battle dioramas on a large tabletop, with miniatures, to re-enact famous and imaginary battles.  

 

The statue that is depicted on the Ohio quarter, is the centerpiece of the Visitor Center.  I had done a bit of studying of the War of 1812, due to attending its centennial celebration in Baltimore.  The story of that event is in a blog I published called "A Very Admirable Expedition!", that can be seen in the archives, dated June 22, 2012.  

 

It is the Battle of Lake Erie,  that made the phrase "Don't give up the ship", famous:

Since my son has the word "ship" in his name, I bought one of the souvenir flags, for him to hoist on the mast of his sailboat!

 

Another famous phrase from this battle, is the one Commodore Perry wrote to his commanding officer, and was painted on the wall of the visitor center:  "We have seen they enemy, and they are ours."

The confidence that Commodore Perry had, reminded me that students of the Word can have that same confidence, because they know the triumphant conclusion of events, because of what the Bible says in Revelation 19:19-21.  "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

 

Before I arrived on the island, I had been looking forward to getting to visit the top of the tower, to brag I had been in the tallest structure that was part of the NPS system.  However, it was not to be.  In celebration of a huge AMERICA 250 event taking place the following weekend, access to the grounds surrounding the tower, as well as the tower itself, were closed off to the public, as NPS workers were giving it a thorough scrubbing and paint touch-up to get it ready for the big celebration:  

 

This photo shows an empty lawn around the tower, but this will be a much different scene, when the America 250 Celebration opens the grounds to the large crowds expected: (Flags were at half mast in recognition of the death of U S Senator Lindsay Graham.)

 

After a very informative visit to the NPS Visitor Center, it was time to head towards the meetup place for our group, to take the free Downtown Bus, that would take us back to the ferry dock:

At the ferry landing, cars were beginning to line up, as well as several folks who had come on bicycles, including recumbent bicycles:

Once on board the ferry, a person takes the stairs to the upper deck, where we enjoyed a beautiful, sun shiny day, gliding across the water, while meditating and giving thanks for the gorgeous weather, and the many blessings of living in the beautiful United States of America!  This trip to Put-In-Bay, Ohio, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

Note:  In addition to being "motivated" to travel to a spot shown on a state quarter, it was nickel, that inspired a visit to Monticello, as shown in blog called "MONTICELLO EXPEDITION!", dated April 6, 2017.  Likewise, the blog titled "FDR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY EXPEDITION",  dated April 17, 2026, tells the background of the Roosevelt dime.   Wonder where my next "coin trip" will be??!!


ADDENDUM;

I was thankful to receive this photo, indicating my son had received the "Don't Give Up The Ship" flag and decal, that I mailed him!