I put " Accentuate the Positive Frog" at the top of this blog because I came off sounding fairly negative yesterday in the blog. I know because I reread it as I edited some mistakes this morning. Don't get me wrong! The day at Niagara Falls was not a bad day, but I can easily envision how it could have been a much better day and a much more enjoyable experience without the people and the commercialism. Also, I am going to start today on a bit of a negative note, regarding our short foray into Canada.
As Kellie and I entered Canada, we saw signs that indicated that Toronto was 67 kilometers away on the Queen Elizabeth Way. That is roughly 41 miles for you non-converters. We decided that we might enjoy a day in Canada's most populous city, so away we went and found a room in a centrally located hotel. On our way to our hotel, we saw an Italian restaurant called Scaddabush and decided we would eat there. The food was different, the service was different, and even the table setting was different. In restaurants in Canada, salt, pepper, and other condiments are not placed on the table. If you want them, you have to ask. Also, ice is not provided in a drink unless it is requested. Oh! and get this. I ate a garlic, lemon pasta with shrimp which I would usually cover with parmesan cheese. Well, the parmesan cheese was brought with the plate--in a spoon about the size of a tablespoon! One tablespoon of parmesan! Yeah! What good is that? The food, except for the three cheese bread, was good, but I guess Canadian businesses are tight with their condiments and ice.
So, back at the room, Kellie and I searched and searched for things that we might like to do in Toronto. We came up with nothing, so we had an idea that we might try the hop on-hop off bus tour experience provided by City Sightseeing. That was our only plan. We had no Plan B because we hadn't really planned to be in Toronto anyway. Well, about 5:30 AM as we slept, the remnants of Hurricane Beryl arrived, woked us up, and it thundered and lightninged, and the rain poured down with a vengeance. We got up and looked at the weather and radar on TV. 100% chance of heavy rain until well into the afternoon. There was very little chance that hopping off and on a bus, especially an open air bus, was going to be an enjoyable experience in the pouring rain--if they even ran on such days--, so after leisurely eating our breakfast, we departed Toronto and headed back for the good ol' USA. However, that still left us with a day of no plans until just by coincidence Kellie found the Maritime museum in Erie, Pennsylvania. It seemed like a good place to stop, and it was. In front of the museum was the Accentuate the Positive Frog, and that pretty much set the tone for the whole day--very positive.
Many of you may not know, but my minor in college is history, and I know quite a bit about American history, especially war history. However, I found that I knew virtually nothing about Oliver Hazard Perry and the Battle for Lake Erie during the War of 1812. I dare not bore you with all that I learned, but the most amazing thing is that the USS Niagara, which Commander Perry took over after his ship the USS Lawrence was sunk, is still used by the US Navy to train sailors how to sail. Here is a picture of the USS Niagara. Note that it was raining during our visit in Erie as well.
Of course, the cannons and other arms have been removed, and I believe it belongs to the Coast Guard rather than the Navy, but I don't remember exactly. Anyway, both Kellie and I found the museum very interesting. It is rather small, and a complete and thorough exploration could not last longer than three or four hours, so it is not trip destination. However, it was a cool stop. I highly recommend visiting the museum if you are going that way.
Now, that we had learned about the Battle of Lake Erie and Commander Perry, it was imperative that we visit Presque Island State Park, its lighthouses, and its monument to Commander Perry. Let me tell you, the Presque Light House (pictured below) is super-cool. We toured the home of the lighthouse keeper and even climbed the 77 steps to the top of the tower. Like the Maritime museum, the Presque Lighthouse does not offer enough for a family to do for it to be a destination, but if you go that way sometime, it is well worth the stop.
I have to be mindful of the number of pictures that I can store here in WIX, but I have other cool photos of the lighthouse and of Lake Erie from the top of the lighthouse. I also have some cool pictures of the monument to Commander Perry that maybe I can load on Facebook some time and not here in the blog.
Presque Island State Park was our last touring stop on this day. We spent probably about five hours combined in the Maritime museum and Presque Island, and then it was back on the road, headed down I-90 toward Cleveland, Ohio. We ended up in Ashland, Ohio for the night. I can't think of anything special about Ashland, Ohio, but I will note that when you go around Cleveland on I-271, you drive right through the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Sadly, we did not stop and look around because we had already toured and driven for about 10 hours that day. We were eager to lie on a soft bed and plan our trip to Serpent Mound the next day.
By the way, please don't forget that Essential Words: Nature, Imagination, and Inspiration is available exclusively at Lulu.com. You can click on the following link to go straight to it: https://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-thomas/essential-words-nature-inspiration-and-imagination/paperback/product-e7prgkq.html?q=essential+words%3A+nature&page=1&pageSize=4
Apparently, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and other online booksellers will not pick it up because of its size. It is a nice, big book. However, its 8 1/2 X 11 size give you plenty of room to jot your own poetic notes in it. Anyhow, I think nine copies have been sold through Lulu. I still have all 15 of my original copies. Who would like one?
By the way, the picture that makes up the front cover is mossy rocks below the cave opening above Steele Falls in the Blanchard National Forest.
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