Teenage Mutant Backseat Dancers - 11/18 UPDATE! P25 - Leaving on a jet plane

[bankr63]

What I want to know is how long you've been sitting on that picture just waiting for the opportunity to use it. C'mon, 'fess up.

K, was away for the weekend, and now apparently I have a bunch of catching up to do! Summer's over!

 

[ddstratton]

I dunno… I’m rather getting the impression that your sofa bed wasn’t the most comfortable, restful sleeping apparatus available?? Impossible!

Interesting upside-down house. I was curious as to what it was, so I googled it. It’s just a little upside down house! Everything in it is upside down. http://www.upsidedownhouseniagarafalls.ca/

Quite the walk you had that morning. And carrying water on the way back? Not my idea of fun. Especially in the heat. But you managed, so all is good.

Beautiful pictures of the falls. We’ve only been to the falls once, and haven’t yet taken the boat ride. Well, actually, I think I have. But I was just a little one at the time and don’t remember much of it. I do remember being mad that I didn’t get a poncho – Mom had brought my raincoat instead.

As for the wax figures – the Kristen Stewart was the easiest for me. The rest I could figure out, but they really weren’t very good, were they? Oh, except George Clooney. I had no idea who that was supposed to be.

 

[Thumper_Man]

Nothing a carrot can't fix.

 

[MHSweb79]

LOVING this trip report!

I can't believe the Maid of the Mist doesn't sail from Canada any more! We rode it just a couple of years ago. Well, two of us did; DD refused since the first time she rode it (around age 10?) the closer we got to the falls, she kept telling me she was going to barf. That thing really rocks! Well, we were on the upper deck - I looked down and saw everyone wearing their ponchos and the "mist" was pelting everyone like it was coming from a fire hose so I politely told her to go right ahead. She didn't, but she also vowed NEVER to ride it again.

Funny story on the more recent ride- we were driving out to see the Floral Clock (2nd most photographed site it all of Canada! Behind the Falls themselves!) right from the MotM ride and our feet were soaked, so we changed into sandals. After visiting the completely deserted Floral Clock (Not a soul in sight. Who's taking all these pictures? You Canadians are weird) we got back into the hot car and it REEKED. Like following a zombie garbage truck. In July. And August. Yuck. It took us a while to find the odor- it was our Mist-covered socks, which I promptly tossed in the nearby trash can. And they say not to swim in the Florida waterways!

In your photo of the Bridal Veil Falls there's a bunch of decking at the bottom. This is our all-time favorite Niagara experience- the Cave of the Winds tour. And not just because you get free sandals! (We've got multiple pairs at home, which my DH proudly wears in the summer. Yes, they are plastic and say "Cave of the Winds" on them.) There used to be a cave (before it fell in) but now you just walk up and down the wet decking (hence the provided shoes) and let the falls blow all over you. The aptly named Hurricane Deck is a hoot. Highly recommended. Another poncho experience.

One final note- you say you tried Dunkin' Donuts. By eating a donut. As a Rhode Islander (our state has the highest per-capita Dunkins' in the nation) I feel qualified to tell you this: nobody goes to Dunkin Donuts for the donuts. You go for the coffee!!!!!!! Although I am proud to say a few Krispy Kreme's tried to get into the market and were promptly run out of town, so maybe a FEW of us eat the donuts.

 

[bankr63]

In your photo of the Bridal Veil Falls there's a bunch of decking at the bottom. This is our all-time favorite Niagara experience- the Cave of the Winds tour. And not just because you get free sandals! (We've got multiple pairs at home, which my DH proudly wears in the summer. Yes, they are plastic and say "Cave of the Winds" on them.) There used to be a cave (before it fell in) but now you just walk up and down the wet decking (hence the provided shoes) and let the falls blow all over you. The aptly named Hurricane Deck is a hoot. Highly recommended. Another poncho experience.

I was going to mention the Hurricane Deck too. It is amazing how forcefully the water hits you as you are just under the edge of the falls. I wouldn't even bother with the poncho, I was soaked through in about a nanosecond even with the poncho on.

What I'd really like to see is how they rebuild it every spring. Apparently they completely disassemble the decking in the late fall, and then reinstall it in the spring. That must be a sight to see!

A+ and I like to do occasional getaways to NF for a few days, and I don't remember seeing a grocery store in any of our wanderings about town.

 

[pkondz]

your "line" story makes me think of lines at the quick service eateries at Disney. each register has 2 lines, one on either side. the Cm will help the person to their right, then they will help the person to their left, and so on.

invariably there is a line with no one on one side. all the "sheeple" line up behind the others.... now, since we know better, we go right on the vacant side and get helped next. and boy! do we get looks.

jsut so you don't think we're bad, we used to try to tell people "go ahead in front of us on this side" but mostly we just get weird looks.

(we get weird looks anyway... lol)

Exactly! When I was writing that part of the chapter,
I was thinking, "Nebo and Smidgy will know what I'm talking about."

Yes, I really was thinking of you guys and your line experiences when I wrote that.

And I don't believe you guys get weird looks.

Well, not you anyway.

great update and great pictures! we were there once in 2003. skipped disney that year. went to the falls and hit Cedar point on the way back, meeting up with our son Jeremy and his girlfriend (now wife). this was the spring before we remarried.

we did the maid of the mist (I still have my official spoon holder, which I use as a tea cozy; can't beleive I haven't broken it!). we did the tour of the bridal falls. but we never made it to the canadian side. I wanted to do that tour where you walk behind the falls, the one Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotton take in the old movie Niagra.

the falls are beautiful.. now if I could see the Grand canyon, I'd be happy. oh, and Germany

Our bucket lists sound pretty similar.
I've still got the Grand canyon to go, though.

As for the walk behind the falls... stay tuned.

What I want to know is how long you've been sitting on that picture just waiting for the opportunity to use it. C'mon, 'fess up.

Honest, I never even thought about it until I went looking.
When I found it, I knew I had to use it.

I dunno… I’m rather getting the impression that your sofa bed wasn’t the most comfortable, restful sleeping apparatus available??

I have no idea where you could have gotten that impression.
Certainly not from me.

Interesting upside-down house. I was curious as to what it was, so I googled it. It’s just a little upside down house! Everything in it is upside down. http://www.upsidedownhouseniagarafalls.ca/

Thanks for the link.
Weird though. I wonder how busy it is.
I had no interest in visiting it.

I laughed when I saw the website though.
They've photoshopped it to make it look like it's right by the falls instead of in a parking lot.

Quite the walk you had that morning. And carrying water on the way back? Not my idea of fun. Especially in the heat. But you managed, so all is good.

I was fine once I got some coke.
But I still wonder why I didn't take the car....
I guess I figured it wasn't that much further... Let's see this thing through!

Beautiful pictures of the falls. We’ve only been to the falls once, and haven’t yet taken the boat ride. Well, actually, I think I have. But I was just a little one at the time and don’t remember much of it. I do remember being mad that I didn’t get a poncho – Mom had brought my raincoat instead.

But you have to have a poncho!
It's part of the experience.
You were robbed.

As for the wax figures – the Kristen Stewart was the easiest for me. The rest I could figure out, but they really weren’t very good, were they? Oh, except George Clooney. I had no idea who that was supposed to be.

You can figure them out... but that sure doesn't make them good, right?
And that Clooney one...
I thought he was a young Michael York.

Nothing a carrot can't fix.

Ha! Not true! This was debunked by Mythbusters.
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/m...abase/finger-in-gun-barrel-cause-backfire.htm

So if Marvin the Martian walks up to you with a ray gun,
no carrot's gonna save you, Bunny Boy!

LOVING this trip report!

Great!

I can't believe the Maid of the Mist doesn't sail from Canada any more! We rode it just a couple of years ago.

To quote the late, great Maxwell Smart.
"Missed it, by that much."

Well, two of us did; DD refused since the first time she rode it (around age 10?) the closer we got to the falls, she kept telling me she was going to barf. That thing really rocks! Well, we were on the upper deck - I looked down and saw everyone wearing their ponchos and the "mist" was pelting everyone like it was coming from a fire hose so I politely told her to go right ahead. She didn't, but she also vowed NEVER to ride it again.

And just how mortified would you have been
if she had blown chunks all over the unsuspecting lower deck sightseers?
Remember when I mentioned standing with mouth wide open?

ew.

Funny story on the more recent ride- we were driving out to see the Floral Clock (2nd most photographed site it all of Canada! Behind the Falls themselves!) right from the MotM ride and our feet were soaked, so we changed into sandals. After visiting the completely deserted Floral Clock (Not a soul in sight. Who's taking all these pictures? You Canadians are weird) we got back into the hot car and it REEKED. Like following a zombie garbage truck. In July. And August. Yuck. It took us a while to find the odor- it was our Mist-covered socks, which I promptly tossed in the nearby trash can. And they say not to swim in the Florida waterways!

I think the Floral Clock was the (2nd) most photographed thing... back in the 50s-60s.
Pretty sure my folks have a picture of it from their Honeymoon.

In your photo of the Bridal Veil Falls there's a bunch of decking at the bottom. This is our all-time favorite Niagara experience- the Cave of the Winds tour.

I remember looking at it from the boat and wondering if we should make a trip back over to the American side.
Then I remembered the line up to get into Canada.

Pass.

And not just because you get free sandals!

Free sandals?
That beats the free poncho, hands, or feet, down.

There used to be a cave (before it fell in) but now you just walk up and down the wet decking (hence the provided shoes) and let the falls blow all over you. The aptly named Hurricane Deck is a hoot. Highly recommended. Another poncho experience.

Cool.
I just Googled about the cave.
Too bad it's gone. Would've been cool to see...
wait for it...

...the backside of water.


Had to.

One final note- you say you tried Dunkin' Donuts. By eating a donut. As a Rhode Islander (our state has the highest per-capita Dunkins' in the nation) I feel qualified to tell you this: nobody goes to Dunkin Donuts for the donuts. You go for the coffee!!!!!!! Although I am proud to say a few Krispy Kreme's tried to get into the market and were promptly run out of town, so maybe a FEW of us eat the donuts.

Well considering I don't drink coffee, it would've been lost on me.
There's a similar Canadian icon called Tim Hortons.
I think it's the same thing. Yes, they have donuts, but it's the coffee that pays the bills.

I was going to mention the Hurricane Deck too. It is amazing how forcefully the water hits you as you are just under the edge of the falls. I wouldn't even bother with the poncho, I was soaked through in about a nanosecond even with the poncho on.

Hmmm... it's starting to sound like I'm gonna have to make a return visit.

What I'd really like to see is how they rebuild it every spring. Apparently they completely disassemble the decking in the late fall, and then reinstall it in the spring. That must be a sight to see!

And... they don't bolt the supports. They just wedge them into crevices.

A+ and I like to do occasional getaways to NF for a few days, and I don't remember seeing a grocery store in any of our wanderings about town.

So that explains the puzzled looks.
What? Do these people just go out to restaurants all the time?

 

[dgthree]

Finally made it over here (and caught up!) Always a pleasure to read your trip reports.

So that explains the puzzled looks.
What? Do these people just go out to restaurants all the time?

The last time I drove home from Guelph, I wanted to stop at a grocery store, a Shoppers and see the Falls before crossing the border. I remember it being a bit of a longer drive from the shopping area to the Falls than I was expecting. Should have run my errands when I was still in Guelph! Glad I was able to finally see the Falls, though - they were much prettier in April than when I had previously seen them in late November.

Got to get back up & do the boat ride someday, too.

 

[pkondz]

Finally made it over here (and caught up!) Always a pleasure to read your trip reports.

Well hi!

The last time I drove home from Guelph, I wanted to stop at a grocery store, a Shoppers and see the Falls before crossing the border. I remember it being a bit of a longer drive from the shopping area to the Falls than I was expecting. Should have run my errands when I was still in Guelph! Glad I was able to finally see the Falls, though - they were much prettier in April than when I had previously seen them in late November.

Got to get back up & do the boat ride someday, too.

Late November, the water flow is probably already scaled back for the winter.
And yes, do the boat.
You'll get wet, but... wow.

 

[pkondz]

Moove to the Groove

Dance Day!

But not only that, my Sister was going to make the hour and a half drive down from Toronto to watch!

The Dance competition runs both Saturday and Sunday, but neither girl was dancing on Sunday,
unless one (or more) of their routines was chosen for the Sunday night Gala.

The competition was being held at the Scotiabank Convention Centre.
Doors open at eight, first dance starts at nine.
Our girls weren't dancing until nine thirty, so they wanted to get there around 8:30 or so.

I dropped them off and parked the car.
When I got back to the Convention Centre, they'd found the rest of their teammates.

Everyone was still outside.
Odd, I was sure that the doors were supposed to be open by eight?

They were supposed to.
But they opened a tad late.
Nine thirty.

So even before the doors opened, they were already running behind with the schedule.
Unfortunately, this was pretty much a harbinger of how the entire event was run.

My sister arrived shortly after we did with requisite hugs all around.
Okay, maybe Dee didn't get in on the hugs.
It's not her sister, after all. So we'll cut her some slack.

This time.

My sister said she had a surprise for us, she had booked a room and was staying overnight.
Great! More time to actually visit. Nice!


When the doors finally opened, the girls scampered off to find their dressing rooms while my sister and I lined up to purchase event tickets.

Yeah, even though we already paid so they could dance, we were still getting hosed just to watch.


Or at least that was the plan.
There were two people selling tickets and there were maybe six people in front of us.
So that should take, what... five minutes?

Try thirty.

Once we finally got through the ticket line, we made our way into the theatre.
I was hoping that we hadn't missed the girls' first routine.
We just made it. They were on just a few minutes after we got ourselves settled.

So this is how the day's event was run.

The music would start, and it wasn't loud enough.
The dancers would perform, the music would end, then the next song would start and play for a few seconds.

Eventually, they got the volume sorted out, but...
How many times do you have to hear the next song start
before you realize that you have to push "stop" at the end of the last song?

Apparently, there's no limit.

Ever. Single. Time.

It was absolutely ridiculous.
And that's not all.
I'd say that about twenty percent of the time, they'd play the wrong music!

Who knew that picking a song, pressing "play",
then pressing "stop" could be such a mind-blowingly difficult project???



I kept thinking, "I drove halfway across the country... for this???"
There was a team from Cyprus competing.
I wonder if they were thinking, "We flew halfway around the world... for this???"



By three o'clock, the girls were all done.
We met them in the lobby, and I got the impression that they couldn't wait to get out of there.


My sister suggested we drive up to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
I'd been there years before and remembered it as a picturesque little town and readily agreed.

As we drove along, I noticed a sign for the "Butterfly Gardens".
Shortly afterwards, my sister pulled over to give us a peek at a scenic overlook.




While we were there.

Oh, I'm sure you all know what's going to happen next.

Yes.

I was asked for directions.

Little old Lady, "Do you know where the Butterfly Garden is?"
Me, "Just head up the highway and when you come to the round-about it's the second right."


Having completed my mission of assisting yet another lost soul, we continued on our way.


By now, it was getting closer to dinner time, so we popped into a place called Zee's Grill.
It might sound like a dive, but this place was anything but.
It was fairly high end, and after all the other places we'd dined at, it was a nice change.

I ordered the Cheese plate to share while we waited on our mains.

Daily selection of locally hand crafted cheeses, infused honey, candied pecans,
cedar jelly, seasonal house made chutney & mustard, toasted baguette.

Yummm...

Elle ordered the Zees Burger:
6oz AAA Canadian Beef & toasted oat burger, Canadian back bacon, smoked Ontario cheddar,
baby arugula, chipotle & tomato jam, sesame seed brioche bun with fresh cut fries.

Dee had the Grilled Chicken Club:
Grilled Ontario chicken breast, smoked bacon, beef steak tomato & baby arugula,
lime & avocado puree, toasted sesame brioche bun, fresh cut fries.

Sis had the special. I don't remember everything that was on it and it's obviously not on the menu,
but I do know that it was rabbit.

And I had the Grilled 6 oz AAA Canadian beef rib eye steak:
Duck fat fingerlings, braised leeks, local sweet corn & sautéed mushrooms,
red wine veal jus reduction & crispy baby kale


As far as I know, everyone enjoyed their meals.
No one ordered dessert, which was just as well since our next stop was Cow's.

There are only nine Cow's in Canada and none anywhere near Winnipeg.
Reader's Digest named it as the best ice cream in Canada.
One company (Tauck World Discovery) named it as World's best.

The store sells almost nothing but ice cream and.... cow merchandise.
Mostly T-shirts with fun cow related puns.
I liked the shirt from The Big Barn Theory... Cowzinga.
There's something for everyone.
Reality TV? Duck Cowmander
Gamer? Moocraft or Cow of Duty
Reader? 50 Shades of Hay
Active? Moomoolemon

The list goes on. All with amusing graphics.

They have udder stuff too, but ice cream and T-shirts are the stables.

Staples.

Elle came up to me and showed me a little wind up keychain sized toy.
"I'm buying it for Kay." She said.
"This is what she wanted to buy when we went to the one in Banff."

That was years ago. I'm shocked that she remembered.
I also thought it was pretty darned nice.

I have no idea what ice cream anyone else had,
but I had two scoops.
One of Moo York cheese cake and one of apple crumble.

Dang. That was good ice cream.
Best in the world?
I don't know. But it was good.

We wandered around a bit, just taking in the sights.






I popped into a jam store and bought some jam for my mom and some for me, too.

By now we were all getting pretty tired.
It had been a late night the night before and an early morning filled with dance.

Time to head back to the hotel.

I couldn't wait to get back.
Nice as it was to see my sister again, I was beat.
I just wanted to lay back, relax and maybe watch some TV before passing out.
(Yes, I had forgotten about.... The SOFA BED.)

As we were getting closer, Elle and Dee said that they wanted to invite a couple of girls from the team over.

Just the thought of a bunch of teenage girls partying til all hours of the night made me cringe.
So of course I said yes.

Lucky for me, the others that they contacted were tired too, so it didn't happen.

Phew.

 

[smidgy]

when events are so disorganized lik that, don't you want to just jump up and say, ok, gather round, listen to me :THIS is how we are going to do this.

that lake was really pretty, and the town.

so, I gotta know, which do you like better, Cow ice cream or zebra domes?'

 

[RGirl]

Wow! The event started with the doors opening an hour and a half late??? Not a good sign at all…..

Okay, wait, you pay for your child to participate and then have to pay again to watch your child participate? Dang!!! But at least you got to wait 30 minutes for the tickets……

And the music was messed up too??? WOW!

And all I can think is, “And he schlepped those tutus in and out of the car all those times for THIS?”

Ice cream and cow-based puns? Can’t be beat!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

When I first read this, I thought, wow, 9:00 start, pretty late....
It wasn't till i read the 3 o'clock part that I realized it must have meant 9am, not pm, LOL. I'm obviously not at my brightest today....

WOW, that event sounds really messed up. How can an event that has teams from even Cypress be handled so badly? Boggles the mind.

That looks like a really pretty town. If I ever make it up there, I must remember to visit that.

 

[pkondz]

when events are so disorganized lik that, don't you want to just jump up and say, ok, gather round, listen to me :THIS is how we are going to do this.

Close. I wanted to jump up all right.
Then keep on going, out the doors and off to do something else.

Anything else.

that lake was really pretty, and the town.

It's a beautiful drive and a beautiful town.

so, I gotta know, which do you like better, Cow ice cream or zebra domes?'

No contest. I love ice cream... but it doesn't stand a chance.

Wow! The event started with the doors opening an hour and a half late??? Not a good sign at all…..

Yup. And if I'd known....
"Okay, here ya go Elle. Text me when you're done and I'll come back to pick you up."

Okay, wait, you pay for your child to participate and then have to pay again to watch your child participate? Dang!!! But at least you got to wait 30 minutes for the tickets……

You're telling me! It's such a cash grab.
I'm really grateful that this is (fingers crossed) the last time we do this.

And all I can think is, “And he schlepped those tutus in and out of the car all those times for THIS?”

Oh, you might not have been the only one who thought that... :

Ice cream and cow-based puns? Can’t be beat!

I know, right?
I love it there. Truly a mooving experience.

When I first read this, I thought, wow, 9:00 start, pretty late....
It wasn't till i read the 3 o'clock part that I realized it must have meant 9am, not pm, LOL. I'm obviously not at my brightest today....

That's okay. I see what time you do most of your posting, so you're forgiven.

WOW, that event sounds really messed up. How can an event that has teams from even Cypress be handled so badly? Boggles the mind.

They apparently have the trademark in Canada to call themselves "World Cup".
But really, it's more like a semi-national competition
with one or two foreign acts who've been suckered... er, invited to participate.

That looks like a really pretty town. If I ever make it up there, I must remember to visit that.

Do. There's tons of little local shops to pop in and out of, and so picturesque.

 

[ddstratton]

Talk about disorganized! Not a great way to run an event. The scenic overlook is gorgeous! Dinner sounds yummy, but dessert sounds even better! That ice cream shop sounds like a fun place.

 

[pkondz]

Talk about disorganized! Not a great way to run an event. The scenic overlook is gorgeous! Dinner sounds yummy, but dessert sounds even better! That ice cream shop sounds like a fun place.

I'm glad she stopped at the overlook, it was really scenic!

That was actually the third Cow's Elle and I had been to.
We first found one on a road trip to Banff and fell in love.
Then we found another when we visited Whistler, BC about four years ago.

 

[petals]

Luvin your trip report. The title amused me so I joined in

The glass floor thing made me lol! I did Irish dancing on the glass floor in the CN Tower in Canada and Momma nearly had heart failure

Great dismeets as well

Dorothy in the wax museum pics looks like a man and Michael Jackson just made me lol!

 

[pkondz]

Luvin your trip report. The title amused me so I joined in

The glass floor thing made me lol! I did Irish dancing on the glass floor in the CN Tower in Canada and Momma nearly had heart failure

Great dismeets as well

Dorothy in the wax museum pics looks like a man and Michael Jackson just made me lol!

Hey look! Someone new! Well hi there Irish Lassie, glad to have you aboard.

We've done the CN glass floor too.
I dunno, but I felt the CN tower one was more intimidating than Chicago.
Then again, maybe it's because we were glass floor virgins at the time.

Dorothy was hideous wasn't ... uh... she?
As for Jackson, with the way his plastic surgery was going, who knows,
maybe eventually he would've looked that bad.

 

[petals]

Hey look! Someone new! Well hi there Irish Lassie, glad to have you aboard.

Thanks

We've done the CN glass floor too.
I dunno, but I felt the CN tower one was more intimidating than Chicago.
Then again, maybe it's because we were glass floor virgins at the time.

I didn't mind it. I figured if it hadn't broken before me it wasn't going to break just because I did Irish dancing on it

Dorothy was hideous wasn't ... uh... she?
As for Jackson, with the way his plastic surgery was going, who knows,
maybe eventually he would've looked that bad.

They're funny. I think i might have been looking for a refund if I had of been there though

 

[pkondz]

I didn't mind it. I figured if it hadn't broken before me it wasn't going to break just because I did Irish dancing on it

Next time, try break dancing.... or don't.

They're funny. I think i might have been looking for a refund if I had of been there though

They did give refunds, unfortunately, when the cash they gave back got out in the sun, it melted.

 

[petals]

Next time, try break dancing.... or don't.

Maybe if I tried it with the actual dance shoes on

They did give refunds, unfortunately, when the cash they gave back got out in the sun, it melted.

hate that kind of money!