It was weird staying in a hotel last night, I really missed Rodger. But it might have been a little uncomfortable sitting in him in the rain and thunderstorms when it was still warm and sticky.

This morning we went to Canada! It was just a short walk across a bridge and we were there! There was no queue at the border and we showed our passports and were in.

We were pleased we hadn’t driven as there were queues of cars heading into the USA.

I was very excited, never having been to Canada before. And the Niagara Falls were amazing. There weren’t too many people out and there were many viewpoints of the falls from the top.

We did think about doing the boat trip into the mist at the base of the falls, but decided against it. the falls were impressive enough from the top.

We spent about an hour in Canada, then headed back to the USA. As we left Canada a big queue of people were waiting to get in so we timed that right!

On our way back to our car, we passed a lot of Indian food trucks, so we had a masala dosa and it was delicious.

We are now back in the Finger lakes region and tomorrow we will do some hikes in the area.

On Sunday, we start spreading the news.

Today was not my favourite day.

We left camp at 7.30am and it was the most beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. I felt good for getting up and leaving early, despite Mike’s protests. Everyone we met said we must to to Watkins Glen, so we figured it was really popular, so an early start was a must.

I thought it was only 1.5 hours drive which would have got is there by 9am, but that somehow turned into a 2 hour drive by the time we filled up with petrol and a few other stops. There is a store here called the Dollar General, and it sells $1 chocolate which is yummy, so we stopped and bought a few packets.

We finally arrived at Watkins Glen and parked up and were on the trail by 10.30am. But we weren’t the only ones. There must have been a couple of tours arrive as it was heaving with people.

Watkins Glen is a natural wonder located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The glen is a series of 19 waterfalls that cascade over a 2.3 km stretch of the Genesee River. The waterfalls range in height from 15 to 60 feet (4.6 to 18 m), and they flow through a series of gorges, ravines, and potholes.

It was about an hours walk though the gorge, cliffs of layered strata towering over us, waterfalls gushing and swirling their way down. It would have been very beautiful, but it felt really touristy. The path was paved and there were formed steps, not like the lovely bush walk we had in Ricketts Glen the day before.

There were too many people to make it enjoyable, so we’d obviously picked the wrong time. At the end of the walk, most people turn around and go back, but we decided to walk up the 180 steps and walk back via the north rim trail, which was much more pleasant. We met another couple at the top from Pennsylvania, and they were blown away by all the people too. We walked back to our cars together, and they have given us some good information of things to do on the way to Connecticut.

We couldn’t wait to get out of the busy town of Watkins Glen, and head to the even busier town of Niagra Falls. We didn’t arrive until after 5pm, and there was nowhere to camp. I’d read that there were some 24 hour carparks we could camp in, but alas, we couldn’t find them.

We went to go explore by foot rather than driving around, but a guy stopped us and told us thunderstorms were imminent, within 30 minutes.

I asked at a hotel if we could pay to park overnight and they said no. We didn’t want to have to drive in the thunderstorms to find camping, so we ended up booking a very expensive room over looking the skyline in Canada and the spray of the falls. It was an awesome view and we even had premium seats for the fireworks display at 10pm.

Tomorrow, we are going to Canada!

Just a short drive today to Ricketts glen state park, but we still didn’t get there until after lunch.

We booked into the camp, had lunch then went to do the waterfalls walk in the state park.

It was such a beautiful walk, alongside a river with a waterfall at every bend. It was normally a loop walk of 21 waterfalls, but due to rockfalls we had to hike in, then out again, so only saw 18 waterfalls. But I suppose we saw them twice so could be 36 waterfalls.

The walk was a steep rocky staircase all downhill and it took us 2 hours to make it to the bottom, but that included stopping to take photos. It only took us an hour to hike back up.

We were both pretty knackered afterwards but feel very good after a much needed shower.

Everyone has been telling us how beautiful Watkins Glen is, so we’re going there tomorrow.

It was a Beautiful campground and we hadTofu noodles for dinner.

Overnight it rained hard and we awoke in the clouds again this morning in the carpark of the lodge. At 7am I went inside looking to buy a coffee and was pointed to a free coffee stand in the corner. Nice!

Our drive was cloudy for most of the morning and we were both tired and felt like we’d had enough of beautiful views and hikes.

We kept on driving until we got to ravens roost which was a stunning overlook. A hand glider was getting ready to launch himself off a cliff. I was terrified watching him. He stood there for ages, the strong winds putting him off balance every so often. It wouldn’t take much for things to go wrong and have him to tumble over the edge.

Mike and I stood there, poised with our cameras, not wanting to miss a thing. Then finally he launched, like a bird, soaring up into the sky. I almost cried, he looked so beautiful, graceful like a large eagle.

After that excitement we headed on down the Blueridge parkway and suddenly it ended! We’d done it. But wait, there’s more…

The Skyline drive through the Shenandoah starts where the Blueridge parkway stops. Feeling like a break and a shower, we headed into Waynesboro to a very expensive campground. But we were able to get our laundry done.

The lady at reception was very negative about northerners, calling them damn Yankees. It kind of reminds me of the rivalry between Aucklanders and the rest of NZ. Apparently the northerners ( Yankees) look down on people from the South which I have noticed in some TV programs.

Northerners apparently think southerners are slow and incestuous, but we found them all to be so friendly and nice. And I understand why they speak so slow with a drawl. It’s cos it’s so damned hot down there it’s best not to do anything fast!

We’re not sure where exactly we go from here, but we’re heading towards the Niagara Falls.

We’d only expected to be driving the parkway for 3 days and here we are 5 days later, still going!

Our engine check light has been coming on and off for a few days. When we stopped at a garage to fill up we asked the mechanic there to take a look at the codes. He said as long as the van is running fine, none of the codes should be a problem.

We stopped off at the music centre which is on the parkway. It has a museum about the history of bluegrass music and it was interesting. They had some mountain music scheduled to start at midday, we we went for a hike to fill in time until then.

The band was 3 guys and a lady, 2 guitars, a double bass and my new favourite, a banjo!

We watched them for a bit then headed on our way. we saw many deer on our drive today, but no bears.

There were more stunning overlooks, but we didn’t feel like stopping off for hikes as it was really hot and humid.

We arrived at the national park camping ground just before 6pm and there was no internet coverage, and I was planning to talk to dad at 6.10 pm for his birthday. apparently there was a lodge up the road with wifi.

We decided to choose our camping spot first then go up to the lodge. As we drove around the campground, it was very dark and damp, surrounded by trees and the parking spots were rutted and not level. There were only a handful of campers there so plenty of space, so we headed to the lodge first so I wouldn’t miss my call with Dad, John and Paul.

We had a good chat with the boys, Dad seemed to be happy watching Paul’s fancy organ play happy birthday. It was quite impressive.

After the call, neither of us fancied going back to the damp campground so we asked if we could stay the night in the lodge carpark. They said it shouldn’t be a problem, so we had dinner there and slept in the carpark.

This morning we woke up in the clouds. A thick mist surrounded us and I’m not sure if it was that or the fact we had internet which was to blame for our late start. We finally got away from camp at 10am and as we got off the mountains the day cleared.

We headed off the Blueridge parkway today to go to a town in Galax, Virginia. There is a rail trail here we want to ride.

We stopped at the visitor centre in Galax and they suggested staying in the town of Fries (pronounced freeze). We stayed at a very expensive but very nice rv park and had full hookup, wifi and it was right on the cycle path.

Big black clouds loomed in the distance but we chanced it and hopped on our bikes, only having ridden them once before .

It was great being back on the bikes and it was a pretty trail alongside the river. The rail trail goes for 57 miles, but we rode just over an hour and then headed back.

It was really warm and humid but I’m actually starting to like it. I think Texas has conditioned us well.

I spent the afternoon doing a little video for Dad, thankful we had wifi. So hopefully you guys can show it to him.

This blog didn’t upload yesterday so is a day behind.

The Crabtree falls walk started right from our campsite, so we did this first thing. It was a 1.5 hour loop walk which took us down to a cascading waterfall.

On the way up we scrambled up a steep cliff. All trails did say it was strenuous so we didn’t doubt it too much. Then when it seemed clear it was not a path, we stopped and checked the AllTrails map I had downloaded. Sure enough, we had taken a wrong turn.

We scrambled back down and found the right path which had steps. But we’ve learned if they say it’s a strenuous walk, it’s more likely moderate for our fitness level.

It was a lovely walk and took us just over an hour.

Our next stop was the Linville falls. When we arrived at the carpark it was full. I almost told Mike to drive on out, fearing a repeat of Clingmans Dome hoards. But Mike insisted we do it and I was glad we did.

It was a short walk to the first waterfall lookout and this was where most of the people were. But there were many other walks to other overlooks and we did all of them. It was a nice walk and stunning views.

We came off the route to fuel and stock up as there are no shops if the Blueridge parkway itself. We stopped in the very busy town of Boone and headed for the Walmart.

I had rolled my ankle when we were in Texas, and now I’m suffering some plantar fasciitis so i wanted to buy a golf ball to roll it out. But they didn’t sell single balls, so I got a baseball instead and it works ok.

We passed the cyclists we had met the previous evening and stopped to chat like we were old friends. They are cycling to the rugby World Cup in Paris and helping deliver the official match whistle.

We stopped the night at another national park campground. A man opposite us plated his banjo and sang folky songs so that was cool. A couple we met the night before came over and chatted with us and have invited us to visit them in Florida.

We also met a couple of other YouTubers, which was cool. People are just so friendly and approachable.

This time we found a spot out in the open as in not under trees, and our solar kept our power from going flat.

Blueridge parkway day 2

We were up early again and away from camp by 8.30. First stop, climb a mountain!

It was a steady uphill climb up mt Pisgah for about 40 minutes, but it was a stunning view from the top. 360 degree views over the Blueridge mountains. We could see as far as the great smoky mountains where we were a few days ago.

After the walk we continued along the Blueridge parkway. The skies were a brilliant blue and the views were even more stunning than yesterday.

We met a couple from Florida who are camping for free at the overlooks. Apparently it’s not allowed but nobody has hassled them. I asked if they felt safe and he said he felt really safe with his handgun in the door! So that might be an option for us. Not the gun, but camping for free with incredible views

The highlight was seeing a bear run across the road in front of us, but it was too fast to film.

We also climbed to the top of Mt Mitchell which is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. But it was only a 300 ft uphill walk.

We didn’t get to our camp until after 6pm and when we got there, another surprise awaited us. Up in the tree was a big owl. I’d never seen one in the wild before and it was very exciting. I managed to get some nice shots of it.

We are in another nice national park camp, still no electricity or showers though. But our battery didn’t run flat last night so Mikes changes seem to have worked.

We met a couple of South African guys who are cycle touring. The have cycled all the way from Argentina and are cycling to New York, then to Ireland and working their way down to France. What an adventure!

We had a simple feed of bacon and scrambled eggs in a tortilla wrap. We are absolutely exhausted.