Freighter Fun at the Welland Canal

Ahhh, I have found that the best thing about going on vacations that are spontaneous and not meticulously planned is that you can find adventure anywhere! I know, spontaneous is soooo not my style, but I'm working on it. After my wine tasting I was headed toward Niagara Falls on the QEW and drove across a rather large elevated bridge (in the far background) only to see a roadside sign mentioning this was the exit for the Welland Canals Centre. Hmmm, it piqued my interest and in a millisecond I veered across 2 lanes and onto the exit ramp! It was ok, not too much traffic & no one flipped me off or anything. After all, I did use my turn signal! Anyway, the town of St. Catharines is rather quaint and the people quite friendly! I found my way to the visitor center at Lock#3 about 1 hour before the 492 foot freighter Stephan B. Roman was expected from Lake Ontario headed to Lake Erie. Here it comes now! This is the 4th "revision" of the Welland Canal that connects the 2 Great Lakes and is 27 miles long and has 8 locks. Lake Erie is the higher of the 2 at 572 feet above sea level, and Lake Ontario is only 246 ft above sea level. Lock #3 raises (or lowers) the vessel 46 1/2 feet while in its 856 foot long chamber!


Slow & steady the captain maneuvered the freighter into the lock as workers above threw ropes down to tie it up to large round yellow cement objects then used a large winch to mechanically secure the ship from violently crashing about while in the lock.






After this was completed the motion of the ship was halted as it belched this awful mixture of coal, diesel and who knows what else into the air and my lungs!










All was secure at the front end, so shortly after alarms started sounding to warn of the closing of the gate on the Lake Ontario side. Surprisingly up to this point, only perhaps 5-10 minutes had elapsed it was quite a smooth operation! I am not sure what the purpose of the large crane like structure is that was lowered as the lock was closed.



















Water ports then began to open filling the 859 by 80 foot lock with 93,000,000 liters of water or about 22 million gallons or about 600,000 bathtubs full of water! Surprisingly it only took 9 minutes to fill 'er up! I would have expected a lot longer process. I also found out that a freighter would expect to pay between $5600 to $29,000 per passage to use this 27 mile shortcut. The fee is based on gross tonnage, cargo and number of passengers. If you were just a recreational boater, you could expect to pay about $200 for access. I suppose its not a bad deal considering the only options would be to either unload or go over Niagara Falls! Hmmm, a pretty good deal I suppose!


Here we are about 1/2 way done, at this point the water became quite turbulent and the ship started to migrate around in the lock. Sure glad they tied it up well! Below the Stephan B. Roman is raised up to its target and the south gate will soon open!

The north gate remained closed. This was the last freighter of the day so, I'm not really sure what happens to the water from here. I am guessing that hopefully the next one will come from the opposite way and the process will reverse draining the water out into a holding tank possibly and allowing passage to Lake Ontario.

One more really cool thing, as I went back to the car to get back on the expressway I had to cross a bridge, I didn't pay much attention to it on the way over (probably because I was excited), but it was one of 5 vertical lift bridges on this waterway (there are also 3 tunnels). As a freighter approaches it is cranked skyward parallel to the water, unlike drawbridges which I am familiar with!

Going down! And there goes the Stephan B. Roman!

Down and we're ready to cross & head to Niagara Falls!!!

Terriffic Tastings!

On my way to Niagara Falls in June, I decided
since I was driving thru icewine territory that I would give it a whirl. There were many to chose from but Legends Estates Winery in Beamsville, Ontario seemed close to the QEW and I had seen it on many road signs, so, I stopped in for a tasting. I chose well! They had a large selection of reds (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, pinot noirs), whites (chardonnays and Rieslings), fruit wines (apply, cherry, apricot, pear, peach and plum), and the grand finale....ice wine. Now, since I still had 1/2 hour to drive I thought it would be wise to limit my tastings, so, since I prefer the sweet sugary stuff, I started with their Merlot reserve. It was a nice dry wine, but like I said, I'm really into the sweet stuff! The hostess convinced me to try their fruit wines before I went any further. I do admit I really did like the apple chardonnay! BUT, I KNEW the BEST was still to come. So..we proceeded directly to the icewine, which was really what I was there for anyway.

I learned that icewine is rather a bit of a pain to make. Instead of picking the grapes as they ripen, they are picked in winter when they are frozen on the vine. Since they are frozen, they yield very little liquid, it takes about 20 frozen grapes to get the same amount of juice as 1 non-frozen grape. This is why icewine is sooooo expensive. BUT it is TRULY the nectar of the gods.

I had about an ounce sampling of all 3 (Cabernet Franc, Vidal, and Vidal Late Harvest) that they carry. The typical serving size for a "glass" of icewine is only a little more than 1 oz, its traditionally served in basically a cute shot glass on a stem. One would never drink a full wineglass of icewine....but, I think I would be reaaaallllly tempted! It was very difficult to chose, if they weren't so pricey I probably would have left with a few of each of them! (Well, I guess that could cause problems at the border though). After thoroughly enjoying them all, my favorite was the Cabernet Franc. It was a pinky color and although they describe it as "rich floral bouquet, full body and flavour, sweet balance to a clean acid, long fruity length with honey

clover showing throughout on the finish", I would describe it as a very sweet mixed berry that was as sweet as honey! Apparently its has won bronze in the All Canadian Wine Championships and bronze in the International Eastern Wine Competition and has been featured in Martha Stewart Living. Who knew Martha & I liked the same stuff??!! So, a few bottles and I was on my way. The hostess did alert me to an icewine festival in January when they feature the newest wines and pair them with scrumptious icewine desserts and icewine chocolates! Hmmmm, it is only 3 hours away!

Happy Birthday to the Girls!

My how time flies! Since I dropped Gracie at the kennel on her birthday in February, and Nadia's is exactly 1 month later, in March I was a good doggie mommy and went to Bent On Bones and ordered them a birthday cake!! We celebrated Nadia's 12th and Gracie's 2nd! Does time really go that fast?! Anyway, the cake was delicious (based on how fast they devoured it!) and was a carob cake with a yogurt type frosting! They even baked tiny dog treats for the letters!!


This was the first I had ever heard of such a thing but when I went in to buy their special birthday treats...I just had to! I am sure that I will never be able to get this pic again now that they know what the goodie is!!

G

Gracie was a VERY messy eater, picking up her cake and wandering about. Although, it was a nice thought that she wanted to share with Tigger. Nadia on the other hand, was very proper eating hers very carefully out of her bowl. Here's the celebrates mellowing out after the festivities.

Failure to Launch was Still a BLAST!

By this time on February 11,2009 this was NOT the site I had expected to see. Discovery on launchpad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida. What I had envisioned was that shortly after sunrise today, I would be awestruck by the thunderous roar of STS 119 as it came to life and raced toward the heavens (actually the International Space Station) leaving behind a massive cloud as the brightly glowing dot in the sky got further and further away. Unfortunately, just a few days before I left on this adventure, there was a small blip in the newspaper reporting that the shuttle launch would be delayed due to a dysfunctional fuel valve, and later a problem with the gaseous hydrogen venting system. My LTT ticket would have guaranteed me the best spot that someone not affiliated with NASA or an "in" with the feds or any foreign dignitaries could get. 5 miles away, unobstructed view. Sigh. STS 119 did eventually leave on March 15th with its cargo of the S6 truss and last set of solar arrays to give more juice to the space station. My ticket was still good, however, I off vacation by then and back in Michigan with my nose to the grindstone. Too bad Florida's not closer, at least in the wintertime & when NASA sends rockets up!

I'm now at the viewing gantry and a little bit closer to the launch pad. The Revolving Service Structure is encasing the shuttle and opens like a door extending to the left of the tower. That happens less than a day before liftoff. At that time, the top of the shuttle would be facing me and I would be able to see the rest of the orange fuel tank and both solid rocket boosters. Here I can only see the tip of one of the boosters and the top of the orange tank. Hopefully someday before they discontinue the program I can view a launch in person.

Would you guess that this building is the 3rd largest building in the US?? It doesn't look it, but the Vehicle Assembly Building is 525 feet tall, covers 8 acres and has an inside volume of 3.6 MILLION cubic meters! Apparently it has been known to create its own weather and in high humidity it "rains" inside the building. Kind of weird! Anyway, its inside this huge building that the orbiter is mated to the external fuel tank and solid rocket booster on the mobile launch pad before its rolled out to the launch site. Also, the Saturn Rocket and other rockets launched into space get assembled here too. Gee whiz, I would hate to be the person responsible for operating the crane and sling that the orbiter is cradled in as it is carefully and precisely joined to the other components! No pressure there!

Here's a look into the Space Station Processing Facility on the grounds of Kennedy Space Center. There was no one working at the time (?lunch break?) but saw lots of equipment and some wrapped components with a Japanese Flag on it. Apparently stuff from Japan that will be headed to the International Space Station on a future mission.

I really truly enjoyed all of the displays, movies and commentary at KSC and found it all to be quite fascinating! Perhaps, it was best to get a grasp on the complexity of space travel and have a deeper appreciation of it before the grand finale of a launch instead of the other way around. I also had a lot of cool unexpected wildlife sightings! An alligator, an armadillo (he was soooo cute!),

Boat-Tailed Grackles, 2 Osprey in a nest!, and lots of herons and turkey vultures too! I did see 1 bird take off that day though! As we were getting ready to tour a replica of the orbiter, I noticed a Red-Shouldered Hawk on the tail wing of the shuttle. After a few minutes of searching for what I presume was dinner, he left is perch and swooped above me in search of his meal! I was lucky to get such a shot!

Perhaps I can coordinate my next trip to Florida to coincide with a shuttle (or even a rocket) launch and be lucky enough that it goes up as scheduled!

Magical Fireworks at Disney

On Monday February 9th, we were treated to a fabulous pyrotechnic display in the Magic Kingdom. I had a great viewing spot (almost) on the upper level of the train station at the entrance, looking down the center of Main Street toward Cindarella's Castle! I say almost because choice spots get filled up fast and last minute I was advised to leave my present location (prime viewing spot for the SpectroMagic Parade) for an even better spot, but....there was a family (seated though) directly in front of us, so I wasn't right next to the railing, but a few feet away and they did stay seated most of the time. Anyway, here's a few of my favorite fireworks!

Fun at Walt Disney World

We finally made it to Walt Disney World on Sunday February 8,2009. We stayed in EPCOT the whole day and enjoyed lots of exhibits and rides, and countries too! Favorites were Soarin' (definitely awesome!), the eels at the Living Seas, Test Track, and a fun recycling game called "Don't Waste It!" was pretty humorous! Being a Weather Channel junkie, I made everyone go to the Severe Weather Replicator because Jim Cantore was doing the promo/introduction! There were lots of native birds including this juvenille White Ibis.

We saw several characters, including Mary Poppins. I couldn't resist this shot of Mary with an unknown Disney visitor!

The following day was dedicated to the Magic Kingdom and its parades and fireworks. Here's cousins Alyssa and Kathy on Aladdin's Magic Carpet flying high in the sky!

Below, in the center car, back seat, are Alyssa and Kathy (with her arm waving wildly!) on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on our last day.

We spent most of a day in Animal Kingdom on rides and seeing a great musical "The Festival of the Lion King". Complete with tumbling monkeys, men on stilts, a man with a baton of fire, and fabulous vocal preformances! Was like a broadway play! We had a great time and it was absolutely wonderful to release my inner child again. Only at Disney can one go back to being 7 years old along with every other guest in the park!

Motorin' For Manatees!

On Saturday February 7th, my cousins (Kathy, Mike and Alyssa) and myself finally made it to the Florida line! While at the Welcome Center I inquired about the location of the manatees that I saw on the Weather Channel were congregating in warmer waters. She informed me that there was a rather large group that day at the Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida at the wildlife refuge. It was about 230 miles away and it was after 2pm, the park closes at 6pm! YIKES! TIME was our enemy! I put the address into the GPS ("Richard") and away we went speeding across I-10 and down some 2 lane road running parallel to I-95. I put the pedal to the metal and sort of exceeded the speed limit and cruised thru some traffic lights that some would feel questionable, all in the name of adventure! Due to my crude calculations I figured we would make it to the destination 15 to 25 minutes prior to closing, depending on how many slowpokes I got behind and couldn't pass. We made it at 5:45, the park ranger discouraged us because we ONLY had 15 minutes. I informed her that I was WELL AWARE that I only had 15 minutes and I would make the most of it! I instructed my cousins that as soon as the car was in park to jump out of the Durango and run toward the water! I believe I was beyond the hood of the car by the time my door shut (according to them). They experienced my excitedness firsthand and were frankly amazed that I didn't durf it on the exposed tree roots (well, me too)! No, there was no time to count to 10 and walk in an orderly fashion! Anyway, we saw about 6 different manatees but only 1 of them was close enough to get close ups of in the sunset!

All too soon, a ranger came and shooed us out. I begged for 5 more minutes, but he wouldn't hear of it. Oh well, 15 minutes seeing manatees in the wild was better than not being able to see them at all! There also appeared to be a lot of nice hiking trails there too and guided kayak and boat cruises! I will definitely explore Blue Spring State Park more on future Florida vacations!

And You Wonder Why I am Accident Prone

As I am sure you all know, when I get time off work for what most call a vacation, I go on "adventures". A huge part of my adventure is the planning and researching everything and anything that I can possibly fit in until the point of exhaustion. So, on my fall 2008 adventure, I made a 2 night stop on Campobello Island, New Brunswick. Fabulous place! I highly recommend it! One of the "highlights" is the Head Harbor Light on the northern side of the island. Built in 1829 its the 2nd oldest light on the Bay of Fundy and purported to be the most photographed light in all of New Brunswick! But, its only accessible 1 hour each side of low tide. On September 30th, that would have been at sunrise, roughly 7am. I just couldn't miss out on that! So, I got up early & headed out. The locals told me it was an awesome hike, just beware & get back before the tide comes in. This above photo is where the "trail" begins. There is a large white sign about the trek being "risky" (the locals said it was safe) and in the far background you can just make out the top of the lighthouse.

At no time did any one tell me there was 4 large metal stairs anchored to the rocks and the "beach" was actually large boulders covered in slick seaweed! The first and last flight was about 75 steps, and the middle 2 were only about 30. This is BEFORE I trekked across this treacherous terrain, slipping multiple times! I truly pictured a sandy, small stone covered area, similar to Hopewell Rocks (see below story).







I paused for a moment to investigate the seaweed covered rocks and the creatures attached!

After I climbed the 2nd staircase, I had second thoughts. After all, I was by myself and what if I fell and broke something. There was not a sole around to rescue me! Was I crazy? Maybe I should turn around. But, I still had to go back across the boulder field, I might as well press on...also, the view excited me!

This was the view after I crossed the "dry" island and just before descending the 3rd set of stairs. Then it was across another seaweed covered rocky seabed, and a few more stumbles before....a knight in shining armor (actually sandals) approached. Out of nowhere, this young man came scurrying toward me warning me not to step on a certain rock. Apparently he had burned it there moments before & didn't want me to suffer the same fate. I wonder if he saw me durf it all the other times. Anyway, I was VERY grateful for the assistance in the last few feet!

It was a very picturesque lighthouse. I wish I could have gotten into the buildings and climbed to the top, but there isn't always staff present, especially this late in the season.

Another couple arrived shortly after, and I felt this was a sign that I should head back with them in case trouble arose. Yes, I did fall 2 more times..but the bruises were definitely worth the experience! Below is a photo taken from the whale watching cruise I took later that day about 1pm. You can see that the tide has filled in the "trail". The 1st section wouldn't fit in the photo, but you can get the drift. That day, the tide difference was about 19 feet! Glad I got back to dry land!!!

Hopewell Rocks - the Highest Tides in the World

On my fall vacation last year to New Brunswick, Canada and Maine, I was quite intrigued about the claims of the Bay of Fundy to have the highest tides in the world. I just HAD to check it out! I arrived in Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick on 9-26-08 so that on Saturday I could get to Hopewell Rocks bright and early so that I could see both the high and low tides and get to walk on the ocean floor! It was a pretty dreary day as you can see, the weather was deteriorating as Hurricane Kyle was expected the evening of the following day. Oh well, that's why I have rain gear! :-) This photo was taken about 11 am at the height of high tide. Today, that rise was 41 feet (measurement taken about 100 yards further out). As you can see, the arch is nearly full with water (it helped that it was a full moon too)!






After lunch and a bit of hiking on the trails and a visit to Desmoiselles Beach I made it back to the stairway that leads to this particular area about 4pm . As you can clearly see, a large amount of water has receded from the area, and the lowest point was still about 2 hours away!! They say during the summer months in pleasant weather, the area is quite congested.






Once I was on the ocean floor, I turned to document where I had been standing. The water
<----- level today was just a titch higher than this inserted arrow. Wouldn't want to be left behind!

And finally, me, in front of the arch that was nearly full of water. From the sea floor to the top of the open hole is 18 feet!