In Which a Speedygoose is the Victor!

I was reading about the history of Niagara Falls and came across the story of the first men to organise a tourist stunt at the falls. This occurred in 1827. They decorated an old schooner like a pirate ship and sent it over the falls with a buffalo, two bears, two raccoons, a dog and a goose. Reportedly only the goose survived! It must have been a speedy goose even back then!

Last night at 12.30am after settling down to watch a re-run of a Sex and the City episode there was a sudden very loud fire alarm throughout the hotel which obviously wasn't going to stop so we pulled on some clothes and went outside as we had to wait for the fire engines to arrive to ensure everything was ok. It took quite some time for them to give the all-clear but finally they checked everywhere including the attached restaurant, found a set of keys to turn off the alarm and we were ok to go back to bed at 1.30am!

After brekkie this morning we set off on our next adventure heading towards Kingston Ontario. It was a drive of about 400km and we stopped at a few interesting little places on the way. The roads were in slightly better condition than on the other side of the border - not as many potholes! There were some interesting houses which looked like they had their basements dug out to provide extra space with windows making the houses look two storied from ground level. The landscape was also extremely green which is what we're finding everywhere, something to do with the changes in weather - lots of rain interspersed with bright sunshine. We have to always be prepared for sudden changes.

Another interesting little fact is that Canada uses celsius for temperature readings and the metric system for distances whereas in the USA they still measure in miles and fahrenheit. Petrol is very slightly more expensive in Canada but still only about $1 a litre.

One interesting place we stopped was Wellington. As we lived in Wellington, New Zealand for a large majority of our growing up years it was fascinating to find this little gem tucked away in Ontario. It was such a pretty place beside Lake Ontario and we even paddled in the clear water and a friendly lady took a photo of us with my camera.

At one town we had to cross the lake on the car ferry to reach the next town. That was fun. Tonight we have booked into a little hotel in Kingston and our plan tomorrow is to explore 1000 Islands which are purportedly very beautiful indeed.