Niagra or Bust


So many friends or family have told me through the years, "you've never been to Niagra Falls?",  "you have to go to Niagara Falls".  OK.  One better, I go to Niagra Falls with my dog.  Now, I am a few days behind my actual trip. (Sorry to my sorority sisters, who have reached out and I've passed you).  For safety and security reasons (of which, the security briefing will come in a later post) I'm keeping my location locked down for the obvious.  

On this day, I was beginning to think Rye would not make the entire journey with me.  I tried my best to be travel companions, but it just isn't working out and not to late to turn back.  He communicates with his outdoor voice constantly.  Only seldomly, does his high pitch squeak come out, but that is after he has exhausted every other decibel in his arsenal.  This is the plight of an Australian Shepard.  He'll herd anything that moves.  He's an active listener and always responds, especially when he sees other dogs.  At the campgrounds, it's tough because everyone has a dog.  He just wants to meet them, herd them, tell them what's up.  Tell me what's up.  Tell me again, and again and again. It was getting very stressful the night before heading to the falls.  I was missing home.  I was missing my other dog.  She's so much calmer and chill.  I was supposed to bring my lab, Tess.  That's Tesla for short.  Yes, she is named after Nikola Tesla and my favorite electric sportster of all time, the Tesla Roadster.  A game time decision told me not to bring a dog that doesn't like kids or other dogs. It would have been cool to see her at Niagra Falls, but she would have turned into a vampire and sucked the blood out of all those annoying, whiny, bratty, cellphone holding kids who should have been back at school after Labor Day.  Well the home schooled kids were lucky that I brought Rye instead of Tess on this day; and he didn't bark once!  He must have been telling all the other dogs at the campground that he was going to the falls the night before.

After reading the book, Thunderstruck, by Erik Larsen (I am sure by now, you are reading a theme about my book choices and how this journey plays out). I was fascinated about the race for electricity and who the influencers were.  In the book it describes exactly the look of the falls with Tesla's vision to change the industry with water.  Enter Rye the dog, and his ability to take a walk into the falls with me, after he did the tour with me.  He let the kids pet him, he let the water fall all over him and to be able to take him into all the places and spaces I could, made up for the fact that I couldn't go into Canada with him.  As of August 1st, 2024, no animal can enter the USA without approved government paperwork, vet sign offs and microchipping.  Sorry government, this dog is 9 years old.  No need. Rye lived his best day at the falls and after this excursion, I knew he was the best 4 legged travel companion for this journey. 




Before Rye gets to Rainbow Bridge, he needed to get to Cave of the Winds.











Another interesting point to note, no drones in the airspace!




Location: Niagara Falls, NY, USA
Like Homer, coming out of a many year journey of what seems like a Trojan War, or PCSD (post COVID stress disorder), I am on a significant life journey. Literal or metaphorically, I am about to soak in some transformative days, filled with experiences that will hopefully redefine my understanding of life and the world around me, without any distractions of other's human conditions. ME TIME.

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