Well this afternoon we received our little shipment from DHL. Somehow the address sending this little package was wrong, but with a few phone calls and a little bit of luck we got a “special” delivery. By special I mean that the manager of the DHL office in Buffalo drove out here (about 15+ miles) in his personal pickup to make sure that we had our part and we could get back on the road. Thank you DHL!!!
Well I had better get myself caught up before we leave again and I find myself further behind. A couple of days ago Louise and I drove north alongside the Niagara River and following the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. As a scenic driving route and one of the first roads in America to be designated a national Scenic Byway, it wasn’t surprising to us that the scenic sites along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail can be and are breathtaking. A lot of this beauty is a result from the end of the Ice Age, when the glaciers that covered this area retreated, leaving behind some incredible water resources in the lakes and large estuaries all around us.
Well I had better get myself caught up before we leave again and I find myself further behind. A couple of days ago Louise and I drove north alongside the Niagara River and following the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. As a scenic driving route and one of the first roads in America to be designated a national Scenic Byway, it wasn’t surprising to us that the scenic sites along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail can be and are breathtaking. A lot of this beauty is a result from the end of the Ice Age, when the glaciers that covered this area retreated, leaving behind some incredible water resources in the lakes and large estuaries all around us.
When looking down on a topographical map it is amazing just how the ice cut and scraped this area and to see what it left with the gorge and beauty of Niagara Falls. Just 15 miles north of where we are now is the location where most of the War of 1812 took place.
All along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail the British interfered with the American shipping and with the seizure of American sailors a war was started.
If everyone had known that all would return to the “status quo” after the war everything bad could have been saved. There was a moment in history on the 19th of December ,1813 when the British troops fought their way into Fort Niagara to capture the post from the United States.
The most important trophy taken by the British was Fort Niagara’s garrison flag, an immense version (24’X28’) of the “Stars & Stripes”. Six months after the battle the flag sat at the feet of the future King George IV. The huge flag remained in the hands loving hands of the descendants of Sir Gordon of Scotland until 1994 and then it was returned to the U.S. and the Old Fort Niagara Association were it is displayed today. There is more than a 300 year history of Old Fort Niagara and the local populous are very proud of it.
I thought I would post for the family showing the states we've covered so far:
