Tags: Nature, New York, Ontario

The Maid of the Mist is a boat (there are several Maids, really) that takes off from either side of Niagara Falls and brings tourists almost next to the bottom of the falls.  You get a tour of the basin and surrounding area as well.  The “Mist” part is an understatement; you’re going to get wet.  Mist patrons are given ponchos beforehand.

When you get close enough, you can barely hear anything over the noise of the falls.  The boat gets pretty close and just hovers there for a few minutes.  Getting shots without getting my camera drenched was quite a challenge.

Rainbow Bridge connects the NY & ON sides of Niagara Falls.

Of all the tours/attractions we took/saw, not one acknowledged this place on the shoreline of the Ontario side.

Elevator/observation deck for Cave of the Winds on the NY side.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Tags: Nature, New York

We were told this was a must-do if going to Niagara Falls.  The Cave of the Winds can be found on the New York side.  The name is somewhat misleading, as there is no cave anymore; it was made unsafe and then ultimately destroyed by falling rock.  When we learned we weren’t going to a cave, we began to wonder what exactly we paid for.  Well, there may be no cave anymore, but there is the opportunity to walk almost directly under the falls.  Many platforms and walkways constructed by wood (the tour guide said these are dismantled and rebuilt every year) let visitors walk directly into the falls’ power.  Seriously.  It can throw you around a bit.

The Cave of the Winds is found in Niagara Falls State Park, which has some great views from the top of the American Falls.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Tags: Caverns, Historical, New York

Not content spending our mini-vacation just looking at water, we found some other things to see on the way up to Niagara Falls.  I saw something online about a cave tour with a boat ride not too far away from our destination.  Still on somewhat of a cavern kick (we visited 3 in Pennsylvania over the summer) and being in a part of New York we had never visited before, we figured it’d be worth checking out.  So after seeing the World’s Smallest Church, we were off to Lockport Cave.

The tour starts in what is the old City Hall building; from the inside, it looks like it was more recently a diner.  Here the tours leave.  You get a quick spiel about the canal’s lock system and then it’s off to the cave entrance. You walk down several steps and are led to a large…pipe?

Lockport Cave isn’t actually a cave; it’s completely man made and was blasted out during the mid-1800’s.  It was actually a hydraulic tunnel that ran power to local factories.

The entrance into the cave is sort of bizarre, as you’re walking down this long tube.  Kind of reminded me of the end of ET a bit.  There is a bit of a walk, and then everyone is piled into a small boat and taken farther into the tunnel.  All in all, decent tour.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Tags: New York, Religion, Roadside Oddity

On our way to Niagara Falls, we make a fairly far-off side stop at a little place I’d been meaning to see for years – what is supposedly the smallest church in the world.  There are many tiny churches, but this one claims to be the tiniest of them all!  With room for only 2 people and less than 29 square feet, you’d be hard pressed to find one smaller. It is only accessible by boat, as it’s sitting in the middle of a pond.  A metal cross stands a few feet away.

I tried for a week prior to our trip to get in touch with someone regarding getting inside the church, but nobody answered the posted phone number.  Shame.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Tags: Marker, Monument, New York

Although technically in 3 states, I’m gonna file this one under New York for 2 reasons. Nearly half the marker is in NY, so percentage-wise, NY wins. Also, you pretty much have to go through NY to get to the marker.
So there.

Underneath the bridge on Route 84 between PA & NY, it’s possible to stand in those states, along with New Jersey, at once. This is one of several tri-state points in the country. To get to this one, you have to drive through a cemetery in New York (unless you have a boat or feel like swimming in the Delaware).

Right next to the road is a marker for the NJ/NY border. The tri-state marker is past it a bit, down closer to the river. For whatever reason, this marker had a bunch of melted candles at its base and is pretty badly trashed, while the tri-state one is relatively untouched.

The tri-state monument is much smaller and has the 3 states’ borders on its top. Stand on it and you’re in all 3! Amaze your friends!

You’re the man now, dog!

Popularity: 27% [?]

Tags: Abandoned, Adirondacks, Ghost Town, New York, Ruins

Tahawus, also known as Adirondak, has long been a goal of mine.  It was about a 6 hour drive to get from my house to the campsite and about another hour to reach Tahawus. Saying the town is in the middle of nowhere is an understatement. I’m not complaining though; the place has remained untouched by vandals.
I was happy to finally see a ghost town with buildings still standing. The ones in the Pines are nice, but after a whlie, foundations and the occasional bit of wall get dull.

Originally an iron mining town, Tahawus has long been abandoned. The first thing we came across was a huge blast furnace – the largest I’ve ever seen. In the nearby woods we found remnants of mining equipment.

Looking up from inside the blast furnace.

Found this big ol’ rusty thing not far from the furnace.

The town is a bit up the road from the furnace site. While many buildings are just on the side of the road, some are back in the woods and are nearly inaccessible.
An elongated lake sits next the town, and there are buildings on both sides of it. There is also no longer a bridge; we walked across the water.
Also, none of these structures are safe to enter. Some are collapsing, while others have rotten floors.

One of the harder to reach houses.

Where the bridge used to be.

Oh, and whoever left their hiking stick against the board, I took it. Sorry. You should be more careful with your things.

Popularity: 17% [?]