London, Niagara Falls, Cousin Time, and the Road Back Home

After launching our Canadian Coastal Quest, kicking things off in The Quest Begins, chasing lobster rolls and granite peaks through Maine and Acadia National Park, crossing into Canada at Fundy National Park, exploring lighthouses and cliffs in Nova Scotia, and making our way through Québec, Montréal, waterfalls, ferries, fireworks, and bagels, it was time for the final Canada chapter of the trip.

This leg would bring us west into London, Ontario, where we would trade daily sightseeing for something just as important: old friends, home-cooked meals, soccer games, cousin reunions, Niagara Falls from both countries, Buffalo history, two more National Park Service stops, and finally, the familiar road back toward family in Maryland.

Four Days With Rastko and Monica in London, Ontario

We departed Montréal with a long drive to London, Ontario, where we were headed to visit our dear friends Rastko and Monica.

This was not a sightseeing stop in the usual road trip sense. There were no lighthouse parking lots, no campground check-in windows, no national park trail maps, and no urgent need to figure out where to park the Sequoia. This was a people stop.

And after weeks on the road, people stops matter.

We stayed for four days and finally slowed down. We relaxed. We ate great meals. We watched World Cup soccer games. We caught up on life. The boys and their kids bonded, played, talked, gamed, and did the wonderful kid thing where friendship can happen quickly when there is enough time and space.

For the adults, it was one of those rare stretches of the trip where nobody had to wake up and immediately start moving the whole operation to a new place. The camper could sit. The kids could settle. The laundry could be addressed.

It was good for everyone.

Niagara Falls: Two Countries, One Giant Landmark

From London, we pointed ourselves toward Niagara Falls, one of those iconic landmarks that you can see from two different countries.

Niagara Falls is actually made up of three waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. Horseshoe Falls is the giant curved waterfall that straddles the Canada–United States border. American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are on the U.S. side. Together, they form one of the most famous natural attractions in North America.

Since we were already in Canada and already had our passports, we decided to do the obvious Dad Can Travel thing: see Niagara from both sides.

The Canadian Side of Niagara Falls

On the Canadian side, Cassy stayed back with Stella so the dog would not overheat. Lincoln also stayed behind, while Dad and Madison headed toward the falls.

We found a reasonably priced parking lot that could handle the RV for $10, which felt like a small miracle near one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. From there, we took a free shuttle to the visitor area and were able to get a clear view of the falls.

And yes, we got the mist.

The Canadian side is famous for the big panoramic views. From this side, you can stand across from the falls and see the water dropping into the gorge in a wide, dramatic sweep. It is the side people often talk about when they say the view is better, because you are looking toward the waterfalls rather than standing beside or above them.

Crossing Back Into the United States

After the Canadian side, it was time to cross back into the United States.

The border crossing was simple and uneventful. We had a brief stop, the normal checks, and a few questions about the fruit we were bringing back. Compared with the amount of mental energy Dad had devoted to imagining every possible border complication, it was seamless.

Passports checked. Questions answered. Fruit discussed. Back in America.

The best part, though, was waiting on the other side. The boys were about to be reunited with their cousins at HTR Niagara Campground for four days. After being apart for a stretch of the trip, Lincoln, Madison, Liam, and Lucas would finally get to catch up, trade stories, and resume the cousin energy that had powered so much of this summer adventure.

The American Side of Niagara Falls

The American side of Niagara Falls feels different from the Canadian side. The Canadian side gives you the grand view across the water. The American side lets you get closer to the edge and feel the river moving toward the drop.

At Niagara Falls State Park, you can stand near the rushing water, watch it move toward the brink, and see the falls from a more intimate angle. It feels less like looking at Niagara and more like standing inside the landscape that creates it.

That is what made seeing both sides so worthwhile. The Canadian side gave us the postcard. The American side gave us the power.

From the U.S. side, you feel closer to the water before it becomes the falls. You can see the rapids, the drop, the islands, the stone walls, the mist, and the river’s force from a completely different perspective.

HTR Niagara Campground: Cousin Paradise

Then came HTR Niagara Campground, and this place had it all.

We had access to a lake where we could go kayaking. There were ping pong tables, a life-size checkers board, heated pools, pedal carts, and plenty of space for the cousins to run, play, argue, reconcile, and repeat the process at full speed.

Lincoln, Madison, Liam, and Lucas were back together, and they made the most of it.

There are certain campgrounds that are really for scenery, and there are certain campgrounds that are really for kids. HTR Niagara gave the kids what they needed: activities, freedom, water, wheels, games, and enough space to burn off all the bottled-up travel energy.

Heated pool? Nice.

Kayaks? Great.

And best of all? Great Wi-Fi (for the kids).

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

While we were in the Buffalo area, we visited the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.

This site tells the story of one of the most dramatic presidential transitions in American history. Theodore Roosevelt was not elected president for his first term. He was vice president under President William McKinley. In September 1901, McKinley was shot by an assassin while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. He died eight days later, and Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president of the United States at the home of Ansley Wilcox in Buffalo.

That house is now the historic site.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of those presidents who feels larger than life. He was born into a wealthy New York family, overcame serious childhood health issues, became a rancher, soldier, reformer, governor, vice president, president, conservationist, writer, and public personality. He was a Republican, a progressive reformer, and a president who believed the federal government could play an active role in regulating business, protecting consumers, and conserving public lands.

There are not many presidents who are lionized quite the way Roosevelt is. His face is carved into Mount Rushmore. His name is tied to national parks, conservation, the Square Deal, trust-busting, the Panama Canal era, and a whole lot of “bully pulpit” energy.

The site itself focuses on that moment in Buffalo when the country was grieving, McKinley was dead, and Roosevelt suddenly had to step into the presidency.

It is a small site with a big story.

Buffalo Museum of Science

We also took the boys to the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Thanks to Lacy’s museum pass, we got in free of charge, which is the kind of road trip win that deserves recognition. Museum passes are one of those investments that can quietly save a family a lot of money if you know how to use them.

The boys really enjoyed the physics exhibits. Dad enjoyed the artifacts. Cassy enjoyed drawing with Madison. Lacy enjoyed enabling the whole activity through the power of museum-pass wisdom.

Everyone was satisfied.

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

On the drive between Niagara Falls and Accokeek, Maryland, we stopped at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site in Pennsylvania.

This is one of those National Park Service sites that captures an important piece of American history most people probably do not think about very often.

In the 1830s, long-distance transportation was being transformed by canals, railroads, and steam power. New York had the Erie Canal, which connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes and helped make New York City a dominant port for trade into the interior.

Philadelphia wanted its own route west.

The problem was geography.

The solution was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal system, and the Allegheny Portage Railroad was the engineering trick that made the mountain crossing possible. Opened in 1834, the portage railroad used a series of inclined planes, rail cars, cables, and stationary steam engines to move canal boats and cargo over the mountains between Hollidaysburg and Johnstown.

Basically, boats came out of the canal, were loaded onto rail cars, pulled up and over the mountains, and then returned to the canal system on the other side.

It sounds wild because it was wild.

Eventually, newer railroads made the system obsolete. But standing there, you can still appreciate how bold the idea was.

Back at the Cousins’ House

Eventually, we made our way back to the cousins in Accokeek, Maryland.

After weeks of Canada, campgrounds, border crossings, national parks, ferries, waterfalls, museums, and camper repairs, it felt good to stop somewhere familiar. The boys gamed it up with their cousins, caught up, relaxed, and enjoyed being in a house again.

Dad, naturally, decided that the reasonable way to rest after a long travel stretch was to go on another one of his epic bike rides. This time, it was from National Harbor, across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and down toward Mount Vernon. It was one of those rides that starts as “I’ll just get out for a bit” and turns into a small personal expedition.

Final Stop: Chick-fil-A Day Stop

This final stretch brought the Canadian Coastal Quest full circle. We had gone from Maryland to New England, from Maine to New Brunswick, from Nova Scotia to Québec, from Montréal to Ontario, from Niagara Falls back into the United States, and finally down through Buffalo, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

We saw Niagara from both countries. We watched cousins reconnect. We learned how a vice president became president in a Buffalo house. We explored a science museum, walked through transportation history in the Allegheny Mountains, and finally pulled back into the orbit of family.

It was time to head home.

But first.

Every great road trip needs a final stop that makes absolutely no sense on paper but somehow perfectly captures the spirit of the whole adventure.

For us, that stop was Chick-fil-A on Cow Appreciation Day.

We dressed as cows.

Madison was into it. Mom was definitely into it. Dad, as usual, was a good sport. And after thousands of miles together in the Sequoia with the camper behind us, it felt like exactly the kind of goofy ending this trip deserved.

And with that, the Canadian Coastal Quest came to a close. Not with a dramatic mountain overlook, not with a lighthouse sunset, not with a ferry across the St. Lawrence, but with chicken sandwiches, cow outfits, and a family that had fully committed to the bit.

That feels about right.