Days 36 - 39

We had three full days to check out the Buffalo area. First we headed over to Niagara Falls. The falls are created as the Niagara River drops about 160 feet on its way from Lake Erie on to Lake Ontario. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls which straddles the international border of the two countries. The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie within the US. Bridal Veil Falls is separated from Horseshoe Falls by Goat Island and from American Falls by Luna Island, with both islands situated in New York. You can view the falls either from the US or the Canada side. We checked out both, and everyone seems to agree the views from the Canadian side are the best. But by then it was raining and so all of our pictures are from the US side (except the one as we crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

The original Stanley Cup, and the current one.

The Sullivans is tied up next to a Light Cruiser called the USS Little Rock. We toured it as well. A Light Cruiser is a larger ship than a Destroyer and there was much to see. But the only picture we took is of the bow of the ship looking out into the river.

Tomorrow we head east to the Endicott area of New York. This is where John's grandparents lived after they emigrated to the US from (what is now) Slovakia before World War One. John has lots of cousins on the east coast, some which he has never met. Becky and her husband, Brian, are graciously hosting a "Sulich Cousins' Reunion" at their home. Pictures to follow!

The next day we headed back over the Canadian border and on to Toronto to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame. Our two sons ignited our interest in hockey and we absolutely love the game. Our sons both still play hockey on adult recreation leagues, and our grandson plays on a 12-and-under competitive league. At one time we had San Jose Sharks season tickets, but lately the Sharks have been struggling and they finished out last season as the worst team in the NHL. Oh- the ignominy! Of the 32 teams in the NHL, there are a handful that have never won the Cup, and this list unfortunately includes the Sharks, despite their 21 appearances in the playoffs. As a result, you don't see a lot of references to my poor beloved Sharks in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Very slim pickings indeed.

Not much accolades for any Sharks players, but plenty for The Great One!

Below is an example of the rings each Stanley Cup winning player received. Wow - can you imagine that on your finger?

For our third day in Buffalo we headed over to the Buffalo Naval & Military Park. It is the home for a handful of Navy museum ships, one of which is the USS The Sullivans.

The Sullivans is a WW2-era Fletcher-class Destroyer. While John was in High School he was involved in the US Naval Sea Cadet program, which prepared young men for a career in the Navy. Our division was assigned to a ww2-era Destroyer berthed in San Pedro - the USS Mullany. The Mullany was also a Fletcher-class destroyer built about the same time as The Sullivans. There are only three Fletcher-class destroyers that have survived as museum ships in the US, so walking the deck of The Sullivans was a big thrill for John.

The ship is in a serious state of disrepair. It is very difficult and costly to keep these historical ships maintained. Last year The Sullivans sprung a considerable leak and sank in its berth, flooding the compartments below. We couldn't tour anywhere below as they try to recover from this devastating setback.

The galley

John was part of the firing team on one of the 5 inch turrets on the Mullany.