The generosity of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to the SPS Cyclists has been abundant throughout our two-day stay in Niagara. In addition to our lovely dinner last night, the parishioners planned out an action-packed day for us. All of the activities we participated in were donated to the Church by local companies who heard of our cause and wanted us to have a memorable day in Niagara Falls. And it truly was.
After enjoying a wonderful sleep-in, we woke up to find out that we had made the cover story for the Niagara Gazette, complete with multiple pictures and a lengthy summary of our journey. We ate a huge breakfast, washed up, packed some lunch bags, and were driven down to the Falls by parishioner Dave Mallam. Dave served as our guide for our trip on the “Maid of the Mist”, the legendary boat that gives tours of the Falls to the average tourist. Armed with our plastic ponchos, we boarded the vessel that took us to the very bottom of this international attraction.
It was utterly breathtaking. The 100,000 cubic tons of water that run down the falls per second were a sight to behold. The spray from the water hitting the strait below rose fifty feet in the air, and drenched the passengers on board. The boat swayed back and forth, trying to go against the current and keep us close to the bottom of the Falls. All the while we stared up in wonder at the raw beauty and power of this natural wonder of the world.
We returned to land and ate our picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, fresh blueberries, and ice cream from the Prospect Point Café. After that, the group split two ways: one group decided to try out the new Snow Park, an all year round snow hill where you could sled on huge tubes. The other group decided to go back and rest at the Church. An hour later, we all met up at St. Peter’s, and saw SPS student and Niagara local Katie Martell. We had a great time catching up on how each of our summer’s had been, and discussing our anticipation for the upcoming school year. Katie was also a greeter at Niagara Falls, so she was a treasure trove of information on the Falls. Too soon though, we had to go to dinner and Katie had to leave. Once we parted ways, we headed to the Como Restaurant, the eighty-two-year-old Italian restaurant in town. We had a great dinner there, half of which was paid for by the restaurant, and left with our stomachs full and our spirits rejuvenated. The team ended the day by heading back to the church, and nostalgically looking back at past pictures of our trip that Mark Richardson had taken. We relived all of the Midwest again, from Randy’s Restaurant Plentywood, Montana, to the fireworks display in Stillwater, Minnesota. And it was great. We looked back on our laughs, our challenges, the incredible people we’ve met on our trip, and the beautiful country that we’ve been going through for the past five weeks. Seeing those photos made me realize something.
This trip really has been fantastic. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of adventures and experiences, some which we will remember for a lifetime. But I couldn’t be happier to have shared these memories with any other group of kids. I don’t know how, but we really hit upon a gold mine when it comes to people on this trip. Everyone brings different things to the table so, but they all help to strengthen us as a whole. Working towards a goal so closely with the same people can be tough sometimes, but I think that as a result we have all been profoundly changed. Gone are the teenagers that set out on this trip to see America; they’ve been replaced by young men and women who work as individuals and a cohesive unit to bring out the best in each other.
We’ve got a little over a week left. We’ll see you at the finish line.
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