Cascate del Niagara

June 17, 2022 Friday

Today we are crossing the border to Canada. This time through a separate lane only for motorhomes. We were the only ones and within 2 minutes we were already through. We could already see the Niagara Falls from a distance.
We parked at the turbine plant and then took a nice walk along the water. The size of the river and the masses of water falling down are impressive. The spray was so high that we got wet even at a distance of 1 km.

We spent the afternoon at a nearby beach. The water is relatively warm and inviting for swimming. The many waves are a lot of fun.

Just as we were about to leave the beach, something happened that we never wanted. A pickup truck rammed into a stone bucket in front of us, pushing us into the tire, causing it to burst. A little shocked, we were now standing there with flat tires. A bit clueless about what to do next, we first looked for tools and spare tires. We found the spare tire in the trunk, but the jack and tools were missing.

The accident causers took care of replacing the tire and tools. Unfortunately, the tools didn't fit.

So we had to call for emergency assistance. He arrived on site in just under half an hour and within 5 minutes...

- he lifted our motorhome,

- removed the tire,

- took it off the rim,

- put the new tire on the rim, and

- voila, the tire was back on.

Unfortunately, with the next negative news, it turned out to be just a car tire that is not designed for the weight of our vehicle. So we will have to get the right tire the next day.

Now we wanted to leave the parking lot, but a car with a broken axle blocked the exit. But that's not all, in the sandstorm and with falling outside temperatures, we offered asylum to a couple who had lost their rental car key in the water. After waiting for more hours, we were able to leave the parking lot and we took the couple to the nearest hotel. Finally, at midnight we were finally in bed.

New day, new luck.

The local workshop that provided the wrong tire cannot exchange it again. They only carry car tires and don't have larger ones for motorhomes. After some phone calls, Jens was fortunately successful. A dealer nearby ordered the right tire for us and put it on for us. However, it will take 4 days, so we are stuck here in Catharines until Tuesday.

We spent the days mainly at playgrounds. We also went to an outlet center and got our motorhome back in shape.

June 21, 2022 Tuesday

Everything will be fine in the end!

We got the right tire and for now we will bear the costs. The accident causers disappeared and are not reachable by phone. We filed an accident report with the police and hope that something will come out of it in the next few days.

Now we can finally set off for Toronto, albeit delayed.