Crossing the Border

Well, day one was a success! I got on the road at 6:05PM in a morning drizzle – what's new! The first leg of the trip was done under a veil of clouds. The drive through Sullivan Count on Route 17 is a real treat. There were sections of the drive with a morning mist hanging in the green valleys. By 9:30 AM I was veering off of Route 17 to get to my first stop: The Links at Hiawatha Landing. This is a marvelous golf course nestled between Route 17 and the Susquehanna River. I was paired up with tow "local boys" by the starter. Actually, Chris and Jay are club pros – Jay now in North Carolina and Chris in Florida. The starter had taught both of them in high school. They are in the area to work at the En-Joy Senior PGA tournament this week. Chris and Jay played from the championship tees at 7100+ yards. The Pondit played from the club tees that are 900 yards shorter. Course has a nice layout and is a links layout. Chris shot a 74 and Jay a 73. Chris was putting for eagle on two par fives, one which measured 600 yards from their tees. By the eighteenth hole they both had finished a six pack of Bud Lite! The Pondit putted terribly, but got some good tips. He shot a 93 and won one hole from the two pros!
I arrived at Niagara Falls at 6:00 PM. Crossing the border was simple and took less than two minutes. Upon arrival I took off for the falls and later spent thirty minutes at the casino overlooking the falls. I played roulette for about eight spins. On the second spin, Fran's birth date, twenty-two, paid out $270 for me. I gave back a little but quickly walked out of the casino $200 ahead. I finished my day with a nice steak dinner at the hotel thanks to Fran.
Here are some photos:

The Bear Mountain Bridge at 6:30 AM

Shot of the golf course.

The Susquehanna River about ten feet higher than normal. This is from the golf course.

The golfers having a beer on Charlie!

On the way to Buffalo.

The Grand Island Bridge on the way to Canada.

Niagara Fall, New York.





The American Falls.

The Canadien Falls.

Observation level of the Skylon tower with the Canadien Falls in the background.

The Skylon Tower.

The casino.