We got Coke Zero from a cafeteria-style restaurant in some building/mall/thingy that seemed like it would have been a good place to eat if we hadn't gotten Taco Bell a couple hours earlier. And we walked back, partway along the Niagara Falls promenade, partly through a park, looking for somewhere with shade and a seat and not too much of a crowd. It was not possible to meet all these conditions at once. But when we felt a little more rested we got up again, the best part of resting, and made our way back up the hill to the roller coaster.
Of course there was a roller coaster. The House of Frankenstein is one of the many walk-through haunted houses in the Clifton Hill area, and a pretty respected or at least venerable one. A couple years ago they added a roller coaster, which you could buy separate admission to for a price high enough that ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnyhugger's mother disapproved. But the roller coaster was there now, and operating, on the top of the three-or-so-storey building, near the top of Clifton Hill. Putting aside that it was a roller coaster right where we happened to be, how could we not ride that? When do we ever ride a coaster from the top of a building? (There's a respectable number that launch from a couple fights off the ground, yes, but this was a twist.)
Is Fran' N Coaster a good coaster? ... Well, I mean, any coaster is good to some extent. But what it is, is a small coaster, a 'family' coaster just past the level of being powered. It's not as good as the name, which you have to agree is right up there. It's got a height of 25 feet, according to the Roller Coaster database. While it does give a breathtaking view of the Clifton Hill area --- and made us realize there were even more pleasantly odd attractions around than we had noticed --- it's also a bit of a knee-banger. It's short enough that they send you around for two circuits, a trick everyone who runs family coasters or who's trying to eke 0.2 more satisfaction rating out of Roller Coaster Tycoon knows. The cars have a nice coffin theming that may not make perfect sense (surely that's more a Dracula icon?), but it all looks pretty nice. Don't tell bunnyhugger's mother what it really cost.
She had tried to quell her mother's doubts by saying she thought she might have read the price for going through the house and riding the coaster, which we did not. We did need to walk up and back through part of the House's layout, particularly joining its exit, and we got a good jump scare from one of the walk-through house's last attractions. I'll skip details for the sake of not spoiling you in case you walk through the house.
It was getting time to get back on the road but, you know? We hadn't had ice cream in I couldn't tell you how long. We found a Dairy Queen that was doing the sort of business you'd imagine considering it was 180 degrees and cloud cover was at negative 40 percent. Several people ordered Blizzards and we saw the staff demonstrating by flipping them upside-down, for each one. Except that one customer was on the phone and the staffer waiting until they were actually looking to do the demonstration. I, a person who tends to get frustrated if he can't complete his current task this current moment, felt so bad for them. Also somehow my cone was a much slower thing to make than whatever bunnyhugger had gotten (I think a milkshake?) and I started to worry they'd forgotten me. They had not.
And that was the close of our short time visiting Niagara Falls, Ontario. A quick bathroom trip and a walk back to the parking lot where we saw the price had risen and we were set, following the satellite navigator back home. We did stop at a rest plaza on either 403 or 402 where besides resting we bought a modest number of Canadian candy bars. Oh Henry bars, mostly, and Wunderbars, the latter because we thought they were pleasantly like Star Bars. It turns out they are Star Bars, rebranded for the Canadian market because of the reasons. Had we realized sooner we'd have probably filled a cooler bag with them.
We made one last stop for the night, at the duty-free-shop just before reentering Michigan. We're not sure when that shop reopened but the signs suggested it was very recent, possibly that afternoon, as they were apologetic about the staffing and the supply and everything. bunnyhugger would get a bit of rum; I looked a lot at candies but didn't see anything good enough to open my wallet. Although were I working I might have bought the big tin of Kinder Bueno mini bars. Gads, I hate having to budget.
As we went back to our car we heard, and then saw, fireworks, something that left me baffled. After a bit the connection to Civic Holiday made .. some sense, I suppose? Also I guess Civic Holiday is a fireworks-worthy holiday? Even within a quick jog of the customs and border people who have guns and little sense of humor about explosive devices? I guess the locals know what the authorities will tolerate before getting too alarmed.
Our last border crossing and toll went without incident. We got home pretty close to midnight, after all, and would be able to unload my car, set everything away, and sleep in a slightly worn but familiar bed.
And now we need to get back to Canada's Wonderland and share photos of our day there.
Seagull spotted near Wonder Mountain, wondering where the sea is exactly? (It's a Great Lake and it's a little south of here, you can't miss it.)
Guardian of Wonder Mountain, a combination roller coaster/interactive dark ride, was listed as 'temporarily' closed. It's been like that for months, though, and the rumor mill is grim about whether it will ever run again. The shortage of Guardian merchandise was also noted by bunnyhugger, who was hoping for the Squishmallow figure of Guardian. But we don't know things, yet, not actual things.
Fish set in the pond running near Yukon Striker and the Backlot Stunt Coaster.
A bad word in the graffiti leading up to Backlot Stunt Coaster.
Some #furrycore stuff in the graffiti leading up to Backlot Stunt Coaster. Also, the graffiti on the right there made us think, as ever, of that Father Ted script where Father Dougal had produced a page of experimental naughts and crosses.
And here's Backlot Stunt Coaster's station, with a train on Behemoth rising in the background.
Trivia: Ahead of the completion of Idlewild Airport Robert Moses, whose Airport Authority was to take take control of the new New York City facility, told Eastern Airlines president Eddie Rickenbacker of the hefty new user fees to be put into place. Rickenbacker announced that Eastern would concentrate at Newark Airport, outside the Airport Authority's (and Moses's) control. In retaliation, New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer reversed his support for the Airport Authority and transferred Idlewild and LaGuarida to the Port Authority. Source: Box Boats: How Container Ships Changed The World, Brian J Cudahy.
Currently Reading: All Natural Pogo, Norman Hale. A monograph about the comic strip and comic books.
