Dissociative Fugue

Had a great time in Chicago, staying with an old friend and his family. I got to stay in a real home, was fed in style, and entertained for the whole weekend.
Didn't get off to a great start, as I had put his old address in my address book. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I managed to make my way from the bus station to his apartment unaided, which was shattered when the security guy said no one of that name lived there. The rest of the weekend went much better, probably because I wasn't in charge. All too soon it was back on the Greyhound.

Niagara Falls the Natural Wonder - 10/10
Niagara Falls the town - 4/10 must try harder
Must see attraction (after the falls obviously) - The Daredevil Museum. Here you can see the contraptions used to traverse the falls by various people who thought that a few minutes of fame was better than continuing to exist. The ingenuity and effort put into killing themselves is truely inspiring. Those who fail in their attempt and survive the falls are prosecuted and heavily fined so that they do not feel it was a total waste of their talents.
One day is enough to see the falls from both the US and Canadian side, and as there is virtually nowhere decent to eat a short stay is recommended.

The weather got so nice in Bar Harbor that against my miserly instincts I paid out $50 to go on a whale watching trip. We went out on a state of the art jet catamaran, with all the latest whale finding equipment. So the only explanation for the total lack of so much as a spout during our 5 hour trip is that whales aren't as big as they make out. Remember that fishermen are notorious for exaggeration. All those David Attenborough programs could be easily faked with a bit of CGI or camera trickery. It's just not possible to hide an animal the size of a bus for such a long time.
Whinging about not seeing a whale aside (the next day I saw some porpoises in the harbour, which are members of the whale family, so technically I did see some small whales), Bar Harbor was great once the sun came out. It is probably a hell-hole of unbridled tourism once the season starts, but at the beginning of June it is tranquil and beautiful. The hike up Mount Cadillac (the first place in the US to see the rising sun each day) stretched my definition of hike by requiring the use of all four limbs, but the panoramic views from the top made it seem worth the sweat.
Bizarrist event of the week must be being asked to be a witness for a wedding in the park near the pier. The couple had forgotten to bring a camera so I doubled up as photographer too.
Sorry to leave really.

Seriously, this is the first time it has rained in the daytime since I left England. I'd forgotten how much it can spoil your day. I arrived in Bar Harbor (yes, I know they spell it wrong) after a twelve hour bus,bus,ferry,bus,bus,minibus connection-fest had a bite to eat and went straight to bed. Rising late I was dismayed to see how dismal it was outside, like England in October. Still I got some shopping and cooking done, and there's always the laundry for a bit of light relief. The sun came out today and Bar Harbor was starting to look like the kind of place I like. Being such a nice day I went down to the pier to enquire about a whale watch trip, but appearently it's too rough out there so I'll have to try again tomorrow. The forecast promises no rain for the rest of the week so fingers crossed.

If you ever get the chance to go to Martha's Vineyard, take it. It's a tourist resort that they haven't managed to spoil yet. I guess there's enough money here to keep things tasteful. Even the airport building is clad in cedar shingles. This is the perfect time of year to be here as the season hasn't started yet, but the weather is superb. For $25 you can get a weeks bus pass which allows you access to the whole island. Get bored with one bit, just get on a bus and go somewhere else.
Definately worth the ferry ride.