Westward Ho! - Evening, Day 2

Greetings from where-the-hell-am-I, New York! I have no idea why I thought I'd be able to find a hotel room (let alone a clean, "pet-friendly," affordable one) just outside Niagra Falls on Labor Day weekend. So $229 seemed ridiculous for a room at the Comfort Inn in Cheektowaga, until I couldn't find another one anywhere, including at the lowest rated joints.

(BTW, after the Econo Lodge housecleaning staff stopped hollering this morning, I heard a huge ruckus outside my door. When I looked out, a dozen or more guys were moving furniture in and out of rooms. Turns out that the local college commandeers an entire floor of the hotel for overflow housing during the first few weeks of washout and they have to replace all of the hotel furniture with theirs. Nice to have known that beforehand - NOT. So much for a relaxing morning.)

The day was hot (90s) and hazy. Loved the drive through New York - beautiful rolling farmland so chartreuse that you'd think it was spring. Baby corn in the fields, big red barns with twin towering silos, hawks circling. The Tweets and I tooling along happily, taking a few stops to stretch and pee and eat.

I was reminded of driving to Oneida (my father's family home) as a kid. Always thrived on that scenery, although I recall seeing many more farms, in better shape, and lots of animals - cows, particularly.

Was headed to Buffalo when I saw a sign for Niagra Falls and decided I had to stop, since I'd never been. Ran down to the falls and shot a few pix, but couldn't stay long because the Tweets would roast (when I have to leave them in the car, I leave it running to keep them cool, but it stops after 15 minutes or so).

Speaking of the Tweets, they're not exactly thrilled with this adventure. Poor things are still a little freaked out in the car. And when we finally land for the night and I put all their swinging (and therefore potentially lethal) toys and perches back in their cage, they still look around with plate-sized eyes at the surroundings. This isn't home! But they do eventually settle in and dive into their food (see below).

You'll also notice that we don't travel light. They, of course, need all their stuff. And I need mine, including tea kettle, tea thermos, cereal, soy milk (in cooler), yoga mat, camera, electronics and chargers, etc. So by the fourth trip up the stairs (both days), I've done my workout for the day.

It's so nice hearing from you! Thanks for reading... <3 <3 <3

Tweets don't eat much in the car, so they have to make up for it when we land.

Travelin' light doesn't exactly apply to us.