We were on the road. Before we started our journey by car towards Buffalo. Mike took us to a diner in New Jersey for breakfast. It was the most stereotypical American diner. Bar stools and booth seats. The place was bustling with people. Our orders were enough to feed an army. It was cheap and delicious.
We began to drive towards Buffalo around 9am. Arriving at Mike’s house at 6pm. Taking us around 8 hours with minimal stops. It was a small wooden built house with an outside porch at the front and a huge American flag swaying boldly out the front. It was a long day and Mike’s nan, Maryanne, insured we had dinner and a bed to sleep in. She was a wonderful lady, always making sure we were ok and felt comfortable. Even cleaned our clothes. She was super woman. I told her of my plans. She couldn’t understand why I would want to travel like this. It blew her mind and she began to refer to me as “the little gypsy” which made me laugh. She was looking after one of her grand daughters. Mike’s brothers little girl. From what I gathered Mike’s brother and wife were struggling to raise her and Maryanne was giving them a hand by looking after her. She was a sweet little baby girl, quiet as a mouse.
The next morning we woke up well rested, I hadn’t felt much jet lag this past week but I think it was beginning to hit me. Downstairs Mike’s nan was cooking us breakfast. We sat down to a stack of pancakes nearly towering over us, a bowl of bacon and syrup. You couldn’t get anymore American if you tried. In the afternoon Mike met up with us and we headed out around the town. All the houses looked different. Beautiful wooden houses all different colours and sizes with big fronts and back lawns. Mike showed us a weekend market that was on. We walked and admired all the stalls with handcrafted gifts and paintings. We ate crab meat that was in a sweet bun, kettle-corn and then slowly headed to a famous chicken wing restaurant that Mike said was the best buffalo wings in town.
In the restaurant I was beginning to flake. Tiredness swept over me. We all ordered Bloody Mary’s and two types of buffalo wings. In Mike’s defence they were so tasty and I don’t think he was being bias when he said they were the best. I definitely agreed. Mikes friend joined us, Randy. An older guy who thought he was a lady’s man which he was in fact the opposite. Although he would make cringeworthy one liners he was harmless and a nice guy. It was quite funny to watch him try to flirt.
It was really hard to keep my eyes open at this point. I can’t remember if I asked or it was suggested we moved on but I was thankful. Mike’s friend offered us a lift back. He showed us to his car. I had never seen anything like it. The car was a 4×4 monster truck! The size of a house. The whole thing took up two lanes. I barely managed to climb into it. He drove us around the town a bit more. Buffalo seemed like a really sweet town. I was glad I managed to see it with the help of Mike and Lauren. As soon as we got back to Mike’s house I went straight upstairs. I remember me and Lauren laid on the bed. We then slept for over 12 hours straight.
The next day Lauren and I decided to spend the day at Niagara Falls which was only 20 minutes from the house. We grabbed an Uber and made our way. The falls were on the American side whereas the Canadian’s had a full view of the falls from the other side of the river. The moment we walked up the park path you could here the sheer force of the water rushing before you could see it. So powerful. We slowly wandered around and stood by the sides getting splashed by the mist of the falls.
We then booked onto The Maid of Mist. Dressed in a blue poncho. The boat made its way into the falls. Me and Lauren were standing up front as were many others. We passed the first set of falls then continued towards the main ring of the falls. The boat edged closer and closer until water gushed it’s way over as. Soaking us head to toe. Everyone screaming and laughing at the same time. Lauren held her GoPro high. Once off the boat we found a little spot to eat lunch and dry in the sun. When we looked back at the videos they were just shots of white water like a washing machine. We laughed at how bad they were.
Later on that night me, Mike and Lauren got ready to go out. Mike took us to a local bar/ gay nightclub. It was wild. Electro music, strobe lights, erotically dressed guys dancing on small podiums. We grabbed a drink and danced. We then decided to leave the club and ended up in a place down the road. A bar owned by an Italian family. We were again chatting away to a mixed group of guys and girls in the bar. Finding out they were all siblings. The whole family was there even the parents. I remember they were offering us to go on a trip on there boat along the Niagara River for the day. They were so friendly and we kept drinking until late.
Final day in Buffalo. Mike had gone to work but said to come up to the airport afternoon time to meet him. We managed to find the right place in the airport after some confusion. We had a short wait until Mike appeared. He had just finished with a student he was teaching to fly. Mike told us to jump up and he would take us on a short ride where he would then have to take the helicopter back to its storage unit. The helicopter felt so small and fragile like flying in a tin can. We took off. The views were incredible. We followed along the Niagara River and finally flew over the falls. It looked tiny from above but the water still seem to be so powerful. I felt so lucky to see it from above. Mike also flew us above the town, pointing out different areas. The flight was about 25 minutes long but was over in a flash. Time really does fly. No pun intended.
He then landed the helicopter near a metal secured storage unit. We jumped out and the helicopter was pushed in and stored. We then jumped into his car and headed home. Before going back we stopped off at Randy’s yard. We had a few beers and chatted. Randy said not to leave. He wanted us all to go on his jet skis along the river. I told him it wasn’t possible. He just joked and said well next time you’re back we will do it. It was bitter sweet leaving. I had an amazing week or so and to leave Lauren made me sad. We were both about to take completely different journeys in life and wouldn’t see each other for a while. The next morning Lauren and I said our emotional goodbye, hugged it out and she dropped me off to the train station. Sad times.
Sarah’s Voyage 