Niagara Falls, A Little Trip Abroad
“Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” – Emma Chase
In my current position, I travel for work. I spend countless hours on the road, driving to appointments. In the beginning, I used to try to make an adventure of it. After awhile, the nights grew longer, and the time for fun started to dwindle away.
My territory includes New York, New Jersey, and New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). The last few months, my counterpart, Cheryl, and I had been doing joint presentations in our zones. One of our stints included workshops in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Amherst, New York; and Syracuse, New York (her territories). When I looked at a map, I realized Niagara Falls was close to Amherst. My heart started racing, as I pondered the possibility of a quick stop to the Falls. I had not been since I was a child, when I visited with my family.
We were traveling with our clients, and we were sharing a vehicle. Could I realistically find the time to wander off the path for a little exploration? Would Cheryl be up for the adventure? With a heavy heart, I squashed the idea. However, as I gathered my stuff to head to the airport, I grabbed my passport and threw it in my purse. I did not know if Cheryl was on the road yet, but I shot her a quick text saying, ‘Grab your passport, just in case.’
She never responded. Would she be game for a mini road trip in-between the hours of driving we had ahead of us? Or, would she think I was crazy? We had four-hour presentations to give in front of a room full of people at each location. Cheryl is a natural-born presenter. I on the other hand, was a little apprehensive when we first started. After a few rounds, I began to have fun with it. I knew we would continue to present as the “dynamic duo,” as long as we were energized.
We did our thing in Scranton, then traveled to Amherst. Cheryl never said anything about Niagara, and I did not bring it up. While having dinner with our clients in Amherst, the topic of travel came up. I told our table about my text, and Cheryl confirmed she had her passport. I was shocked, as a twinge of hope crept into my smile. On the way back to our hotel, she told me she was up for a little diversion on our way to Syracuse. Whoohoo!!!
After our four-hour workshop, we hit the road. Our clients had dinner plans with their clients, so we were on our own. We hightailed it to Niagra Falls, Canada, passports in hand. Overwhelmed with excitement, I entered Customs a bit too fast. The guy scolded me, and I had to drive back to where the sign instructed us to wait.
We drove until we found the massive force of nature. We parked, and wandered alongside the Falls, taking in their beauty. There was mist in the air, and the rushing of the water was powerful yet soothing. All around us, people were speaking in multiple languages. There was an air of sophistication in the air. We knew we were abroad.
We texted our clients pictures of our excursion. I think they were a little shocked and impressed that we followed through with what was just a dream the night before. After getting our fill of the Falls, we hopped into our rental, crossed the border, and continued to Syracuse.
Although we were tired, our trip abroad left us giddy. Our spontaneous, little adventure across the border was worth the extra time on the road.
Have you been to Niagara Falls, Canada? If so, share your experience below.
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