Michigan, NIagara Falls and Toronto; Odds and Ends

My time spent in the heartland was all too brief but no less enjoyable for it. The weather was less than cooperative, but that's okay because unlike most of the time I'm traveling, the weather kept me in the car and moving. Not my first choice of modality, but I did see more of the countryside because of it. All in all, a good time and a first glimpse (for me, anyway) of the midwest during the fall, the first time seeing fall colors in full swing anywhere, the first time seeing Niagara Falls and my first time in Canada. Score, score, score and score. I met some nice people, had some great food and saw a piece of the world I'd never seen before, so I have to consider this trip a big win.

If you ever have the chance to spend time in these places, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Now, for a twist on how I usually end these things, here is a brief list of facts and trivia about the places I visited on this little jaunt across the midwest. Hope you find this as interesting as I did. Enjoy.

Michigan

Michigan is the only state totally comprised of two peninsulas.

"Michigan" is the French version of the Ojibwe word "mishigamaa", which means "large water" or "large lake".

When the French came to what is now Michigan in the 17th-Century, the Native Americans there were the Ojibwe. The French version of the word is "Chippewa".

Can the white man not pronounce ANYTHING the way it's supposed to be pronounced?

Michigan has 63 cider mills and over 1,000 apple farms.

Michigan provides all the apples for McDonald's Happy Meals.

The phrase, "How do you like THEM apples?' is heard often in Michigan.
(I made that one up).

Battle Creek, Michigan is the home of Kellogg Company, founded in 1906. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium at the time, invented cold breakfast cereal as a healthy alternative to the meat based breakfast that Americans seem to love so much.

It wasn't until much later the food industry figured out how to make cereal just as unhealthy by infusing it with sugar and chemicals.

Battle Creek is also the founding location of Post Cereals (now Post Foods) and Ralston Foods.

Michigan residents devour almost twice as many chips per capita than the rest of the country.

Michigan is the 11th largest state by area and the 9th most populous state.

If you're in Michigan, you're never further than 6-miles from a natural water source.

Michigan has more freshwater shoreline than any political entity on the planet.

Lots of boats in Michigan. Big surprise, eh?

Niagara Falls

On July, 9th, 1960, a seven-year old boy named Roger Woodward, after an upriver boating accident, was swept over the falls wearing only a swimsuit and life-jacket and SURVIVED!! He was the first of only three people to go over the falls unintentionally and survive.

Roger Woodward was rescued by the crew of the "Maid of the Mist II" which plucked him from the churning waters at the bottom of the falls.

During peak flow approximately 6-million cubic feet of water go over the falls every minute, and the year-round average is around 4-million cubic feet per minute.

There are two cities named Niagara Falls. One in Canada and one in New York.

In 1901, Annie Taylor, a 63-year old schoolteacher from Michigan (nice tie-in, huh?) became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel and survive.

Would you want someone who would go over Niagara Falls in a barrel teaching your kids anything?

Niagara Falls, New York, was the first city in the US to have electric street lights. I know this because my late uncle, Mike Donnelly, grew up there and told me about it. Miss you, Mike.

Niagara Falls has eroded 7-miles in the last 12,000 years, changing from one big waterfall to the three smaller ones we have today.

Toronto

Toronto was established by the British in the late 18th-century and was originally named "The Town of York".

It wasn't until 1834 that the city name was changed to Toronto.

Toronto is one of the most diverse cities on the planet, with approximately 49% of its population having not been born in Canada.

During the War of 1812, the Town of York was sacked and plundered by American forces. We thoughtfully looted and burned much of the city during our five-day occupation, a favor that was returned when the British burned Washington to the ground later in the same war.

George "Boom Boom" Chuvalo, born in Toronto, is a former heavyweight contender who fought Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali (twice), George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Ernie Terrel and Jerry Quarry, and was NEVER KNOCKED OFF HIS FEET in 93 professional fights.

Toronto is the 5th most populous city in North America with 2.6-million inhabitants, and the Greater Toronto Area holds over 6-million people.

Toronto is freakin' gorgeous and it sits right on the shore of Lake Ontario.

The End of This Bit

Alright ladies and gents, that's all I've got for now. I sincerely appreciate all the people who've taken the time to read along and follow my travels. I'm toying with the idea of taking this blog in a little different direction at least part of the time, so stay tuned. If my idea comes to fruition it should be damned interesting (I hope).

Don't be afraid to click the "Join This Site" button on the blog homepage or leave a comment. And a special thanks to those who have taken the time to reach out and tell me they've been following along and enjoying my efforts. It's good to hear.

Until next time…