Niagara Falls, Ont.

Mad dash into the homestretch of summer vacation. Sigh. When the wife was at grad school in Vermont, we stopped by Niagara twice, in summer 2006 and again on New Year's Day 2007. So of course, neither of them remember it.

We arrived just before dusk, and neither of us remember it being so crowded. Of course, the Canadian side has been built up considerably since our first visit nineteen years ago.

We dined at Elements on the Falls, which takes the place of that restaurant right next to the falls, only now the food is excellent, using locally sourced ingredients. Our window was right next to the falls as the sun set and the colored lights came on so th kids were even more impressed.

On our walk back to the incline, a number of teenagers implored us to join them in Hungarian dancing. The women were game but I stood back to watch with the boy (who would not, no way) as a circle of visitors and tourists - a circle which grew over the course of two separated dances - were taught basic moves and danced to drum and some type of small reed instrument.

Distance: 4 miles
Avg Pace: 8:22
Route: Niagara Falls, Ontario

This morning the wife and I walked down to the falls to run and there is a bandstand set up in Queen Victoria Park. We saw a contingent of sikhs practicing dances as well. The mystery of the Hungarian dancers may have been solved, we believe, as we made a connection between these events and all the signs we have seen for the Pan Am Games, which are being held in Toronto.

Temperature: 70
Climate: misty
Intake: no
Hydration: yes
Water Stop: water bottle 
Stretches: walking to the falls

Do people run next to the falls? Why yes they do, plenty of them. Before 8 AM is certainly best, we completed our runs just as the crowds started to thicken. I headed off on my own, south along the Niagara River for a mile and a half, past the old power station, away from the tourist plaza, the constant rush of the river, so powerful and strong. The mist was a deeply refreshing rain.