Another Amusement Park

With my Father heading south of the border for the day, my older sister and nephew had the urge to go to Marineland with Forrester’s friend Ryan. So if we wanted to spend the day visiting with my oft-not-visited family, it meant going against all my urges of supporting a Zoo (of sorts), that housed large marine animals in small close quarters, with my entrance fee. Although I adore animals of all types, especially the aquatic kind, I have a hard time justifying the ethicality of training and housing such animals in zoos and enclosed parks, especially as their home is as vast as the oceans. After watching the movie “The Cove”, seeing dolphins enclosed in such facilities is heartbreaking. Dolphins by the way are probably my favourite animal, their intelligence & beauty admiral and breathtaking. Here’s a unique tidbit of trivia: Did you know that dolphins sleep with one eye open? By keeping a one-eyed vigil, this highly gregarious mammal can keep alert for predators with an open eye, and the closed eye allows for their brain to rest.

What I didn’t expect to find at Marineland was a love for the Beluga whale. I adore whales of all kinds, and never having witnessed a live Beluga, I fell fast and hard for their pristine white pureness. The Mama and babies played a tug of war at my heart, as sets of at least ten Mother whales swam and bonded in unison, dancing playfully with their newborn calves.

With our visit to Darien Lake only last week, both slaDE and I were curious about the funfair rides here at this park.

What I discovered about Marineland’s vast grounds is that the rides are spread out over a vast territory which meant large jaunts between the really cool pleasure thrills and coasters.

By far, my favourite adrenaline spin was on the ‘Sky Streamer’: a freefall tower that offered incredible views of Niagara Falls, the burgeoning Niagara River and the surrounding natural beauty. I live for intense free-floating negative G-force surges such as this! Pure exhilaration. A skydiving exit from a balloon is very much like the drop on the Sky Screamer, albeit with a parachute on my back, the leap of faith is much longer and within my control.

The day ended with us enjoying a luscious meal at the ‘Smokin Buddha‘, listening to live music on the patio, carefree and loving life!