We visited Niagara Falls (or the great "Thunder of Water" as the Indians called it) on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The great magnitude and power of the falls is hard to describe in words and even pictures can't really convey it accurately. It is something one must experience to understand.
We could see where the falls were well before we reached them due to the large mist cloud in the air above them. The mist towered over the river and hid the buildings nearby like a blanket of fog.
Michaela modeling her poncho for me.
The most fun part of the tour.....the Hurricane Deck........you WILL get WET! I was standing a long ways from the deck and the spray of water off of the falls was so heavy that I was afraid it was going to damage my camera. I couldn't keep the lens cleaned off long enough to get decent shots.
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| Rainbow in the falls. |
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| The American and Horseshoe falls. |
We started our visit on Tuesday on the American side of the falls. In the picture below, you can see the Niagara river behind us and the break of the falls on the right side. The next picture shows the rapids leading up to the falls. They are tremendous! We loved the sound of the rushing water through the rapids and the sight of the steady flow of water over the falls.
We bought a Discovery Pass that gave us admission to several attractions in the Niagara Falls Park. One of the first attractions we did was the Cave of the Winds. It was a long walk from the visitor center in the scorching temperatures (around 100 and humid) and we were all exhausted by the time we arrived. Michael was just being funny in the picture below, but it's a pretty good example of how we all felt. :-)
We were given a poncho and some COOL shoes for our adventure. I think they might be Michael's favorite! Ha, ha, ha.....
We took the elevator down about 170 feet to the base of the American falls and then walked through this tunnel to get to the path. It felt so good in the tunnel compared to crazy heat outside. It's like a natural air conditioner. I think we all would have stayed there for a long time if there had been a seat to rest on.
Isaiah snapped this picture of Michael and I when we weren't paying attention. We sure look like real tourists here, don't we?!?! Funny!
Michaela modeling her poncho for me.
Michael and the kids talking with a park ranger who was picking up trash under the walkway. I don't think I would want to have his job. That water is pretty dangerous around the base of the falls. We saw birds that got caught in it and died.
The most fun part of the tour.....the Hurricane Deck........you WILL get WET! I was standing a long ways from the deck and the spray of water off of the falls was so heavy that I was afraid it was going to damage my camera. I couldn't keep the lens cleaned off long enough to get decent shots.
Isaiah took this picture for us.
After we finished the Cave of the Winds tour, we walked down a trail that takes you to a look off point just above the American falls. We could look over the edge and see all of the people getting soaked on the Hurricane Deck below. We stayed there for a while just enjoying the views. The picture at the top of the blog with the rainbow at the base of the falls was taken here.
Since we were all wet already, we decided to go ahead and do the Maid of the Mist boat ride. It takes you into the mist at the base of the Horseshoe falls. Once again we were given stylish ponchos to wear. The wind at the base of the falls was so strong, we had to tie them around our faces to keep them on. The ride was lots of fun and the kids really liked the experience.
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A picture going into the falls on the Maid of the Mist. I had to put my camera away after this because it would have gotten soaked.
A view of the American falls coming back in on the boat.
Late Tuesday evening, we drove across the Rainbow Bridge and crossed the border into Canada. Although most of the falls are technically on American soil, the best view of them is just across the river in Canada. The pictures below are taken from Canada overlooking the Horseshoe falls.
We were surprised at how developed the Canadian side of the falls was. There were tons of shops, restaurants, and attractions. It was very impressive. The American side didn't compare at all. The area immediately near the falls is a state park and it is well taken care of, but once you get outside of the park, it is pretty much run down businesses and low income housing. It's rather embarrassing.
We stayed in Canada until after dark so we could see the falls lit up with the rainbow lights. I thought it was beautiful but the others didn't seem to be too impressed. I guess they were expecting to see some fancy laser show like at Disney.....
On Wednesday, we chose to do mostly indoor activities because the heat was still so severe. We ventured out long enough to go to Terrapin Point which is where the Horseshoe falls touch American soil. You can get really close to the edge of the falls and it's pretty scary. We were told that every second the equivalent of 1 million bathtubs of water goes over the edge of the falls.
We drove down river a ways to a point where there is a permanent whirlpool. The Niagara River makes almost a 90 degree turn here and then curves back the other way creating this phenomenon. There are speed boat rides that take you into the whirlpool but we didn't have time to ride them this time. Just across the water in Canada was a cable car ride that went back and forth over the whirlpool. It's amazing how close the borders are here.
Just a couple pictures I took at the park. I really enjoy taking nature pictures. I was thrilled with how the ones of the bee turned out. You can see so much detail. I thought somebody else might enjoy them too so I included them in the blog. :-)
