At last we're going to Niagara Falls, where I had never been before.
I told my brother that I would be happy to pop in for 10 minutes just to see them. We were there a bit longer - because heaven knows, you pay enough for parking - but not long enough to get pictures with a great variety of views.
Glenn has told a story about Hamilton Mountain not being much of a mountain. Even being prepared, I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered that the slight slope we were driving around one day was Hamilton Mountain. I've jogged up steeper hills in Victoria. Supposedly it is nice at the top though - an Uncle and Aunt of mine lived up there. On our way to Niagara Falls, a 2 hour or so drive from London, we went around the other side of Hamilton Mountain. I turned around and looked out the back window to see it looking more impressive, part of a long ridge... the Niagara escarpment! The escarpment runs through New York, Ontario, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Something about land formations thrill me so then I was even more excited about seeing Niagara Falls.
It's not my cup of tea that they mess up a natural wonder with stuff like this.
I was more intrigued with this old Electrical Development building. Actually, there are lovely parks all around that would be interesting to explore with more time.
My brother's wife had warned me about the spray from the falls.
She wisely brought an umbrella so I brought one too. I even wore a scarf and wrapped it over my head, figuring there wouldn't be anybody else around to see me. Here she walked along saying, "This is horrible... This is horrible." Well, it was! The mist blows all the way into the parking lot.
My brother could not believe that here I was at Niagara Falls taking a photo of a gull. But, ha, we don't often see this kind of gull out here.
It really surprised me to walk in at the top of the falls. I had expected to see them first from the bottom or even half way up. It was difficult taking pictures while holding an umbrella against the mist blowing in my face and trying to keep the spray off the camera lens. Don't get me wrong - this is an impressive place.
It is probably a fascinating experience to be down on one of the Maid of the Mist boats. Too bad we didn't have time to wrap ourselves in plastic bags and get all sprayed with water. *Wink wink.*
This must be the American side? I don't know how people got down there but that would be a fun thing to do.
Looking over to the right are the Canadian falls.
And to the left are the American falls. I always thought the Americans got a little short changed with Niagara Falls. We have the nice horseshoe-shaped ones while they have the plain Jane variety. But in person, I found the American falls to be quite pretty - I might have even preferred them, although it would be interesting to see our falls from their side. It would also be something to see them lit up at night.
Farther down the river is a spot where boats blast around in the churny water. A tram goes down the hillside.Next we visit Niagara-on-the Lake.
Gosh! You are still travelling! You have outdone me this summer!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an exchange student in Egypt, the mother and father of the house went to Canada and visited Niagra Falls. When they returned, Mohamed, the Dad, went on and on about the falls almost every night.
He loved the falls. He and his wife wrapped up in rain gear and went out on a Maid of the Mist on his insistence. He absolutely LOVED it. (His wife, not so much.) He was a hydro-engineer in Cairo, working out how to ration what little water they had all around the city. The sight of all this rushing, falling, churning water exhilarated him!
The next day, he returned to the falls. He went back to the Maid of the Mist and asked the staff if it was really necessary for him to wear the rain gear. They told him it wasn't. So this little old Egyptian man went back out a second time in his boxer shorts and undershirt and stood right up on the bow! He described it as the closest thing to heaven he'd felt yet.
What a great story! And what a picture that would have made.
ReplyDeleteNo, we're not still travelling - it's just taking me FOREVER to post all this stuff! This might just be the slowest trip report in history.