Niagara Falls

Sunday, July 1^st, 2012

Spectacular, powerful and beautiful.  There are many other words that could describe Niagara Falls.  Those are just three that come to mind.  Sometimes there are not words that can express this kind of experience in nature.

I have wanted to see the falls since I was a little boy.  I have always remembered the fact that my parents had their honeymoon here.  It was wonderful to realize that even though the surrounding landscape has changed, Mom and Dad saw the same thing I did today.  That was a special experience for me that transcends time.

We visited Horseshoe Falls first.  The mist rises in the sky after the water pounds to the bottom.  You can stand there for several minutes taking pictures and then all of the sudden the wind changes direction and a heavy mist covers the viewing crowd.  Everyone moves away a bit to keep from getting soaked.  Then the wind changes and the people move back to the railing for another peek.

Claire, Eric and Jen in front of Horseshoe Falls...

Sea gulls abounded in the area.

After visiting there we had dinner at the Top of the Falls restaurant nearby.  It was very pricey for our tastes but it was part of the experience of being there.  We had a table that overlooked some huge clear windows with a great view of the Horseshoe Falls area.

The Top of the Falls restaurant...

We then took a nice walk around the state park and saw some other spots along both rivers that feed the two falls.  After a while we crossed a pedestrian bridge that goes from the state park island to the mainland and made our way to American Falls.  This was another beautiful spot.  From one vantage point you can see both of the falls together.

American Falls with Horseshoe Falls in the background

and a short video clip of American Falls...

Our campsite was about 40 minutes from Niagara Falls.  We arrived home late but were still giddy with the experience and talked and joked for a while before going to bed.