Niagara Falls

On the road to Niagara Falls, we decided to go through Canada and we made it into Canada, but the weather took a turn for the worst and it looked like we would be following the storm, so we turned around and headed back to Michigan. We stayed the night again in St Ignace at the same park we stayed at on the way up, then we headed out of Michigan. We stopped for the night in Frankenmuth Mi, they have one of the biggest Christmas stores I have ever seen and then we had lunch in Frankenmuth Brewery, it is one of the oldest breweries in Michigan. Pierre and I spent the rest of the day just checking out Frankenmuth.. I got to see and go across my first wooden covered bridge! 

We traveled right through Ohio and Pennsylvania,so we will have to go back, but I did get a picture of the

state signs as we went by. 

Then before I knew it we were in New York! That's right..New York! We are staying on Grand Island for a few days so we can see the American Niagara Falls and the Canadian Niagara Falls. I was so amazed that these gigantic falls are right downtown in Niagara Falls. We decided to take a guided tour that offered a ride on The Maid of the Mist, the Whirlpool, Goat Island, and the Cave of the Winds. Our tour guides name was Moe and he was chock full of information...having been born and raised in Niagara Falls! 

Now the features that became Niagara Falls were created by the Wisconsin Glaciation about 100,000 years ago, these same features also created the Great Lakes and the Niagara River. The water that passes over Niagara Falls comes from 4 out of 5 of the Great Lakes...Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. With a watershed reaching over 260,000 square miles, the Great Lakes are the largest fresh water basin in the world. About 2/3 of the fresh water on the continent flows over the Falls – that’s almost 1/5 of the fresh water on Earth! Imagine that!

There are three falls, the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls drop about 188 feet while the height of the American Falls varies between 70 and 100 feet because of the presence of the giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet wide and about 600,000 gallons of water flow over these falls every second! 90% of the flow of the Niagara River tumbles over the Horseshoe Falls, and only 10% flows over the American Falls. Here is a funny fact.. fish actually travel over the falls and about 90% of them survive! Experts believe that the white foam from the rushing waters cushions their fall! But a lot of them don't make it...making it a smorgasbord for the birds

We took a ride on the Maid of the Mist...all wrapped up in a blue poncho. The first Maid of the Mist was launched in 1846 to operate as a ferry across the river for carriages and stagecoaches. Today the Maid of the Mist takes you on a journey into the heart of North America’s most powerful waterfalls. You can hear and feel the thundering roar of  the water falling right before your eyes and feel the mighty power of these falls and and when you venture into the Horseshoe Falls you can not hear or see anything! It was totally awesome! 

The Niagara Whirlpool was astonishing, it is the largest whirlpool in the world and it is the result of a dramatic turn in Niagara River’s flow (nearly 90 degrees). As the Niagara River formed, it crossed with this buried valley and abruptly turned to fill it and follow it, quickly cutting away the soft dirt and stone filling. The collision point at which Niagara met with the old valley, became the Whirlpool and the jutting out of the whirlpool is due to the erosion on the river bed in the other direction. The whirlpool naturally spins in a counterclockwise motion during normal flow but in the evening when more water from the river is diverted to the surrounding hydroelectric power plants, the flow often reverses.

We traveled down 17 feet in an elevator (carved through rock by pick-axe) to experienced the "Cave of the Winds" this is a series of stairs, decks and platforms that allow you to walk 20 feet from the base of the Bridal Veils Falls, you can feel the raw power of the water as it crashes right down beside you, it is breathtaking and you experience tropical storm like conditions as the winds can reach up to 68 mph underneath the falls, they give you a poncho...but you still get soaked!

Niagara Falls is one of nature's most spectacular wonders it is such an adventure and the panoramic views, the stunning beauty, make for an unforgettable experience....I was moved by the sights, sounds and soul of the Falls. Niagara Falls has long been a source of inspiration for artists, authors, explorers, and travelers...like me!