Niagara Falls - Canadian Falls

Yesterday, I said I was going to take you to Niagara Falls so you could see the grandeur of it. As I was perusing the photos of the falls, I realized in order to really show you what a magnificent sight they truly are, I was going to have to post about them over two days. As you can imagine, living in Rochester approximately 90 miles from the falls, everyone that visited wanted to see them. And, quite frankly, I never tired of seeing them either. The first time I saw the falls was in 1973 when I was at training for Kodak. A group of classmates and I drove to the falls and I was "blown away!" They were spectacular. The last time I saw them, sometime in the late nineties, I was just as impressed as that first sighting in '73.

I know everyone has seen photos of Niagara Falls. What most of you don't know, is you have most likely only seen half of the falls. Niagara Falls is really two separate waterfalls, the Canadian and the American Falls. The photos that are most prominently shown are of the Canadian Falls. As spectacular as they are, the other half of the falls, the American Falls, is just as spectacular in it's own way. The reason most photos are of the Canadian Falls, is because the horseshoe shape and the spectacular mist generated. (Can you tell I'm really awed by the falls from the use of my adjectives?) So, today I'm going to concentrate on the Canadian Falls and tomorrow I will show you the American Falls.

The US/Canada border is the Niagara River, and therefore, the Canadian Falls are in Canada. Duh!! In all honesty, the Canadian side of the falls is much more commercialized with big hotels, nice restaurants, and a gambling casino. In some of the photos you will see the restaurant tower, I can't remember the name, that overlooks the falls. So enough prose, on with the photos of the Canadian Falls.


From a distance

Close-up

Another View

Maid of the Mist in the "horse-shoe"
All the tour boats the go to the base of the Canadian Falls, as this one, are called "Maid of the Mist". These boats make the journal from both the Canadian and American sides. To answer your question before you ask it, yes, you get very wet, therefore, you have on rain-gear.

One Maid of the Mist returning to dock, while the one we are on heads to the falls. The tower in the background is the revolving restaurant.

From the Maid of the Mist

Amy in front of the Niagara River prior to it going over the Canadian Falls, in the background.

Two photos of the mist coming from the Canadian Falls.
This mist reaches several hundred feet into the sky. In Winter the mist freezes and cover the surrounding area with ice. It is quite beautiful. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of it, although I'm sure I have some somewhere.

Tomorrow, the American Falls. 'Til then, BYE!!