Niagara Falls
  "Slowwwwly I turned....step by step...inch by inch....,"

Day 14: Knowing we were headed for Niagara Falls, Greg and I couldn't help but giggle over this line from an old vaudeville routine that the Three Stooges used in one of their comedy shorts. The words "Niagara Falls" acted as a trigger to incite the listener into attacking the speaker every time he said them. (See the inane routine here) 

After packing away our new tent (much easier to handle than the old one), we had a quick breakfast of cereal and struck out for Niagara Falls, passing the city of Buffalo along the way. That spurred another childhood memory--this one of learning The Erie Canal Song, which tells of a man and his mule Sal pulling a barge along the canal that stretches across New York state "...from Albany to Buffalo."

Skyline of Buffalo, NY

Mules used to haul the barges from a "tow path" beside the waterway, and because the water runs across land that rises 565 feet over its course,"locks" were built along the canal so boats could be raised in steps to keep travel level (See how waterway locks work here).

Erie Canal at Lockport, 1839. Wikipedia

Of course, they no longer use mules, but they still have locks, and I thought it would be fun to take a boat ride through them on the Erie Canal. We detoured north to Lockport, where my AAA guide book advertised boats.

This was one of our few disappointments --we missed the boat and couldn't wait for the next one. Drat!

Click pictures to enlarge or for slideshow

The silver lining was that we ended up approaching Niagara Falls from the north, following the river gorge part of the way, and stopping in Whirlpool State Park. The weather was hot, so the cool river gorge trail and beautiful water were refreshing.


We wouldn't have driven that direction after seeing the falls, so this was a bonus! We saw the Class V1 un-navigable Whirlpool Rapids and Eddy Basin, where early swimmers risked their lives to challenge the churning waters.

Were these guys just a little bit insane?

 

Hubba, hubba, get a load of that sexy swimsuit!

On the way back to the car we surprised this little guy, who had been raiding the garbage can. Looks like he was deciding whether to scamper away or beg for a handout.



Finally, we made it to Niagara Falls. Slowwwwly I turned... Oh no, wait, we already did that.

Niagara Falls is actually three waterfalls; the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the USA side (left), and the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side (right). Goat Island separates the American and Canadian falls.

Niagara Falls. Notice the staircase threading alongside the falls. We climbed up to get a closer view later.

Looking across to Canada

I've been to the Canadian side before, and it was lovely. I recommend crossing over into Canada if you have the opportunity (passport required). The view is better from there, as you can see the full curve of Horseshoe Falls.

Greg on observation deck, looking grim in the heat

Niagara is famous for its rainbow

I couldn't talk Greg into taking a "Maid of the Mist" boat out onto the water. He likes looking at water, not being in it. I'd done it before so no biggie. But it's fun--do it if you can get your Honey to go.

But, we did the hike up the staircase alongside the falls, with the spray in our faces and the roar in our ears. Exciting!

From the bottom of the stairs

Yikes! That's a lot of water!

Cindy and another rainbow.

A visitor's center provided information about the geology of the area.

And the park surrounding the falls entrance was shady and well maintained.

But the city right around the park was a bit... well, tacky. Lots of makeshift booths with people hawking cheap souvenirs.

When we had first arrived in town, a young man acting like he was working in an official capacity had tried to direct us into an expensive parking lot. After some confusion, we ignored him, but it was annoying.



Still, the falls themselves, and the surrounding river gorge and parks are magnificent, and not to be missed if you are in the area. It would have been a shame to be so close and not make the effort to visit.


Next time, we continue to travel through the dense forests of New York to Ithaca, home of Cornell University and our friends Rob and Adriana! Join us for a look at an east coast family farm, as well as two bonus features we discovered in the area..