Niagara Falls - Ontario, Canada

We spent last Friday at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada.  We got to use our new enhanced driver's licenses and ID's (for the kids) to "leave the country" if only for a day.  Jourdan has kept himself amused counting how many times we have crossed the boarder....he's counted 12 (ten on this first day). 

Julia is taking a break on a rock along the raging Niagara River.  They say that these are class 6 rapids, and are too dangerous even for professionals to attempt (they stay on the class 4-5's).

Not really sure what the deal is with this wall.  It's a 20 by 8 foot stone wall completely covered with gum.  I can vaguely see the interest in adding to this wall at this point; however, I don't understand the mentality of the first 1,000 people who added their "abc" gum to the rocks.  Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking....but then again, if I knew what some people were thinking, I don't think I would like to be around them anymore.

Here's a family shot of the rapids.  And yes, it was cool enough in the morning on Friday to use coats/sweatshirts...thank heavens!

Group photo photo atop the overlook for Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian part of the falls).  It looks just like I remember it from when I was Julia's age.

This is the "American side" of the falls, called (can you guess?) American Falls (clever, I know).  Although, the smaller portion on the right is called Bridalveil Falls.  The bridge in the background is the roadway across the river AND the border called Rainbow Bridge.  The good news about being stuck at the boarder crossing is that at least there's something to look at while you wait.

This is Journey Behind the Falls.  Why the ponchos?  Because visitors get SOAKED.  The idea behind the ponchos is that they will keep you dry....that's the IDEA anyway.  what actually happens is that the force of the air from the falls blows your ultra-light weight poncho up into the air, and you find yourself drenched anyway (from the waist down), but the thought was nice...and your shirt stays dry.  And, bonus, seeing how everyone else is also touring the falls, no one looks at you funny if your pants are wet (like they might in other venues.)

Braving the fury of Niagara Falls.  It's cool to get that close to the water.

Then, so as to further "wet" ourselves and add BLUE ponchos to our wardrobes, we took a ride on Maid of the Mist.  Although all the attractions on both sides of the falls are ridiculously overpriced, we did EVERYthing there was to do.  This one was one of my favorites because the view from the center of the falls is just amazing.

Bonus:  these ponchos actually come all the way to our ankles, thus protecting us from the water better.  Unforeseen non-bonus:  these ponchos come all the way to our ankles, this trapping all the heat and humidity inside and "steaming" us until fully "tender".

Okay, so now that we've seen all there is to see, eaten at the Hard Rock Cafe, eaten frosty's at Wendy's and looked in every (and there's a lot) of gift shops along the main "drag"...it was about 5pm and we had 5 hours to kill before the fireworks over the falls.  The thing I love about touring places like this is the natural beauty of the site.  The thing I hate about touring things like this is the commercialization of things.  This place is like a tiny Las Vegas, it's almost annoying.  Every tourist trap-type thing to do is here.  NONE of those type things interest us in the least.  (Yes, I'll say it the Wax Museum and Believe it or Not Tour sound like the stupidest thing to do with $10 ever - sorry if that offends my readers.  Seeing as how only about 4 people read this blog, I'm not really concerned about offending anyone.)

So, to spend more of our day, we rode on the giant Ferris wheel.  (Also more $$ than I care to spend, but the views were cool, and the little capsule was air conditioned, which was a bonus at this time of the day.)

Then, we ate dinner at Wendy's (drug that out for over an hour), walked back to the car (a LONG walk), took a rest in the car, changed into long pants for the night time, and walked back to the falls overlook.  At 9pm, the lights on Niagara Falls come on.  While part of me does think this silly, especially when they "color" something artificially that is naturally already beautiful, it was still an interesting sight.

Personally, I think the white lights look the best, but I'm a purist by nature.

And the fireworks came right on schedule at 10pm.  The sad part is that they were over by 10:05.  I kid you not!  It's not that the fireworks were not pretty, they were.  I guess we are really spoiled because even the Cinco de Mayo fireworks in Portland lasted over 20 minutes, and the 4th of July Fort Vancouver has been know to last 45 minutes or more....this was almost laughable for a place that is such a "mecca" for the ridiculous and over-done....but whatever.  This will go on our list of things that don't ever have to be repeated....that's getting to be quite a long list.