Our original plans were to do that but after investigating the medical insurance we needed to be in the US, it wasn't feasible. So far our plans are to just be exploring Canada on this trip.
Thank you T.Jeff Veal and Backwoods Savage for being polite. Mistakes like that really bug me so I had to go back and get it fixed. Feel free to point any other "errors" that I might have made.
We made it to Niagara Falls and my first impression was Wow!!! This is the view from the top of the cliff waiting for the cable car to take us down to the boat. About to descend to the dock. One car comes up while the other goes down. We pass in the middle. Looking back up the cliff. Better view from the boat. Yes, we are all wearing pink ponchos that are blowing in the wind and not doing much to keep us dry. I had a lot of pics of pink ponchos as I tried to keep the phone dry. Fortunately it was quite warm out. American Falls. All along the cliffs between the two falls were thousands of seagulls and other birds perching/nesting on the cliffs. Niagara Falls. Noisy and spectacular. Blessed with God's promise in the form of a rainbow. The boat rocked a bit and all the kids screamed. Did I mention that it was Sunday afternoon, Father's Day? busy place. American falls with Bridal Falls, the narrow falls on the right. International Peace bridge spanning the river. Coming into dock. The foam is from the limestone in the water. Waiting to head back up the cliff. We walked along the parkway which follows the cliff to the falls. Some zoom shots. Looking down on one of the boats we rode in. For the adventurous, there was a zipline running down the cliff towards the falls. We walked quite a ways up the parkway but it was crowded and hot so we turned back and took the bus back to the campground. I took this just before we turned back. A lot of water headed over the edge. Water has been diverted to slow down the erosion of the edge. It is now about a foot in 10 years. Not the highest in the world but the falls with the most water going over its edge.
The 'cable' car is a funicular. Often called an 'inclined railway, they don't have to be on an incline to work. The one in Venice, Italy is horizontal. It's rather amazing how they control the water going over the falls to just enough to be spectacular. The power company would like to have it all. LOL
Thanks for the pictures Woodwidow. It has been a long time since I was there. We've gone thru that area several times w/o going amongst the tourists. Perhaps some day I will see it again.
Thanks for the information about the cars. There wasn't much said about them as it is all about the falls.
Thank you again for sharing all the beautiful photos. Niagara Falls! This is in my wife and I to do list. Guess we’ve got to get our passports first!
the Canadian and American boats take turns going up to the space below the falls. Canadian boat has pink ponchos and the American has blue ponchos on board. T.Jeff Veal is right though, the best view of the falls without having to pay anything is from our side of the river.
The next day was a Monday so we headed down on the bus in the morning. Not so many people. I recommend the bus system for getting around. Parking is inadequate and expensive down by the falls. A day or two pass enables you to get on and off as many times as you want. We got off the bus and found ourselves above the falls. Lots and lots of water going over the edge. Sounds and action. I couldn't look at too long at one time. It is deafening and mesmerizing. Right at the edge. The colour of the water reminded me of the glass marbles we had as a kid. Right on the edge looking down. Canadian boat headed up into the falls. We took the tour Journey under the Falls. We are on the upper observation deck. As you can see, it is yellow ponchos this time. Canadian boat going by. From the lower observation deck I took this video of looking up at the falls. There is a tunnel through the back wall of the falls and two portals to look out from behind the falls. Very noisy and wet. This was the first one. The second one is further along and has more water action happening. A short video of the action.
After dinner, we went looking for the Welland Canal. A series of four locks that drop ships the height of Niagara Falls. This ship was already in the lock and was being lowered. Downside of one of the locks. There really wasn't good viewing spots. This was one of the lower locks. This ship was entering the bottom lock so we watched it being lowered. It went down quite aways. Coming out the bottom. Next day as we left the Niagara Falls area, we drove over the bridge over the Welland Canal. My quick shot of it. Our first glimpse of Lake Ontario. I checked and I got the lake name right.
Well if you ever make it to PA please stop in for at least a day with us. I'll cook if you and your husband can share some stories. We would love to have yinz! Looks like you've had an amazing journey so far, I'm glad to see you guys enjoying it!
Thanks for the invitation. Right now we are finding out about Ontario heat and humidity. And yes, it has been a good trip so far.
It has been awhile since my last post. Internet has been spotty and we are doing a lot of driving around sightseeing. I find it hard to take pictures when I am driving. On the main freeway getting to this area, I spotted a sign saying Blue Church road and I wondered if there really was a blue church. On one of our side road trips, we came across this. Yes, there is a blue church. Really very striking. Our first glimpses of the St. Lawrence river had this freighter going upstream. So close and so big. We had a couple of days of heavy rainstorm. campinspecter and Shadow slept through the thunderstorm. As a result of the rain, we were surrounded by a lake. The birds were fishing in the lake as the bugs and worms were finding their way out to the edges to escape the water. Our main breaker on the power pole blew and @campinspector didn't want to wade into the water to reset it even with boots on. Maintenance came over, waded into the water and reset the breaker. The water had pretty well disappeared by the time we left but we both wore boots to disconnect everything. We discovered the Iroquois Lock. On our first visit, the lock was empty. They had an awesome viewing area. It was part of a park with lots of parking and tree and lawn area for picnic. Plaques explain that the spot was part of a battle in the War of 1812. In the background, you can see a row of grey shapes. They are part of a dam controlling the river flow. While we were there, they were all open.
Ships and large boats use the lock to travel through this area but smaller boats go through the two slightly higher raised gates on the Iroquois control dam in the distance. The photo I posted in the Boating for work and fun thread was taken from the Iroquois control dam.
