Myst-ifying Experience

One of the most impressive, forgive the pun, places I have visited is Niagara Falls. For lack of a better description, the Falls are just awe-inspiring. I vividly recall my reaction upon initially seeing them. It was, “Wow!”

Now Niagara Falls is such a grandiose attraction that it actually straddles the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. Even though I have been a native New Yorker for the greater part of my life, I had never seen Niagara Falls prior to about three or four years ago when I made this trip. And, at that rate, I had never been out-of-country before making the hop, skip, jump over the border to see the Falls from the Canadian point-of-view.

One of the attractions we participated in was the Maid of the Mist boat ride, named after an ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character that carried passengers into the whirlpools underneath the Falls since 1846. Now, I thought the directors of the ride were just being overly precautions when they advised all riders to “Hang on to your hats and small children.” Well, they weren’t. Before we even reached the turn-around place at the bottom of the waterfalls, I counted at least six caps that went flying off. Luckily though, no children were carried away. But those crashing waves certainly are powerful, which, as it turns out, is what makes them such prime candidates for the generation of hydroelectricity.

Another truly breathtaking event that is held at Niagara Falls is the nigh lightshow. Once the sun has set and it is dark enough for the lighthouses to begin operation, the show starts. For approximately 30 minutes, different colors bathe the Falls in a rainbow array. It blew my mind that such a simple illumination show could be so captivating. Yet it was. Without an ounce of shame, I made myself the “stereotypical tourist.” I whipped out my camera and took so many pictures, in rapid succession, that a flip book or film strip could be made from the negatives. It was just so beautiful that I wanted to record its grandeur. And that I did.

Panoramic view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side (top)
Photo from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/NiagaraFallsPanorama.jpg

Maid of the Mist Boat ride below the Falls (bottom)
Photo from: http://z.about.com/d/gocanada/1/0/y/2/-/-/Maid_of_the_Mist_courtesy_embassysuites.JPG