Apart from going over in a barrel, there are several other ways to experience the Niagara Falls.
Rose was determined to do most of them. We passed on the Zipline.
Niagara’s Fury
Niagara’s Fury is sort of a interactive CineMax where you enter a theatre to be surrounded by the simulated sound, spray, rain, snow, thunder, lightning and other effects including motion while being told how Niagara evolved geologically. (Warning: Although I believe they have toned things down a bit in recent years, some of this show can be pretty scary to small children)
You’re going to get wet in there so they provide you with some protective rainwear. You are told not to take photos, but I think there’s another motive behind that rule because unless your camera is waterproof it’s definitely going to risk being damaged. It’s not too long a show, but it’s a bit of fun.
Journey Behind the Falls
Get ready to get wet.
Fun at the Portals.
I really do need to learn how to work this camera.
Anyway you can see that it’s a blast.
Cloudy and rainy when we landed
in Hamilton (Ontario).
Ontario had been having a bad Spring.
We headed for the Car Rental place.
A Kia Forte.
Off we go …
Up the Tower
The name Niagara that was assigned to the area comes from the First Nations word “Onghiara” or “Oniawgarah”
which means “thundering waters.”
In the late 1850’s Jean-Francois Gravelet of France (aka The Great Blondin) walked a tightrope across the gorge. He expanded his act to include somersaults, walking blindfolded, and riding a bicycle. He also walked the tightrope with his hands and feet manacled, cooked an omelette, and once even lowered a rope to the Maid of the Mist, pulled up a bottle of Champagne, and drank it.
In 1848, Niagara Falls actually stopped flowing for 30 hours when ice fields from Lake Erie jammed at the source of the river.
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three water Falls that overlap the international borders of Canada and New York.
The first person to attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a 63-year-old woman. Seeking fame and fortune, schoolteacher Annie Taylor loaded herself – and her cat – up in a barrel and descended over the falls in 1901. She survived.
As a boy, Nikola Tesla saw a picture of Niagara Falls and told his uncle in Lika, Croatia, that he wanted to put a wheel under the falls to harness the power of the moving water. In 1895, Nikola Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, New York which started producing electrical power.
This was the beginning of the electrification of the United States and the rest of the world.
The 3 waterfalls combine to produce the highest flow rate of any waterfall on earth.
It is illegal to go over the Niagara Falls.
On July 9, seven year old Roger Woodward went over the Horseshoe Falls wearing only a life jacket and a frown. He survived. He was picked up by the “Maid of the Mist II” tourist ship.
No word whether he was spanked.
The same thing happened to me, but nobody picked me up. I floated all the way down to Kingston.
In 2012 Nik Wallenda became the first person to cross the Niagara Falls by tightrope in 116 years. He did so after receiving permission from both the Canadian and United States governments, although he was required to carry his passport and present it on entry to the Canadian side of the falls.
We’re dining in this great restaurant at one of the most exotic locations on the planet … so what do I have? A hamburger deluxe!!, of course (With brocoli?). Nearby tables were hissing and throwing caviar at me. Then some fool tossed a Limited Edition ‘Stompin’ Tom Connors’ Bobblehead !!!– Order of Canada Edition. Yeah Baby!!
Beethoven “Moonlight” Sonata op 27 # 2 Mov 1,2 Valentina Lisitsa
OK .. I know this is not Seasonal, but my buddy Quinn has been urging (I refrain from saying ‘nagging’) me for quite a while to post pics from Rose’s and my trip to Southern Ontario last Spring. I’ve been hesitant to do so for 2 reasons: it’s not Western. And we too about 2000 pictures. If I posted everything that’s worthy we’d be looking at Ontario for quite a long time. Yeah.
Alright. First night we got in we raced down to catch the Niagara ‘Light Show’ – they light up the Falls with coloured lights. We took a lot of pics, but our poor photography skills … we had to chuck a lot.
Night Falls
Here I reveal one of my uncanny photography techniques.
These are the cameras Rose and I use:
This puppy fits in the palm of my hand. Also takes great videos. Cost me 100 bucks. It’s a simple camera, but I still don’t know
how to use it well. The wrist strap has saved me from
dropping it a few dozen times.
Rose’s camera. We need a zoom lens,
but it’s pretty good. Just gotta figure out how to use it.
Get ready to get wet.
