Niagara Falls – WOW ! !

Niagara Falls, NY – October 10 to 14, 2012 Our Current Location

We had a long road day and didn’t get into Niagara Falls until after dark. We headed for a Walmart near the Visitor Center to crash for the night. We debated on whether to drive ourselves or splurge on a tour to the Canadian Side of the Falls since almost everyone we talked to said the Canadian side was better.

Next morning we headed to the Visitor Center and decided to go with one of the big names, Gray Line Tours. As part of the process of trying to sell us on additional attractions and tours they asked where we were staying and we said in an RV. In that case, they said, we have a parking area with an electric hookup if you’d like to stay here for as long as you like. SOLD! We got Big Guy and immediately moved over here before anyone else got the coveted spot. As an added benefit, there was a Bob Evans right next door.

We opted for the evening tour, starting at 3PM, because we wanted to see the colored lights on the Falls. The really nice thing was they would pick us up and drop us of at the Visitor Center, so no driving involved. The Canadian side is really built up with hotels, museums, and attractions. Plus everything is very new looking, pristine and clean.

Our first stop was to the Journey Behind the Falls.We took an elevator down 150’ and got to go out on the observation decks at the foot of the falls. The thundering sound and spray were awesome. The poncho really didn’t help much. Then you traveled through tunnels and had more views through two different portals.

The Falls were a ready source of hydro-electric power which has been utilized since the early 1900’s.  The buildings that housed the generating equipment were quite striking.

A walk along the waterfront gave us a great view of Horseshoe Falls.

Part of the visit included “The Whirlpool”, although try as we might, we never did see a whirlpool. Over the whirlpool ran a gondola. Due to a sharp bend in the river right here, many people think they are looking at the US on the other side. In fact the gondola operators thought it was quite humorous that people were trying to sneak into the US only to find out they were still in Canada.

On the way to Skylon Tower, we stopped at the floral clock just before sundown. It is created from up to 16,00 bedding plants and the design is changed twice a year. It is really beautiful and there was still enough light to get some good pictures.

Arriving at Skylon Tower, appropriately after dark, we took the elevator up 775 feet above the river level to the observation deck. It was cold and windy, but oh so worth it. The nighttime surroundings were lit up with neon signs and the Falls were glowing under powerful colored flood lights. We were told the US and Canada share the cost of paying for the flood lights and the power it takes for them to operate.

Long day, great tour. We didn’t get back until around 8:30 pm. Glad we had a guide/driver to allow us to enjoy everything.

The next day we decided to check out the American side. We parked on Goat Island, a New York State Park, where we got to see the Falls up close.

We walked all around Goat Island before walking over to where you could catch the Maid of the Mist.  Frank wasn’t crazy about getting onto the tour boats, and here you can see why.

Of course we took pictures all along the walk. We were both surprised at how shallow the water is. And of course we were thrilled to see several rainbows and even a double one.

We stopped and got some coffee and a muffin then sat on a bench next to the Falls. We were swarmed by birds, who were in no way intimidated by us mere humans. It fact some of them ate out of our hands.

There is a huge Casino in town and naturally we had to check it out.

Finally our visit was drawing to an end and it was time to go. The falls are truly awesome. We have so many pictures even after editing. We thoroughly enjoyed both sides and hope everybody gets to see them at least once in their life. One more item to check off on the Bucket List.