Niagara Falls was magical, at least it ended up that way. It started out with a bunch of lines. Isn't wasn't too bad because it nice and cloudy and cool that day. But that was because it was super rainy at points, and we got totally drenched waiting in lines. We had three umbrellas for the 6 of us, which wasn't too bad, but we were all pretty wet.
Despite the long, wet lines, it was well worth it! We got trolley passes and rode around the island to see the various viewpoints. Then we did our first epic activity, The Maid of the Mist, which is a ferry that we rode to go up to feel the mist of Horseshoe Falls. It was awesome. We were lucky and got the very front spot at the bow of the boat. It was pretty crowded so we were glad we got a spot that the girls could see well. We saw America Falls first on the left, but you can't get too close to those because of the massive boulders at the bottom.
Then it was up into the Horseshoe.
Starting to feel the mist! Thankfully these blue ponchos were included in the ticket so we didn't get extra wet from this adventure. We could have used them earlier that day though!
This was about as close as we got, but the force from the mist was still super intense.
John and I tried to take a selfie, but the mist blast was too strong. I was actually concerned that my contacts would be blown out. This selfie seriously makes me laugh. It was the best we could do.
Pure joy on this family's faces!
It was exhilarating--we loved it! Mom had big smiles too!
We loved all the flowers around. Then we had to get a little closer to the America Falls.
From the top of the elevator platform was an awesome view of the falls.
Straight out of a calendar.
Our hair was still a little wet from the Maid of the Mist excursion.
We had lunch in the parking lot with our rental van and then it was off to the next fabulous event--The Cave of the Winds. Lots of waiting in line, despite having waited in line to get a required timed ticket. So worth it though! We got another set ponchos and even got matching water shoes. Then went down another long elevator to the bottom of the America Falls. We walked through a tunnel and out along a sidewalk until we got to the boardwalks. There were so many birds along there. I guess they like the rush of air from the falls?? And that's Canada on the other side of the river!
The Cave of the Winds is a series of platforms and stairs that get you nice and close to America Falls.
The platforms are built right over the rushing water and all the support 2x4s, just wedge into the rocks didn't look that secure to me, considering the force of the water. But I guess it didn't fall down so it must have been all right. Because of the water being so close, there were places where the platforms were covered by couple of inches of water, which is why we were given the watershoes.
The hurricane deck was unbelieveable. It is hard to describe the kind of force that the we felt coming off that waterfall. We were legit in the waterfall. It was hard to stand straight up. So cool. Even thought we had the ponchos on, I was soaked coming out of that.
We didn't take the girls in the very hardest of the spray, and I didn't dare turn my face towards it, but the back of me sure felt it. What a fun adventure!
We love getting sprayed by waterfalls! This is a statue of Tesla, who the cars are probably named for, who helped come up with hydroelectric generators. They were in place at Niagara falls before the United States and Canada mandated that the area be protected and the factories torn down.
Next it was time to do some overlooks. Here is Horseshoe falls from the top. I am so glad we saw it from both angles. The sun finally came out (so the hats were put on), which was great, but we still love the overcast days!
Our girls were such troopers. I really appreciated how patient they were with the lines, waiting, and seeing more and more of the same things. I was really impressed with these darling girls.
We read about the people who have attempted to go over Horseshoe Falls in various contraptions. There is an extremely high mortality rate. I think it was something close to 50%! So terrible that these people threw their lives away in pursuit of a stunt to get them some fame.
Holly eventually passed out on me on a trolley ride. She was so tired. I don't know that I have mentioned the new stroller we got for this trip. It is a much better umbrella type stroller that was awesome to have along. It was kind of a last minute purchase that we researched and picked out on Amazon, but then ended up getting at Target because we could get it the same day for cheaper (wahoo!). I don't know how we would have done this trip without it. I am also so glad my mom brought her transport chair. That was absolutely necessary because she couldn't have walked even a fraction of what we did.
Beautiful girls at beautiful America Falls!
A view down to where we were at the Cave of the Winds. Apparently the last timed ticket is for 9pm and they still sell out so quickly! That's why we had to secure our slots first thing and wait in such a long line.
Just lovely.
I am glad we could make these memories with my mom even though it made these more complicated. And she generously gave us a bunch of money to help pay for this trip, which was so nice. We for sure wouldn't have been able to stay for as long or do as many things without her help.
Such a cool view over America Falls to see where you take the elevator down to the Maid of the Mist. You can also see the cool platform to look out at the view.
Looking upstream was really pretty too. I don't know if this picture does it justice. I loved how the water rushed around the little islands and over the different layers of rocks. It was incredible. This was one of our favorite days of the whole trip.
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