BACK HOME AGAIN

Dom, Maggie and I are back home again after a 6-day trip to Niagara Falls.  Bet you didn't even know we were gone!

We left on Tuesday and drove as far as my brother's house in West Virginia where we spent the night.  Then on to Niagara Falls.  We got there Wednesday afternoon and checked into a Bed & Breakfast on the American side of the falls.  It was a delightful place - the first time we've ever stayed at a B&B.  We were the only ones there, so the host fixed us special breakfasts in the morning.  This man can cook!

Hanover House

We took a short walk on Wednesday afternoon to see the falls.  Our place was about 2 blocks from the rapids and another 2 blocks or so to the falls.  You have to see this to appreciate it.  The water above the falls was shallow and rough, very fast-moving.  Then the falls.  This huge rush of water, flowing down with a force that can't be imagined.  The mist generated reached us on the walkways.  A lot of rocks below the American falls, and a lot of churning water.  We walked further and could just see the Canadian falls, the famous Horseshoe Falls.  Beautiful!

The rapids before the falls

Just before the falls

The American falls

The American falls with the Canadian falls in the background

Thursday morning, we went back to have a better and longer look.  It's really hard to describe the power of all that water.  We stayed for a while, then took Maggie back to the B&B.  We came back a little later because I wanted to ride the Maid of the Mist, the boat that goes right to the base of the falls.

The Maid of the Mist boats

Dom wouldn't go on the boat (he gets really seasick), so he stayed at the observation tower and watched.  I got decked out in the blue plastic poncho that everyone was given and got on the boat.  I was on the lower deck in front, right on the railing.  As we first passed by the American falls, there was a strong wind and water was blown onto us.  My hood was blown off and there was no way I could get it back in place.  After a short while, we reached the base of the Canadian falls.  The boat stopped for a few minutes right in the middle.  Water was blowing from three sides - I couldn't see in front of me.  It was like being hit with a full blast from a fire hose.  My face, hands, and hair were completely drenched.

You can't imagine the size of the falls when you see them from above.  But from below, all you see is this almost 200 foot wall of water rushing down with mist rising almost to the top.  Very loud and awesome.  I've never seen anything even remotely like that before.

The American falls as seen from Canada

The Canadian falls

We went back and got Maggie and drove across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada.  The Canadian side is very busy with a lot of shops and things to do - mostly things that would interest teenagers and young adults, not much for a couple of old fogeys!  We drove up to a little town called Niagara on the Lake for a little bit of shopping.

We left Friday morning after another fabulous breakfast and drove back to West Virginia.  We stayed there until early this morning.  Dom and Paul watched Penn State football while Joann and I putzed around with other things in between plays.  After a good night's sleep, we packed up and drove home.

We managed to fit in quite a lot in a short period of time.  There were a couple of attractions I would have liked to have seen - the Journey Beneath the Falls and the Cave of the Wind - but we couldn't leave Maggie alone too long to do everything.  I'm perfectly happy with what we did see and do.

And the leaves on the trees were so beautiful.  Looking at some of the mountains, it looks like someone took a sponge, dipped it in the different reds and oranges and golds, and dabbed the colors onto a blank canvas.  We were there right at the peak time for the autumn colors.  I even brought a few leaves home - I want to try to match one of the colors to repaint a room in my house.

If you have never seen Niagara Falls, I absolutely recommend it.  Something not to be missed.