Up Close and Personal at Niagara

After a day of exploring Niagara, it was time to get a closer up view of the falls.  We started with a boat trip on the Maid of the Mist.  The boat takes you (and 500 other people) along the side of the American Falls and then right up to the Horseshoe Falls.

As you can tell, one of the biggest challenges to taking pictures when you get up this close is, well, that you are up this close and the mist is intense (and covers everything).  It was a good encouragement to shoot fast and embrace the experience.

Once off the boat, we got our first chance to walk alongside the American Falls on the path you see below.  The moss covered so much of what you saw and was a beautiful and unexpected touch.

We moved on to the other side of the falls and explored the Cave of the Winds.  Because of how close the path is to the falls, the wooden decking is taken down every November to avoid the harsh winter and rebuilt EVERY spring.  Crazy.  But, clearly worth it, as we waited in 90 degree heat for almost two hours.

This was definitely the closest we got to the water, where at only half way up, the falls literally flow over your feet.  Our girl was NOT a fan, so she and I stayed behind while the boys went to the top.  From what I hear, it was AWE-SOME.

After some drying out, we hitched a ride on the trolley where our girl spent some time waving at anyone she saw and enjoying being just like Daniel Tiger.  And then when we found a carnival, where our son was bound and determined that he knew the secret to climbing the suspended rope ladder.  He definitely made it farther than I would have.



Our night was capped off with ice cream (it WAS vacation after all) and watching some fireworks over the falls.  Sometimes the view of your people though is far better than any fireworks in the world.

 What a sight - fireworks over Niagara Falls.  Only a few more days before our return trip.  I can't wait to share the rest!

Until next time,