Niagara Falls (Part II)

Yesterday, I talked about leaving my homeland and taking a Maid on the Mist ride around Niagara Falls. Here's more about the Canadian side of the border.

Once leaving the boat, I walked along the Canadian coastline, catching a series of spectacular views, one of which included another rainbow. Little did I know growing up that loyalists to King George traveled this border after losing the Revolutionary War.

From one of the observation posts, you can really see what the Maid of the Mist is going into.

It's hard to imagine that they've been doing this for over 150 years.

The Canadians are really clever with their warning signs.

This was my favorite spot though...right by the Horseshoe Falls. There is no major zoom lens being used here, as one can get within a couple of feet of this fall. Many have taken the leap inside, or have tried other silly things. Jean Francois Gravelet became the first person to walk over the falls in a tightrope in 1859. Anna Edson Taylor became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel in 1901 and live (it would only be until 1984 that a Canadian, Karel Soucek, would do it successfully, proving the theory of natural selection). Taylor was 63 years old when she made the plunge.

In 2003, Michigan's Kirk Jones became the first man to survive the falls without any safety device. He would go on to say:

"I was immediately enveloped by what seemed like tons of water."

No, really?

They have signs that tell people not to do what Kirk Jones did. I obeyed the rules this time.

The Skylon Tower provides a great view of the falls, and provides information on what you are seeing. In fact, much of the information provided here came from the tower. On a good day, you can see 80 miles from the tower.

This view right here, of the Horseshoe Falls, is worth the trip.

This is the American Falls, and it also provides a great view of the lesser of the three, the Luna Fall. If you look closely at the middle right of the photo, you will see a stream of water that breaks off from the main one. That is Luna.

You can also see the surrounding areas. In the upper right hand corner, you can see the Hydro substation, where nearly 2 million kilowatts of power are generated by the Beck power plant.

All good things come to an end, and it was time to return to my homeland. On the way back though, I stopped by a duty-free shop connected to the border.

They had a whole room of BEER! All Canadian stuff, like LaBatt's Blue.

Then, I walked towards the rainbow bridge.

Apparently, it costs money to go back to the United States. It's free to get into Canada, but the USA rocks so much they can charge for the privilege of coming back! Yet another reason why we rock. Take that you pacifist free healthcare people!

Ah, home sweet home. God bless New York, the United States of America, and Governor George Pataki. I almost felt like kissing the ground. Being in another country can take a lot out of you. Let freedom ring!