Niagara Falls

Toronto has given me some fantastic weather, and the day that I jumped on the tour bus to Niagara Falls proved to be one of the best of the week. The blue skies, warm sun and cool breeze providing a backdrop to one of natures greatest attractions.

Waking early and scoffing down some pancakes I got amped for the trip. In the middle of a coffee I met Mark, the tour guide from Salty Bear Tours who rounded up 14 of us and piled us into a van.

It’s around a two hour drive around the lake to the Niagara region, during which Mark regaled us with stories of Canada, took questions and in general entertained us to our first stop : a winery.

As I had quite a big night just before the tour I wasn’t entirely keen on a wine tasting, but I did get the opportunity to try “Ice Wine” something we don’t get in Australia. It was extremely sweet, so not something I would normally enjoy, but a small taste was fine.

Moving on we headed into Niagara on the Lake for lunch and to stretch our legs. This town was pretty cool, nicely presented and utterly touristy. I grabbed some chicken tenders from the supermarket and sat in the park enjoying the sunshine.

At this point we were itching to see the falls, but Mark had a couple more spots to show us. First a lookout onto Niagara River, and then to the Whirlpool which was very impressive and BEGGED to be swum in.

Finally we hit Niagara Falls. I have to say I was amazed. While the falls themselves aren’t really that high only falling around 50 or so metres they throw around 168,000 cubic meters of water over their edge each every minute. The falls are actually made up of two separate major falls, the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls but the majority of the water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. Probably the most striking thing for me though was the sound. It wasn’t nearly as loud as I thought, even when practically underneath the falls on the “Maid of the Mist”.

“Maid of the Mist” is a tour which travels up the river, past the American Falls and then right up under the Horseshoe Falls. Battling with our ponchos was fun enough but looking up and seeing yourself surrounded by the falls was too much for words. I managed to grab a couple of shots without my camera busting due to water damage. Best 14 bucks I have ever spent.

I could have spent all day at the falls, but the tour was coming to a close. With huge smiles on our faces we headed back to the hostel. I had a great time that day, made new friends and got some great photos. I also marked off another of my “tourist” jobs for my adventure. “Niagara Falls” has a massive tick in my book.

Oh, see if you can spot the “No Smoking” sign under the waterfall. Classic comedy.

12►

Be Sociable, Share!

•