Niagara Falls

One of the side effects of growing up in California is disdain for the waterfalls on the east coast.  The fact is that my expectation of waterfalls is that they look like the amazing falls of Yosemite National Park.  At Yosemite, Bridalveil Falls descends more than 600 feet.  Yosemite Falls is even more splendid, falling over 2400 feet.   There are 8 other waterfalls in the park.  It is unreasonable to expect that other waterfalls compete with this splendor, but alas it is my expectation.

Niagara Falls upends that view because while it isn’t tall it really is quite beautiful thanks to its width and abundance.  The falls are exceptionally wide, with two falls and so much mist that it’s hard to see the larger horseshoe-shaped falls completely.  Suffice it to say that the falls are famous for good reason.  But the most surprising element is that the Americans (for once) didn’t take the best for themselves.  The Canadian side of the falls have the best views and the nicest parks.  Go Canada!

T insisted we see the American side first, mostly because it has a nice view, albeit one that would be completely uninteresting if I’d seen the Canada view first.   The American views, seen from the cliffs alongside the American falls, were lovely.

But the American falls when viewed from the Canadian side were amazing.

As for the horseshoe falls, the Canadian share of Niagara Falls, they are hard to make a picture of because of the sheer volume of mist generated by the falls.  They can only be fully viewed from the Canadian side, tricky given the mist.  But I gave it a go.  First, from the edge by the rapids that precede the falls.

And then in the midst of all the water blowing around.

Lovely!