The best view of Niagara Falls is of the American side viewed from Canada.  The American Falls above are illuminated in the evenings and colored spotlights turn the falls all colors of the rainbow.

 

Niagara Falls

This was my second trip to Niagara Falls in twenty years.  How can this much water have continued to flow for so long?  Various attractions at the falls allow the visitors walk under and behind the falls.  They clearly go through many thousands of raincoats a day.  While we had visited Niagara Falls before, it was still a lot of fun to experience again.  Niagara Falls is one of those iconic destinations you should really try to visit, even if you are no longer a newlywed.

The wind from the turbulence of the immense amount of falling water causes unpredictable torrents of water to blow around, soaking the tourists and their cameras…

Looking up at the falls, I was able to capture the streaks of falling water droplets visible against the black rock.  A beautiful sight.  Every single day of the year, many hundreds of people arrive here and are thrilled at the amazing power of Niagara Falls.

 

View from the Hotel

The hotels do all they can to give you a great view of the falls.  We arrived at night, after the evening light show was over, so our first view of the falls was at sunrise.  The hotels go so far as to give the guests the option of opening the bathroom walls to a view of the falls at all times, eliminating any pretense of privacy.

 

 

The Land of Endless Rainbows

Falling water can be mesmerizing.  The color of the water changes from dark blue to aqua as it falls over the edge.  The resulting mist with the sun behind it creates the perfect environment for endless rainbows.  The rainbows move around the falls as the mist surges and temporarily recedes.  There is always a rainbow somewhere on sunny days.

 

 

While riding on the Maid of the Mist to visit Niagara Falls up close, we travel by the American falls with a double rainbow.  The goal of the Maid of the Mist is to get all tourists soaked.  They will not head back to the dock until all people aboard and all cameras are thoroughly soaked.

 

Capturing seagulls with a rainbow as a backdrop requires little skill, only some good camera glass and patience.

 

 

Night Time Spectacle

The photograph at the very beginning of this blog was taken in the evening when the falls are illuminated by spotlights.  The spotlights change color to entertain the tourists throughout the evening.  Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Look at the right-hand side of the photo above.  There is a wooden walkway on the American side accessible by an elevator.  Raincoats are handed out, just as they are at the other attractions.  The video below of my brother-in-law shows the power of the falling water.  The raincoats this day were pink.

 

Indescribable Water Turbulence

Riding in a bus-like cable car directly over the Niagara River provides a bird’s-eye overview of its power.  The abstract designs, in addition to the immense power, are thrilling to me.  Why couldn’t they hook me to a harness and let me try to float down this river?  Maybe next time…  There is not a uniform directional flow to this river.  Rather the crazy turbulence causes all sorts of visible cross-currents and powerful swirls.

In the photo above, some wood debris and a large log are visible in the right half of the photo.

 

At one particular stretch of the Niagara River, water continually rose to the surface in great circular torrents.  Wouldn’t you want to experience what it is like to be in such a river, wearing a life preserver?  That would be the ultimate “E” Ticket ride!

 

 

 

Next we head to New York City and the excitement of Times Square.