The Last Hurrah

We finally made it to our final stop today, Niagara Falls. After (stupidly?) driving through Canada and being harassed by overzealous guards at the border crossings, we drove across the bridge to a breathtaking view of the Falls. We saw plenty of other waterfalls along the way, but nothing we've seen can even come close to comparing to the grandeur of Niagara. While they are not the tallest waterfalls we've seen (Tower Fall in Yellowstone, for example, was almost twice as tall), they certainly make up for their height in pure volume and power. Whereas the ones we saw before were small streams of water trickling down the side of a mountain, Niagara Falls span the entire Niagara River, and the amount of water and the power and pressure with which the water gushes over the steep cliffs is simply astounding.

Upon entering the park (which, inexplicably, is only a state and not a national park), we were able to walk to the very edge of the river and see the the top of the falls. From above, it pretty much looks like the river just stops. You can see that it's still flowing, but the drop is so steep that you can't see any of the water once it goes over the edge. To better see the actual waterfalls, we headed to the observation tower and boat ride, appropriately called Maid of the Mists. The boat sets out from the calm of the river beyond the waterfalls, and sails right along the bottom of both sets of falls (one American, and one Canadian, but both equally amazing). While the boat remains about 100 feet away from the bottom of the waterfalls, the water is so powerful that every passenger is provided with a poncho to protect themselves from the heavy mist and spray caused by the force of the water hitting the bottom of the fall. The spray is so strong, in fact, that it bounces about halfway back up the height of the waterfall. Upon exiting the boat ride through the observation tower, you are provided with one final magnificent view of the waterfalls, clearly seeing both the river at the top of the falls and then the water just plummeting right over the cliff.

Since this was our last stop on our trip, I'm going to plug the photos one more time (http://www.flickr.com/photos/daphneseesamerica/), and even if you haven't been looking at them all along, I strongly recommend these. It is the only way (short of seeing them in person) to even get an inkling of an idea of just how massive and powerful these waterfalls are.

Final Counts

states driven through: 28

states visited: 20

P.S. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!