Woke to a beautiful sunrise and another day of
spectacular sights.
After breakfast we headed away from the Falls and along the river to the Whirlpool, which even with frozen water is fairly fierce and in summer has jet boat rides through it.
From here it was back to the Falls and a walk around them. It's bitterly cold, and I think my nose is going to fall off if I touch it but it's so beautiful I don't mind (and I know
Samara can't keep the smile off of her face....or is it just frozen on :) )
No Maid of the Mist as the water beneath the Falls is to frozen to take a boat on so we go beneath them and you really feel the impact of that water fall.
At this time of year, a lot of the water is frozen and still the thunder of the falls is loud,(so when it is at full force it must be overwhelming) The mist coming off the Falls is cold, but refreshing and a little bit magical and I am once again amazed by the glory of Mother Nature.
Shopping next, and the Canadian souvenirs just to prove that Yes we did go into Canada (if only for two days :) ) It's on my to do list a few more times so I'll be doing it again.
We cross the Rainbow Bridge back to the American side, going through the information centre which
provides a couple more photo ops for Samara, she's not much of a poser really!!!! We also had a film about the Falls and the history of it, and the number of people who thought going over it in a barrel is a good idea...wouldn't recommend it...the first person to make a successful attempt was Annie Taylor (and her cat) at 63 but she said she wouldn't do it again. There were some pretty gruesome stories, of people suffocating in barrels or one whose arm was found but nothing else.
Then it was onto the Prospect Point Park Obeservation Deck (which is about 90 m high which is about 7 storeys) for more photos.
and head over to Goat Island to get a different view. There are three parts to the Falls, the Horseshoe Falls (which are shaped like a horseshoe which is mostly on the Canadian side) the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls (there is a walkway from these falls to the Cave of the Winds but in winter it is not open) there are advantages of being here in winter, not as many tourists and a completely different aspect of the Falls but it would be great to do the boat, the walkway and the aerial cable car over the Whirlpool, so another next time moment.
It was time to leave Niagara behind and head back to NY, but not without stopping on the way. For shoppers it might have been like heaven, for me it was hell....an outlet store/s ...The Crossings in Pennsylvania, heaps of shops, probably great prices but I don't know prices well enough to know how much of a bargain I'm getting. I would have preferred to stay longer at the Falls or arrived earlier in NY, even Samara who likes to shop wasn't overly interested.
Back in NY and another long day in the US is nearly over but not before stopping at the Shake Shack for dinner....Shack burgers, cheesy fries and OMG the best ever shake I have ever had and I know we have to come back for the frozen custard concretes before we leave (it's just around the corner from the hotel so a late night snack in the next couple of nights isn't out of the question :) )
Late night TV at the right time and the right night (back home in Melbourne we get the late night shows but sometimes it's a day or two even a week different so it's good to get it the correct day....wonder if I will be home before the episode airs in Melbourne....it's kind of said to think that :(