Niagara Falls was just a 2.5 hour drive from Brewerton, so a great opportunity for a road trip. One car (not ours!) left at 6 am to get tickets while the second left at 6:45 am. Arrived around 9:30 am when the Canadian side of the Falls was covered in fog and mist and we could barely see them; made it a curly hair day! Soon, the sun was shining giving us a beautiful day. We stayed on the American side enjoying both the “Cave of the Winds” and a boat ride to the Falls called “Maid of the Mist.” Both provided plastic ponchos and yes we did get very wet! We really came to appreciate the history and sheer power of the Falls.
The ‘Cave of the Winds’ name is a bit deceiving. In the 1800’s there was a rock overhang – a cave like structure – that allowed people to pass behind the falls. The cave collapsed in the early 1900’s but the name stuck. Now the Cave of the Winds tour is a series of staircases and platforms that takes you within 20’ of the Bridal Veil Falls. The trip starts with a elevator ride 175’ down to the Niagara Gorge. The water rushing by is very cold and thunderously loud! The walkways and platforms were a real thrill to be so close to the power of the Falls. We also learned this area is a seagull breeding ground with 1000’s of seagull parents and babies.
Maid of the Mist was also a great experience starting with an elevator descent of 200 feet from the observation deck to the base of the river where we boarded a double deck tour boat and travelled past the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and into the basin of the Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Falls) through the waterfall whitewater and rock formations – it was super loud and we got super wet!
Fun Fact: The Maid of the Mist fleet consists of two vessels: the James V. Glynn named after the Maid of the Mist CEO and the Nikola Tesla, for the man who invented the alternating current (AC) motor, the standard form of electricity that is used in American homes to this day. Tesla’s invention prompted George Westinghouse to invite him to join his team that won the bid to build the power plant at Niagara Falls back in the late 1800’s. I did not know the root of Elon Musks ‘Tesla’ name until today!
Additional Fun Facts:
- Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S. Established in 1885. It was the first of several such reservations that became the cornerstones to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
- 3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second. This accounts for 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls and 681,750 gallons per second over the Horseshoe Falls.
- The water falls at 32 feet per second over the Falls, hitting the base of the Falls with 280 tons of force at the American and Bridal Veil Falls and 2,509 tons of force at the Horseshoe Falls.
- Niagara Falls is capable of producing over 4 million kilowatts of electricity, which is shared by the United States and Canada.
- Four of the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie) drain into the Niagara River before emptying into Lake Ontario. These five Great Lakes make up almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply.
- In November 1896, electrical power was transmitted from the Adams Power Plant in Niagara Falls, NY to Buffalo, NY. This was the first time in the world that alternating current (AC) was transmitted over a long distance – note reference to Tesla above.
- In 1969, dam was built across the head of the American Rapids, de-watering the American Falls and sending all that water over the Canadian Falls. For six months, geologists and engineers studied the rock face and the effects of erosion.
And finally – after marrying in Grand Rapids, MI without knowledge of either of their parents, my parents passed through Niagara Falls on their way back to RI and here is Mom’s souvenir jewelry box – almost 65 years ago!
Barbi
Great day!