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Without its massive waterfall the Niagara River might have been just another river in North America. Niagara Falls is one of the continent's biggest attractions. And I mean big...
Niagara River
Over the years I've made many visits to the Niagara Falls on the
Niagara River which forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. Not once was I on a honeymoon. Only once did I stay on the U.S. side in Buffalo NY while every other time I stayed in Niagara Falls Ontario Canada.
At the overlook at the top of the falls I find it rather disorienting and definitely awesome to look down into the waters. It looks so easy to fall in. Maybe it's just me, but I almost had an inner urge to just jump in and be carried over the falls. Thankfully I've always resisted that urge to jump in because that's one swim that one would likely not survive. Even scarier for me was holding one of my children as I looked over. What a horrible thing if they were to squirm or slip out of my grasp and fall down into the waters! You can be sure that I always held them very tightly.
In the past couple of hundred years a number of people have gone over the falls either intentionally or by accident with a surprising number of them surviving. In 1960 seven-year-old Roger Woodward went over the falls after a small boat he was in lost power. His 17 year old sister was rescued before going over, but the child and another boat occupant were not so fortunate. One man died in the fall while Roger survived and was rescued by the excursion boat Maid of the Mist.
Kirk Jones of Canton Michigan went over the falls in 2003 possibly in an attempt to commit suicide. However he miraculously survived the fall with minor damage to himself. Perhaps he figured that he was indestructible as he went over the falls again in 2017 inside a large inflatable ball. This time his luck ran out and he died.
My favorite Niagara River story was one that I remember reading about when I was in fifth grade. In March of 1848 the Niagara River experienced an abnormal freeze up that caused an ice jam that in turn stopped the river's flow for a couple days. In the account that I read it was noted that the ground beneath the falls was exposed so that hundreds of people ventured out to explore the river bed to find a number of artifacts and other items. It must have been a remarkable night when the usual roar of the falls was silenced.
If you've never been to Niagara Falls then it's one of those amazing sights to see before you die. You'd better go soon as experts predict that due to erosion the Falls will be gone in 23,000 to 50,000 years. But if you do visit the falls, be careful not to fall in. You wouldn't want Niagara Falls to be the last thing you see before you die.
Have you been to Niagara Falls? Did you have any urge or thought about jumping in the water? What is the most daring thing you've ever attempted in your life?
I finally visited Niagara in 2014, and was not disappointed. I was stateside and could see that the Canadian side probably has better views - especially those hotels! Hoping to stay in one when I do a big Canada road trip in 2024.
ReplyDeleteN is for Nine Things: https://www.anne-m-bray.com/blog/167688/atozchallenge-2021-n-is-for-nine-things
The N Shoe: https://repeatsamb.blogspot.com/2021/04/atozchallenge-2021-n-is-for-nilsson.html
Anne, I don't see how anyone could be disappointed in Niagara Falls. The Canadian side is the best place to view the falls and it's the best place to stay and spend time as far as I'm concerned. The last time I went we spent the night in Niagara Falls Ontario and then took a day trip to Toronto before returning to New York.
DeleteLee
Been to nNiagara Falls wonderful place Lee.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yvonne, it really is a place to visit in North America. Glad you were able to see the falls.
DeleteLee
Niagara is one of the few rivers you've mentioned that I remember visiting . . twice in fact, and we enjoyed the excursion on the maid of the mist both times. We stayed in the US on our first visit and in Canada on our most recent visit in 2019. A beautiful place for sure.
ReplyDeleteMarcy, I've never done the Maid of the Mist excursion in my many visits to the area. Probably won't now, but I'd like to.
DeleteLee
I've never been to Niagara Falls but would love to at some point! That is such an interesting fact about the dry bed and the artifacts!
ReplyDeleteLisa, you've got to try to get there someday. I wish I could find that story about the ice jam on the river that I read in 5th grade. It really stimulated my young imagination and I'd like to read it again.
DeleteLee
I have not been to Niagara Falls. My son had a conference to go to and his wife went with him. She took some nice photos of the river, not the falls. There was still some ice in it. She later did some watercolors based on her photos.
ReplyDeleteLisa, the entire area is a goldmine for photos and eventual paintings.
DeleteYou must try to get there one day.
Lee
The fourth floor of the New York State Museum has a barrel (or maybe a boat?) that someone went over Niagara Falls in. It's one of their exhibits hanging from the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteI can't hear or see the name Niagara Falls without thinking of the Three Stooges' "Slowly I turn..." routine.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGreat info on the river and falls. Thanks for sharing.
Have a great day!
Definitely on my bucket list!
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My daughter lost a pair of glasses when she visited Niagra Falls (looking over the edge of something). Anyone find a pair there? hahaha! I've always wanted to visit Niagra... hopefully someday.
ReplyDeleteA dry Niagara would definitely be a pulse-quickener for me:-) What a cool fun fact! I guess swinging across rushing water on a rope tied to a tree branch was pretty daring, and probably dumb. You really had to time letting go of the rope just right.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Lee! Niagara Falls (Ontario) is one of our favourite places and we've been there dozens of times. It's an easy 45-minute drive from our house. Their annual Winter Festival of Lights is fabulous! Well, it was, until COVID closed everything...
ReplyDeleteBeing a not-very-daring person, the most daring thing I can think of is biking down Hale'akala on Maui, and that is not very daring at all. Will put Niagara Falls on my bucket list next to viewing the rise of Loihi Seamount off the coast of the Big Island, which should appear around the time Niagara is gone.
ReplyDeleteI live 10-15 minutes away from the Falls and can’t count how many times I saw it. When I grew up in the country, my dad would say to us, “kids, want to see the Falls?” We were so excited and we love hopped into our 1960s car and travelled the 40 minutes(maybe less) to see the Falls. As he drove by it, he would say, “There’s the Falls!” And he kept on driving....hahahahaaa. Sometimes he would stop and we would walk a bit but my dad had joint issues so he couldn’t walk too far but I was too little to realize. I recall a woman who owned a fabric store in Welland, also near me. Anyway, her husband pushed her into the Falls in front of many. She was so nice and always so helpful. I was a bit in shock when my mom told me and the. Read it in the newspaper. I like to walk around there but also I love the drive from Niagara Falls along the Niagara Parkway To Niagara On The Lake. It is a truly beautiful drive.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been but it looks like a wonderful place to make some memories!
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
Mary and I went in the late '90's. We took a bus trip to both the US and Canada side. There was a Mexican couple on the trip and because of passport issues they couldn't come into Canada, so the bus driver left them on the US side and said he'd pick them up on the way back. On the way back, though, they weren't waiting for him, so he took off just as they arrived. We didn't recognize them at first, so we didn't say anything, but when we got back to the hotel Mary said she thought she saw them, and maybe I should drive over there and see if they were still there. Anyway, I drove over, and they were there, so I took them to their hotel. They were so grateful that they gave me a boittle of tequila. I was more pissed at the bus driver....
ReplyDeleteI've been lucky enough to go to Niagara Falls. When the river stopped, I bet what was on the bottom of the falls was interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteA place I would like to visit one day
ReplyDeleteLee,
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Niagara Falls. I haven't done anything daring to speak of, I value living too much to try anything dangerous.
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Cathy, just waking up everyday is somewhat daring if you think about it from a certain perspective. You really should go to see Niagara Falls. It's worth the trip and there is a lot to see between there and where you are.
DeleteLee
It’s not been top of my bucket list but as I want to see nearby places, and friends who live there, I might see it one day. If international travel ever gets back in the agenda.
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