Niagara River ( #AtoZChallenge )

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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

Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls  

        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? 

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