Niagara Falls
1838hrs
I've finally got this place worked out.
Firstly, the Niagara Falls isn't just one waterfall. There are three of them, two in America and one in Canada. Secondly, the town Niagara Falls encompasses them all, being half in America and half in Canada, which is weird. So far today we've explored the American side - we're going to Canada this evening.
The town itself comes across as a very close-knit community, untouched by the advances of the last thirty years. You get the impression that about eleven people live here, and none of them lock their doors at night. They don't even have bin men, they just have metal trashcans, and burn the rubbish when they fill up. Actually that might not be true, we just guessed, but it should be.
Some guy came up and asked me to give him some money. I didn't hear at first and had to ask him to repeat it twice, by which time we were practically old friends and I couldn't really refuse. I gave him seventy-five cents. "Thanks, man, but what can you buy for seventy five cents? Can't you make it a dollar?" Happy to oblige, I made it a dollar.
"That's great, man, but what I really need is three dollars. Can't you make it three dollars?"
I told him to settle for the dollar. Cruel, perhaps, but I think for the best.
My first impression of the falls, I must admit, is that they were a bit on the small side. Huge as waterfalls go, true, and if I'd happened to stumble across something similar while rambling in the countryside it would have taken my breath away, certainly, but even so I'd expected them to be about four times the height, and I couldn't overcome a vague feeling of disappointment. But size isn't, of course, everything, and it wasn't long before my disillusionment was replaced by awe for their magnificence.
We saw the falls from countless perspectives, all along the banks, up the
observation tower, on a walking tour past the bottom where we were forced
to wear ridiculous yellow plastic sheets and makeshift shoes, and got very
wet, and on the Maid of the Mist boat cruise where we got even wetter. This
went right past the bottom of the falls, and at its closest was much like
being in a monsoon. The mist in the air and the water pouring down my face
(as well as those of everyone else on board) did nothing to help visibility,
and taking photos to record the occasion for posterity was a real battle
against the elements. By the end I, my clothes, and my camera, were totally
drenched. That was fun.
We never did have to do a chore.
Same day
Niagara Falls
1946hrs
As well as the waterfalls themselves, there's a lot of natural beauty round here. There are a few islands, Goat Island (which doesn't seem to have any goats on), and the Three Sisters Islands (which don't seem to have any sisters on). They've all got loads of trees to explore and rocks to scramble across, and the weather's been ideal. Warm, but not too hot, with a gentle breeze to dry you off when you've been too close to the waterfalls.
It is, I think, a well known fact that squirrels only come in brown and grey (and occasionally red), but obviously no one told that to the squirrels, because they're black round here. Not all of 'em, but a lot of 'em.
