| On Tuesday we took a party from Stone Monkey in the RV down to Niagara Falls some
80 miles to the south. There are two major sets of falls. This is the 300m
wide American Falls on the American side of the river. We sat on the first floor
balcony of a bar and had refreshment while enjoying this view. |  |
 | Behind us was
the Skylon Tower which looks down on the area and is regarded by some as a major
attraction. I think the base is a casino which may explain that. |
| The larger falls is the Horseshoe Falls which spans the river.
The water is eroding the falls here and they are slowly moving upstream.
However the rate is much less than it used to be and is now only 3 cm
per year. |  |
 | It is quite
impossible to portray the sheer power of these falls. You have to actually
see it. About 30% of the fresh water in the WORLD flows over these falls.
And that is despite the huge amount diverted to flow through the power
station to generate electricity. This varies through the year and so more
water flows over the falls in summer than in winter. |
| This view is from further downstream and enables you to see the
full width. It is over three times wider than the American Falls. You can never not have the spray. The black dot is the Maid of
the Mist boat which looks tiny as it carries its load of intrepid tourists. |  |
 | It isn't that
small a boat either. This was a quiet day with not many tourists since most
folk had gone back to work or school. You can also walk through tunnels
behind the falls. There are openings to the falls but you can't see
anything through the sheer mass of water flowing. You can get very wet
though.. |
| Spray and sunshine leads to rainbows and in due course we were
rewarded with a most spectacular display. In fact we did get a double rainbow
but this was the better picture. |  |
 | The rainbow extended
to the American Falls. Unfortunately the spray in the atmosphere reduces the
clarity but it is spectacular when you are there. |
| We left the falls and drove on towards the town of Niagara on the
Lake. This took us past a viewpoint of the whirlpool rapids where the river
negotiates a sharp bend. This is a most dangerous place and all forms of
boating are banned. These are some of the most dangerous currents in the
world. However you can cross the river in a gondola suspended from the
cables visible in the picture. |  |
 | A little
further on is the huge power station which uses the diverted flow of the
river which doesn't go over the falls. |
| After all the excitement the river finally flows out to Lake
Ontario before carrying on to the Atlantic via the St Lawrence Seaway.. |  |
 | ...while we
head north to Niagara on the Lake. This is a tourist town full of shops and
eating places that only tourists can afford. |
|