As you can see in the picture, we are at Niagara Falls, this was the best picture that I had of all three of the falls, the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. Kellie took this picture. My pictures were not as good. In fact, after getting home and transferring the pictures from my phone to the computer, I noticed that most of my pictures were simply pictures of mist through which you can see outlines of the falls but no details. I deleted twice as many as I saved. Somehow, Kellie managed to get this good picture when we were clear of the mist, and you can actually see the water falling over the rocks. Don't forget to click on it and zoom in.
So, Day Three of our trip began in Jamestown, New York. Some of you may know that Jamestown is the birthplace and childhood home of Lucille Ball. I did not know that until we stopped there. Apparently, being the home of Lucille Ball is a big deal to Jamestown. As we arrived late in the evening and were headed to Niagara Falls early the next morning, we did nothing in the town to celebrate its hometown hero. Maybe we can do that on another trip, but I doubt it. I don't believe we will ever travel back that way.
I want to remind readers here that I am not writing as a travel guide or a salesman for the sites or any of the places that we visit on our trip. I am giving you my personal take on my experience of the places that I visit. Now, that I have reminded you, please understand that you and others may experience these places in an entirely different manner than I did.
The Niagara Falls State Park was NOT what I expected. We arrived at the south gate of the park around 9:30 AM, and the place was already packed. We made several circles around the public parking areas before we decided to go further into the hotel district, and there we finally found a parking space. We parked in a Quality Inn parking lot by paying through Google Wallet. Then, we had to walk through the city. Yes, the Niagara Falls State Park is a city of hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, food trucks, and other touristy attractions like haunted houses and arcades. I felt more like I was in an amusement park than a state park, and I never got over that feeling the entire day. Most of the city that we walked through looked ill-used and rather trashy. Again, not what I expected.
The park visitor center was a nice, clean building and the staff members were friendly and eager to present maps and other information to visitors. As Kellie used the public restroom, I glanced through the information guides which were mostly advertisements for Cave of Wind tours, Ziplining excursions, helicopter rides, the Maids of Mist tours, etc. In other words, everything in the State Park Visitor Center was steering visitors towards paying money to stand in line for a ride or a tour. Again, I felt more like I was in an amusement park than a state park.
After leaving the visitors center, we walked down a whole street of food trucks. 75% of those trucks sold Indian-style food, some of which smelled rather funky. Finally, we arrived in the park, which was crowded with hundreds of thousands of people, all who seemed to be in a big hurry and over half of whom seemed to be non-English speaking foreigners. I only point this out because it seems like foreigners have a hard time simply appreciating nature. I won't complain beyond that because I have heard and read about how American tourists seem to lack respect for local cultures when they visit other countries. Folks, I am just going to say this. No matter where you visit, a cave, a waterfall, a museum, a church, a castle, or a distillery, it wasn't put there solely for you and your enjoyment and use. The art, the buildings, the structures, and natural settings are set aside and reserved for all to enjoy. When your actions or the actions of your children or other family members distract from the enjoyment of others, you ruin the experience for everyone.
Well, we finally got to a platform where we got a good view of the American Falls. The falls are awe-inspiring. They are the type of the thing that you simply cannot imagine the raw power without seeing it and without feeling its rumble beneath your feet. With a brisk, constant breeze blowing, the mist coats you, and you can immerse yourself in the transmutable power of nature--until you're bumped by someone who leans precariously over the guardrail to take a selfie.
After walking around to see more of the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls from the top, we decided to purchase tickets to go below the falls on the Cave of the Winds tour, which cost $22.50 each, I believe. So, we got in line to get our tickets, which took 20-30 minutes, then we had to sit in a courtyard and wait another 30 minutes until our tour group was called. Before you go down the elevator to the bottom, a park attendee takes your picture for you to purchase on your way out. Yes, just like in an amusement park.
The picture above is the Bridal Veil Falls from below on the Cave of Winds tour. The wooden walkways lead up to an opening behind the falls where the force of the water striking the rocks created wind gusts of up to 70 mph--or so we were told. You can stand there. We did. It was windy and wet. I will give them that. Again, the buffeting power of the winds, the deafening roar of the water, and the immersive mists were simply awe-inspiring. But, we have no pictures up close because we couldn't let our phones get drenched. We had on some thin ponchos provided by the park service that amazingly kept everything dry that they covered. We were even getting soaked on our arms and feet as I took this picture, but luckily, it turned out okay. My phone was not ruined.
After about five or ten minutes of soaking in the mist on the platforms below Bridal Veil Falls, we got back in the line for the elevator up. When we got to the top, we walked to the Turtle Head observation area and looked at Horseshoe Falls. Again, the winds were from such a direction that they were blowing the heavy mist across the platform, making it very difficult to get a good picture without soaking the phone. Here is the best that I got.
Leaving the Horseshoe Falls observation platform, Kellie and I walked to the Three Sisters Islands. Amazingly, on this .35 mile stretch of trail, we were essentially by ourselves. Turns out, there is not much to see from the Three Sisters except for the old powerplant across the Niagara River. Here is a picture of it.
After the Three Sister Islands adventure, we backtracked to the observation tower where we stood in line again to buy tickets ($1.25 each) for the observation tower and an elevator ride to the bottom of the American Falls where the Maids of Mist tour boats depart. We had watched the boats all morning and decided that we could see no advantage in viewing the falls from the boats because everyone who rode in the boats got soaked through and through. We had a lot more walking and car riding to do, and getting soaked to the bone did not seem appealing. From the observation tower, Kellie got the good picture at the top of this blog. I got this picture from below the American Falls on the ramp to the Maids of Mist.
After several minutes below the American Falls and a few more minutes on the observation tower, we left the park, picked up a few souvenirs, and proceeded across Rainbow Bridge into Canada. I had read several things about going through Canadian customs, and it was mostly true. The Customs agent asked me, "What is the purpose of your travel and how long do you plan to stay? I said, "We are just visiting and will not stay more than a day or two." She asked, "Do you have any alcoholic beverages or drugs?" I said, "We have two vodka seltzer drinks in the cooler." She said, " Do you own firearms?" I said, "Yes, I have firearms in my home back in Arkansas." She said, "You didn't accidentally leave them in your car." I said, "I assure you I can tell you where all of my guns and the ammunition are within a matter of inches and that is not in this car." She said, "Have a nice day," and handed our passports back. I didn't see a Customs agent search a single car.
So, my recommendations? Niagara Falls is a must see for anybody who wants to see America's natural beauty. Like the Grand Canyon, Mammoth Cave, the Badlands in South Dakota, and Muir Woods outside of San Francisco, the falls are awe-inspiring natural beauty at its finest. You will be and probably should be deeply affected by its wonder. However, if you are an introvert like me and a nature lover like me, you will probably not appreciate the commercialization and sensationalism of turning such an awesome natural phenomenon into a spectacle. I was disappointed that the state park was more like a theme park than a nature preserve. I was irked that so many people didn't seem to care that some people wanted to appreciate the beauty without their shouting, jostling, and general lack of social awareness. I keep saying that I felt like I was in an amusement park, but sometimes it was more like a freaky carnival or a madhouse. Of all the experiences on this trip, this day was probably was the worst. I was in awe of the beauty and the power of nature, and at the same time, embarrassed by the selfishness and greed of my fellow humans. If you can look past that or over it or just not see it, you may have a great time at Niagara Falls. I can't tell what your experience might be like.
Good news on the writing front! I have completely re-edited Uncle Boog and the Dogfight. I have a proof copy of my edits coming. I think the book cleaned up nicely. I hope that you are all ready to help me get this coming of age story out to a reading audience.
By the way, the cover is blue. I am not sure why it looks so purple in this picture. Maybe because the background is blue, maybe?
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