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Published: February 16th 2009
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Stephen and The Horseshoe Falls
Even though it was winter we still experienced the mist. We arrived late into Niagara Falls. I blame customs although this time it was the Canadians. It took longer because of ONE person and to make matters worse we weren’t allowed to get off the train until we had their ok. Pfff.
Anyway we arrived in sleepy Niagara Falls early evening and made the long walk to the hostel past the bright lights of Clifton Hill (a bit like Las Vegas) and the small amount of people who ventured to Niagara Falls in winter. It was slim pickings that’s for sure. We were greeted by our friendly but slightly strange hostel manager. Everyone was going out for dinner and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. We gathered at 7.30pm - three Aussies, two Dutchies and one strange Canadian.
The next day we started late and enjoyed a breakfast that wasn’t bagels. We made the short way to Niagara Falls. First we saw the American Falls - slightly impressive because the really impressive part of Niagara Falls is the Horseshoe Falls. We can say for a fact Niagara Falls is better from Canada.
Niagara Falls is divided into the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. The Horseshoe
Me and The Mist
I unfortunately didn't get to ride the Maid of the Mist. But this made up for it!! Falls drop about 173 feet (53 m), the height of the American Falls varies between 70-100 feet (21 m) because of the presence of giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet (792 m) wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet (323 m) wide. The water doesn’t fall at maximum capacity as a lot is used for the hydroelectric system the water powers. During winter only 50% of water actually flows over the falls and at night its cut down to 25%.
There have been a few people who have tried to float over the falls. Here are a few stories: In October 1829, Sam Patch, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the Falls. On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, "No one should ever try that again." Unfortunately, the fortune she hoped to make from a later lecture tour was never
Horseshoe Falls
And its only running at 50% capacity. realized, as her manager was a con-man who took everything she owned. Previous to Taylor's own attempt, on October 19 a domestic cat named Lagara was sent over the Horseshoe Falls in her barrel to test its strength. Contrary to rumours at the time, the cat survived the plunge unharmed and later was posed with Taylor in photographs. Since Taylor's historic ride, 14 other people have intentionally gone over the falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors of such stunts face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls.
Even though it was winter we experienced the Mist of the Falls as you can see by the photos. It was crazy we were drenched. We also got a bird’s eye view of the falls from the Skylon Tower. You could see the whole system they had and all the snow around. We enjoyed the festivity of Clifton Hill which is a bit like Sunset Strip in Las Vegas (but cold and not a lot of people). There were 4 wax museums
and about 5 horror houses. Unfortunately due to winter most shops were only open on the weekend or had restricted trading hours. The town was dead, I felt a little sorry for all the hostels, B & Bs and restaurants in town.
After dinner on our second night we decided to brave the cold weather and went down to the falls at night to see them all lit up. There were very pretty but not as impressive as during the day, we think this is something to do with the reduced water flow. We had a brief but lovely trip to Niagara Falls and we leave tomorrow for Washington DC via New York for the night.
Till next time.
Love Michelle and Stephen.
xoxo
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