Tuesday - All Falls, All Day

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(Today's guest blogger - Allison!)

The day was gorgeous - bright blue sky and a nice breeze. We started out with a brisk (and long) walk to the docking area for the "Maid of the Mist," the boat that takes you right up to the falls. It took us a while to figure out where to go to stand in line, but we finally got in the right one. We put on our snazzy blue ponchos - no easy feat in the wind - and set out for the falls. First we rode past the American falls, which are fairly straight across and have lots of giant, fierce-looking boulders at the bottom. The water wasn't very rough at this point. As the boat got closer to the Canadian falls, which are called Horseshoe Falls, the ride got rougher and rougher. And wet. Really, really wet. Allison removed herself to the center of the boat after getting several facefuls of the Niagara River. Jeff, much more intrepid, stayed by the side and took some great video. It really is awe-inspiring to be that close to such a powerful force of nature. (Yes, that's a cliche but it's true.) After our boat fought the current for a few more minutes, we turned back and were docked 10 minutes later.

Our next stop was - ta da! The gift shop! They've got lots of gift shops here. We browsed a bit and then headed for the "People-Mover" bus to the White Water Walk, which is about a mile downriver from the falls. On this, you just go down in an old elevator to the level of the river, and then stroll along a wooden walkway beside the Niagara River. The rapids there are class six, which apparently is the roughest. These rapids have been named the most dangerous in the world. Eeeek. The walk was beautiful. You go at your own pace, and it was not crowded at all. The waves in the rapids looked like ocean waves. Bigger than ocean waves! We don't know if people ever actually "shoot the rapids" here, but if they do, they're pretty tough!

After the white water walk, we rested our tired feet and ate lunch in a restaurant by the Canadian falls. The salads weren't very good, but it was delightful to sit down. Then our last adventure of the day began - "Journey Behind the Falls." Yellow ponchos this time. We rode another elevator to what turned out to be a series of long tunnels with water dripping down the walls. You could turn 90 degrees and go look out at lots and lots of water rushing past you. Interesting but honestly somewhat underwhelming. Then we found a turn to an outdoor platform that was right beside the Horseshoe falls. This was great! We were right there by the falls. We got soaked by what they seem to call 'mist' around here - it's pretty darn drenching 'mist!' But this was fabulous - definitely worth the drenching.

At this point we felt like we deservd a little rest, so returned to our room and chilled for a few hours. Allison dried her hair for about the third time that day. Dinner was at a nice steak house which was a 5-minute walk away, and was very good. Later in the evening, Jeff returned to the casino and won back his money, and then some. So all in all, an excellent day here in Niagara Falls.

(By the way, we are enjoying the comments and messages - keep'em coming.)

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Photos

Hair not wet yet!
American Falls in the background

Bridal Veil Falls
(on the right)