Simcoe to Niagara Falls to Buffalo

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Simcoe to Niagara Falls to Buffalo, NY

Headed off on another hot day toward Niagara Falls. Arrived around 3pm giving us time to admire the incredible view from our room at level 30 of the Embassy Suites and have a bit of a tidy up before our guests arrived to catch up. Rosco, Raewyn and String arrived and we debriefed about our respective journeys getting to Niagara as we last saw each other in Vancouver and Seattle (String). We then had a great dinner at the hotel together, amazing food. Trev and I went for a walk about down to the falls which were now illuminated with coloured lights and saw a laser show and sights and sounds of the city.

Next morning we got tickets to see 'Bodies Revealed' the exhibition which is real bodies dissected and preserved in different poses to show in detail the function and dynamics of the human body. I really enjoyed this, would be great for older school children.

Next we caught a bus to sight-see. First stop was a 4D show of the falls which frankly kids probably enjoyed but I thought it was a bit naff. Secondly, we went for a whitewater walk alongside the class 6 Rapids which was pretty impressive, the water was just raging! Next was a look at the whirlpool which is where the water which has come from the falls meets a 90 degree bend and swirls anti-clockwise in a deep cauldron of water. Incidentally, in the evening when the power company changes which weir is open altering the amount of water flowing over the falls, the whirlpool swirls clockwise.
Our next stop was a 'walk behind the falls', not really what I expected. We took a lift down into some tunnels of which two had platforms you could view the falls close up. The other tunnels had you pop out behind the falls but there was nothing to be seen but a wall of water. Back in the old days they gave you a ladder and a lantern and sent you on your way - far more intrepid!
Finally (coz we were getting sick of being in a group) we had a pleasant boat ride up to the falls on the Hornblower. We got a bit damp as it's like being in a rainstorm close up, it was spectacular to see the volume of water and the sheer immensity of the falls both Canadian and US.

Back at the hotel we keenly jumped on the bike and headed over the Rainbow Bridge to Buffalo, New York. We drove back to Buffalo, Niagara to catch up with the others and had dinner together. We're staying here an additional night so catching up on housekeeping, bike maintenance and writing!

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