On day 2 of our Niagara Falls journey, we headed across Rainbow Bridge back into the US. It was an easy trip across in the morning and not so easy back into Canada around 5:00 pm. Oops. The US side of Niagara Falls is the oldest state park in the country and is the one all the others were modeled after. It is much more up my alley with all the nature and trails and such. We did the Maid of the Mist boat ride and the Cave of the Winds tour in the US because it was cheaper there, but we could have done them on either side. Whichever place you do them, both attractions are well worth it! We bought a Discovery Pass which included those two things, the aquarium, the Gorge Discovery Center (disappointing), and a movie that we never got to. Aria was free everywhere!
The first thing we did was go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We rode in an elevator about 180 feet down to river level, donned lovely blue ponchos and boarded a boat with 150-200 other people. Then we proceeded to drive right next to both falls. It was spectacular! It didn't make for good pictures because it was like being in a monsoon, but it was so incredible! Again the power was just unbelievable. It was loud. It was wet. It was beautiful. It was crazy to think we were just feet away from it. When we first planned the trip, I was leery of doing the boat ride because I was afraid Aria would be scared. She loved it!
 |
| On the right, the tall greenish structure is the Observation Deck and the elevator we rode down in to get to the boat. We also walked out on the deck above to get some great pictures. |
 |
| The lovely blue ponchos |
 |
| The bottom of American Falls |
 |
| I love this picture! She couldn't stop her excitement about the waterfall even for a picture with Daddy. |
 |
| The edge of Horseshoe Falls |
 |
| All the mist...and I like how the bird is flying right in the middle of it |
After the boat ride we walked around that area of the park a little bit. There was a path you could walk along next to the Falls, but it was a little slippery and we didn't think it was wise with Aria. When we came back up, we honored Aria's request and hopped on the trolley that took us around the park. It was free with our Discovery Pass. I don't have any pictures of the trolley for some strange reason, but I do have this one of Aria posing on a rock while we waited for it.
The trolley ride was actually really nice to see all the places we wanted to go in the park. We rode it all the way around the park an then decided it was lunch time. We walked out of the park in search of some better selection and ate at a TGI Fridays. Outside the restaurant was this statue of the Blues Brothers. Aria plopped down with them.
We explored the park on foot a bit after lunch. It was fun to walk along trails, across bridges, and next to the river. I took a ton of pictures, many of which I shared on the nature post. Aria got a little tired of walking, but we made it. It was so cool to see the Falls from so many different angles.
We finally made it over to the Cave of the Winds. Now, I have just a small beef with this. It is called Cave of the Winds. You would think we got to go in a cave, right? That is what we told Aria. Nope. No cave. Well, technically, we rode an elevator down in a cave, but it was not cave exploration like we thought. Anyway, before we went down the elevator we were given special sandals because your feet certainly get wet. I already had on my sandals so I kept them on, but they instantly became Aria's new favorite shoes. Once we rode the elevator down, we received lovely yellow ponchos and were free to walk on the decks built right next to American Falls. In fact, Bridal Veil Falls pours directly onto the Hurricane Deck. You've probably seen the Thompson's Water Seal commercials on tv, that is where we were. All along I was sure I wanted to do this as a part of our sightseeing. Aria was much more scared here than on the boat. It was just loud and wet and there were a lot of kind of pushy people. Justin and I had to take turns going up on the highest deck, closest to the waterfall because Aria did not want to go up there.
 |
| I thought it was so cool to just reach out and touch it! And it was so cold! |
 |
| That's me waving on Hurricane Deck |
 |
| That's me waving |
 |
| That's Justin waving |
 |
| I did get Aria to stick her foot in a small part of the waterfall on one of the lower decks. Those are the infamous sandals. We even got to keep them! |
 |
| This is as adventurous as she got on the decks. |
The rest of our day consisted of more walking, trolley riding, and exploring the areas of the park. Oh and rock posing.
Yes, she specifically struck that pose. No words.
We were pretty beat around 5 pm and decided to head back to the hotel for an evening of swimming and relaxing. Not the best time to cross the border. We waited for 90 minutes in wall to wall angry traffic. Aria took a nap. I read my book. All wasn't lost.
I can't say that I have a favorite side of Niagara Falls, US or Canada. They both had their good points and I am very glad we were able to experience both.
No comments:
Post a Comment