My Town Monday: Niagara Falls
Ahem. Gulp. Gulp.
We missed our flight.
I'd had the brilliant-ish idea of flying out of Buffalo. And we did not allow for the fact that Toronto has two seasons: winter and construction. There was tons of traffic on the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Expressway) and tons of tourists travelling across the border to the US via the Peace Bridge.
When we finally arrived at the airport, our plane was pulling out. All Southwest flights for the rest of the day (Saturday) and the next day (Sunday) were overbooked. Not a seat to be had.
So, we decided to turn the whole experience into an adventure. Thank you sisters, Niece K and Child #3 and Child #4 for the fun!
We drove across the Rainbow Bridge back into Canada and headed for one of the seven natural wonders of the world--Niagara Falls. 
Some facts about the Falls: The water flows over the falls, down the Niagara River to Lake Ontario, down the St. Lawrence Seaway and ends up in the Atlantic Ocean. The water beneath the Falls is 170 feet deep. The brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls measures 2500 feet. 
None of us had ever ridden the Maid of the Mist. And now we have. Fantastic!! Amazing! Don't miss it! It was windy. Wet. Incredible.
Boat tours of the Falls have been running since 1864. The Maid of the Mist (I think there are two) is a diesel-powered boat with two 350-horsepower engines. The 600-passenger boat takes you past the base of the American Falls, then into the basin of Horseshoe Falls. The boat ride lasts about thirty minutes, and tours run from May to October this year. Cost is about about $14.50/adult and $7.00/child
Horseshoe Falls from the boat
The churning water in the basin of Hoseshoe Falls (photo taken from the boat)
For our Fearless Leader, Travis Erwin's My Monday Post, please visit his blog. He'll also have links to other Mondayers.
P.S. Just so that you don't worry--Southwest Air booked us on new flights free of charge and we'll be home late tonight. My sisters are braving the drive to Buffalo once again. They are that great! And, thank you DH for being such a good sport about it all.
(Info from www.niagaraparks.com and www.maidofthemist.com)
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Cool. Reminds me of my Honeymoon. It's even better when it's not so misty out.
ReplyDeletewelcome to canada, eh! :P lol
ReplyDeletehave you walked the platform behind the falls [canuck side]? pretty freaky!
be thankful it's not winter in buffalo :O
safe trip home :)
Beautiful. I would LOVE to go there one day.
ReplyDeleteSorry you missed your flight, but looks like it worked out for the best, huh?
I'm glad you got to see the falls. I've been there and it is amazing. Lana is from that area and we had a great time at the falls.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to see the falls and don't you just love Southwest. I wish more airlines ran the way they do.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Niagara Falls a couple of times, but I've never taken the boat ride either. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're safe and sound, Barrie.
ReplyDeleteI was on the Made of the Mist when I was a kid. Don't remember much but those raincoats...
It's one of those things you don't expect to knock you out, but it does.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been there in years! Where I HAVE been is SAN DIEGO and you weren't there. Waaaagh.
ReplyDeleteNext time, eh? (see that? that's my Canadian accent, lol)
-Nancy Viau
Glad you turned a disaster into fun. When we were in Calgary last year, we found all that construction, too--here in California, we're just not used to having to fit building time into a few short, sunny months.
ReplyDeleteHope the rest of the trip went well!
Sorry you missed your flight, but how fun to visit Niagara Falls! I've only been once, in early December, and it was beautiful with snow on the ground. Fortunately, the sun had come out the day we were there so it wasn't terribly cold. No Maid of the Mist in December though.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Shockingly I've never been to Niagara Falls even though I used to live within a couple of hours on the NY side. Seeing these incredible shots makes me want to make the trip when I get back to my hometown.
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never even thought about going to Niagara Falls. It looks like it's definitely worth the frizz.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking, Barrie, to take in Niagara Falls. Such a wonderful beautiful place. Next time you should take the platform walk and dress up in great rubber suits and boots...it's like being a fisherman.
ReplyDeleteThe Falls are great fun for everyone!
How great you turned a bummer into an adventure! I would love to see the falls. Lucky girl!
ReplyDeleteThe Maid of the Mist made me so sick. Just watching that water churn around in that picture made me a little....OOPPH.
ReplyDeleteI think I was 8 when I saw Niagara Falls. I want to go back someday. Great photos, and a wonderful thing to do instead of flying home.
ReplyDeleteHave a safe trip.
I'd love to visit Niagara Falls, although I don't have a very strong stomach when it comes to choppy water!!
ReplyDeleteAnd you thought it would be easy to leave our home and native land!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you turned a potentially bad situation into a great one - we LOVE the Falls!
Visited Niagara Falls about five years ago while coaching softball and loved it. Great pics!
ReplyDeleteThe unexpected adventure will be one you'll remember best as the years pass. How cool!
ReplyDeletegorgeous pics! i've always wanted to go to niagara falls!
ReplyDeleteWhen you do it, you DO it, don't you?! What a way to turn a negative into a positive. The falls are just stunning - though the churning waters did give me a shiver. I'm glad to hear you've been rebooked free of charge. It's a wonderful way for a vacation to wind down!
ReplyDelete~Debbie
Love Maid of the Mist! It is an experience I will never forget. So glad you turned your missed plane into an adventure. I remember about all the construction on the QEW, a few years ago we were stuck on it for hours.
ReplyDeleteHappy Home!!!
I sooo want to do this someday. Everytime I see it on TV, it looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteWay to make the best of it!
I love the Maid of the Mist, too. Is it married, do you know... 'Cause I'd marry it. For real.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I rarely fly out of Buffalo in spite of the cost savings... Last time it took me about 45 minutes in the line at the border to cross into the US. Luckily, I'd left enough time... But then when I came home, I had to wait over 90 minutes to get back into Canada. And it was after midnight. (But on a Saturday.)
ReplyDeleteI was so tired from my trip that I swore I'd pay the extra to fly from Toronto from now on... But next time I'm faced with an expensive flight I reserve the right to take this back.
Glad you had a great time with your falls diversion!
I've always wanted to see the Falls. Might just have to DO IT.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Niagara Falls and it is still one of my favorite places. I even spent a summer working in the ice cream shop at the base of the falls where you get on the Maid of the Mist. One thing I haven't done and must: Walk under the falls on a special tour they have. They call it the Cave of the Winds.
ReplyDeletethere arr actually 2 boats on the american side and two on the canadian side, a total of 4..the american boat hold 300 ppl , meanwhile the canadian can hold up to 582 passengers.
ReplyDelete