Barrie Summy: canadian horsehoe 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)