Niagara Falls

Hello Friends!! We have arrived to upstate New York and have been busy with exploring the exciting parts as well as enjoying the quiet parts of the state. We are camped 9 miles in from Niagara Falls, amidst farmland and tucked in by two little lakes where we are discovering the art of fishing. Maybe one day we'll catch one and we can blog about it, but for now we'll take you to Niagara!!

These are the American and Bridal Veil falls. They are taller than the "Horseshoe" Falls, on the Canadian side, but don't put out quite as much water.

NOt that you can tell!! HEre is the side view. Amazing volume of water!! We have some videos so you can get the full effect but you'll have to wait til the next blog for those.
We were the full on tourists and did the "Maid of the Mist" boatride- here the boat is going into Horseshoe Falls. Talk about craziness, they take you right up into the "roar!"

Then we did the kids "most favorite thing", walking through the "cave of the winds" right up under Bridal Veil falls. Below is an ariel view of the stairs you can walk on. They have to take it down and rebuild the whole walkway every year, can you imagine? The snow and ice though the winter would damage them anyway, plus the falls move back about a foot every year, so they make adjustments. The actual Cave here has since collapsed and you stay in front of the falls the whole time, and it is quite a thrill!!

They even give you special shoes.... This is the view from the observation tower. I believe Shayna took this picture as mommy is afraid of heights...

Here is a view from goat island where you can get up close to the top of the falls. Can you believe, 7 people have gone over these falls? Only 3 have survived. One of them was a teacher who went over the falls in a barrel, with her cat!!

Now which is stupider, going over the falls or taking your cat??

(more soon.....)