The Maid in the Mist (plus others)

Up reasonably early and a quick breakfast at the hotel then off to Maid of the Mist following a brief conference on what to do first. It was a good decision as it was one of the first boats out and far from crowded; we didn't have to queue at any stage and the boat left as soon as Sue got on board. There were enough people on board to cover the sides of the boat but not much more and we had no problem in moving around to get the best view.

Churning waters off the Maid of the Mist

The views were exceptional; we had prepared ourselves for getting wet, which we did and we had expected that the experience would be memorable but we hadn't expected the depth of either! The views were tremendous; recording it all was a bit difficult as avoiding getting the camera too wet was one issue and avoiding water on the lens was another! Having Kris, Dave and Ollie there to share it, as can be seen from the photos doubled the pleasure.

View from Table Rock

We dried out as we walked back along the front to Table Rock. Kris and Dave went back to collect the luggage and the car while Ollie Sue & I queued for the Rock and Tunnels behind the falls. And we did queue! However, I suppose we waited for only about 20-30 mins and the system is geared to very much longer waits than that! Table Rock, which juts out on a promontory just below the falls and only a few metres from the falls was very worthwhile and gave you a close up perspective of just how much tumbling white water is cascading over. The tunnels with two lookouts were a bit disappointing; all you can see is a white wall of sheeting water; I suppose what I had hoped for was an open gallery in which I could see some of the rock face with a curtain in front – but it wasn't like that. The falls apparently had been eroding at 1ft every 10 years until modern times; with hydroelectric power stations taking some water the rate has been reduced to something like one inch every 10 years.

Back out, Kris and Dave picked us up and Dave suggested we went back via the backroads and had a look at Port Dover. It proved to be one of many good ideas Dave had that day.

Paddling at Port Dover

Port Dover is on the north side of Lake Eyrie, a quiet (that day at least) lakeside town with a marvellous, clean sandy beach. By this time we were all getting quite hungry and so we went searching for a suitable eatery. In due course Dave found something looking promising and we found it delivered in spades. Another good decision, Dave! Back to the beach for a quick paddle and then off back to London.

The fields either side of the road were in places saturated and had surface water; it must have been raining hard for some time.

written by

rickandsuejohnson on July 25, 2008 from Niagara Falls, Canada

from the travel blog: Two Thumbs up for the Canucks

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