A Day at the Falls

I suspect that, if people were asked to nominate the most famous waterfall in the world, most would answer "Niagara Falls". The very name conjures up images of thundering white water and daredevils who risked their lives in search of fame and riches. When I realised that I would be spending time in Toronto, I quickly decided that the opportunity to visit such a famous location was just too good to miss.

Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to experience Iguassu Falls in South America and also Victoria Falls in Africa. Now I would have the chance to see for myself just how Niagara compared with these other two.

My day began with an early morning pickup near my hotel. When the sun rose it revealed a completely cloudless blue sky. Gone was the fine drizzle that had persisted for most of the previous day. The clear skies had sent the temperature even a little lower, so it was hovering just above 0 C as I waited for my bus to arrive. I watched a couple of frisky black squirrels hop about in the snow, but they would not stay still long enough for a good photo.

Although I normally avoid bus trips, in this case there was really no other convenient way for me to get from Toronto to Niagara. At least it was only a small bus and I was the first to board. I probably should not have been surprised to find that it was overheated inside, just like every other interior in the city.

After following a circuitous path through downtown Toronto we eventually finished with around 19 people who would be sharing the trip to Niagara with me. We later found out that one of these had actually gotten into the wrong bus. They had thought they they were catching a bus to a big mining conference which is also happening in the city, but it was too late for them to change their mind.

About 90 minutes later we were at the falls. The driver explained that we had around two and a half hours to explore the place before we were to be collected downriver. My first impressions were mixed. While there was no denying that it was an impressive sight, I would have to say that it came in a distinct third place behind Iguassu and Victoria.

The big advantage Niagara has is that it has been incorporated into some sort of giant theme park, complete with giant hotels, casinos, amusements and thrill seeker attractions. I was thrilled that the place was almost deserted. The combination of the winter off season and fear of the coronavirus had served to deter the throngs that apparently normally jam this place. I thought it was beautiful.

I was able to quietly wander alongside the falls without the fear of losing an eye to someone's wandering selfie stick. When I entered the large visitor centre there were no queues at the ticket counter or at the kiosk. I decided to spend $15 to take a "Behind the Falls" experience. When I paid for my ticket I discovered that the price had quickly risen to nearly $17 after they added the tax. I thought that was a bit sneaky, because it was not mentioned on the noticeboard.

Fortunately the experience turned out to be worth it. After riding an elevator most of the way to the base of the falls, you then can explore several tunnels which have been dug under the falls themselves. These give you the chance to emerge at different locations and get soaked with icy water from the cascading torrents. At this time of the year the ice and snow add an extra degree of beauty to the falls themselves.

Standing underneath the falls it gave me a chance to ponder the famous people who had decided to risk their lives by going over the falls in a barrel. The very first of these was Annie Edson Taylor, a 63 year old schoolteacher who had fallen upon hard times. She thought that she could secure her financial future by being the first to go over the falls in a specially designed barrel, padded with a mattress.

On October 24th 1901 she took the ultimate step and flew over the falls in her barrel. To everyone's amazement she actually survived with only relatively minor injuries. Many others who tried to repeat the feat in the following years did not end so well. Unfortunately Annie did not make her fortune and she died penniless about 20 years later. Such is life.

The story of the second person to go over the falls is even more bizarre. Ten years after Annie's exploit, Bobbie Leach repeated the antic. Although he also miraculously survived the fall, he spent the next six months in hospital recovering from his injuries. He spent the next few years travelling and speaking about his feat of daring, but eventually met his end in New Zealand were he died following complications from slipping on an orange peel. Strange but true !

The Niagara River marks the border between Canada and the USA. The tall buildings I could see on the other side of the river were in America where all eyes were occupied on the battle to see which octogenarian would win the Democratic Party nomination to stand against the geriatric Donald Trump. How had politics in the USA ever come to this ?

The falls themselves are also steadily moving upstream. Each year the water erodes more of the cliffs so that they are now in a completely different location to where they were several hundred years ago. The flow of water over the falls is also controlled by a huge hydro plant upstream. Perhaps that is why the volume of water is less than I expected to see.

The rest of the day was spent visiting several other impressive locations. The Niagara whirlpool is formed when the river undertakes a dramatic change of direction. In the summer months it is possible to take a ride over this section, but it was still closed for the winter.

The final stop was at a beautiful township called Niagara on the Lake. Situated on the banks of the huge Lake Ontario, it was easy to see that this prosperous township was built on an influx of summer tourists and their money. There was no denying that the immaculate homes were stunning. The deserted streets made the place absolutely delightful.

When we finally got back on the bus again, it did not take me long to fall asleep for most of the way back to Toronto. When we reached the city a gentle flurry of snow was floating down from the sky. It was the perfect ending to a quite amazing day.

Note - since I can only include ten pictures on each footprint, I will create another footprint for some images of Niagara on the Lake.Read more