Niagara Falls

Yesterday I spent the majority of my day in Canada at Niagara Falls. It took us a little over 2.5 hrs to get to the falls. We waited at the US/Canadian border for who knows how long. We were in the slowest line and I’m not exaggerating or falling victim to how it always seems like you are in the slowest line. We watched a car enter our booth to talk to the border patrol and then proceeded to watch 5 cars exit from the line next to us. This happened more than once. It wasn’t always 5 cars, but at least 2 or 3.

But we finally made it and then Niagara Falls is like the Grand Canyon in the sense that you can’t see it until you are right there. We pulled into one of the parking lots for the falls and still couldn’t see the falls or water. Down a few flights of stairs and after getting confused a time or two we finally saw the falls!

The falls are beautiful and you wouldn’t believe the amount of water that pours over the falls. Being tourists we but a little package deal for the day that allows us to do a few different things while at the falls. We start with Maid of the Mist. The boat that takes you right up to the falls and everyone is soaking wet by the end. The boat ride was fun – waiting in line for the boat – not so much. So apparently there aren’t really lines in Canada – very similar to China. There are lots of lines funneling into one down a small staircase. It’s humid and wet out. The wetness is combined from the mist from the falls and from the rain that was coming down. Needless to say we were disgusting – hot, humid, and wet. But we made it and it was pretty cool.

Next up was a trip behind the falls. You take an elevator down and then there is this tunnel system that Melanie compared to the sewer system in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Then there are these little portals that allow you to see behind the falls. All you see is white water falling. The observation deck was probably the coolest and this is off to the side of the falls. This is where you can really get a sense of the massive amount of water pouring over the falls. Again we’re all soaking wet, sticky, hot, and tired.

We take a dinner break before heading to the butterfly conservatory, the last thing we are doing on our packaged deal. I was all excited to see the beautiful butterflies and couldn’t wait to get some great pictures. Well…by the time we got there the lightening was a little too dark for good pictures to be taken AND – there were LOTS of UGLY butterflies. We walk in and I feel something land on my head. I look at Mel and ask if there is a butterfly on my head – she informs me that yes there is and it’s ugly. These “owl” butterflies are supposed to look like owls’ eyes when their wings are open. To me they look more like moths and are gross. So there’s me the one all excited to go to the butterfly house only to get there and flail around not wanting the butterflies to touch me. Mel found it rather amusing.

Our day ended at the duty free store where I proceeded to buy my weight in chocolate.

To end our nice humid, hot, sticky, tired, day – we were pulled over 15 minutes from our destination. According to the officer Brandon was going 38 in a 25 mph zone at 1:00 am. He didn’t do it on purpose and thought the speed limit was 40, but apparently he sped up before the sign. Thankfully, the officer let us off.