Niagara Falls, Ontario

We started our first full day in Niagara Falls, Ontario with a nice and easy commute to a Niagara Parks Welcome Centre. On our way there, we saw a few interesting sites including…

…an upside down house

…a sideways storefront

…and a couple of pirates.

We picked up our tickets for the tours “du jour” of the Niagara Falls. Our first stop was on the Hornblower, a boat that took us into the midst of Horseshoe Falls. Before we arrived, we were awestruck by the created majestic and marvelous beauty of the American and Horseshoe Falls. I know scientifically, the Falls were created by erosion but how masterfully was that erosion orchestrated!

When we arrived to our destination, we took, what would be one of several elevators and tunnels, down to the floating dock to board the boat.

Much to our surprise and delight, we found a group of Great Lakes tourists who were also representing the Lone Star state. “Howdy!”

I didn’t take many pics with our non-waterproof Nikon aboard the Hornblower. However, Ben took several pics with his Otter-phone case-protected phone. He said this was the first time that his bulky case came in handy. Once we download the pics from his phone, we will add them to a post, so you too can see the Falls up close and personal – all without wearing a poncho. For now, here’s a pic of the boat.

After the boat ride, we walked south to a couple of other tours, the Niagara Fury and Journey Behind the Falls. The former is a 4-D, panoramic movie experience that took you back millions of years to the ice age and journeyed forward to show you how the Falls were formed. No photos allowed. The latter was a walking tour that provided amazing and unique views of the Horseshoe Falls. See for yourself.

Yes, this tour required an elevator descent and tunnel travel. Look a mole family.

To get to our last stop, we rode Wego, a local bus line. We were all smiles to take a short break from walking. We left our hotel around 8:30 a.m. and now it was close to 2:30 p.m. As my sister would say, “Our dogs were barking.”

Our last stop was a walk along side the Category 6 rapids of Niagara.

Well, we weren’t the only ones looking to checkout the Falls. This critter, who I believe to be a Virginian native, hitched a ride on my back. Thanks, Judah, for noticing the “bug” on my back and the pictorial evidence. Here are the events that immediately followed: Ticked killed, children checked, symptoms of Lyme disease Googled. So far, we are all doing well, all except for the tick.