Niagra Falls

(Continued from the previous post)

After leaving Palmyra, New York after our first day of mini-vacation, we drove a short distance to Buffalo, NY. My wife had a relative that lives in the area, and we love visiting with them. We arrived during a dinner that was held with the local LDS Mission President. This man is responsible for all of the full-time LDS missionaries in the northern New York area. As we walked in the door, I instantly recognized him I asked if he had been a Bishop at BYU back in the 80's. He answered "yes". I told him that he had been my Bishop at BYU, when I was just a freshman ; ) It made him feel a little old…but what a crazy coincidence! We had a great chat that evening.

The reason for visiting Buffalo, was for my wife to see Niagra Falls. I'm lucky enough to have already seen it, years before. We got up the next morning and set out for the short ride to the U.S./Canadian border.

For those that have never been, Niagra Falls is actually a "set" of waterfalls. There is the "American Falls" and the "Horseshoe Falls". They all sit right on the border between the U.S. and Canada. Depending on which side you go to - the views are completely different.

I will say, with complete objectivity, that the Canadian side is a much, much better experience. The view is much more dramatic, and you can actually see both of the falls, if you'd like. I felt like the "tourist" area on the Canada side was prettier, as well.

In front of Horseshoe Falls

As part of the experience, you can actually take an elevator down to a set of tunnels behind the falls. One of the tunnels leads out to an observation deck that is literally right next to the edge of Horseshoe Falls.

That's G-Man and me in the middle...getting drenched.

Here's a quick video of the view from this crazy observation deck:

Because we didn't have a lot of time to spend there, we decided to focus our remaining time on the Maid of the Mist. This is a boat ride that attempts to get as close to the bottom of the falls as possible.

For those that are fans of the TV show "The Office", Pam and Jim were married aboard this boat ; ) Part of the experience is wearing a temporary poncho - because you get WET.

Here's a quick video that I attempted to take on board. You can see that G-Man didn't like the parts where torrents of water were coming at him:

We had an awesome time, and it was totally worth the trip. The physical beauty of the falls, let alone the sheer force of nature on display, were wonderful to see. This parting shot was taken from the car, as we headed into the lovely U.S. Customs inspection area. We're crossing the "Rainbow Bridge" and the view was fantastic:

Next stop - Kirtland, Ohio.