I
was keen to leave the North York University room at the earliest. But,
it was also the day of the shortest drive in the itinerary of TCE. I had less
than 150 km to do and I would have to wait to check-in if I arrived the hotel
early. There was an irritating drizzle as I put my luggage into the car and
started towards Niagara. I was looking forward to the long day I would have
there. I had been to the US side of the Falls in 2013. I was told then that the
Canadian side of the Falls is more beautiful. Today I would discover that it is
so. The Queen Elizabeth Way brought me to Niagara in about 90 minutes. When I
reached Kings Inn By The Falls by 10 am I knew that I was way too early for
check-in. But, I took my chance. Dave at the reception told me that he would
have to try really hard to find me a decent room at that hour, if I was keen on
an early check-in. After some search on his computer he seemed satisfied that
he could offer one on the ground floor. It was quite decent and I opted for
what I was shown.
The
rain had eased and the Sun was trying to break through the stranglehold of
thick clouds. Dave told me that the weather would clear up as the day
progressed. I couldn't wait to lodge my belongings in the centrally located
'Kings Inn By The Falls' and walk the 15 minutes needed to the Falls. There was
an air of gaiety all around. Dave told me that the season would start getting
busy in a couple of weeks when the kids get off school on summer vacation. I
thought then that I had timed my trip quite well. In peak season accommodation
will be scarce and pricey. Till date I have had good options on the booking.com
site. The off-side, however, is that many attractions were still closed, as was the fountain in Levis.
On
the way to the Falls on Clifton Hill I saw the Skywheel which promised good
views of the waterfalls. At the foot of the Skywheel is a dinosaur park with
almost life like recreations of the reptiles of a bygone era. The 42 gondola
all-weather Ferris wheel has seats for 4 in each. There weren’t many people
around and hence, I got one for myself. What was promised was surely delivered.
The 175 foot Ferris wheel got me the first views of the magnificence that is
Niagara River, Rainbow Bridge – which spans USA and Canada – the American
Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls. The three Falls together
constitute what is referred to as Niagara Falls that straddle the international
border between USA (New York) and Canada (Ontario). While the Horseshoe Falls
is shared by both the countries the other two are on the American side. The
American Falls and the Bridal Veil falls are separated by the Luna Island.
Niagara River drains Lake Erie through the Falls into Lake Ontario. 
After
the Skywheel experience I walked along the parkway, slowly taking in all that
the sights had to offer. A short distance away was the ticket counter for the Hornblower
cruise to the Falls. The boarding point for the cruise is reached via an
inclined funicular rail system, which is in itself an attraction. How the two
cars cross each other on the way is interesting. At the base of the funicular I
was given a poncho to keep the spray away during the cruise. The cruise almost
touched the base of the American and Horseshoe Falls. The experience at the
bottom of the Horseshoe Falls was particularly exhilarating. When the boat
turned around from the Falls I heard a few gasps and suppressed shouts. I was
completely drenched when the ride was done, but I didn’t mind that for the
superb experience for it is a once in a lifetime type.
After
the cruise it was time to get up close and personal with Table Rock. This is a
large shelf of rock that juts out creating the magic of the Falls. The emerald
green waters that rush over the shelf is a sight to behold. I got a lovely
position to watch the gushing waters majestically rolling off the cliff and
creating a large column of misty spray. I came to know that the Table Rock was
formed when rocks broke off and took their place beneath the Falls. Most of the
rock falls happened in the 19th century. However, the natural
disaster created a major tourist attraction.
The next experience was the
"Journey Behind The Falls", which is a walk in tunnels to experience
how it is like behind the Falls. The intensity of the fall of water one gets to
experience from that distance is frightening. It gave me an idea of how
critical the Falls is to the generation of Hydro power in the area. The Deck by
the side of the Horseshoe is the place to appreciate entire Falls. The spray
from the Falls once again had me drenched to the bones, despite a poncho and a
windcheater.
I
must confess that the best views of the Falls are from the Skylon observation
deck, which is more than 750 feet above the Falls. Skylon offers a shopping
arcade, a revolving restaurant and a viewing deck. The 52 storey high
observation deck is reached in an elevator in 52 seconds. The views from the
tower of the three Falls, the River, Rainbow Bridge, Casinos and other
entertainment centres are absolutely mind boggling. The Sun was out bright and that
added further lustre to the views. All words seem inadequate to describe the total
experience of the Falls today. I have taken a few videos that will help jog my
memory to evocatively recapture the emotions I experienced this day. 
Dave
had told me that the fireworks would be on at 10 pm and the lights a bit before
that. I decided to feast on a buffet dinner at Al Macs, which was close to the Inn. There was so much to
choose from. Since the buffet had been running since 3 pm some of it was cold.
The tummy filler dinner was polished off with melons, ice cream and brownie. I
took a long walk by the side of the Casino to get to the Falls for the light
show. When the lights came on I thought that they looked nicer from the
American side. The five minute fireworks was enjoyable. The day ended with that and the fifteen minute walk back to the Inn was the longest in a long time, thanking Him for all
that He had given me on this expedition, especially today.
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