Swiming at Niagara Falls

Just kidding! While Ryan and I are proud to have jumped into chilly water all around the United States, the one place you certainly don’t want to do so is in the Niagara River, and not because it’s cold. So we gladly kept to the shores of the river and viewed the falls from both the U.S. and Canada, though we hardly stayed dry.

Niagara Falls may be one of the biggest tourist traps we’ve encountered on the trip yet, with every possible way of selling attractions imaginable. There are the famous boat rides, museums, observation decks, dinner by the falls, etc. etc. etc. on both the Canadian and U.S. sides. Ryan and I knew we’d have to spend our money somewhere, but our first tour of the falls was just by walking from our B&B along the river to the falls themselves. Fortunately the Canadian side lets you see quite a bit without having to pay anything at all. The best part might be all the rainbows from the spray, which make for really patriotic pictures…

Oooohhh Caaannaadddaaaa!!

When we did decide to spend our money though, we opted for the “Cave of the Winds” tourist trap, which is a very up-close view of the American Falls, and has nothing to do with the caves.

It's like you're at a water park! But with a higher probability of drowning!

Obligatory poncho selfie

That's a lot of water... and it's just one of the American Falls.

Ryan and I were completely soaked, (the rain ponchos helped only marginally), but it was a very fun, impressive experience that really proved the power of the falls – I mean I almost fell over (if video does not load, click here).

We were happy to make the one night stop at this iconic eastern landmark before heading inland again to the Adirondacks and the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown. ‘Tis the season!