Fred and (I think) Clara picked us up from the airport and took us to their home. They made us most welcome. And the following day took us to Niagara Falls.
Seeing the
Skylon Tower
suggested heading up to have an overview of the area before further exploration on foot.
The Rainbow Bridge joins Canada, on the left, with the USA on the right.
The falls are to the right, and carry water from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.
There are two waterfalls here. The larger, left, is American Falls, while the little
one is Bridal Veil Falls. The city to left is Niagara City, NY. This
side of the river is Niagara Falls, Ontario! The water is coming from
Lake Erie, and heads off, left, to Lake Ontario.
Horseshoe Falls are entirely in Canada, and is the major flow of water.
There are a number of hydro-electric power stations at the falls.
The north east corner of American Falls.
The south west corner of Horseshoe Falls, showing some of the tourist
facilities. The building on the right provides access to a viewing area
at the base of the falls.
American and Bridal Veil Falls from the Canadian side.
The lip of Horseshoe Falls.
From upstream, looking down over Horseshoe Falls towards Rainbow Bridge.
I think this is a barge which wanted to head over the falls. But obviously
didn't make it. The purpose of the structure in the background is not
clear. It may be to control the flow of water or perhaps part of the
water feed into the power station which is nearby.
Although I identified this as a power station when taking the photo,
it seems more likely to be a water intake for power plants considerably
further downstream. There are also no power cables around, usually
an indication of a generating station. And Skylon Tower is
poking out behind some trees.
Yes, the wet weather gear is supplied by the operator. Quite impressive to be
that close to such a large volume of water.
The very edge of Horseshoe Falls. The water eventually wears away the
rock and the falls march slowly, very slowly, up river.
The Rainbow Bridge and the American and Bridle Veil Falls, seen from the
base of Horseshoe Falls.
In the middle of the Rainbow Bridge are three flagpoles, and these three
flags - United States, United Nations and Canada. This is, after all,
a border crossing between two nations.
The US side of the Niagara River down stream from the Rainbow Bridge.
From here we returned to Fred and Clara's home. I think we took them out to dinner in return for their hospitality. Next day, it was off to downtown Toronto.
Heading to Toronto
Canada and USA