Barrels of Fun at Niagra Falls

Russ and Dan already planning fishing trips for when we're in Austin

As with any stop there’s the good and bad. Our stop in Niagra Falls was no exception with two goods and one bad.Getting the bad thing out of the way first, we spent three days with Russ’ fishing buddy and nemisis of almost 20 years, Dan Yerges—one of the reasons we left Texas. 

Marie and Jim Yerges

Now the two good things—we  got to spend three days with Dan’s parents, Jim and Marie Yerges as we all toured the Falls and it’s attractions. Jim and Marie are incredibly fun to be with. Even though Jim is 86, he was always first in line and wore us all out. We had a great time with the Yerges’ and enjoyed all the laughter and teasing.

On a platform near the bottom of the Falls

There are approximately 12 million visitors to the Falls and it seemed like they were all there on the first day we were there. While we were waiting for the Yerges’ to arrive Russ and I went to the American side of the Falls. Just like I’d read, we couldn’t see much from the American side. And just like all our trip since we got to Chicago, it was stifling hot—even  near the water and mist of the Falls. Sunday night we stood on a bridge and watched the colored lights turn the Falls rainbow hues and then viewed a spectacular firework show on the Canadian side.

The next day we went to the Canadian side where the view of the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls was incredible. Before the next two days were over we had ridden the Maid of the Mist boats, gone behind the Falls, walked beside the roaring Class 6 rapids downstream and taken the gondola over the whirlpool at the end of the rapids.

View or Horseshoe Falls from the Maid of the Mist boat

It’s pretty amazing to see how much water goes over the Falls but it would have been fun to see the full volume before they started diverting two-thirds of the water for other purposes like hydro-electrical uses. And after reading about all the people who have launched themselves over the Falls throughout the years, I had to wonder what it is about a massive falls with a steep drop amid crushing water into a rockbed below that makes people think “Hmm, I think I’ll tuck into a barrel and throw myself over”?

  

Tons of people, tons of water, tons of amazing views. If you ever visit Niagra Falls if there’s any way possible see them from Canada for the full impact of the beauty and power of the Falls. 

We've always heard about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but we discovered it's really a ship.