Niagara Falls Trip, September 2001

Since I grew up in Texas, in the south-central part of the United States, I could only dream of visiting such distant and exotic places as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Easter Island in the South Pacific, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Taj Mahal in India, the Colosseum in Rome, or one much closer to home—Niagara Falls. Even as a kid, I heard and read about the splendid waterfalls located on the U.S.-Canada border. After the passage of too many years, I determined to go there. I had no travel companion, so I went alone.

In the summer of 2001, I booked a roundtrip flight and a room at a hotel on the Canadian side. Before departing, I read a couple of books and did other research. That included a viewing of the 1953 film Niagara Falls starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten. Among other things, I learned that (1) French explorer Samuel de Champlain was the first person of European descent to lay eyes on it, in 1604; (2) it has been a favored spot for honeymooners for years; (3) its awesome setting has drawn many people bent on suicide; (4) spectacular as it is, nearly half of its water is diverted for hydroelectric power; and (5) dozens of daredevils have tried crossing it on tightrope or going over in barrels.

Undeterred by murderous infidels

Yes, I was certainly looking forward to this vacation. When a gang of infidels hijacked four airplanes and attacked the United States on September 11, some people were hesitant to fly. Not me—I was going, no matter what. Barely two weeks later, I arrived and lugged a suitcase up a long hill to my hotel. I was greeted at the desk by a buxom young Indian woman who answered questions and gave me advice over the next three days.

It was obvious that the twin cities of Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario had quite different approaches to handling tourists. The latter was far superior. The American side seemed to combine Coney Island and the midway at the State Fair of Texas—very crass, lowest-common-denominator stuff. It seemed that the Yanks were doing their best to degrade the falls’ ineffable beauty with garish attractions. There was some of that on the Canadian side, but not much. Our northern neighbors appeared to show considerably more class as hosts. As if that were not enough, the Canadian part of the falls was far larger and more inspiring than the American part.

I found that Niagara Falls consists of three cataracts—American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Horseshoe Falls and a couple of smaller ones. The biggest by far is Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. This is where most of the great photos are taken. It is 790 meters wide and drops 53 meters, and most of Niagara’s 5,700 cubic meters of water per second flow over it.

As you might expect, so much water dropping such a distance creates quite a roar. There is never silence at Niagara Falls, but by no means does it lack serenity. I savored being there. I spent hours and hours just gazing, marveling and feeling the enormity of God’s creation. I looked at it from every conceivable angle, and it was always breathtaking. My vocabulary is too prosaic to do it justice, but oh my, it was great!

A boat ride up close to the Falls

I also wandered around Goat Island, Luna Island and Three Sisters Islands, all of which are connected by a bridge over the Niagara River. (Brief geography lesson: Niagara Falls results from the water of Lake Ontario flowing south toward Lake Erie.) I donned waterproof shoes and a bright yellow plastic jacket, and took a tour of the Cave of the Winds, located behind Bridal Veil Falls. Also memorable was a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat. Along with about 150 other shameless tourists, I climbed aboard a double-decker vessel that started at the Rainbow Bridge, passed American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, and then went directly into the dense spray of Horseshoe Falls. People have been doing this since as early as 1846.

I had one other slight quibble. I really did not like the light show that takes place every night. The tourist brochures play this up as something really wonderful, but I thought it was tacky. Ooh, look—here is the falls in yellow, here it is in red, here it is in green! Totally unnecessary in my view.

I came home exhilarated after having seen one of the most beautiful places on earth. I knew that I could die a relatively happy man because I had been to Niagara.