I have to admit, they really are quite impressive, although it is very difficult to mentally grasp the sheer size and volume of water- 168,000 m3 of water goes over every minute (The Great Lakes system contains nearly 1/5 of the world's fresh water, and feeds the river and falls)
We spent some time walking along above / beside the Falls and thinking of lots of ways to say "Wow!".
Then we went down to do the 'Journey Behind the Falls' which lets you go down to a viewing platform about 38m (125 feet) below the crest of the falls. Its close enough that you are constantly enveloped in a fine mist from the spray coming off coming down. It's very dramatic. And a bit cold! (and every one gets a yellow plastic body condom to wear to keep them dry. One reason why I won't be posting any selfies!)
The 'behind the falls' also involves entry into some tunnels which were originally dug out around 130 years ago, and which do take you behind the falls, with a couple of small, double-door sized openings through which you can see the water. It's actually much less dramatic or impressive that other views of the falls, as you can only see the small snapshot of water, so don't really get a sense of the over all size or volume of the falls.
Then we took a ride up the inclined railway (I do like a good inclined railway) and walked to the Skylon Tower, which was built in the 1960s and looks as though it ought to house a Bond villain's lair. It's 160m (520 feet) tall, and benefits from sitting on top of the cliffs.
We wet up to the observation deck (passing through an eerily deserted amusement arcade on the ground floor, ad picking our way around construction workers higher up - it was clearly not yet geared up for the season.
Which suited us - minimal queues and plenty of space to wander around on the observation decks, which really does offer some stunning views out over the falls (including the American Falls and Rainbow Bridge)
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| Slightly bendy panorama of the falls, from Skylon tower |
There were also good views inland. We could see as far as Toronto, and were even able to pick out the CN Tower, in the far distance!
On our way back to Toronto, we made a short detour and visited Crawford Lake, part of a larger conservation area. There are walking trails and woodland but the reason we went was because here is also a recreated Iroquoian Village - in the 1970s, excavations uncovered the remains of 11 longhouses, the remains of a village believed to have been occupied around 600 years ago.
There are now 3 reconstructed Longhouses, 1 on which houses a small museum / visitor centre, and the other two which are constructed and furnished to show how they would have been, when they were occupied.
It's very interesting, and the staff-member who was there was very welcoming and informative, even though we only arrived very shortly before the longhouses were to close.
After they did, we went for an amble around the lake. The lake itself is meromictic, which was a new word for me, and which means that it is so deep and cold that the lower layers of water never mix with higher layers, and have very little oxygen, meaning that things which fall into the lake will be very well preserved. This was what led to the archaeological investigation and discovery of the village, as pollen from corn was found, showing that there had been a human settlement, with corn being cultivated.
Its a very tranquil, beautiful place. And while there, we saw more black (grey) squirrels, also Red Squirrels, and chipmunks.
It was a very enjoyable day out, although by the time we got back, and Lyle navigated city centre traffic, and the very tight entrance ramp into the car park to return the hire car, he was very ready for food and beer, so we went back to the craft beer restaurant we visited on Sunday.
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