January 13, 2014 – Late Blooms

Niagara Falls has always been one of my favorite places that makes for a nice get-away from Toronto. Fortunately for me, through the generosity and kindness of a friend, my visits there are once a month. It doesn’t matter what time of year it happens to be, the Falls are spectacular. As you can see from the images above, the recent ice storm left the Bridal Veil Falls (American side) frozen. The Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side) continues to flow and is the larger of the two. Such natural beauty!

“The point is that when I see a sunset or a waterfall or something, for a split second it’s so great, because for a little bit I’m out of my brain, and it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m not trying to figure it out, you know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness.”
―Chris Evans

This is how the escarpment area between the two Falls look after the ice storm.

We all need beauty and stillness for the sake of our souls and spirits. The great bard put it well when he said:

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” – William Shakespeare

These were taken from the seventeenth floor of our hotel room. It was sunny and bright that day.

There's a small little island that is visible near to the Falls. As you can see from these images, it is now covered with snow and ice. — There’s a small little island that is visible near to the Falls. As you can see from these images, it is now covered with snow and ice.

These are some other ice-storm scenes at Niagara - all taken January 10th & 11th/2014. — These are some other ice-storm scenes at Niagara – all taken January 10th & 11th/2014.

The collages to follow may be of interest to those who have never visited the Falls and sharply contrast with the images above.

There's an expectation in the air when Spring arrives and the daffodils come up - at Niagara Falls - and everywhere. — There’s an expectation in the air when Spring arrives and the daffodils come up – at Niagara Falls – and everywhere.

If you look carefully, you will notice that the little island is no longer covered with snow. None of the trees have leaves yet. This is early spring.

There are shuttle buses that one can take from several hotels to go around and visit some of the sights. The Whirlpool Aero Car is one of those sights and crosses the Niagara River over the whirlpool (as seen in image). It’s a fun ride.

Niagara Falls is green in Summer and Early Fall. There's just a hint of some leaves changing color here. — Niagara Falls is green in Summer and Early Fall. There’s just a hint of some leaves changing color here.

The Maid of the Mist boat cruises are very popular and take you very close-up to the Falls. These cruises are a big attraction and an experience not to be missed on a visit to Niagara. They only run during Spring, Summer, and Fall. You are given hooded raincoats to wear on these cruises – as you are sure to get wet.

A rainbow over the Falls is a common sight. Notice how lush and green everything is – even the little island.

Niagara Falls looks beautiful at night when it is all lit up. During the summer months, every Friday and Sunday evening, there is a spectacular Fireworks Show.

The collage above shows the Fallsview Casino Resort where many of the pictures were taken. Hope you enjoyed this photographic visit to Niagara Falls. Here is some Niagara information for you too:

The word “Niagara” was derived from the Iroquois Indian word “Onguiaahra” meaning “The Strait”.

Age of Niagara Falls: 12,000 years.
Niagara Falls are the second largest falls in the world next to Victoria Falls in Southern Africa. The highest falls in the world are “Angel Falls” in Venezuela, measuring 979 m (3212 ft) high. What makes Niagara Falls so spectacular is the combination of their height and volume.
Three different Falls make up what we call “Niagara Falls”: The Canadian Horseshoe Falls, The American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.
Number of tourists who visit the Falls every year: 12 million.
Size of the Falls: The rim of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls measures about 792 m (2200 ft). The American Falls measure about 323 m (850 ft). The Bridal Veil Falls measure about 15m(50 ft). Both The Canadian Horseshoe Falls and The American Falls measure 57 m (188 ft) in height to the Niagara River below.
Volume of water going over the American Falls: 567,810 L/second (150,000 gallons/second)
Volume of water going over the Horseshoe Falls: 2,271,240 L/second (600,000 gallons/second)
Source of water going over Falls: The 683,760 km2 (264,000 square miles) of water that plunges over the Falls comes from four of the great lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. Once the water flows over the Falls, it travels down the Niagara River to Lake Ontario, where it then flows into the St. Lawrence River and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
Depth of Falls: Before the upper waters were used for the generation of power, the depth of the water on the rim was about 3 m (10 ft). Today, the water over the Falls measures an average of 0.6 m (2 ft) along the entire rim.
Deepest section of Niagara River: 52 m (170 ft), just below The Falls.
Number of Nights The Falls Are Lit Up: 365. During the summer, the Falls are lit up between 9 pm and midnight. At other times of the year the Falls are lit up when it gets dark.
Length of Whirlpool Rapids: 1.6 k m (1 mile). This is where the water drops 15 m (50 ft), and speeds can reach as high as 9 meters per second (30 feet per second).
Date first steam-powered boat was launched into the waters beneath the Falls: It was on May 1846, that the Maid of the Mist was launched into the swirling waters.

That’s Niagara’s Skylon Tower – with a restaurant at the top and spectacular views of the Falls and surrounding areas.

Reference – Imax Niagara.

Day: January 13, 2014

Falls Views