Day 21 - Saturday, June 21 - Journey Behind the Falls

Up early we need to get going so we can take in our two other attractions today.  The RV Park has a group here from all over Canada and the US called the Heartland Owners Group.  It is camping club of those that have purchased RV units made by Heartland.  They go on camping trips or rallies throughout the year.  There are about 40 of them in the park, mostly around us.  They are all very nice and well travelled.  So this morning the RV Park is having breakfast in the Barn.  We decided we would like to go and have a bit of socializing this morning as well.  The breakfast is excellent but the group is downstairs in their own area.  Off we go to the bus - get it? WeGo, ha,ha, that's the name of the bus system. 

Our first attraction is the "Journey Behind The Falls".  You go down another elevator, with a yellow raincoat on this time - another clue that we might get wet?  You walk through a series of tunnels and then we are out on the main platform where we can see the beginning of the Horseshoe Falls pouring and whooshing into the gorge below.  Wow we are really high and it's a long ways down to the gorge. Through more tunnels and then we come out right underneath the falls, down more tunnels and again we are behind the falls.  A bit scary to think of the erosion that has happened over the years and the fact that the tunnels could break away from the gorge at any time!  I guess that is why every so often in the tunnels there are emergency phones and alarms!  Hmmm, might want to be making my way out of here soon.  Wow, that was amazing, but I am glad to be back on top of the gorge.  

Next we are off to the "Fury of The Falls".  It's a 4D film experience on the falls and how they came to be.  Oh yes another rain coat - blue this time - so we are getting wet inside a movie theatre?  Really!  Ok let's see what happens here.  The movie is an animation of a beaver experiencing the creation of the falls.  Glaciers covered this area very many years ago, and as the weather warmed the ice started to melt.  The trees started to fall and the rivers started to run.  And the Niagara River overflowed its banks until it covered a large area with the waters teaming it's banks.  The force of the water came to a drop point about 300 feet and bailed over to create an eddy.  The force of that carved out the gorge and kept eating away at the walls of the falls until they are as you see them today - in a shape of a horseshoe.  Originally the falls were more straight across and after many years of erosion they are now horseshoe shaped.  Still a tremendous force of water falling and swirling today, just amazing.  Dan wants to know how the water can continually run with such force and volume and never run out.  It truly is one of the wonders of the world.  The next part of the experience is the 4D part, where the water runs, the trees are swept away and the thunder happens, as we stand in this platform that is vibrating and we are surrounded by the water, which rains on us when least expected, but this time I have my hood on - I am not looking like a geek when we are done here!  It really does feel like you are a tree being swept over the falls.  It was a neat experience.  

Well after that we are off to see the Floral Clock, back on the bus WeGo.  Ha!  It's a long ride but we get to see lots of sights along the way.  The clock is made up of over 20,000 flowers and the flowers are changed each year.  The clock actually works too.  

Back on the bus and our next stop is Souvenir City.  They have lots to choose from here, from chocolate to hats and blown glass.  Interesting, we shop a bit, take a pic or two and back in the bus.  One more shopping stop where previously I had only looked, today is the purchase.  By now it is 3:00 and we are hungry and thirsty - I want to go to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  So now we need to figure out how to get there, everything from Niagara Parkway is uphill, very uphill.  We find someone and find out we can take the blue bus - so on WeGo and a short walk we are in!  We get a drink (Margarita for me and Corona for Dan) and we sit on the rooftop.  We get a very small view of Bridal Falls - share a plate of nachos and call that supper.  Now back on the bus and head for camp.  Once again we arrive to a happy to see us dog and a lawn chair to fall into.  Another day of walking our feet off.  Some refreshment and early to bed.  

Well a summary of Niagara - it is amazing, we got to wear red, blue and yellow raincoats - we got to see some amazing feats of nature and meet lots of really nice people.  We wore out our feet and legs.  We ate some good food, some cooked by my very own BBQ chef, Dan and we are glad we were there before July as we understand it gets crazy once summer vacation starts.  We were there at the perfect time, weather was warm, traffic was not bad and we found a really nice campsite.  Would we go back again - no I don't think so, once done it's off our bucket list.  But Truly amazing! 

Niagara Falls in all it's glory.