Niagara Falls – Here We Are At Last

Niagara Falls has been the traditional, ”Honeymoon Capital of the World” for more than 215 years. You see, it was when Niagara Falls’s first honeymooners, Theodosia and Joseph Alston, embarked from Albany N.Y. to the Falls in June of 1801 on their “Bridal Tour” with a number of servants and nine pack horses. Theodosia was the daughter of future U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr.  [source: Niagara Falls Tourism]

It took us nearly 50 years of marriage to get here, not by pack horses but by planes, trains, and automobiles. In a few months we’ll be celebrating (?) 50 l…o…n…g years of marriage so why not visit the honeymoon capital of the world!

We entered the Niagara Falls State Park and found our hotel The Red Coach Inn facing the Niagara River. An almost 100-year-old hotel with all the charm of yesteryear and some modern conveniences. 

On the first day, we had to explore Niagara Falls, and take a ride on the Maid of the Mist to brave the water and examine the falls close up.  This photo above shows the American Falls on the left and the Canadian Falls in the distance on the right.

We rode the boat last because we knew we would be soaking wet when we disembarked… and yes, we were! The boat heads straight into the falls where we were pelted with rain from descending water.

Just a few interesting things we learned about Niagara Falls…

• Niagara Falls was formed more than 12,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age when large torrents of water were released from the melting ice, draining into the Niagara River.
• 700,000 gallons of water travel down Niagara Falls every second.
• The Horseshoe Falls (on the Canadian side) is the tallest fall at 188 feet tall and 170 feet deep.
• The water from Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Erie great lakes flow to Niagara Falls and then the Niagara river carries the water to Lake Ontario and ultimately into the St. Lawrence River which flows to the sea. That’s quite a journey!
• There has been 5 tightrope walks over Niagara Falls, and 16 people going over the falls in barrels (9 of whom survived). Hubby tried to convince me that I should try a barrel run over the falls. If I return to Oregon without him, you’ll know why.
• The City of Niagara was the birthplace of hydroelectric power! In 1896, Nikola Tesla developed the alternating current system, which allowed for the transmission of power generated along the Niagara River to homes and businesses.

The perfect way to finish the day (at least in my mind) was by lifting a glass of wine to toast the survival of the boat trip! When I saw this wine dispenser in the bar at our hotel I was in nirvana.  I asked hubby if we could install one in our house. He said he would consider it if he could have a large barrel of wine replace one of the cars in the garage. The debate/discussion continues…