Journey Behind the Falls & Table Rock

After our nice and wet boat ride, we headed for the tram so get to Table Rock where we bought our tickets for Journey Behind the Falls.  We actually could have walked it, but that would have taken close to half an hour and plus, it was getting pretty hot. For the sake of time (and to be less sweaty), we rode the tram! Table Rock is an observation side and retail complex (i.e. "tourist trap") with an awesome view of the Falls...Check this out...

Wow! Right at the edge, eh! Here's another funny sign for those dumb enough to attempt this!

Here's more cool views at the lip of the Horseshoe Falls...

I like this shot - you can see both falls, the Rainbow Bridge and a Maid of the Mist boat!

(from wikipedia's entry on "Journey Behind the Falls"):

"Journey Behind the Falls (known until the early 1990s as the Scenic Tunnels) is an attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario located in the Table Rock Center beside the Canadian Horseshoe Falls...

Journey consists of an observation platform and series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian shore of the Niagara River. The tunnels and platform can be reached by elevators from the street level entrance. The tour is unguided ..."

Here's what could be one of our Christmas photos! Don't you just love our fabuloso yellow ponchos?

From the upper observation deck (above the 'Journey Behind the Falls' sign):

"The observation deck provides a vantage point looking up with the falls to the right, allowing photographers a full view of the famous landmark. The deck is sprayed with water from the cascade so visitors are provided with plastic raincoats prior to their descent..." (wikipedia)

It's safe to say that we also got quite soaked by this attraction!

You could see that the camera lenses were watersplashed as well...

We were so close to the edge of the Falls!

"The two tunnels extend approximately 46 metres behind the waterfall and allow visitors to view water cascading in front of the open cave entrances. Earlier in the attraction's history visitors were permitted far closer to the portals' edge to view a perspective to the sides and below the falling water. Barricades now exist further back from the ledge at the end of the tunnels to ensure visitor safety..." (wikipedia)

There are only two portals to view the Falls. I thought there would be a tunnel parallel to the waterfall itself. I guess that would have been too dangerous!

Portal 1...

Here's me and TC by one of the portals... That tunnel was pretty narrow and dank! The water was a solid curtain, totally blocking out sunlight!

Here's Bert on the lower observation deck...

Th Maid of the Mist coming through...

One last view of the Falls from Table Rock...

Can you see the rainbow?

And we're still not done with day 2! We wanted to check out a small town called Niagara on the Lake. Originally, we wanted to see this Butterfly Obsevatory and the Mackenzie Print Museum (Mackenzie was the first mayor of Toronto) but ruled against so we could get going...

[Purse notes - I busted out my Summer 2008 Tokidoki in Carnival print; style Graziosa messenger bag. It's a fun print and hasn't been seen since our anniversary lunch last year (Island Prime/C-Level and Cupcakes Squared post)! Look at the little Evil Knievel character! And the snake! And the happy popcorn!]

We loaded up in the tram back to our car in the Spanish Aero Car lot where TC got this ice cream...Itzakadoozie (what?). This was a twisted popsicle with three different fruit flavors combined. We'd never seen this type before and like most kids, she was attracted by the packaging and the look of the popsicle. Damn, it was about $3 too!!!

Ooh, you can see the multicolored zipper from my purse! Coming up...we shall take a look at this town my hair stylist recommended we check out. It was also written up in many of the guide books as a "must visit" kind of place, so yeah, we were going to go there...Niagara on the Lake!

Before we do that, here's yet another YouTube video (by someone else, not us) of Journey Behind the Falls. You can get a good feel for the tunnels and the view in this vid!

Maid of the Mist

Our next "thing to do" was Maid of the Mist. I mean, c'mon, after nearly 2 hours of driving to get here, we couldn't pass up this classic opportunity to see Niagara Falls UP CLOSE and PERSONAL!

Another thing, in case you visit...park at the Spanish Aero Car parking lot. Even though it's several minutes away, it's FREE parking!!!  We took a tram (which was not free, but cheaper than parking in a closer lot) that drops off people at various points of interest (map was shown in previous post). This was quite handy!

But before we do this, let's take a look at this hilarious snippet starring Jim Carrey from "Bruce Almighty" which was filmed at Niagara Falls..."Back to you....!!!!"

This is a view of Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side) from afar. You can see a couple of the Maid of the Mist boats out there. They look like little toys!

(from wikipedia's entry on "Horseshoe Falls"):

"The name is derived from its curving, horseshoe-shaped crest that is 671 meters (2,200 ft) in width. At the center of the Horseshoe Falls the water is about 3 meters (10 ft) deep. It passes over the crest at a speed of about 32 km/h (20 mph). The fall is 53 meters (173 ft) high...The depth of the river at the base of the falls, estimated at 56 metres (184 ft), is actually higher than the fall itself. Approximately 90% of the water of the Niagara River flows over Horseshoe Falls, while the other 10% flows over the American Falls.



The falls produce a large amount of mist, which occasionally renders viewing them difficult. The amount of natural mist has been reduced since the early 20th century by the diversion of most of the water from the Niagara River for hydroelectricity..."

You can also see American Falls (on the duh, American side; New York to be specific)...

(from the wikipedia entry on "American Falls"):
"The falls receive approximately 10% of the flow from Niagara River, with most of the rest going over Horseshoe Falls, from which it is separated by Goat Island. It has a straight line crest width of about 830 feet (250 m). If measured along the jagged lip of the falls, the crest is about 950 feet (290 m) long. The torrent of water passing over the crest of the falls is about 2 feet (0.61 m) deep.



The height of the American Falls ranges between 70 to 110 feet (21–34 m). This measurement is taken from the top of the Falls to top of the rock pile (talus). The height of the Falls from the top of the Falls to the river is 188 feet (57 m)..."

Here is TC and myself sporting these stylish blue ponchos that every person gets for Maid of the Mist. For those of you that are tree huggers, these plastic ponchos were supposedly "biodegradable"!  In the background is the Rainbow Bridge. I had my purse underneath my poncho because I didn't want my camera to get messed up. Bert used our waterproof camera for the upclose shots of the Falls.

The Rainbow Bridge is an international tourist site and connects the New York, USA side to the Ontario, Canada side...

Another Maid of the Mist boat with the Skylon Tower in the background. It's the tallest structure that overlooks both of the falls.

TC and I were chickens so we sat in the lower level to view the Falls. Bert was brave and was able to get good shots while positioned on the outer edge of the boat. I think he may have gone to the top deck as well. They weren't kidding when they said we'd get soaked even though we were wearing ponchos.

I'm so damn vain. After my face got sprayed with mist, I freaked out because I felt it on my eyes. I didn't want to have to redo my eye makeup even though I was prepared to do so!

Funny, ain't it? Seriously, I am not kidding you. Although my mascara was waterproof, my eyeliner wasn't. I actually brought my makeup with me just in case it got messed up. To protect my face, I ended up tying the hood OVER my face so that water couldn't get it. Problem was, it was hard to breathe!

View above is the American Falls...Below the boat is leaving the American Falls and approaching Horseshoe Falls...

The roar of the thunder was super load! Imagine being under that! Think of those crazy daredevils who actually used to go over the Falls in barrels! It's hard to image anyone surviving a fall from this! It was pretty amazing to be THIS CLOSE to the falls and to feel the power generated by this natural wonder.

Bert's face was completed soaked!

View of the Horseshoe Falls as the boat made it way back to the dock...

Another view of the American Falls...

I thought this sign was funny....uh, yeah! No shite Sherlock!

That sign should have been the cover of this album...

What's next you say?  Why, it's Journey Behind the Falls!

Whirlpool Aero Car

All right folks...I know this is "touristy" but WTF, we were on vacation and yes, we were being tourists to the max!  I actually saw a segment of this on the Travel Channela couple of years ago when we were originally going to visit Canada. I remember telling Bert that if we ever went to Canada, we'd have to go on this...the Whirlpool Aero Car!

Here is a plaque near the ticket booth...

The Whirlpool Aero Car, also known as the  Spanish Aero Car, is a cable car located in Niagara Falls, Ontario that transports passengers over a section of the Niagara River referred to as the "whirlpool". It's nearly one hundred years old. It's the only kind in the world too. I was kind of nervous going on this antique cable car!

(info from wikipiedia's entry on Spanish Aero Car):

"The Aero Car is suspended between two Canadian points, though it crosses the Canadian and American borders four times on a full trip. At each end of the crossing, it is 250 feet (86 m) high, and in the centre, it is 150 feet (42 m) above the river. Its span is 1770 feet (539 m). The rapids entering the whirlpool below the Aero Car move at an estimated 35 to 37 km/h...

From the Aero Car, sightseers can see Whirlpool State Park in Niagara Falls, New York, as well as the Robert Moses Generating Station in Lewiston, New York. From the side or center of the car, one can view the violent motion of the 60 acre (0.25 km²) whirlpool below..."

These shots were taken on a little platform above the cable car area...

There are two sides in which people are funneled into the aero car which can hold up to 35 people. There weren't that many people on it the morning we went. The guide told us that once the cable car reached the other side, then each side would trade places. That way, people could get different views, take pix/video, etc.

We stood on the right hand side on the first half of the trip. Once the car reached the other side, the guide opened this gate to so that people could walk around the perimeter and switch. I had a better view of the whirlpool on the trip back.

The view as we crossed the Niagara River...the sound of the rushing water was pretty loud!

I'd hate to fall in that!

Ha, I noticed that people graffitied the rocks below.

On the return trip on the cable car, this was the view on the other side of the whirlpool. Looks quite calm, doesn't it? The whirlpool is just on the left edge of this photo.

The whirlpool coming up...

The whirlpool swirls counterclockwise...

Thoughts of the cable snapping and us falling into a watery death did come across my hydrophobic mind a few times. However, my fears were overblown, as always, and the "ride" went really smoothly. It's amazing that this contraption still works after nearly a century!

One last look at the whirlpool and cable car before heading for our next stop...

In Canada, they call bathrooms "washrooms". This was the snack/rest area near the cable car.

A map of the Niagara area...

Before the next post, here is someone's YouTube video of the river and the Aero car...you can really hear how violent the water sounds and see how beautiful the gorge and the river really are.

Next up...the Maid of the Mist!