Waterfalls are WET

June 11, Wednesday

The NY State Park at Four Mile Creek is beautiful! The sites are the largest we’ve ever had at ANY park, private or public. They also have electricity, and we’re grateful because we’re getting some warm weather, along with summer showers that send the humidity soaring. It’s on the shore of Lake Ontario and you can see Canada across the water.

We’ve been out exploring the sights. First stop was Fort Niagara, just 5 miles from camp. This fort was built by the French to secure the portage (path to carry canoes around the Falls) at the mouth of the Niagara River. It was captured by the British then was the site of several battles during the War of Independence and the War of 1812. The US military used it for training until the 1970’s. Then it became a historic landmark with costumed interpreters teaching the public about this era. We watched a “lobsterback” (a British officer) train some “new recruits” (children on a field trip) in parade drill. Then, an “irregular” (local volunteer) prepared and fired his musket loaded with black powder.

Next stop was the Power Authority hydroelectric plant Visitor Center. Water from the river is piped around the town of Niagara Falls through a huge conduit then released over a dam to drive the turbines. The diverted water reduces the volume at the Falls so less is diverted during the day (to keep visitors happy) and more is used at night. To even out the power generation, some water is pumped up at night and stored in a head pond above the dam for daytime release.

Then, we visited the NY State Park area around the American Falls. There’s a green belt along the river bank and a trolley that runs the full length of the park. So, we parked at the north end and rode around. The highlights included a ride on the boat, Maid of the Mist, to the base of both the American and Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls, and an elevator ride down to Cave of the Winds, where you can walk along the edge of Bridal Veil Falls. As you board the Maid of the Mist, you get a thin plastic raincoat to protect your clothes. Well, you STILL get pretty wet! The force of the water hitting the lower river is so strong that it throws up a tremendous mist. You get so close that you feel as well as hear the roar of the falling water just a few feet way. The boat captain fights a strong current to hold the boat close to the falls in turbulent water. After drying off in the midday sun and having lunch, we moved a bit upstream and descended several hundred feet in an elevator to the bottom of the cliff next to Bridal Veil Falls. There used to be a cave behind this waterfall that people could enter. However, it was destroyed when a section of cliff collapsed. Now, the park builds walkways along the rubble at the cliff bottom to allow people to go up to the side of the cataract. The walkways have to be rebuilt almost entirely each spring so never follow exactly the same path from year to year. Again, you can get quite wet from the spray but also get to see the pools and rivulets that form at the base. This area is also a large gull rookery at this time of year and the smell of the guano was pungent. There were many chicks among the rocks just off the path and other nests with females sitting on eggs still.

We didn’t cross to the Canadian side after all, although we almost drove across Rainbow Bridge by accident without our passports in hand. Luckily, Steve was able to safely back away from the toll plaza without having to cross.