Three drops of water...
VERY powerful drops that pours 375,000 gallons a second, enough to produce electricity to light 24 million 100watt bulbs at once. It’s located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, and the combined flow of the “three drops” form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the planet.
The three drops is collectively called the Niagara Falls and it straddle the international border of Canada and the US, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York.
Of the three, the largest and most powerful waterfall in North America is the Horseshoe Falls aka the Canadian Falls, where much of the Niagara River flows over. The American Falls, unlike the much larger falls that sits on the US and Canadian territories, is located entirely on the American side. It is the second largest of the falls and receives approximately 10% of the flow from Niagara River. The smallest would be the Bridal Veil Falls, situated beside the American Falls on the US side.
Standing before this natural wonder is breathtaking, Niagara Falls is beautiful as it is powerful. Although a lot of people is drawn by its beauty, there are a few who gets lured into challenging this force of nature by stunting. Of course the daredevils had a price to pay – broken bones, hypothermia and even death. For today’s stunters, the Niagara Parks Commission will break more than your bones should you survive your pre-meditated fall. A maximum fine of $10,000 will cost anyone who tries to pull off a stunt.
And mending broken bones or banks was not part of this tourists’ itinerary. This was just the fourth stop and the list of places to visit around the US was still long. It was just ten days into a 45-day tour. They say that the Horseshoe Falls is best viewed on the Canadian side but I didn’t secure a visa to cross the Rainbow Bridge that connects the two countries. And sadly, the Maid of the Mist, the boat ride that gives you a close-up experience of the “three drops of water” starting from the calm part of the Niagara River near the Rainbow Bridge to the American and Bridal Veil Falls then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls, was closed for the season. Does this mean I need to go back for this? Why not?
So I missed a couple of opportunities on this visit but what better way to make up for the so-called “lost opportunity” than a visit to the souvenir shop for some retail therapy. You can’t imagine the power of a refrigerator magnet can have.
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