Chasing Waterfalls – Niagara Falls
Moving to the US in late 2019 I had a bucket list of things I wanted to see and do but life – and a pandemic – happened and I, like everyone else, had to adjust to the new normal. So when the opportunity presented itself to me, I had to make it happen and go and chase one of the most beautiful and probably THE most famous waterfall in the world…Niagara Falls!
Thanks to the Lehigh University Graduate Student Outing Club (yes I’m not a grad student but they were gracious enough to take this postdoc, and a few other postdocs, with them on this amazing trip) I had the chance to go on an overnight trip to this breathtaking natural wonder and enjoy one of the greatest experiences I had so far in the US.
Is it one of the biggest tourist traps in the world? Probably? Is there a lot of hype around the falls and the boat tour? Definitely! Will it be crowded and expensive? Very likely. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!! How can this not be worth all the hype it ever got?
Sadly due to the ongoing pandemic we were only able to stay on the American side of the falls, but they didn’t disappoint! The sheer size of them is breathtaking and seeing them in the evening with the light show on full display was spectacular! We couldn’t stop taking pictures of the falls being illuminated in all the different colours and we were having a blast! I mean, look at this awesomeness, how can you not love this natural wonder??? And yes that is the Canadian side in the background, at least I got to see Canada 😂.
I mean, look at this beautiful light show, how can you not be happy and totally be in awe? This will definitely be one of the best experiences in my life! Sorry for the movement though, I forgot my phone tripod and taking a time lapse free hand is quite a challenge 😂.
After these first few hours at the falls none of us could wait for the next morning to go on the maid of the mist tour and see them really up close and personal, so after a good nights sleep and a quick breakfast at the motel we jumped back into our cars and made our way back to get on the boat! And even though it was raining nothing could dampen our excitement to see and experience all three falls. Since we arrived super early we managed to get on the boat without a long wait and actually ended up at the very front of it as well, which meant that we all got soaking wet in the mist of the Horseshoe Fall 😂, none of us cared though!
There is no way that a simple picture can capture the sheer size of the Horseshoe Falls, so please enjoy this short video of it. And yes, the mist is so dense in the middle that you can’t see through it, which is why we were completely soaked 😊.
After this fun, and wet, experience we re-grouped outside the visitor centre, some went inside to get souvenirs, and planned what to do next. Some of the rather large group of grad students and postdocs decided they needed coffee, others (including me) decided we needed to get closer to the waterfalls 😂 so we bought tickets for the “Cave of the Winds” which used to be a cave at the bottom of the falls but the cave has long been demolished for safety reasons. However there were walkways leading us down to the bottom of the falls and, most importantly, the “Hurricane Deck” were we had another opportunity to get soaking wet, it was glorious!
And again, words fail to describe this natural marvel and the excitement we felt! Standing at the food of this massive body of falling water is just beyond words and needs to be experienced! The sound, the smell, the feel of it all is pure magic and humbling in its own way. There is only one word that can come close to describing this experience and that is still inadequate to capture it….WOW!!!
I am glad that I found and joined the Lehigh University Grad Student Outing Club on this trip (and that they allow for Postdocs to join) and hope that I get another chance of visit Niagara Falls when the Canadian border is open again for international travellers (I think US citizens/residence can cross the border again, but as a European citizen I still have to wait). I want the view from the “other” side and will use the Covid related travel restrictions (or better said the easing of those restrictions) as an excuse to go again 😊. So here are a few more pictures to enjoy, some I took myself, others were shared with me by other group members.
I’ll leave you with these impressions and hope you all enjoyed chasing waterfalls with me. There will be more waterfalls related posts in the future, I just need to make more time to write about my adventures 😊. Going on day trips and writing about them are two different things after all.
