World's Wondrous WaterFall: The Niagara Falls

If you happened to have read my blog on California (Winter Weeks in the West), the entire article is based on the fact that nothing actually worked according to the plan. Nonetheless, it turned out to be one of the most memorable trips of my life. There is yet another class of plans called the “impromptu plans” that can surprise you more than you can imagine. On a late Saturday night, when we had nothing else to do at home, Aaryan, Shreyas, and I randomly decided to pay a visit, the next day, to what can be described as one of the most gorgeous waterfalls in the entire world: The Niagara Falls. Surprise surprise… everyone just agreed to the plan. Crack of the dawn and we were on our way to Niagara Falls. Funny story: I have been living in State College, Pennsylvania which is a stone’s throw away from Niagara Falls and I had not paid a visit there in THREE long years (I know right?). We started as early as 7:30 in the morning. It was a four-hour drive due North. We drove along the borders of the Allegheny National Forest which offered stunning views of the countryside of Pennsylvania. Closing towards the destination, we could see the ferocious Niagara River making its way toward the Canadian border. The sheer velocity of the river was an indication of the redoubtable view of Niagara Falls. Having parked our car, we walked alongside the Niagara River until we had our first glimpse of the waterfall itself. It was just gorgeous! Words run short of describing the beauty of such a scene. It was Nature’s flaunting at its pinnacle. But then again, we were looking at the falls towards our left standing right next to it facing in the direction of the falls. As you can guess, it is not the best way to enjoy stunning beauty. Fortunately, we had splendid rides and activities to enjoy the Falls to the fullest. The first ride we did was the Maid of the Mist. The exact of Niagara Falls when you ride the ferry is that of a vertically and horizontally flipped “J”. You ride the ferry through the Niagara River along the longer edge with the waterfall on the left side and, finally, make a U-turn at the horseshoe. The very first view of the waterfall when you board the ferry is when you go spellbound (for the first time). It seems as if a huge volume of water is gushing out at the world's edge. The mass of water falling down the cliff every second is simply incomprehensible. You almost forget that there is an entire stretch of the waterfall and fix your sight on the first one. Moving along the stretch, you enjoy the beauty of the bridal falls, the destination for our next activity – Cave of the Winds. The last part of Maid of the Mist is the horseshoe falls. Water flows down the cliff in the shape of a horseshoe. It’s absolutely majestic. That view is Niagara Falls in all its grandeur. The ferry stops there for a couple of minutes to afford visitors the time to savour the spectacular view of the falls. Because the shape of the waterfall itself is a horseshoe, the amount of mist rising from the center of the horseshoe due to the water from both sides makes it a bit tough to enjoy the beauty to the fullest (well, when is beauty easily affordable?). You just cannot open your eyes fully because of the insane amount of mist. Having enjoyed the beauty of Maid of the Mist, we moved on to our next activity: Cave of the Winds. Cave of the Winds, on the other hand, is not something like a ride, but you walk as close as possible to the Bridal Falls from below the Falls. We went down the elevator a couple of stories to reach the base of the Bridal waterfall. We were given ponchos and sandals before going out into the waterfall. We headed out towards the bridal waterfall and caught the glimpse of white water gushing down at us. The sheer force of the waterfall and the mist had our eyes half closed. The water bouncing off the rocks formed a beautiful rainbow. We could only stand below the waterfall for less than a few seconds. We were completely drenched by the time we walked out of the place. It was a very memorable and fun experience. After Cave of the Winds, we also visited the horseshoe fall from the top side enjoyed the incredible view for a few minutes, and headed back to our homes. Niagara Falls is one of the best waterfalls that Nature has to offer. Irrefutably, it is one of the best waterfalls in the entire world. Dream. Travel. Explore.