Tuesday the 27th: Buffalo, New York
Niagara Falls is an amazing sight. Surprisingly, it was not as grand as we had imagined but it is a phenomenal amount of water just pouring off the cliffs (Horseshoe Falls, the most impressive of the three falls, drops 600,000 gallons of water per second). The sound of it was not the booming roar one might expect but really more of a rushing river. However, when you get close, you do get a real sense of the power of these falls. The mist from the water alone wets the entire area and when we drove there, you could see the mist rising like a cloud well before you saw anything else. The touristy environment is a little weird but oddly enough, it's worse on the Canadian side. The American side is really pretty natural with a park landscape designed by Olmsted. We decided to walk the whole thing, American and Canadian sides (the cheapest way to go). No trollies, no "maid of the mist" boat ride, just amazing views on foot. We were able to see everything for $12 ($10 parking, $1 toll to get back to U.S. side, $1 observation tower).

American Falls with Bridal Veil Falls to far right:

Horseshoe Falls: