Niagara Falls

~I recently visited Niagara Falls State Park in western New York.  I was  there in the evening, so most of the attractions were closed, but I was able to take some pictures and videos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^ This squadron of stunt planes was circling the area in formation, roaring overhead only a few hundred feet up.

 

^ American Falls, taken from an observation platform extending over the Niagara River gorge.

^ A video of American Falls, taken from the observation platorm.

 

^ Rainbow Bridge.  Canada is on the left, the United States is on the right.  The bridge is a major civil engineering achievement, and was constructed in 1941.

 

^ This picture was taken from the other side of American Falls.  The green tower/bridge on the left edge is the observation platform that the previous pictures and video were taken from.

^ A panoramic image taken from next to American Falls.  The buildings in the distance are all hotels and casinos in Canada, which must provide a spectacular view of the waterfalls.  

^ Mist from the waterfalls sprays into the air, shrouding the Canadian buildings in a perpetual fog when viewed from the American side of the falls.

 

^ Another panoramic image, this one of the river to the right of the previous picture, feeding into the waterfall.  This would be a great place for some whitewater kayaking...right before you plummet to a horrible death, of course.

 

^ Horseshoe Falls, another waterfall in the park, named for its curved shape.

^ Here's a map from the state park website, in case you'd like a visual aid to all of these locations.

 

^ It's a long way down to the Niagara River gorge from Horseshoe Falls. Huge rocks are piled around the base.  I wonder what it would be like to go scuba diving around (but not right under) the falls.

^ A video of Horseshoe Falls.

^ Here's something a little different: on Goat Island (between American Falls and Horseshoe Falls), there's a monument to Nikola Tesla, an inventor and scientist who, among other things, designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls.

 

Just for fun, I played around with some of the special effects on my phone camera:

^   The image above is in "Retro" mode.  Groovy, baby!

^ This is just a negative, but it looks like some sort of alien planet.  I call it "The Dark Falls".

^ "Dreamlike" mode.  Very mysterious and ephemeral.

 

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures and videos of Nigara Falls.  If you've never been there, consider visiting: it's one of the Earth's more spectacular natural wonders.