Niagara..niagara..niagara :)))

Niagara Niagara Niagara ..Yeeeee !!!!!! That's were we went last weekend.and the plan was so spontaneous that we didn't even have time to Google more about the places close by in case we had time to see them.

But nevertheless,it was fun as the unknown is far better than the known..and in this case we didn't have any preconceived notions or thoughts about the place we were going to see.

The drive,an 'awesome' seven hours from our place.Well awesome yes if you are in good company and also because of the picturesque surroundings.For a first timer in US to witness the 'fall colour's' is  a delight,and beauty incomparable.To see natures foliage turning into myriad colors of red,orange,purple,yellow is pure pleasure and definitely wondrous !!!

In a typical Indian style of going for picnics with breakfast and lunch packed along with juices(Jeez !!well if you are an Indian you know what i mean) we had what Indians would call it colloquially a 'khata -peeta' trip.(Khata-peeta in Hindi means well fed )

All through the way we were already planning about the coming weekend and where to go next..Crazy right ?? But that's all that we can do on weekends in the US. Nothing better !!!

Our GPS showed us we were just about 2 miles from the falls...when we saw some kind of smoke at a distance on our right.We were on this bridge right over the river or the lake(at that point we weren't sure whether its a lake or a river,as i said we had no research done).What we thought was, probably its coming from some factory out there...but then again we dint see any building and wondered how the smoke was coming right up from the land..at least from a distance that's what it seemed.

However what was in store was completely startling and overpowering..When we reached our destination and parked our car we didnt realize what we were gonna see and how humongous it would be.As we led closer the very smoke now looked like 'mist' behind the trees.And once we crossed the trees what we saw was 'beauty incomparable'!!! Mother nature in all its fury,power,beauty cascading down .Words fall short to describe the beauty of the water...the mere green ,blue colours it reflects and the volume of water flowing per second.It was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life and surely for all the first timers who have been to Niagara.The volume of water well explained the 'smoky mist' that we had seen from a distance.

View from the Maid of the mist boat ride

I stood there just in silence trying to absorb and sink in as much as i could of this mesmerizing beauty and realizing how powerful mother nature is and how teeny-weeny 'we' are.

There are times in your life when such realizations help you understand where you stand and that we mortals are self proclaimed powerful people with actually no power at all...

Coming back to the falls...what caught my attention is that of all the falls that i have seen in my life, i have stood at the bottom of the hill seeing the water cascade down.But here in Niagara ,the experience was different,because the water falls from the same level that you are down into the gorge ...so you have the luxury of seeing the water up close. Also the mere volume of water falling makes it one 'gigantic' fall.

Funny how my brain worked ,i thought "of all the 1/3rd water in the earth ,is it all here.." ;) Now before you draw conclusions on my intelligence lemme tell you i know that's not true,but that\s my way of expressing how much water was there..Clever me :))

On the Maid of the Mist boat ride

Now after this we went on to the boat ride called the 'Maid of the mist' which takes you right in to the gorge so you can have a better view of the fall which flows from the American side.Ya !! you read it right,it's called the american side falls because what you see on the other side of the gorge is Canada...And that's precisely the reason why people say that one should see the falls from the Canadian side to get a better view as the water flows towards their side. Nevertheless in my view if you go on the 'Maid of the mist' ride you have had  one of the best views of the fall..in that case no need to see it from the Canadian side.

Next we took the tickets for 'Cave of the wind' experience,which is where you get to stand right below one of the small falls called the 'Bridal Veil'.The ticket was worth the experience.Each drop of water splashing on to your face,as if washing you away of all the dirt that surrounds you and cleansing you from within..Beautiful Experience !!!

Cave of the winds

Now for all of you who are planning a trip to Niagara,please carry some extra clothing as after the cave of the wind experience you would be drenched,even though they provide you with a rain coat ..

And last but not the least don't forget to see Niagara in the night after sunset when they turn on the disco lights (red,green,blue etc) and the waters reflect these colors.The smoky mist still continues to give the effect of a factory even in the middle of the night.

Niagara in the night(consider looking at the smoky mist)

Reminds me of the lines from Robert Frost 'Birches'
                     
                              "It's when I'm weary of considerations,
                               And life is too much like a pathless wood
                               Where your face burns and tickles with cobwebs
                               Broken across it,and one eye is weeping
                               From a twig's having lashed across it open.
                               I'd like to get away from earth awhile
                               And then come back to it and begin over."

Aptly sums up what this trip did to me :)