We returned from our 10-day field trip to Niagara Falls last week-end. We had a great time, saw lots of interesting things and came back exhausted.
This week friends and family have asked me about the Falls and honestly I haven't known how to answer. It is so breathtakingly spectacular that I cannot find the words to describe it. The roaring, crashing, plunging water is powerful yet peaceful. You just can't stop looking at it.
Pictures cannot capture the magnitude of magnificence that is Niagara Falls. It is untamed beauty. It is majesty unbridled. It is more than just a waterfall. Having been to Hawai'i a couple dozen times, I've seen a lot of waterfalls. But Niagara is just spectacular.
We of course did all the touristy things like take a boat ride on Maid of the Mist where we got utterly soaked. After the ride, we went to the restrooms and stood by the hand dryers. The kids thought that was hilarious. We also saw a 4-D show called Niagara's Fury which tells how Niagara Falls were formed. Of course, it's only theory and we don't completely buy it. It's much more believable that the Falls are a work of a Wondrous and Almighty God. We also went to the White Water Walk which is a boardwalk along the banks of the Niagara River, below the Falls. They are category 6 rapids. Professional rafters usually raft on category 4-5 rapids.
And we went "Behind the Falls" which was wet, slipperly and dumbfounding.
Along the way to and from Niagara, we made some more field trip stops. One was at the Bonneyville Mill, a water-powered flour mill in Elkhart, IN. Beautiful! And we also visited the Jelly Belly Warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, WI as well as 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. We already visited Lake Superior last year, so now we've seen them all. The kids also got to add 6 new states to their travel logs bringing Adam to 22 states visited in just 8 years! He's only 1 behind me. And of course we stopped at the Mall of America for our Lego Store and Disney Store fix and paid two visits to Trader Joe's. All in all, it was a wonderful vacation!
