Ever since my first glimpse of this magnificent wonder of nature, my fascinations has forever drawn me to the many interesting venues offered. Perhaps it's the Pisces in me that keeps me returning. I have taken everyone that has meant anything as well as the ones that have meant everything to me to this captivating destination. The Falls are beautiful any time of year, from the frozen mist on the trees in mid winter to the magnificent rainbows of the afternoon summer sun. I have in fact left instructions that my ashes should be scattered over the brink of the Falls to become part of it for eternity. Perhaps the solitude and peace of sunup as it breaks over the horizon would seem most appropriate.
Here's a little information on Niagara Falls I managed to personalise.
Niagara Falls, great waterfall, east central North America, on the Niagara River, in western New York and south-eastern Ontario. One of the world's most scenic sights, it consists of two cataracts: the Canadian, or Horseshoe, Falls (49 m/161 ft high), on the Canadian side of the river, and the American Falls (51 m/167 ft high), on the United States side. The waterfalls are separated by Goat Island, New York. The crest line of the crescent-shaped Canadian Falls, which carries about nine times more water than the US cataract, is about 790 m (2,592 ft) long, and the fairly straight crest of the American Falls measures about 305 m (1,001 ft). A small section of the American Falls near Goat Island is also known as Bridal Veil Falls.
Niagara Falls was formed about 12,500 years ago, when glaciers retreated north, allowing water from Lake Erie to flow over the Niagara Escarpment, a ridge that extends from southern Ontario to Rochester, New York. Since that time, erosion has slowly pushed the waterfall about 11 km (7 mi) upstream, forming the Niagara Gorge. At present the Canadian Falls is receding at an average yearly rate of about 1.5 m (5 ft), and the American Falls is being cut away at an annual pace of about 15 cm (6 in). The Canadian Falls erodes at a faster rate mainly because it carries more water. In my over fifty years of visiting the Falls, the Horseshoe Falls has receded an incredible 76 metres (250 Feet).
In 1954 a considerable portion of the American Falls broke off, creating a large talus, or rock slope, at the base of the cataract. In order to study ways of preventing further rockfalls and to remove some of the talus, the American Falls was successfully “shut off” for several months on June 12, 1969, by a dam that was constructed between the US mainland and Goat Island. Seeing the nakedness of the “waterless falls” seemed eerie and sad but its back in full vigour and will last considerably longer, having been reinforced and strengthened.
Niagara Falls is a great tourist attraction, luring millions of visitors each year to the many attractions. The falls may be viewed from parks located on either side of the river, from observation towers, from boats, from Goat Island, and from the Rainbow Bridge, located a short distance downstream. Visitors also may enter the Cave of the Winds, situated behind a curtain of falling water near the base of the American Falls. You'll find Journey Behind the Falls at the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, in the Table Rock Welcome Centre, pictured above. Take an elevator down 45 metres (150 ft.) through bedrock to tunnels leading to the Cataract Portal and Great Falls Portal, one-third of the way behind the massive sheet of water.
Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer, probably visited Niagara Falls in 1613. Father Louis Hennepin, a Flemish monk, is known to have visited the waterfall in 1678; he later published an eyewitness description of it.
The Niagara's large volume of flow, averaging about 5.5 million litres (1.2 million gallons) per second, plus its steep drop, give the river great power potential. The water-power was probably tapped first in 1757, when Daniel Chabert Joncaire built a sawmill on the upper river. In 1853 work started on a hydraulic canal to divert the waters of the upper river to drive machinery in mills and factories situated below Niagara Falls. In 1875 the first flour mill powered by the canal water was opened, and in 1881 the first hydroelectric generator was installed along the waterway. The first large-scale hydroelectric facility, the Edward Dean Adams Power Plant, was opened on the US side in 1896.
In 1950 the United States and Canada signed a treaty fixing the amount of water that could be diverted from the river for power generation, and soon thereafter two major hydroelectric projects were constructed. The Canadians built the twin Sir Adam Beck-Niagara generating stations (completed 1958; capacity, with associated pumped-storage facility, 1,815,000 kw) at Queenston, Ontario. The Power Authority of the State of New York constructed the Robert Moses-Niagara Power Plant (completed 1963; capacity, with associated pumped-storage facility, 2,400,000 kw) near Lewiston, New York. Both projects, each located about 6 km (about 4 mi) below Niagara Falls, are driven by water diverted just above the falls and conveyed by underground conduits and canals to turbines. The Niagara Tunnel Project in Ontario increased the efficiency of hydroelectric production. The project's new 12.7 metres (42 ft) diameter, 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) long tunnel was officially placed into service on 21 March 2013, helping to increase the generating complex's nameplate capacity by 150 megawatts, with the extra power produced enough for approximately 160,000 homes. Niagara Tunnel Project Images
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Niagara Falls Wikipedia – One of many many sites about the attraction
includes history and facts
– Lots of Tourist oriented sites if you wish to research for your preferences.
Niagara Falls Images – Google
Niagara Falls Geology Facts & Figures –
Complete Visitor's Guide, Attractions etc. etc.
Niagara Falls (Horseshoe Falls) Live Webcam – Located at the Hilton Fallsview
Niagara Falls Live Webcam – Located at Sheraton Niagara Falls, view of US & Cdn Falls
Niagara Falls Live Webcam – At Embassy Suites Niagara Falls Hotel
(Earth Cam)
Occasionally some of the cameras may be unavailable and display archived footage,
at times images are in complete fog or mist but the sound is still available live.
Botanical Gardens Niagara
– Niagara Parks’ Botanical Gardens enchanting beauty
Butterfly Conservatory – Freely Fluttering Butterflies
Niagara Falls is an amazing tourist attraction. Millions from the globe visit annually.
You could write books about the attractions and you could spend months visiting new
attractions daily without exhausting the excitement and beauty.
My fascination began at a very young age, from pictures in a publication and
never waned, being a frequent destination in my youth. Gloria and I visited as
frequently as once a month, probably well over a hundred times over the years.
For many years I thought it would be a good idea to have my ashes tossed over
the rapidly flowing brink of the Falls to become part of the universe.
Niagara Falls has always seemed like an ideal destination for eternity.
I have since asked to be put
to rest in the same location as Gloria's remains are resting. Seems fitting
to have our remains together forever, after we spent most of our lives with each other.
Whatever will be will be, I won't be here to advise. Like Gloria, I never wanted a
monument to remind the world of my existence, or a destination people feel obliged
to visit. All I can hope for is that there is something after we pass and we do get
to reunite with our loved ones for eternity.
I know we live forever in the hearts and minds of our loved ones but that is far short
of etrnity, whereas souls are bound for eternity in painless peace, love and
harmony.
The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin
Lyrics
Click image to view larger image
Elvis Presley – The Wonder of You –
Lyrics
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