July 1: Niagara Falls, Toronto

Dear Friends and Relatives,

After a final breakfast at the Delavan Hotel in Buffalo, we proceeded to Niagara Falls, 17 miles N of Buffalo and 75 miles S of Toronto, between the cities of Niagara Falls, Canada and Niagara Falls, NY.  It is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the US, more specifically between the province of Ontario and the state of NY.  They form the S end of the Niagara Gorge.  From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are: 1) Horseshoe Falls, which lies on the border of the US and Canada, and which is the most powerful waterfall in North America as measured by vertical height and flow rate; 2) American Falls, which lies totally on the American side, separated by Goat Island; and 3) Bridal Veil Falls, also on the American side and separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island.  

The international boundary was originally drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but the boundary has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction.  Niagara Falls is located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.  The combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world that has a vertical drop of more than 165 feet.  The falls were formed at the end of the last Ice Age, and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.  While the falls are not exceptionally high, they are very wide.  More than 60,000,000 cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and 40,000,000 cubic feet on average.  They are famed, and rightly so, for their amazing power and as a source of hydroelectric power.

We started off with a scenic trolley tour to get our bearings, and then stopped at the main Visitor Center to see "Niagara: Legends of Adventure," a film on the history, the explorers and daredevils of Niagara Falls.  From there we walked the Upper Great Gorge hike to Horseshoe Falls and had lunch at the Top of the Falls Restaurant, a full-service, dine-in restaurant famous for its panoramic waterfall views.  Alexandra and I shared a Terrapin salad (spinach salad with fruits and nuts) and a stir fry of cod with French fries.  Afterwards we walked from Horseshoe Falls back to American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, admiring their raw power and the rainbows at the bottom of each fall that were generated by the constantly roiling water.  Outstanding!

From Niagara Falls, we crossed Rainbow Bridge along with tons of other cars, paid a bridge toll and then showed our passports at the other end of the bridge.  From there it was 75 miles N to Toronto, where we arrived at about 6:00, parked our car in a parking garage across the street from our Air BnB, and then met our landlady, who showed us the apartment where we will spend the next few nights.  It is a split-level apartment with a small balcony which looks right into a bunch of skyscrapers.  Left is a radio tower from which fireworks are going to be set off this evening in honor of the 150th Canada Day anniversary.  In 1867, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick took the first steps to becoming a dominion. We are looking forward to the commencement of the fireworks, now that we have had dinner.  A very nice market across the street netted us dinner: sushi, apricots, and a celebratory drink, a tomato beer which Alexandra brought along.  A lovely evening, and we are in a celebratory mode tonight!  What fun we are having!  As ever, Sylvia