New York - Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, NY


Swiveling from south to north at Whirlpool State Park. The Rainbow Bridge is in the background of the first photo, and the Falls are beyond that. The Niagara River rushes into the "whirlpool" visible in the third and fourth photos. The river tumbles over a collection of boulders, creating a mass of foam and spewing forth a cloud of mist, but it is not a true whirlpool. The whirlpool action apparently only happens during the coldest months of the year, when there are fewer visitors to see it and it can frequently ice over. As at the Falls, visitors to the Canadian side get the better of this sight, as they get to hover over the "whirlpool" in a cable car that looks like it was born from the inside of the Rainbow Bridge arch. However, the cable car came first, in 1916, when the nearby crossing was still the Honeymoon Bridge (still a steel arch, though).


Bridging the gap to my Niagara Falls photos through the Rainbow Bridge.


Little-known fact: The impetus behind going over the Falls in a barrel was finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Niagara Falls, ON and the Skylon Tower are in the background.


The larger, prettier, and more famous Horseshoe Falls are much better viewed from the Canadian side, but you can seem them from afar in New York. Just downstream is an old outlet that is either from the Canadian drainage system or was related to the now-abandoned power generating station next to it.


From the bottom of the Falls (American and Bridal Veil - the Canadian ones are Horseshoe) to the top, then up the east branch of the Niagara River. The pedestrian bridge leads to Goat Island and more views, but I was pressed for time. (With more time, I would have sprung for Canada as well.) Horseshoe Falls generates a plume of mist that is visible for many miles on the horizon.



Abandoned Robert Moses State Parkway
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