Niagara Falls, Ontario

What better way to re-enter the USA than via one of the busiest border crossings around?  Still, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to cram our camera's memory stick full of the many breathtaking views offered by Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls comprises three distinct waterfalls:  Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the US side.  Most people (Canadian and American) will tell you that the most impressive views are on the Canadian side.  They're not wrong; Horseshoe Falls is spectacular.

It's a shame that the clouds were emptying roughly as much water on us as the Falls were on the rocks below us, making for some fairly grey pictures.  Still, you get the idea:

Several organised attractions allow you to get a bit more up close and personal with the Falls.  The "Maid Of The Mist" sails right into the mouth of Horseshoe Falls:

The bad weather seemed to be stopping the boat from venturing as far into the  opening as it probably normally does, so we gave it a miss.  We did however take the "Journey Behind The Falls", which takes you 150 ft down to two viewing platforms right next to the Falls.

And, as the name cleverly suggests, you can also walk behind the waterfall by way of a purpose-built tunnel with a couple of lookout points:

I must admit, it's disappointing at first that the walkway is a nice safe tunnel.  I don't know what I was expecting really; I suppose grappling with some kind of rickety rope bridge like an extra in an Indiana Jones movie while trying to avoid taking 750,000 gallons of water to the face is probably a bit much for the average casual tourist.

Here we are rocking our designer ponchos:

One thing we missed out on was the illuminations in the evening, where the Falls are bathed in colour from spotlights positioned on the cliff edges.  It's supposed to be a great thing to witness, but unfortunately the usual problem of not having a clue where we were sleeping that night forced us to move on.  I have no memory of where we did actually make our home that night!