Niagara Falls with the spectacularly scenic gushing of water falls
Niagara
Falls was formed when melting glaciers created the five Great Lakes, one
of which, Lake Erie, ran downhill towards another, Lake Ontario. The
rushing waters carved out a river during their descent, passing the
Niagara escarpment, causing the water to back up into the river. The path
left from this phenomenon, created roughly 12,000 years ago, is known as
the Niagara Gorge. Its current rate of wear is roughly 30 cm (12 in) a
year.
The falls at Niagara consist of the cataract of Niagara Falls on the New
York side of the bridge, and the Horseshoe, or Canadian Falls across the
border. The crescent-shaped Canadian Falls are 54 m (177 ft) high and
carry nine times more water than their American counterpart, flowing at
roughly 56.3 kph (35 mph). The combination of height and water flow is
what makes the falls so incredibly beautiful and dramatic. Every minute the
Canadian Falls spew 168,000 cubic m (6,000,000 cubic ft) of water over
their lip.
Niagara Falls, also known as the 'Honeymoon Capital of the World' or `onguiaahra'
meaning 'a thundering noise', has long been a source of wonder and
entertainment for large crowds of tourists. It is a natural landmark that
has inspired breathtaking feats of courage, created legends and myths and
taken numerous lives.
Blondin, a tightrope walker performed numerous crossings of the gorge in
Niagara Falls during the mid-19th century, including while blindfolded,
while carrying a cooking stove as he prepared an omelet on the high
wire and, amazingly, while carrying his 67-kg (10½-stone) manager Harry
Colcord on his back!
For the more sane among us, the best way to experience the spectacular
grandeur of the falls is by boat. The Maid of the Mist takes intrepid
tourists right to the base of Horseshoe falls for a simply breathtaking
(and wet!) view of the crashing waters.
