Monday, February 24, 2014

A Wintery Niagara Falls



Thank you all for your kind comments in my past posts.  As you may have gathered this has been a difficult winter.  My birthday and our wedding anniversary are in February and usually they are good reasons for celebrations and a little pick-me-up, but not this year.  In addition to Juno being sick, I had the stomach flu for a week and it started the day before my birthday. Worst birthday ever!

By the Family Day holiday on February 17th, I definitely felt the need for some fun.  I decided that an outing to Niagara Falls and then out for lunch was just what we needed.  This winter has tied for the tenth coldest winter in the past 100 years.  One of the advantages of a cold winter is the amazing ice formations at Niagara Falls.  We were not disappointed.

There were huge rafts of ice going over the falls at the top along with small frothy bits of ice that made it look like a giant slushy.






The Niagara River at the base of the falls was completely covered over by a frozen bridge of ice.  I didn't even know it could do that because the river moves with such force there.  It wasn't until I Googled it when I got home that I learned it used to a popular excursion to walk across the river on the ice bridge and spend the day sliding down the ice mounds.  It all came to an end when the ice bridge broke up unexpectedly on February 3rd, 1912 and three people were drowned.  You can read about it and see historic photos here




The cliffs across the river on the American side had amazing long blue icicles and frozen spray on the trees.


When we walked past the Falls, the mist came down as hail and coated us in ice pellets (including my camera - oops).  





Both the Canadian and American Falls had huge ice mounds at the base of them.







We visited Niagara Falls one other year when it had been a cold winter so it was interesting to compare the ice formations.  In February 2009 we had had a string of cold weather throughout January so there was a lot of ice and I remembering thinking the Falls were spectacular.  This year has been exceptionally cold though and the ice formations were even better.  I put the 2009 and recent photos in a collage so you can compare.  You can see the river had more ice on it and the ice mounds were higher on this visit.



Have you ever visited Niagara Falls?  Most people visit in the summer so I hope you enjoyed a little tour of the Falls in its winter finery.

9 comments:

  1. I just love Niagara Falls and have been many, many times. It's so beautiful and magical in any season.

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  2. We went to Niagara Falls when our kids were younger...it was great fun. I'm glad you got away but it sure looks cold!

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  3. We were able to get there this winter as well... you got some great shots!

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  4. I feel a chill just reading this post! Thanks for sharing these amazing photos. The blues on the American side are truly amazing. I think you should try to capture them in paint! So pretty!

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  5. Stunning photos! At least this winter is good for something :)

    Char@marshallhousematters.com

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  6. Fabulous pictures of the falls! Never been there...maybe someday *sigh*

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  7. You got some great photos!!! Sadly, I have never been to Niagara Falls. My niece got married in St Catherines last year and I was going to get to see it for the first time, but it did not work out. Thank you for showing us the winter photos, I would not mind seeing it in the winter time too!
    Here the weather stat people are saying that this is the coldest winter in 35 years. So much for global warming, back 35 years ago I was in school hearing that the Ice Age was coming back. :)

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  8. Thanks for sharing the great photos of the Falls at this time of year. We visit often but usually in Spring (love the tulips) and summer, even into the Fall. It's hard to imagine people at the turn of the century were brave enough to walk on the ice. I get nervous close to the railing lol. The blue of the icicles on the American side is intriguing. I wonder what causes the blue? Sorry to hear you were sick, and for your birthday too, yuck!

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  9. Those are some of the most astonishing photos I've ever seen. I kept saying - now that's my favorite - now THAT'S my favorite - no that's my favorite. I loved them all, and the stories, amazing. I do have to say - the one with the blue icicles might have edged out the others as my very favorite - the trees are stunning. And to think that the spray comes down as hail - amazing. I've never even been to Niagara Falls and I'm not that fond of winter - but this would be a treat for sure. Thanks for sharing - it must ba amazing to be close enough to have a day trip to Niagara Falls.

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