Who Goes Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel?

Peering into the abyss

The sound, the fury, the power. Standing at the very top of Horseshoe falls, peering through the mist into the abyss, a vertical drop of 165 feet to a shelf of jagged rocks, it’s easy to become mesmerized by the ongoing rush of water swirling past you. It hypnotic. Its power draws you in and over the edge. I kept a firm grip on the railing and wondered, is this what motivated all those daredevils (crazy people?) to leap over the side and pit themselves against Niagara Falls? They’ve done it in wood barrels, large rubber balls, jetski’s and with just the clothes on their back. We took the more sane route to see the Falls up close and personal, a boat tour on the Maid of the Mist. A wet, wild and windy ride, but at least we walked off the boat alive and well, which is more than some of those daredevils could say.

Niagara Falls

We enjoyed the Falls from the top and the bottom, from Ontario and New York, during the day and at night.  There were no shortage of scenic views of this natural wonder. Needing a break from all this beauty we decided to play golf, but there was no getting away from the beautiful surroundings. We drove along the Niagara River and found  Legends on the Niagara. This is a Provincial run golf course that was one of the prettiest courses we’ve played, with great holes and in top condition. In addition, we had an early bird special, with reduced greens fee and a free breakfast, all for playing before 9am.  Life is good.

Legends on the Niagara Golf Course

We decided to spend our last morning in Marineland. It was near where we were staying and it seemed to fit the other touristy things we had been doing. In our travels we have found that the best approach to these tourist attractions is to get there when it opens. All those families with kids are still having breakfast somewhere and it gives you about a two hour head start on the big crowds.  The highlight was getting to feed a killer whale a few fish. She was 30 years old and had the biggest, pinkest tongue you’ve ever seen. The rest of the park was pretty routine. A lot of jumping, spouting and clapping, by whales, dolphins and seals. Oh, and bears meditating.

This was a Zen bear, deep in meditation

We were done with the park by lunchtime and headed back to camp to pack up. This was it. We had completed our last stop on our tour of the Great lakes. We’d enjoyed Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin. We’d done the Circle tour of Lake Superior, from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, to Thunder Bay, Ontario and Wawa. Then it was on to Lake Huron, and finally,  here we were at the juncture of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Six great weeks in Ontario and now it is back to the USA and whatever adventures await us down these red roads.