Day 2 - Niagara Falls!

We decided to sleep in today and didn't start showers til after 9:00am.  It was a great way to start the day.  

The kids were eager to hit Tim Hortons (Canadian favorite) so we decided on donuts for breakfast.  We also made a quick stop at Starbucks to get some caffeine for mom.

Next we walked along the trail that follows the Niagara River with beautiful views of first the American Falls and then the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.  We stopped for lots of photo ops and selfies and just enjoyed the stroll together.

As we got closer, the mist kicked up and with overcast skies it got a bit chilly.  The weather is forecasting a high of 67* today.  T-shirt weather when the sun is out but sweatshirts are needed in the shade.  It's honestly perfect for our plans for today.

When we arrived at the Table Rock Welcome Center, we grabbed tickets to do Journey Behind the Falls.  It's an elevator ride down into the cliff next to and under the Horseshoe Falls.  By walking through these tunnels cut in the stone, you can pop out in two different places to view the cascading water through 6' portholes behind the falls.  

Then we went out on the observation platform to see the falls up close.  It was pretty incredible. Overall I was a little nervous that we'd get down there and have long lines to wait but we must have timed it just right because at almost every stop, it seemed the lines just disappeared.  As we would leave, we'd see long lines waiting to get in and it was a reminder how well it worked out.  (Thank you God).

After we wrapped up, we started the walk back toward our hotel and stopped for the iconic boat ride on the Canadian HornBlower.  We were at the back of the line and wondered if we'd even get a spot near the edge to see but honestly, we had tons of room.  We stood along the outer railing on the port side of the boat which gave incredible views the entire way.  We were so impressed by the power of the turbulent water and even the thick mist that made it difficult to see and left us drenched.  

Once we finished the boat ride, we decided to head back up for something to eat.  We decided on appetizers at Hard Rock Cafe which is next door to our hotel.  It was a fun stop with a quick game of Ticket to Ride, and then we headed back to our hotel room. 

Tyler worked on grading some projects for class, I started planning our activities in Boston, and Sammy watched videos on YouTube.

At 6:00 pm, our tour guide picked us up in the lobby.  He drove us back to the Table Rock building for dinner in the restaurant.  It was a limited menu of three courses included in our package.  We all found something we enjoyed.  

After dinner, our tour guide Oscar picked us up and drove us just up the road to the Niagara Falls Power Plant.  This was built in 1901 following the designs of Nikola Tesla but closed in 1961 when all three power plants were decommissioned and the water rerouted to another more modern power plant further down the river.  In 2010s, it was updated and reopened for a few months to accommodate a power shortage.  After around 49 years, it needed only a few modifications and ran with just two on staff.

Because we visited at night, we missed the audio tour but could look around the exhibits and could take an elevator ride down one of the shafts only to walk the tunnel all the way back to the river where the water was returned after the falls.

Once we finished at the power plant, we got a private tour of the illumination station - the LED lights that shine on both the American and Canadian falls to change the lights displayed after dark. This was definitely a bucket list visit and ended with us getting to change the colors on both falls.  The employee was incredibly kind and answered all of our questions.

Oscar drove us back to the hotel just before 10pm.  It's been a big day with over 15,000 steps.  But Sammy wasn't done yet, so she and I ran to the Skywheel while Tyler headed back to our room.

We had a nice ride and then grabbed a snack to bring back and share with Tyler.  We are all ready for a good night's rest!  A big driving day tomorrow as we make our way to Boston, MA.