Maid of the Mist

Around the U.S.

 

The next morning, I decided to get a closer look at the falls by riding the Maid of the Mist, a boat that sails around the base of both falls, giving tourists an up-close and somewhat drenching experience of the power of that much water. The boat provides all passengers with plastic rain ponchos, but the wind and water seem to penetrate even the smallest cracks. I resorted to keeping my camera in a plastic bag most of the time. While it made it harder to take pictures through the water accumulating on the plastic, it did ensure my camera was still operational when I disembarked from the boat.
 

The Maid of the Mist swung by the American Falls first, and I managed to capture a few pictures.

Base of the Falls
 

American Falls
 

On the way back to the dock, the sun came out, lighting up the mist rising from the falls.

Niagara Falls
 

The Maid of the Mist dock on the American side sits right under the observation tower. It sure is tall!

Observation Tower