Niagara Falls: Expectations Exceeded

Sam here. Let me begin by saying that our expectations for Niagara Falls were low, so low in fact, that two summers ago we cut it out of our trip and decided to go home instead. You see, we viewed it as a tourist trap, a kitsch stop, not something worth seeing. We envisioned ourselves walking through stores crammed with souvenirs and sidewalks bustling with tourists and hawkers, all of who scrambled over piles of litter toward the legendary waterfall. 

 It doesn’t sound like an ideal place to camp. Either that, or we are nature snobs. I’ll let you decide.  

            Here is what actually happened:

            We rolled into the Niagara Falls KOA at approximately 5:19 PM. We were bedraggled, sleepy, and famished, yet still enthusiastic after nine hours of travel. After setting up and eating dinner, Eli and I went to the complimentary KOA trampoline, where we met other campground children. Why is this relevant? It is my opinion the friendship between nations does not begin on the political stage, or even in a diplomat’s office. It begins at a campground playground, where kids from all over the world, who may not even speak the same language, play tag together and push each other on the swings.

            Later that evening, we drove down to the falls to see them lit up in a splendid array of colors and to see the nightly fireworks show. Seeing Niagara Falls was a magical experience, especially for Eli. He had no idea that we were going to see the waterfall, not just some random one, although that does sound like us. Chuckling to ourselves that he didn’t know what Niagara Falls were, we decided to keep it a surprise for him. (Actually, this entire trip is a surprise for him, since he has no idea where we are going.) As for the falls, words fail to describe it, except to say that the thick torrents of white frothing water that are Niagara Falls, make every other waterfall pale in comparison. 

               Even though we had already seen the falls, we hung around the next morning since we had one last activity to cross off our list before we packed up: a boat tour. Like everything else about Niagara, our expectations were low, and we were checking our watches as we took the Hornblower Cruises Funicular to our boat the Niagara Thunder. Our only inkling that this would be memorable were the red plastic rain ponchos the crew handed to us. 

            And memorable it was.

            Getting up close to Niagara Falls was like nothing we had never experienced before. In fact, this stop on our trip did nothing but exceed our expectations. As we sailed closer to the mighty waterfall, its churning mist glided toward us and gave us the showers we needed. Eli had decided not to wear the rain poncho and in no time at all, he was drenched to the bone. Even Dad’s special quick-dry pants and rain slicker did not stop the droplets from penetrating into his skin. We were wet, squished by the crowd, and deliriously happy. We couldn’t stop laughing, so much so that we probably sounded hysterical. It was just that, being surrounded by the churning silver and blue water and mist of the ever-flowing waterfall, filled us to the brim with a fizzy, glittery feeling of joy and wonder, swirling within us as the water moved within Niagara Falls. Dad says that that feeling is called being high on nature. I say that it’s just truly feeling alive.