Thundering Noise

Other than local places, there isn't a place I've been to more than Niagara Falls. My first trip was in 1990 with my Mom. I brought a group of farmers there, during an out-state-state bus tour. I don't remember what year. In 2005, I visited Niagara Falls when I was in Buffalo for the NACAA meeting. I took my niece in 2006. My last visit was last year (2023) on the way back from Ontario to speak at some goat clinics. 

Niagara Falls skyline

I've done the Maid of the Mist boat ride a couple of times. Getting close to the falls was/is always an amazing experience -- and a wet one! I have gone behind the falls once or twice. I have been up in the Skylon Tower to take in the views. The site of the falls never ceases to awe me. 

Horseshoe Falls

Niagara Falls is a group of three water falls at the southern end of the Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between Ontario and New York. The largest of the three is Horseshoe falls. It lies on the international border between Canada and the US. The smaller American Falls and even smaller Bridal Veil Falls lie within the US.  

Over the years, Niagara Falls has attracted many daredevils and publicity seekers. People have also accidentally fallen over the falls. Some have tried to commit suicide. Some have survived. The most recent incident was in 2019 when a man jumped into the river above Horseshoe Falls. He survived. My niece and I went on a VR-style "ride" which simulated going over the falls and floating down the river in a barrel. It was cool. We did it twice.

The most powerful waterfall in North America

SEE AND LISTEN TO THE FALLS

In 1969, the American Falls were drained. Two dead bodies and millions of coins were found.  Rainbow Bridge is a steel arch bridge that connects Niagara Falls, Canada with Niagara Falls, New York. It replaced Honeymoon Bridge which collapsed in 1938 due to an ice jam. The traffic across Rainbow Bridge it was too backed up to travel it last year. I chose a different route to return to the US.

Rainbow Bridge

American Falls

Niagara Falls is New York's largest generator of electricity. Nikola Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls. There is a statue of him near the falls.

Power Station

There is wreckage of a ship (scow) in the Niagara River not far from the brink of Horseshoe Falls. It has been there for more than a century. Two men were rescued from the vessel which had broke loose from a boat. I didn't see it until I visited the last time. I had never walked up the river until last year.

Wreckage

Walkway

Niagara River

Floral showcase

Healy Falls and Locks

Healey Falls are a wide falls on the Trent River. They are over a hundred meters (328 feet) in length. A dam runs across the top of the falls. You could walk all the way across the dam. That was neat. The majority of the water flow is sent for hydroelectric power. When I saw the falls, there wasn't much water flow. They weren't very impressive. That's the thing about water falls. They need water!

Trent River Dam

Thundering water

Healey Falls

Not much water

Quiet waters

Healey Falls Locks are the second flight locks on the Waterway. They are located 7 miles upstream from the town of Campbellford.

Locks 16-17

The top

Going through the lock

The Trent River

The Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge is the only one of its kind in Ontario. It is 300 feet across and 30 feet above the gorge. It was built by engineers of the Canadian forces as a training project. You can see right through it as you walk across the bridge. 

Ranney Suspension Bridge

Scary bridge

See Through

Ranney Falls span the entire width of the Trent River, about 80 meters (almost 200 feet). The plunge is bigger than it looks, about 4 meters (13 feet). Water in the river is directed towards the hydroelectric plant.

Ranney Falls

Me at Ranney Falls

200 feet across

Upstream

A giant $2 Canadian coin is located along the Trent River in Campbellford. Erected in 2001, the coin is 27 feet high and 15 feet in diameter. In reality, the Canadian $2 coin (called the "Toonie") was introduced in 1996. There is a polar bear on one side of the coin.

Toonie

Mural of the Trent River

Peterborough Lift Lock

I was invited to Ontario to speak at two goat hoof health clinics. In between the two clinics I had some time to play tourist. Fortunately, there were things in the area worth exploring, mostly the canal and lock system on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Trent-Severn Waterway

According to Wikipedia, "The Trent–Severn Waterway is a 386-kilometre-long (240 mi) canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, at Port Severn. Its scenic, meandering route has been called 'one of the finest interconnected systems of navigation in the world.'" The system is still in service and is used mostly for tourism and recreational boats.

Peterborough Lift Lock

Boat needing a lift

The Peterborough Lift Lock is a boat lift located on the Trent Canal in the city of Peterborough, and is Lock 21 on the Trent-Severn Waterway. For many years, the lock's dual lifts were the highest hydraulic boat lifts in the world, raising boats 65 feet. Now the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland (which I've also seen) is higher and more modern. The Peterborough lock opened in 1904 versus 2002 for the Falkirk Wheel.

Along Little Lake

Lock 20 is located at the Northeast Corner of Little Lake. It's a way from busy roads, so it's a quite spot.  I met three nice young men at the lock. They let me turn the wheel and open the lock for a boat to go through. 

Lake side

Lock keeper

Going through the lock

Me opening the lock (watch video)

Vancouver

The joint meeting of the American and Canadian Societies of Animal and Dairy Science was held in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2018. I had two presentations. Niki and Dahlia were my travel companions. When we weren't at the meeting we went sightseeing. Vancouver was a neat city to explore.   After the meeting, Niki and I boarded a cruise ship for Alaska.

On official business

My travel companions: Dahlia and Niki

Vancouver is a major city of western Canada. It is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Canada. The population is diverse. The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and 4th largest in the Americas. Over a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ships, often bound for Alaska (we did).

View from the Vancouver Lookout

4th largest port in North America

Our boat: Island Princess

Totem poles

Street performer

Water taxis along the Vancouver waterfront

Houseboats in the harbor

Along a scenic path

I made a friend.

Vancouver landmarks
The 9 o'clock gun (cannon) is a 12-pound muzzle loader that is fired daily at 9 pm. It was cast in England in 1816 and brought to Stanley Park in 1894 to warn fisherman of the close of fishing. The gun was restored and sheltered in 1986. Now it is a time signal for the public and harbor. The cauldron is a massive Olympic torch built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is still lit for special occasions. 

The Drop is a steel structure resembling a raindrop designed by a group of German artists (c. 2009). The 65-foot tall piece is an homage to nature, according to the artist. One of Vancouver's most photographed sites is the Giants Murals, six painted silos. They are located on Granville Island. We searched all over to find the Bob Marley Shrine. We found the Jimi Hendrix shrine, and it was closed. Our search led us to an interesting part of the city. We visited a nearby cannabis shop. I'd never been to one, before or since.

9 O'Clock Gun

Olympic cauldron

The Drop

Granville Giants Mural

Bob Marley Shrine

My first time in a pot shop