Day Seven-Niagara Falls

WARNING: The blog you are about to read may cause you to overdose on Milder Family vacation photos.

Grace woke up before the rest of us this morning and when I woke up this is what I saw... She was quietly sitting on one of the tubs just taking in the view of the falls. I have to say, it's really something to wake up to. While Scott and I were getting dressed they were reading books. We took a picture because we wanted to document that there was one moment in a hotel during this trip where they weren't trying to either kill each other or being so loud that we expect hotel security to come ask us to leave.

We had a quick breakfast of donuts...Canadian donuts are not like American donuts. The icing is like really gooey cake icing, it's not powdered sugar based. It makes them very thick. Mandy had to pray over the donuts before we ate.

She looked so sweet saying her prayer that I had to take a picture. My former newspaper photographer husband then scolded me and told me that you NEVER take a picture of someone praying. Apparently that's rule #1 of photojournalism. I told him I wasn't a photojournalist, but a mom....is there anything sweeter than a praying child???!!

After breakfast we headed to the oldest tourist attraction in North America...the Maid of the Mist boat tour of the Falls. The "mist" really isn't something you can grasp until you've been here. At times it's great, kinda like those misters they put in theme parks to cool you off, and at other times, like on the boat when you're right at the base of the Horseshoe Falls it's like a rainstorm. They give you these blue rain ponchos to wear...

Then, they drive you right to the base of the Falls. It's really, really loud....and wet. Mandy was not excited. In fact, she had to be comforted by her sister!

The rest of us thought it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In fact, I think I liked it better than the Grand Canyon. I could just sit and watch it for hours. It's both enormously powerful and yet peaceful at the same time. Scott was in photographer heaven today!The American Falls

After our trip into the mist, we came back to the hotel to change into cooler clothes. We had dressed in jeans this morning thinking it would be cold out on the water...not so. We were roasting. Then came lunch at a hot dog stand...

And as per reader request, here is the view of the American Falls from our hotel room window...

After that it was time for our "Journey into the Falls." They take you down an elevator 334 feet behind Horseshoe Falls where they have cut paths that let you see the backside of the waterfall.

Then you go out on an observation deck that is right...and I mean right...beside the falls.
Then we took a walk down the sidewalk that follows the edge of the river and got to watch all different views of the falls. And, of course take more pictures! A young man visiting from Dublin, Ireland took this one for us... After this we came back to the hotel for a little rest, then headed out of town about 15 miles to Niagara-On-The-Lake. This was definitely a place that Scott and I would like to return...without children. Beautiful bed and breakfasts...streets of quaint little shops, vineyards, restaurants. Flowers everywhere, lots of English influences.

Scott modeling an authentic Indiana Jones hat. As you may have noticed it's been 7 days now since Scott has shaved. He says he's not shaving for two more weeks. I can only hope he changes his mind soon.

The kids in front of one of the HUGE trees that line the streets...

Grace's Top 5

1. Seeing the falls from the top. 2. The boat ride. 3. Seeing the falls from behind. 4. the hot dogs 5. Getting fudge!

Thomas's Top 5

1. Eating dinner. (What a boy!) 2. Seeing behind the falls. 3. Going down in the falls on the boat. 4. Getting ice cream. 5. Going swimming.

Thank you to all of you who have been posting comments every day. The kids always check the blog before we leave the hotel in the morning and again before they go to bed! Tomorrow we are headed to Lake Placid, New York.

It's really beautiful here in Niagara Falls. It's one of those things that can't be captured in a picture, but has to be experienced.

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."Genesis 1:5-7