Maid of the Mist

The tourist attraction in the Niagra Falls area is the Maid of the Mist boat tour, an attraction that has existed for decades and that lures those brave/stupid fools into the spray that is given off by the Niagra Falls.

Everyone gets a complimentary poncho, which we usually shirk if we're doing water rides in theme parks, but here it's essential protective wear...if you can get them on in the wind.

The trip starts out pleasant enough passing by American Falls and offering a really nice view of this part of the falls.

Then the boat approaches the base of horseshoe falls and this is where things take a turn for the worse, or more appropriately the wetter.

There are no photos from this point as I daren't take the camera out of the bag for fear of it getting water damaged. Needless to say the "mist" in the title of the ride is a misnomer, "torrential downpour" may be a more accurate description. There are a few moments in my life where I've been out of my comfort zone so much that I fall into hysterical laughter as a defence mechanism, and I will add this to the list. The power and the relentless force of the water is awesome and I mean that in a Grand Canyon level of awesomeness, not a burger lunch. You just don't appreciate the scale and sheer force of the falls unless you're under it.

The groups having survived the ordeal departing the boat and I came away with a new "awesome" moment in my life.