Maid of the Monsoon

So what's a trip to Niagara Falls without a ride on the famous attraction Maid of the Mist??!! Still in my Gore-Tex from Journey Behind the Falls, I decided no time like the present (and lines were short too!) boarded Maid of the Mist VII for the drenching experience. Boarding was just short of the American Falls and you cruise up the Niagara River toward the Horseshoe Falls, eventually ending up underneath them, then returning to the dock.

Here you see 2 boats going in opposite directions past the American Falls.

The American Falls are 1100 feet across, 176 foot high and the daytime flow rate of the water over the brink is an astounding 75,000 gallons per SECOND! As you can see the bottoms of these are quite visibly rocky, perhaps that is the reason most adventurers that go over in barrels and kayaks, etc. choose the Horseshoe Falls.

Here's a closeup of the Bridal Veil Falls.

View of the American Falls from the deck of Maid of the Mist VII on the Niagara River.

Here is how close the boat actually gets to the falls as seen from pictures I tool the following day in New York.

The dark objects on the deck are actually people in their thin plastic royal blue rain ponchos! The kind you buy at the store for a dollar or two, but at amusement parks they charge more like $10! I opted for my tried & tested Gore-Tex! Excellent choice!

However, the spray as the boat got closer got more intense with every minute! Here I am still pretty distant and I am already starting to get the spray as you can see on my photo! I'm glad I decided to stand on the bottom deck near the rear. At least that part is covered! I am beginning to wonder if the folks up top aren't regretting their decision.

A few minutes later we were not even quite as far
as the stopping point, but by this time, I really needed a windshield wiper for my eyeballs and my camera lens! My chamois cover just wasn't cutting it! I really had zero visibility and the water was beginning to sting my eyes. So, at this point, I left the rail and headed toward the center with my back to the falls and my camera inside my jacket to best protect it. I think the term Maid of the Mist is a misnomer, it was waaayyyy more that a mist, it should be renamed Maid of the MONSOON! Anyway, it was rather enjoyable, but I would NOT recommend the top deck. Hmmm, just had an idea, I wonder if you can use Rain-X on a camera lens? That would have helped (maybe)!