7-31-2017

Niagara Falls (part 2)

 

 

 

 Following our ride on the Maid of the Mist we returned to the visitor center to watch “Niagara: Legends of Adventure” a 45 minute film that tells stories and history of the falls. 

 

While we waited for the trolley, we ate our picnic lunch. 

 

We exited the trolley at the Discovery Center.  I enjoyed the film we watched at the center but we didn’t spend much time there because I felt the exhibits were geared more toward children. 

A short distance from the Discovery Center is the remains of the Schoellkopf Power Station, one of the first hydroelectric plants in the US. 

 It was destroyed by rockfall in 1956. 

 

 

But the elevator is still operational and takes visitors down to the Niagara River.

We made our way across the pedestrian bridge to the Aquarium of Niagara.

Animals on display at the aquarium include Humboldt penguins, California Sea lions, harbor seals, sharks, freshwater turtles, and freshwater and saltwater fish. 

 

The Humboldt penguin is a South American penguin that breeds in coastal Chile and Peru.  The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander Von Humboldt, an explorer.

 

The lionfish is a venomous marine fish native to the Indo-Pacific. 

 

Clownfish are native to warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.  Clownfish and sea anemones have a symbiotic relationship, each providing a number of benefits to the other.  The sea anemone protects the clownfish from predators.  In return, the clownfish defends the anemone from its predators. 

 

 

Sea Lion show

We took the trolley to the Falls Restaurant where I ordered a cup of coffee and a slice of cheesecake to share. 

It took over twenty minutes for the waiter to bring our order even though there were hardly any customers.  I was never offered a refill on the tiny cup of coffee and the cheesecake was stale. 

We hoped back on the trolley and got off at the Three Sister Islands.

 

Accessible from Goat Island, the islands are named after Celinda, Angelina, and Asenath Whitney, daughters of General Parkhurst Whitney who was one of the more prominent settlers of Niagara Falls. 

 

 

 

General Whitney’s daughters are believed to be the first settlers to have trekked to the three small islands. 

 

Each island supports a variety of microhabitats and has its own character.

 

The Three Sisters Islands are connected by bridges, allowing pedestrians to walk to all three for grand views of the rapids right before its descent over the grand Horseshoe Falls.