Maids of the Mist

Let's acknowledge right up front that Niagara Falls has been commercialized to a great extent.  One does not hike through wilderness to seek this treasure and then bask in the satisfaction of the exertion and the knowledge that few have partaken of it.  (Those experiences are wonderful and I've enjoyed a few along the way.)  Indeed we almost didn't stop at the Falls on this trip because I had somewhat snobbishly relegated them to the often condescending appellation "tourist trap".  That would have been a mistake.

Our children had not seen (or remembered seeing) this great wonder so we included it at the end of our recent eastern trip.   Maybe it was the new camera--which serves as new "eyes" through which to see all kinds of things--but I really enjoyed our visit to Niagara Falls!

This somewhat serendipitous image (I wish I could take artistic credit for capturing the boat just as it passed through the poetic "end of the rainbow") shows both the natural beauty and an enduring staple of the falls experience, the Maid of the Mist boat rides.