Winter In Niagara Falls

So the weather in Toronto has been less than pleasing and figured that if I am going to deal with this stupid polar vortex hovering around Canada then I may as well head to a place where there is [at least] some scenery for the winter.  So what a better excuse to get away for a weekend and enjoy Niagara Falls.

Sunday morning before our transit departed, my girlfriend (Allison) and I were awake bright & early, dressed and checked out so we could grab some morning snapshots of the falls.  Being that it was hovering around the 1030/11am mark, the sunlight was hitting the falls rather exquisitely and made for a perfect setting for the 300 photos I had room for on the camera (thank you 4GB card).

So we walked along Victoria Park where a fresh snowfall had happened the night before.  Can you tell I am a fan of odd winding trees?  The crowds were a minimal so not so much traffic in freshly laid snow, and also made for good photo opportunities.  Since I did not have the fancy expensive lenses for some gorgeous wide angle shots, I decided to use my zoom lens (AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED) to it's advantage and grab some close ups of the falls.  While the falls as a whole is beautiful, I was mesmerized by the ice block and icicles forming around the mist and run-off.

The American side of the falls tends to be a bit more photogenic (for me) than the Canadian counterpart.  As you can see from the shot towards the bottom, even in the winter the mist from the horseshoe falls makes it difficult for light and quality.

"I'm facing Niagara Falls - the wind and the mist and the dark and the peregrine falcons - and I'm going to stay focused on the other side." -Nik Wallenda

"It seems that I have always been ahead of my time. I had to wait nineteen years before Niagara was harnessed by my system, fifteen years before the basic inventions for wireless which I gave to the world in 1893 were applied universally." -Nikola Tesla

(That same bird you saw in the previous photo is seen here as well towards the bottom left ice cap.  Definitely changes the perspective on the size of these caps!)

(Just to give a perspective on this, those cracks in the ice appeared to be thicker than I am tall, so let's assume around 6ft thick!)

"It's Niagara Falls. It's one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. Who wouldn't want to walk across it?" -Nik Wallenda

And since I was also looking to use the falls as a backdrop, my girlfriend Alli struck a pose and sported some winter gear from MEC and Columbia.  Fancy glasses not included ;-)