We ate breakfast at the hostel, where we spoke with Randy for some time. He was a real talker, but not the sort who runs a wire straight from mind to mouth, leaving the ear disconnected. We had a stimulating conversation running through the death of the petrodollar, the war in Ukraine, competition with China, the housing market, and technology addiction.

Then we drove to Niagara Falls. Good God, it was enormous. Mesmerizing, too. We stared.

Owen found a series of tunnels that took us inside the falls, so thither we went next.

We stepped into the elevator to the tunnels, packed in with several other people. I became lighter, then heavier, then normal, then the elevator door opened to the tunnel beneath the falls. It was quite weathered and its plain white walls were missing large flakes of paint. A distance down, cold iron bars kept us from turning left into an unfinished tunnel, where rotting timbers still sat in squares against the exposed rock. Cool air, blue-indigo light, and excited hollers rushed through the tunnel to harshly greet the newcomers. (video)

We walked to the first opening to the falls' inside. It was crowded, but after a time we were able to see the inside of the falls.

At first, it was disorienting. The motion of the water outside just didn't make sense. Masses of water seemed to be flowing upward just as much as they were flowing downward, like we were watching a time lapse of the violently rolling clouds in a hurricane. The falls thundered so that the air itself pulsed, putting waves of pressure and relief on my eardrums, and the stone floor vibrated softly. I was somewhere humans weren't meant to be, transcendent and incomprehensible. The throne room of Poseidon.

A video doesn't really do it justice, but I took plenty anyway (video) (video with us).

We proceeded to the second opening, which was the same as the first. Then to an observation deck looking at the falls from the side. The spray from the falls soaked the onlookers.

Owen and I stayed there for quite a while, watching various boats navigate to the front of the falls, sit, then turn back.

Eventually it began to rain and we were forced back inside. We looked at the inside of the falls again, sat spellbound, then returned to the elevator.

Then we crossed the border back to America and ate dinner at Polish Nook in Buffalo. The food was outstanding and reasonably priced.

And we slept.

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