Niagra Falls

I'm ready for spring! It is still really cold here in Nashville. Today is one of those days that is bitterly cold where the dreary sky looks like it could rain at any second and you can feel the moisture in the air. Added to that is an occassional wind that rips right through you allowing you to feel it down to the bone despite the amount of layers you are wearing. A day like today is common around here in the winter months. Sure there are a few sporadic days where there isn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature is in the 70's. Nashville had one of those days last Saturday. However, I was in New York in the snow.

We performed a show south of buffalo Friday night (go to www.brockgill.com to learn more about the shows we do), so we drove the extra miles north to visit Niagra Falls the following day. Brock and I had already been before, but our new road manager, Duane, had not hence the decision to go. Also, I've heard that you need to see the Falls in the winter because it is frozen over. Plus, when we went back in the fall of 2001, I had not yet taken up photography as a hobby. I anticipated many good pictures this time.

Upon starting the excursion that morning, it looked as if it would be a perfect day. There was snow on the ground, but it wasn't snowing at the time. In fact, it looked as if the sun was trying to peak out and just might stay. The closer we got to our destination, the more overcast it got. As we drove into Niagra Falls, it started snowing slightly. By the time we parked and walked to the observation deck, it was coming down blizzard form. I would snap a few shots out on the deck and then run for cover. Needless to say, my pictures did not turn out quite as I had wished. The visibility at times was just a few feet.

Although the conditions were not optimal, we still had a great time. We road in the trolley around the park. I called it a winter wonderland because the trees were coated in white. They said that the trees near the water stay white nearly all winter because there is constant percipitation due to the mist created by the Falls. On average, 750,000 gallons of water fall every second so you can imagine the amount of mist that produces!

When we arrived back at the truck, I realized that I had no clue what the time was. Normally, I am very time conscious. On this particular day, I didn't have anywhere I had to be at any certain time, so I didn't even acknowledge it. We ate when we got hungry and stayed as long as we felt like it. There was no schedule. I wonder why we as Americans are so scheduled? We have to be to a certain degree so that we can stay organized. I think that I can become obsessive about it though. Next week, I'm going to do an experiment. For a whole day, I will not refer to any clocks. I'll let you know how it goes.