Niagara Falls in the Winter (brrr!)

So, last weekend, in the midst of the biggest snowstorm of the year, I decided the best thing that I could possibly do was... drive to Buffalo! An area that was forecasted to get even MORE snow than Toronto!

I drove out on Friday night after work. At that point, it had started snowing, but there was lots of traffic, and it wasn't overly horrible, because all the cars were keeping the accumulation from building on the roads. I drove slower than usual, and it was fine. Until I got to the turnoff to Queenston-Lewiston. Because apparently NO ONE was taking that road, except for myself and one other car. Getting across the border was another issue in itself. And driving through New York state was a little difficult, just because I had never driven there before and I had to consult my mapquest directions at the same time. I finally got to my friends' place around 9pm (around 2 hours later than I would have in normal weather). It was so great to see them. We went midnight bowling and didn't go to sleep until 5am :) Wish I had taken more pictures in Buffalo, because it was absolutely beautiful with all the snow.

The next day, we left Buffalo late in the morning, to get out to Niagara Falls. We were lucky we left when we did, because later that day, there was a travel advisory, and people weren't allowed to be driving. It was mostly freezing rain when we left though, which wasn't horrible. Except that we managed to get lost for like, 2 hours. But... we saw Tonawanda, North Tonawanda and Wheatfield - not many people can say that! ;)
We finally found our way to the Falls, and picked a place to stay based on the fact that it was attached to a Denny's, and we had no intention of setting foot outside for the rest of the night. It's too bad though, would've been cool to see the Falls from the New York side with all the snow. Don't think I've ever seen that before.

Sunday, the weather did a complete turnaround. It was sunny and beautiful. That's when all the pictures below were taken. I couldn't believe how stunning & breathtaking the scenery was. The pictures don't even capture it.
I definitely recommend a trip to Niagara Falls in the winter - though, maybe not on the day of the worst snowfall of the year ;)
Here's the set, on Flickr