03-ARE WE THERE YET？

ARE WE THERE YET? Do you know how to get to Niagara Falls? Let me tell you. The falls are located at the border of the United States and Canada. They are very far from Mouse Island. The flight was the longest one of my life. Well, OK, maybe it wasn't the longest, but it was the WORST. That's because...

Scampers spilled orange juice on my computer. Sakura smeared ice cream on my tie. David pulled out one of my whiskers. Carmen knocked down my suitcase. Esmeralda squeaked my ear off. Tim asked me 317 times, "Are we there yet?" The whole time I tried desperately to read my book on Niagara Falls.

NIAGARA FALLS Located at the border of the United States (on the east) and Canada (on the west), the falls are formed by the waters of the Niagara River. During the journey from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the river suddenly drops more than 180 feet to the level of the riverbed, forming falls unique in their power. There are actually two different falls at Niagara. On the Canadian side there is Horseshoe Falls, approxi- mately 2,500 feet wide, while Rainbow Falls, on the American side, is approximately 1,000 feet in width. In the winter, the river freezes, but the falls do not because they are in continuous movement. Every second, more than 790,000 gallons of water fall! Niagara Falls is also a precious source of electri- cal energy. Approximately 50 percent of the water (at night, 75 percent) is directed to the hydroelectric power plants that supply the United States and Canada with electricity. But the power of the water is creating a problem for the future of the falls. In the past 12,000 years, the water run- ning over the rocks has eroded them and shifted the falls by almost seven miles.