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| Well, Happy Sunday, and Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers out there! It is going to be a boiler! Not 10:00 am yet, and the mercury is already creeping past 80. I was going to walk over to my garden later, but we'll see. This might be a day for relaxation and ice cream.
I'm sure you've been following the news: Nik Wallenda fulfilled a life-long ambition on Friday! He crossed Niagara Falls from the US side to the Canadian side. Over the Falls themselves, at night!! Wow! There was wind and heavy mist - there always is. Anyone who has been there can attest to that. I was fortunate as a child to go there almost every summer, because I had a great-aunt who lived in nearby Welland. It never failed to impress. Even now, with reduced flow due to the hydroelectric generation, they remain a truly impressive sight!!
So, I have two questions for you today!! 1. What 'formal ceremony' did Nik Wallenda have to complete upon arrival in Canada and what was his answer to the question posed to him? 2. How many cubic feet/minute of water flow, on average, over the American Falls, Bridal Falls and Horseshoe Falls: a. 2 million
This is going to be a tough one to give clues for....or do you smart guys know this already?? Nancy. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sun, Jun 17, 12 at 10:38
| Well Nancy you've got me, my answers if any will be pure guesses. Annette |
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| I have an idea for #1. It would be my pleasure to share it at a later hour when we are all finished our gardening business for the day. For #2, I will just be guessing, but I will also do that later. Have a fun day all, especially you, TM. I am hoping Chuck will be in the mood to dig holes-doesn't seem quite fair to ask him on Father's Day, but the weather is not likely to be this comfortable for long. Have any of you ever tried to transplant still-small volunteer oaks? Cynthia |
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| I have a fairly good guess for number 1 and number 2 will just be a roll of the die. Thanks, Cynthia, I will. I transplanted an oak once that was so small it still had the acorn attached. It lived for a few years, but it was in a poor spot and eventually passed into that forest in the sky. My BIL used this technique to transplant maples: (1) Yank them out of the ground and throw them, bare-rooted, in the back of a pickup. (2) Drive them home without protecting the roots in any way. (3) Dig a hole, shove them in, and throw in dirt. Some of them actually lived, a fact he was tickled to point out to those of us who had been laughing at his method. Sorry, got a little off track there. That's not usually my custom. Will be back later. TM |
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- Posted by midnightsmum 4b ON (My Page) on Sun, Jun 17, 12 at 12:59
| Ahhh well, No. 1 is what happens also to we mere mortals.....No. 2 is number as amazing as the Falls themselves. The combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165 feet (50 m). Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall (vertical height along with flow rate) in North America. The international boundary line was originally drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but the boundary has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction. The flow is a direct function of the Lake Erie water elevation, it typically peaks in late spring or early summer. Some 90% of it goes over the Horseshoe Falls, while the balance is diverted to hydroelectric facilities. This is accomplished by employing a weir with movable gates upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. The falls flow is further halved at night, and during the low tourist season in the winter. (You know, my math is terrible, but Wikipedia's is worse! Do the math on the above, and no water goes over the American Falls or Bridal Falls) Just saying. Nancy. |
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| I know number one as it was reported on ABC News. We all answer this question when we arrive in Canada from the US but I doubt any have given the same answer as Wallenda. Did he accomplish his goal? Perhaps to some, while others think he is crazy or don't really care. I don't know #2 but will guess b as statistically b is more apt to be correct.
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sun, Jun 17, 12 at 17:11
| The light bulb finally came on, he probably had to go through customs :) I don't imagine he'd have much to declare tho... As to the second question, I closed my eyes and pointed, came up with "b". Annette |
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- Posted by midnightsmum 4b ON (My Page) on Sun, Jun 17, 12 at 17:39
| Ahhhh, I think Bobbie has #1 nailed - I thought it was a great answer to the question, and probably a great retort to those who don't care!! I couldn't watch the live feed, to be honest. I remember being allowed to stand on the cement barrier as a child(on the 'land' side of the wrought iron fence), and feeling the 'clench' in my guts looking over. Not a fear of heights as they say, but a fear of falling! Or as the jokesters would say, it not the fall that'll kill ya, it's the sudden stop!! Actually, just a few weeks ago, someone almost died from that fall, intentionally. We hear about these things here, not sure if they get out much farther. As to #2, I don't want to lead you astray, but I'm looking for the average flow!! Nancy. |
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| Well, if we are giving guesses already, I will also say 'b' for #2. For #1, I am going to guess they asked him if he was in Canada for business or pleasure and his reply might have been "both" since he crossed the falls for business, but once done, it would just be a pleasure trip from then on. I didn't realize he did it at night, Nancy. Wow. I can't imagine doing it at all, of course. When I was little we visited Niagra Falls. I was so impressed and amazed. I also remember that the Canadian side was so much prettier than the US side-I seem to remember lots of gardens/flowers. Cynthia Cynthia |
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| 1) My first thought was about him going through customs. Wouldn't the question be something like "What is the purpose of your visit?" If I were him, I would say "To arrive alive", but I don't know what he actually said. 2) I'm going to assume that when Nancy wrote that she was looking for the average flow rate, she was giving us a hint. Since 4 is the average of 2 and 6, I'll pick (c) 4. Otherwise, I can't see a reason to prefer any of them. TM |
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| I think Nancy's response to the second question referring to average indicates that b was incorrect therefore I will change to c though not for TM's reason, though his reasoning might be correct. I choose c because c is the next statistically correct answer. |
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| Wallenda had to show his passport and when asked what is the purpose of your trip he responded to inspire people around the world. Not sure if those are quotes or words to the effect. |
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- Posted by midnightsmum 4b ON (My Page) on Mon, Jun 18, 12 at 13:21
| Well, I accidentally put the right number in the right place!! Good for me, and good for Bobbie and TM for getting the clue. Yes, first of all, Nik Wallenda was ceremoniously asked to present his passport upon arrival at the Canadian side - he had it wrapped in plastic in his jacket pocket. A bit a of a joker it seems, he pretended at first to have forgotten it and made to go back for it, to peels of laughter, even from border security! Then of course, the question: the purpose of your visit, "To inspire people around the world," he said.. Gotta say, as noted, I couldn't watch live, but he stuck to his dream and made it come true. This world could use a little more of that spirit! "I'm extremely blessed to be where I am," Wallenda said after stepping onto Canadian soil. Indeed, Wallenda used his faith to focus during the walk. He wore a wireless microphone during the walk and could be heard praying as he made his way across the wire. "Thank you Jesus, my righteous king," Wallenda said as the mist from the Falls soaked him and blurred his vision. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than 6 million cubic feet (168,000 m3) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m3) on average. The top rock formation was composed of erosion-resistant limestone and Lockport dolostone. That hard layer of stone eroded more slowly than the underlying materials. The verdant green colour of the water flowing over the Niagara Falls is a byproduct of the estimated 60 tonnes/minute of dissolved salts and "rock flour" (very finely ground rock) generated by the erosive force of the Niagara River itself. The current rate of erosion is approximately 1 foot (0.30 m) per year down from a historical average of 3 feet (0.91 m) per year. However, it is estimated that 50,000 years from now, even at this reduced rate of erosion, the remaining 20 miles (32 km) to Lake Erie will have been undermined and the falls will cease to exist. So get there to see this natural wonder while you can, lol. To preserve Niagara Falls' natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists. This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" is flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1st to October 31st) there must be 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls. This Treaty is monitored by the International Niagara Control Board. The most powerful hydroelectric stations on the Niagara River are the Sir Adam Beck 1 and 2 on the Canadian side and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant and the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant on the American side. Together, Niagara's generating stations can produce about 4.4 gigawatts of power. (Numbers as of 2005) Well, I could go on and on, there is just so much amazing history in this place, but on to stars:
Thanks for all for playing. The heat wave has struck in earnest here, and the heat has gotten into my house, so I', doing all I can to keep cool. No rain in the forecast, so I must go off to water the allotment, at least it is overcast today!! Nancy. |
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| Thanks for the stars, Nancy. We have heat and several days of rainfall so it is like a sauna out there. |
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| Great stuff, Nancy. Thanks for the stars, though probably not totally deserved. And thanks for another round of trivia. TM |
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