Charles Burchfield, Journals, October 25, 1939

To Niagara Falls –

A day full from beginning to end of powerful beautiful impressions.

The drive up – still, surprisingly, the full beauty of October colors – a strong cold west wind, coming on the heels of yesterday’s misty rain, drives before it great fleets of clouds, dramatically lit up by the intermittent sunlight.

First Grand Island Bridge, with a pale distant cloud catching all the sunlight – the surface of the river ruffled by the wind to an iron green-gray choppiness.

Head of American Falls, obscured by wind-tossed spray.

(To foot of falls by elevator)

For the first time, the Falls revealed themselves to me the miracle they are – Today none of the banal resort atmosphere usually present – it is a wild rugged shot, the “Elements” in full array. The stormy weather transforms all things the lighting effect on the Fall, and the sky behind; - changing with each moment – now in shadow (dull yellow green with white foam against a soft gray violet cloud – now sunlit – blazing silver highlights -----------

Several times, in spite of several sudden drenchings with spray, we went as close as we dared to the water.
So charged with wild romance is the day, that even the Maid of the Mist seems like a mythical vessel, - the passengers with their peaked hoods and coats of black rubber like prehistoric adventurers bound on some grim mission.

To Goat Island – lunch in car – then to “Three Sister Islands (sic), the violent wind – the rapids with fleet of big sound – topped clouds just above them. –

At the “Cave of the Winds” pavilion – the snow-storms mingling with the fog from Horse-Shoe Falls.
Flocks of pheasants – tame enough to eat out of hand – [Upstream to my rubbers & a few souvenirs) (sic) –
To Canadian Side – Horse-shoe Falls from above (iron-barricades prevent a closer view) – the soft yet brilliant rainbow – the wet asphalt road in foreground, reflecting sky, flanked by green grass & yellow trees, the great broad river (iron olive-green gray sweeping out to the cloud-studded horizon where various buildings are “shot-lighted” –

Niagara Glens – the physical joy of clambering down the path, which let around a between huge boulders (mellow water-worn, moss-covered) peering into caves – at the bottom the wild rapids, lit up by the low sun.
On return – the pot-holes – path leads between to boulders, the glade beyond full of yellow maple leaves – the ground thickly covered. – coming into it, its yellow light seemed to grow and expand, and surround one with its mellow-ness (like the yellow afterglow on an August evening)

When we again attained the top – the sulphurous (sic) clouds to the east –
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Evening – cold moon –

Beethoven Concert – so full of the day I could hardly listen – yet felt I should try hard, for I knew I was hearing Beethoven played as it might never be played again. (Fidelio # 4) Symphonies # 1 - & 3 –

To my chagrin, I had to fight sleep so hard, that I was nervous all night.

Charles Burchfield, October 25, 1939