A Winter's Walk Along the Marina in Buffalo NY

Lake Erie was named for the Indigenous nation of the Eries who lived on these shores before 1634

This lighthouse once guided more than half a million immigrants to the city and remained active until the First World War. Built in 1833 and standing 68 feet tall, the lighthouse is now a Buffalo Lighthouse Association museum.

Sculpture 'Old Bones' by Carley Hill (2005) with Buffalo Lighthouse in the background.

Marina's observation tower gives an amazing view of the city of Buffalo, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and a glimpse into Ontario, Canada.

Here you can walk along the rocks and see where Lake Erie meets the Niagara River

During the winter months the driftwood (full size trees) come to rest along the shoreline.

Driftwood along the shoreline

The rocks at the water's edge.

As I stand and look over the water's edge I remember that the water flowing under this ice comes from the Great Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, which lead into Lake Erie as they flow towards Lake Ontario on their way to the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. I am always in awe with the forces of Mother Nature.

More about the Great Lakes:

VOLUME: 6 quadrillion gallons of fresh water; one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water (only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more); 95 percent of the U.S. supply. Spread evenly across the continental U.S., the Great Lakes would submerge the country under about 9.5 feet of water.

TOTAL AREA: More than 94,000 square miles (larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined, or about 23 percent of the province of Ontario). About 295,000 square miles/767,000 square kilometres in the watershed (the area where all the rivers and streams drain into the lakes).

TOTAL COASTLINE: United States and Canada -- 10,900 miles (including connecting channels, mainland and islands). The Great Lakes shoreline is equal to almost 44 percent of the circumference of the earth, and Michigan's Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 miles more coastline than any state but Alaska.

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This is my favorite place to walk in Buffalo. One can stand at the water's edge and look out across the water and see the Canadian coastline.

These photos look like they were filmed in black and white but are actually in color. They show a typical winter's day in this area.

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