Without a barrel

The family and I went to visit friends in western New York this weekend. On Saturday, we went Niagara Falls and had a really fun day of it. We did some walking and rode the Maid of the Mist.

Among the factoids that they tell you about during the boat ride is the story of Roger Woodward. He went over the falls wearing only a life vest and lived. It sounds like an urban legend. In fact, it has mutated somewhat. When I was in Buffalo, most people told me it happened "a few years ago." In reality, it was in 1960.

My wife actually found the link when we were trying to figure out whether he was seriously injured. The narration on the boat only said he lived. It never said he was unharmed, leading us to wonder if he was paralyzed or something. In fact, he only suffered a mild concussion and is now a 50 year old father of three.

While searching the net for Woodward's story, though, I found this article. It quotes Woodward, but it's about Kirk Jones. According to Jones he was depressed and tried to end it by going over the falls. Things didn't go as planned, though. He survived virtually unhurt. He says he not as depressed now. Now that's extreme therapy.

On a side note, I got to take a spin through my old campus. It was a healthy bit of nostalgia and I thank everyone in the minivan for indulging me.