Would you like to take a survey? - Part 10
This is gonna be another long one, so get comfy. Firstly, I meant for this post to be my Niagara Falls entry (as you may have noticed, I try to organize and categorize my posts by location – which seems only logical to me :-) However, I’m actually in Fort Erie right now. We were in Niagara Falls last week, as a matter of fact. My apologies for the delay. Two reasons: 1) Was pretty busy with work and sightseeing in NF that I didn’t get around to composing this post earlier, before we left, and 2) Internet access is rather sporadic at the hotel here in Fort Erie (I’ll explain further in my next post, which I’ll dedicate exclusively to Fort Erie). Therefore, for all intents and purposes, please treat this post as though I were writing it in Niagara Falls :-)
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, down to business - so to speak! On Wednesday (the 20th) I got up at the obscenely early hour of 7:00 a.m. in order to be packed and ready to leave by 8:30. Now, I know what you’re saying or thinking to yourself right now: 7:00 really isn’t THAT early…he must just like to sleep in. However, in my own defence, I work the 4:00 p.m. to midnight shift - I’m not usually in bed until 3:00 a.m. or so, and I don’t usually wake up before 11:00 a.m.! Ergo, 7:00 is pretty damn early for me!
The drive from Brockville to Niagara Falls was okay. Long – it took about 5 hours to get there – but obviously we all expected that. Could have been a lot worse, in fact. The weather was decent and traffic along Highway 401 and the QEW was surprisingly good. Passed through Toronto, though I didn’t really see any major landmarks (i.e. the CN Tower). Also briefly saw the cities of Hamilton and Saint Catharines; on a personal note of interest, my late father was born and raised in the latter. While driving along the highway through here, I got a good glimpse of the south shore of Lake Ontario. Very impressive and majestic. I’m not surprised the early European explorers in North America initially mistook the Great Lakes for the Pacific Ocean! At a glance, it does indeed look too vast to be a "mere" freshwater lake!
Once we got to Niagara Falls, I quickly got settled into my room. The hotel we stayed in was decent – the Super 8 Motel Niagara Falls. It’s in a pretty convenient location downtown, close to our survey site as well as to the falls themselves. However, the neighborhood was a bit sketchy – you could clearly see prostitutes and/or drug addicts walking around from time to time. Also, there is a strip club right across the street! Oh well… The hotel itself was nice enough – clean rooms, good customer service, indoor pool & hot tub, sauna and gym. Moreover, there’s a pancake house right next door! Sweet! The food was alright, but quite expensive :-(
My one complaint would have to be that, once again, the television in my room doesn’t show The Weather Network! Aaaaaarrrgh! I need my fix – I feel so lost and dissatisfied without the soothing background music of the Local Forecast (every 10 minutes on the 10s!)… :-)
Once everybody was all settled in, we went for dinner at an Outback Steakhouse a few blocks down from the hotel. Excellent food at reasonable prices. Afterwards, a lot of people went to the nearby Casino Niagara. Since I’m not much of a gambler, I opted out and decided to take a nice, long walk around the downtown core. Interesting, yet depressing at the same time. As you might expect, the whole area is a giant tourist trap, with many neon and billboard eyesores to overwhelm the senses. Pretty tacky, I must say – a kind of Las Vegas North. I suppose it’s understandable, though – after all, tourism is the city’s biggest source of revenue, and you have to cater to the whims and desires of your customer base. It’s perhaps a reflection of the fundamental shallowness and superficiality of human nature…
Our survey site was the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, which was only a 10-minute drive from the hotel. My team covered the eastbound side, going into the USA from Canada. This bridge is reserved mainly for tractor-trailers and other big trucks, but there was still a fair amount of "civilian" traffic (i.e. smaller passenger cars and trucks). The more well-known Rainbow Bridge further down is off-limits to heavy trucks; it serves as the primary crossing point for most of the daily lighter passenger traffic.
Surveys went well. Pretty standard. The setup was very efficient and we had great flow. As a result, we got a lot of surveys done. On one shift, we surveyed more the 60 trucks! That’s a new record for a border crossing for us (we usually average about 40-50). This time, instead of the OPP, we had officers from the Niagara Regional Police flag trucks for us into the survey lanes. They were all very friendly and helpful.
Here are some more anecdotes from the week:
Saturday (the 23rd): The site was very quiet. Extremely low volume all shift. What’s more, we were forced to work out of our cargo van – we had no tent, as it was damaged when it blew over in the wind the previous night during the graveyard shift. It started raining pretty hard around suppertime. Since visibility was restricted and our portable weigh scales don’t work properly when they’re wet for a long time, we had to pack everything into the cargo van for several hours! The weather didn’t clear up again until an hour before the shift’s end! Luckily, we had an awesome cop that day (his name is Craig, I believe). He was a supremely nice guy, very friendly and easygoing. He actually made it a point to hang out and chat with us between surveys. He also brought us coffee from Tim Horton’s at the beginning of the shift. He even went so far as to buy us all pizza for supper that night!! He personally went to pick the order up and bring it back to us! What a wonderful gesture! We were all very appreciative and grateful. Hopefully, when we swing through Niagara Falls again next month, we’ll get Craig once more for a shift or two…
Before work, though, I decided to do some sightseeing. I walked further downtown to the Skylon Tower. After buying a ticket, I rode up the elevator to the observation deck. I got an incredible view of the falls from there! Very impressive.
Afterwards, I strolled down to the promenade/viewing gallery area right at the edge of the falls. Even though it was packed solid with throngs of tourists, I nevertheless got a magnificent close-up view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (and, to a lesser extent, the American Falls). The sight was absolutely breathtaking!!! Seems a bit trite, I know, but it’s still true! Such majestic beauty… You could really feel all that raw power surging forth in front of your eyes – it was very invigorating. Also very humbling at the same time. It reminded me of how small we as human beings really are compared to such an awesome display of Mother Nature’s glory. I know I’m waxing poetic here, but that’s really how I feel about it.
Sunday (the 24th): Before work, I went on a helicopter tour of the falls. Fantastic and exhilarating! It was a beautiful day, and I got another awe-inspiring view of the falls. Also, part of the thrill for me was riding in the helicopter itself. I love to fly and I hadn’t been in a helicopter since I was a little kid. It was expensive ($100 CDN after coupon), but well worth it, in my opinion! Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable ride, though I did get a bit nauseous every time the chopper made a sharp turn, or when I made the mistake of looking directly down at the ground! My seatmates were very nice and friendly. I chatted with them afterwards. They were British senior citizens, part of a tour group. I even helped one lady fix her camera! Overall, a great experience!
Monday (the 25th): This was our day off. I deliberately saved the best for last: I took a ride on the Maid of the Mist! Wound up going by myself; I tried calling a bunch of people at the hotel, but I didn’t get any answer – people must have been off doing their own thing, I guess. As for the tour, amazing doesn’t even begin to describe it!! It was a spectacular, truly memorable experience!! Something I’ll never forget. It’s the mother of all understatements to say that it was a beautiful sight. It was very stirring – watching and feeling the water cascade down before you is a glorious feeling! Unfortunately, I realized once I got there that I forgot my camera at the hotel! [insert classic Homer Simpson scream] It was just as well, though, since it would have gotten thoroughly soaked (like the rest of me!). The boat ride certainly lives up to its namesake! Besides, I managed to take plenty of great pics of the falls from the previous experiences described above. After returning to the hotel, I just chilled out for the rest of the day.
Well, friends, that’s it for now from Niagara Falls! As mentioned previously, I’ll give you more details about our Fort Erie sojourn in my next post! Until then!
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, down to business - so to speak! On Wednesday (the 20th) I got up at the obscenely early hour of 7:00 a.m. in order to be packed and ready to leave by 8:30. Now, I know what you’re saying or thinking to yourself right now: 7:00 really isn’t THAT early…he must just like to sleep in. However, in my own defence, I work the 4:00 p.m. to midnight shift - I’m not usually in bed until 3:00 a.m. or so, and I don’t usually wake up before 11:00 a.m.! Ergo, 7:00 is pretty damn early for me!
The drive from Brockville to Niagara Falls was okay. Long – it took about 5 hours to get there – but obviously we all expected that. Could have been a lot worse, in fact. The weather was decent and traffic along Highway 401 and the QEW was surprisingly good. Passed through Toronto, though I didn’t really see any major landmarks (i.e. the CN Tower). Also briefly saw the cities of Hamilton and Saint Catharines; on a personal note of interest, my late father was born and raised in the latter. While driving along the highway through here, I got a good glimpse of the south shore of Lake Ontario. Very impressive and majestic. I’m not surprised the early European explorers in North America initially mistook the Great Lakes for the Pacific Ocean! At a glance, it does indeed look too vast to be a "mere" freshwater lake!
Once we got to Niagara Falls, I quickly got settled into my room. The hotel we stayed in was decent – the Super 8 Motel Niagara Falls. It’s in a pretty convenient location downtown, close to our survey site as well as to the falls themselves. However, the neighborhood was a bit sketchy – you could clearly see prostitutes and/or drug addicts walking around from time to time. Also, there is a strip club right across the street! Oh well… The hotel itself was nice enough – clean rooms, good customer service, indoor pool & hot tub, sauna and gym. Moreover, there’s a pancake house right next door! Sweet! The food was alright, but quite expensive :-(
My one complaint would have to be that, once again, the television in my room doesn’t show The Weather Network! Aaaaaarrrgh! I need my fix – I feel so lost and dissatisfied without the soothing background music of the Local Forecast (every 10 minutes on the 10s!)… :-)
Once everybody was all settled in, we went for dinner at an Outback Steakhouse a few blocks down from the hotel. Excellent food at reasonable prices. Afterwards, a lot of people went to the nearby Casino Niagara. Since I’m not much of a gambler, I opted out and decided to take a nice, long walk around the downtown core. Interesting, yet depressing at the same time. As you might expect, the whole area is a giant tourist trap, with many neon and billboard eyesores to overwhelm the senses. Pretty tacky, I must say – a kind of Las Vegas North. I suppose it’s understandable, though – after all, tourism is the city’s biggest source of revenue, and you have to cater to the whims and desires of your customer base. It’s perhaps a reflection of the fundamental shallowness and superficiality of human nature…
Our survey site was the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, which was only a 10-minute drive from the hotel. My team covered the eastbound side, going into the USA from Canada. This bridge is reserved mainly for tractor-trailers and other big trucks, but there was still a fair amount of "civilian" traffic (i.e. smaller passenger cars and trucks). The more well-known Rainbow Bridge further down is off-limits to heavy trucks; it serves as the primary crossing point for most of the daily lighter passenger traffic.
Surveys went well. Pretty standard. The setup was very efficient and we had great flow. As a result, we got a lot of surveys done. On one shift, we surveyed more the 60 trucks! That’s a new record for a border crossing for us (we usually average about 40-50). This time, instead of the OPP, we had officers from the Niagara Regional Police flag trucks for us into the survey lanes. They were all very friendly and helpful.
Here are some more anecdotes from the week:
Saturday (the 23rd): The site was very quiet. Extremely low volume all shift. What’s more, we were forced to work out of our cargo van – we had no tent, as it was damaged when it blew over in the wind the previous night during the graveyard shift. It started raining pretty hard around suppertime. Since visibility was restricted and our portable weigh scales don’t work properly when they’re wet for a long time, we had to pack everything into the cargo van for several hours! The weather didn’t clear up again until an hour before the shift’s end! Luckily, we had an awesome cop that day (his name is Craig, I believe). He was a supremely nice guy, very friendly and easygoing. He actually made it a point to hang out and chat with us between surveys. He also brought us coffee from Tim Horton’s at the beginning of the shift. He even went so far as to buy us all pizza for supper that night!! He personally went to pick the order up and bring it back to us! What a wonderful gesture! We were all very appreciative and grateful. Hopefully, when we swing through Niagara Falls again next month, we’ll get Craig once more for a shift or two…
Before work, though, I decided to do some sightseeing. I walked further downtown to the Skylon Tower. After buying a ticket, I rode up the elevator to the observation deck. I got an incredible view of the falls from there! Very impressive.
Afterwards, I strolled down to the promenade/viewing gallery area right at the edge of the falls. Even though it was packed solid with throngs of tourists, I nevertheless got a magnificent close-up view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (and, to a lesser extent, the American Falls). The sight was absolutely breathtaking!!! Seems a bit trite, I know, but it’s still true! Such majestic beauty… You could really feel all that raw power surging forth in front of your eyes – it was very invigorating. Also very humbling at the same time. It reminded me of how small we as human beings really are compared to such an awesome display of Mother Nature’s glory. I know I’m waxing poetic here, but that’s really how I feel about it.
Sunday (the 24th): Before work, I went on a helicopter tour of the falls. Fantastic and exhilarating! It was a beautiful day, and I got another awe-inspiring view of the falls. Also, part of the thrill for me was riding in the helicopter itself. I love to fly and I hadn’t been in a helicopter since I was a little kid. It was expensive ($100 CDN after coupon), but well worth it, in my opinion! Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable ride, though I did get a bit nauseous every time the chopper made a sharp turn, or when I made the mistake of looking directly down at the ground! My seatmates were very nice and friendly. I chatted with them afterwards. They were British senior citizens, part of a tour group. I even helped one lady fix her camera! Overall, a great experience!
Monday (the 25th): This was our day off. I deliberately saved the best for last: I took a ride on the Maid of the Mist! Wound up going by myself; I tried calling a bunch of people at the hotel, but I didn’t get any answer – people must have been off doing their own thing, I guess. As for the tour, amazing doesn’t even begin to describe it!! It was a spectacular, truly memorable experience!! Something I’ll never forget. It’s the mother of all understatements to say that it was a beautiful sight. It was very stirring – watching and feeling the water cascade down before you is a glorious feeling! Unfortunately, I realized once I got there that I forgot my camera at the hotel! [insert classic Homer Simpson scream] It was just as well, though, since it would have gotten thoroughly soaked (like the rest of me!). The boat ride certainly lives up to its namesake! Besides, I managed to take plenty of great pics of the falls from the previous experiences described above. After returning to the hotel, I just chilled out for the rest of the day.
Well, friends, that’s it for now from Niagara Falls! As mentioned previously, I’ll give you more details about our Fort Erie sojourn in my next post! Until then!
posted by Blake @ 4:22 a.m.
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