Would you like to take a survey? - Part 16
Here I am once again in Fort Erie. Now that November is around the corner and winter fast approaches, the weather is really drab and miserable. Overcast most days - quite depressing. Even when it's sunny, it's still bitterly cold! The winds blowing in off the lake are the worst culprit. Not just the occasional chilly breeze once in a while, but a sustained and powerful howl that freezes you right to the bone. A thoroughly unpleasant experience...
Moreover, the sheer force and intensity of the wind is astonishing! It often feels like a subarctic hurricane is blowing through town! Indeed, I was talking with one of the locals here, who said that meteorologists were expecting the gusts to hit upwards of 100 km/h! That's gale-force velocity, for pity's sake!! Apparently, the whole region - from Windsor to Washington, D.C. - has been battered pretty badly by the wind. Power outages all along New England and the other northern states east of the Mississippi, as well as in portions of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
Fort Erie was by no means spared - we lost power here for a good two hours on Sunday afternoon. As if this poor city hasn't suffered enough already this month! They're still cleaning up from the big snowstorm that hit the area 3 weeks ago. The sight of dead traffic lights, felled trees and large branches strewn about everywhere was pretty poignant as well as eeriely familiar. A weird combination of the landscapes from the 1998 Ice Storm and the Northeast Blackout of 2003, both of which I experienced firsthand.
The hotel is okay. We're staying at the Comfort Inn this time. Pretty decent - has most of the usual amenities. Not as nice as the last hotel, though (both in Niagara Falls and our previous stay in Fort Erie). Indeed, it's a real shame we couldn't book the Holiday Inn again - I really liked it there. Oh well...nichevo!
Our survey site is the Peace Bridge once again. This time, though, I was initially on the westbound side (i.e. entering Canada from the USA). It wasn't the ideal setup - very closed in, little space to work with. We can only bring in one truck at a time, thereby limiting overall productivity. However, the eastbound side is super busy! Moreover, since they're short-handed (only 3 people on that side instead of 4) and we didn't really need all 4 people on our side given the circumstances, I volunteered to go over to Danny's team on the eastbound side for the week to help out. It's been fun! A nice change of pace and scenery. I get along with everybody there, and the constant flow of trucks made things go by faster.
Some more anecdotes for your enjoyment:
Monday (October 30): Nothing much happened, but I have to say it was a beautiful day! It was actually warm (12 degrees Celsius - warm by Canadian standards for this time of year!) Indeed, it was nice enough out that, for the first time in long while, I didn't have to wear a jacket - at least until dusk! If only it could stay like that for the whole winter...
Thursday (November 2): Upon waking up, I wander over to the window and lazily peek out the drapes. A terrible, disheartening sight greets my eyes: there's snow on the ground!!! Ugh... I'm just not ready for such awful white stuff yet, especially this early! I was really hoping for a green Christmas this year. Oh well...just have to resign myself to it, I guess. No use putting off the inevitable ;-) While I love my country, I really do hate its weather sometimes!!
Shift was quite boring. Not to mention dreadfully cold and frigid! Temperature was down into the negative numbers, once you factor in wind chill. Again, ugh! We spent as much as time as possible between surveys huddled in the van for warmth. Fewer trucks + ghastly cold = shift drags on ever so slowly = no fun for Blake!! And they're expecting more of the same on Friday... :-(
Anyway, that's it for this week! Back to Windsor on Sunday. Until then!
Moreover, the sheer force and intensity of the wind is astonishing! It often feels like a subarctic hurricane is blowing through town! Indeed, I was talking with one of the locals here, who said that meteorologists were expecting the gusts to hit upwards of 100 km/h! That's gale-force velocity, for pity's sake!! Apparently, the whole region - from Windsor to Washington, D.C. - has been battered pretty badly by the wind. Power outages all along New England and the other northern states east of the Mississippi, as well as in portions of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
Fort Erie was by no means spared - we lost power here for a good two hours on Sunday afternoon. As if this poor city hasn't suffered enough already this month! They're still cleaning up from the big snowstorm that hit the area 3 weeks ago. The sight of dead traffic lights, felled trees and large branches strewn about everywhere was pretty poignant as well as eeriely familiar. A weird combination of the landscapes from the 1998 Ice Storm and the Northeast Blackout of 2003, both of which I experienced firsthand.
The hotel is okay. We're staying at the Comfort Inn this time. Pretty decent - has most of the usual amenities. Not as nice as the last hotel, though (both in Niagara Falls and our previous stay in Fort Erie). Indeed, it's a real shame we couldn't book the Holiday Inn again - I really liked it there. Oh well...nichevo!
Our survey site is the Peace Bridge once again. This time, though, I was initially on the westbound side (i.e. entering Canada from the USA). It wasn't the ideal setup - very closed in, little space to work with. We can only bring in one truck at a time, thereby limiting overall productivity. However, the eastbound side is super busy! Moreover, since they're short-handed (only 3 people on that side instead of 4) and we didn't really need all 4 people on our side given the circumstances, I volunteered to go over to Danny's team on the eastbound side for the week to help out. It's been fun! A nice change of pace and scenery. I get along with everybody there, and the constant flow of trucks made things go by faster.
Some more anecdotes for your enjoyment:
Monday (October 30): Nothing much happened, but I have to say it was a beautiful day! It was actually warm (12 degrees Celsius - warm by Canadian standards for this time of year!) Indeed, it was nice enough out that, for the first time in long while, I didn't have to wear a jacket - at least until dusk! If only it could stay like that for the whole winter...
Thursday (November 2): Upon waking up, I wander over to the window and lazily peek out the drapes. A terrible, disheartening sight greets my eyes: there's snow on the ground!!! Ugh... I'm just not ready for such awful white stuff yet, especially this early! I was really hoping for a green Christmas this year. Oh well...just have to resign myself to it, I guess. No use putting off the inevitable ;-) While I love my country, I really do hate its weather sometimes!!
Shift was quite boring. Not to mention dreadfully cold and frigid! Temperature was down into the negative numbers, once you factor in wind chill. Again, ugh! We spent as much as time as possible between surveys huddled in the van for warmth. Fewer trucks + ghastly cold = shift drags on ever so slowly = no fun for Blake!! And they're expecting more of the same on Friday... :-(
Anyway, that's it for this week! Back to Windsor on Sunday. Until then!
posted by Blake @ 12:02 a.m.
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