I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . and a mind reader. Yes, I know what you’re thinking:

“Snow and ice, really?”

“A low of 19 and a high of thirty-something . . . I don’t even care what it feels like with wind-chill, I know it doesn’t feel like April!”

“See this . . . Gloves, coat, scarf . . . ridiculous!”

I know because I’ve been transporting weather-disgruntled passengers for a week of winterish April. So, hey, let’s go to Canada, where the real spring is.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Look at that . . . are those tulips off the starboard? Oaks Garden Theater on the north shore of Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is beautiful at all times of the year. But in the spring it is at its best.

No snow or rain in that sky! Nothing but beautiful blue for my passengers’ ascent of Skylon Tower and a lofty view of the Falls.

One passenger was more interested in the view toward Toronto, and pointing out my crooked parking job.

On the way the back home we stopped at the George Eastman Estate/Museum. For all of you selfie enthusiasts, that is the guy who originally made photography and film processing accessible and affordable for the average person on the street (Eastman Kodak). Eastman, as it turns out, was interested in gardens almost as much as he was in film processing. (Traveling through Rochester, NY? This itinerary inclusion scored high marks with my passengers.)

As motorcoaches go, I am the private type – not much for disclosing my “issues.” (At the risk of sounding proud, I have very few!). But I had one in Rochester. It came to my attention after delivering my passengers to the Lilac Festival in Highland Park. This is why motorcoaches have friends: issues assistance. Returning from the festival, my passengers boarded the purple motorcoach instead of the red one. A short time later, with my issue taken care of, I rejoined our tour, my passengers having missed not one minute of itinerary. It made me all the more proud of my industry and friends-network. (A big thank you to Covered Wagon Tours!)

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

TESLA NEWS: Nikola Tesla had an idea – AC (alternating current). On a walk with a friend he drew it in the dirt with a stick: three waves offset by 120°. The idea turned out to be a good one, a revolutionary one. It led to Tesla’s invention of the electric motor, an achievement celebrated in the name of a car company currently growing in popularity: Tesla. The idea was also famously employed to distribute Niagara-power to millions. Today, electric motors (the base on which Tesla stands in this sculpture, overlooking Niagara Falls) work according to the same principles as Tesla’s original idea.

CURRENT NEWS: The system for supplying electricity via Niagara Falls was decided upon through a competition that came down to the ideas of two geniuses – Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. The contest was organized in 1893 by the International Niagara Falls Commission, led by renowned physicist, Lord Kelvin. Tesla (along with George Westinghouse) proposed a system based on AC current. Edison proposed one based on DC current. Tesla’s proposal won. The commission believed the AC system was more efficient and would thus be less expensive to operate. A few years later Niagara Falls was the location of the world’s first hydroelectric plant. When first opened in 1896, the plant sent power to households and businesses in Buffalo, NY. But soon the forces of Niagara would light up Broadway and all of New York City. By 1930 hydroelectric plants supplied 25% of the electricity in the United States.

TOPSY NEWS: The Niagara competition and the Niagara power plant showcased the superiority of Tesla’s AC system for transmitting large amounts of electricity over great distances while regulating voltage in various situations. But Edison was not convinced. He went on a campaign to demonstrate the dangers of Tesla’s AC system. Using AC current, he electrocuted dogs, cats, cattle, horses, and finally an elephant at the Luna Park Zoo named Topsy. (Zoo officials offered Topsy for the demonstration after the animal squashed a third handler in as many years.) Tesla responded to Edison’s antics by using AC current to “electrocute” himself. Subjecting himself to 250,000 volts of electricity, he demonstrated the safety of his system. After doing so, the AC system gained broad acceptance.

CONFESSIONAL NEWS: OK, yes, this was second of two tours I saved from last year to blog us through the lingering chill of winter and into real spring, which is still a month away for Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Niagara at night is Must See. The highlight of the visit for many of my passengers, Niagara in changing colored lights begins at dusk.

Quote Of The Day samples

“The day Science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all previous centuries if its existence.” – Nikola Tesla

“The harness of waterfalls is the most economical method known for drawing energy from the sun.” – Nikola Tesla