#22 ZOCHEM VISIT, LAKE ONTARIO, NIAGARA RIVER, NIAGARA FALLS

August 16, 2011 Tuesday

I don’t remember why now, but for some reason I do not have any pictures from a most interesting visit to our customer, ZOCHEM, this morning.  Established in 1933, ZOCHEM is Canada’s largest zinc oxide manufacturer and the second largest single site producer in North America at the facility I visited in Brampton, ON.  Various grades of zinc oxide are used in making rubber, paints, pharmaceuticals – sunscreen nose coat anybody?  I was given a factory tour and saw how they smelt ingots of zinc and the molten metal is then vented through open air and up a shaft where the zinc oxide precipitates out for collection.  The open air transfer from smelting vat to precipitating tower is very impressive pyrotechnic flow.  I’m sure I’ve not done justice to the process and I really wish I had pictures.  Their website gives an idea with some pictures of the plant.  http://www.zochem.com/   Thanks to Vince Andronica for a very interesting tour.


We left the Toronto area in late morning and headed back west and south around Lake Ontario to visit Niagara Falls and then back to Buffalo.



Easy to take a plain old field of corn for granted last year. 

Lots of vineyards.

 

Where there are vineyards there are wineries, but we were on our way to Niagara Falls, so did not stop to taste this afternoon.  Now that I think about it, we did not stop at one.  How did we skip all those chances?  Will have to slow down on our next visit.

  

Wineries every mile or so.  KM or so I suppose in Canada.



View looking east across Lake Ontario from Best Western Harbourside Inn in Jordan, ON, exit 55, from Queens Expressway.  We stopped for lunch here on way back to Buffalo.



Mouth of the Niagara where it flows into Lake Ontario.





Old Ft, Niagara on US side across mouth of Niagara River from where we are viewing from Canada.





This young man told me that he fished here regularly with his grandfather.  Looks like a bass to me.







 





 



















 










 Looking upriver and across the Niagara River at US.



Was dumbounded to see hibiscus, which are a tropical flower that I have growing at my home in Long Beach.  Turns out these are called “hardy” hibiscus and can withstand northern winters.  Who knew?  Travel can be so broadening. J

Just like the ones I have at home except one of mine is white and one is gold.



Getting closer to Niagara Falls.





Parkway along the Canadian side follows the river to the Falls..





Over 16,000 plants form the face of the clock which is maintained by the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.





Another thing for visitors – cable car across the Niagara River – begin and end on Canada side.



The cable car route from Canada to Canada.



Rainbow in the turbulence.





Downtown Niagara Falls on Canadian side.  Falls a bit further up the River on the left.  We're looking for a place to park. 



Reyna heading toward the River below the Falls just across the street in front of her.





Looking across to US side.



C

I really, really tried to upload some video of the Falls here, but couldn't make it work.  Anyhow, the flow is truly something to experience.  It's wet all around from the mist.  It's loud from the falls.  The power of the flow is unyielding.  Don't slip.

On way back to our rental car.





Well planted and groomed flower gardens all along the street leading to the Falls.



Above the Falls along the Niagara River on our way back to  Buffalo.



Buffalo is out there somewhere.

Enjoyed a nice long day.  Tomorrow we're supposed to get the VW back.  Also visit Speed Global and join their company party.

#21 PEACE BRIDGE, TORONTO, CN TOWER, PEOPLE IN BIZ, MAYA CYCLE

August 15, 2011  Monday

Readers may recall that we were towed into Buffalo on Sunday evening, so this Monday morning I called the Audi/VW dealer where we dropped the car yesterday evening.  After a chat about the bug, the service manager told me that they were "really more of an Audi dealer" and referred me to a VW dealer in another area of Buffalo.  So, I called over there, and that VW dealer service manager wasn't really enthusiastic about working on an almost 40 year old VW.  He told me that he really didn’t have the mechanics to work on my VW, and suggested an independent mechanic name of Martin.  He arranged with Martin to have the bug towed to Martins.  I got a phone number for Martin.  That’s all I knew.  Trust.

Meanwhile, I rented a car this morning so that Reyna and I could continue on to Toronto, Ontario to visit customers before returning to Buffalo to catch up with Speed Global Services.  Speed is an international forwarder, customs broker and distribution warehouse company for whom we do some work in our warehouse in Fullerton.  Speed has invited us to a party with their customers on Thursday 17^th.

Peace Bridge from Buffalo to Ft. Erie, Ontario, Canada way in the background





Peace Bridge





Crossing into Canada was quick and relatively painless.





Western suburbs of Toronto. We’re skipping the toll road that goes directly to Markham and taking the through downtown Toronto and around north to Markham to visit customer, People In Biz.



CN Tower (in background right).



People In Biz founder Joon Kim.  People in Biz is an international marketing and distribution company for whom ESNA warehouses and distributes Neo Tech display stands. ttp://www.peopleinbiz.com/





Nice name for a street. J



On way back into Toronto to meet with Maya Cycle.

 

What a concept.  Bikeway next to expressway.

Waterfalls along the expressway.

It’s a bit before 5PM, so rush hour as we find our way to CN Tower.

View from CN Tower.

Did not go on the Edge Walk!

Reyna with Marta Staniszewski and her dad, Mike, after we had enjoyed nice evening with them.  Mike and Marta founded MayaCycle.

 

Maya Cycle has designed and imports a bicycle cargo trailer with  a quick connect/disconnect so it can be used as a shopping cart.  Capacity is two 30 packs according to my son, Steve, who uses it for beach outings.  http://www.mayacycle.com/