Riding the Magic Bus

The Magic Bus Company was created to service Toronto’s low budget travelers. These buses used to wander the city streets picking up passengers looking for an inexpensive way to tour the city and surrounding areas. One of their most popular trips is a tour to Niagara Falls. At $40 Canadian ($34 US), however, you will need to be prepared to leave certain amenities behind compared to other competitive tours costing 50-75% more.

The Magic Bus was a psychedelically painted school bus so there were no restroom facilities available. And, if you remember the days riding the ‘yellow dog’ to school, you should remember these seats were some of the hardest and most uncomfortable around. What made this trip bearable were the 3 additional stops along the way that other tours did not make. These stops gave your numb bum a chance to recover while offering you more opportunities to take memorable photographs during the 1 hour and 45 minute trip to Niagara Falls.

Before leaving Toronto, the tour stopped at Fort York where some of the oldest buildings in the city remain. I shouldn’t say we actually stopped because the bus only slowed slightly as information was bellowed from the front. But please don’t think I am complaining. On the contrary, I am merely setting the stage. These trips were for people looking for a less expensive way to travel and who don’t mind giving up a few luxuries to stay within their budget. During one stop, I was delighted by the availability of refreshments offered. Most tours partner with local vendors stopping at high priced restaurants or souvenir shops where patrons are wrangled into spending large sums of money for little in return. This is not true of the Magic Bus Company. Their buses frequented large convenient complexes housing affordable restaurants. There was something for everyone and you didn’t have to “eat up” your entire budget to feel satisfied.

As the bus rounded Lake Ontario, a sign for the Birchwood Estates Wines came into view. This winery offers a type of wine produced only locally. Ice Wine, as it is called, is made by allowing certain hardy grapes to freeze while still on the vine. Once frozen, these grapes are handpicked during the coldest nights of the year. While the juice is frozen, the concentrate is rich in flavor and high in sugar producing a very sweet wine. Because the number of grapes needed to produce one bottle of Ice Wine is equivalent to 17 bottles of those with traditionally harvested grapes, the price runs from $25 ($21 US) to $65 ($55 US) a bottle. Best of all, since we were riding the Magic Bus, our samples were free. Many other tours charge upwards of $8 to only sample Ice Wine, but not so on the Magic Bus.

Leaving the winery, we headed east to the Niagara River and the Niagara Whirlpool. Here the river makes a 90-degree dogleg creating one of the largest whirlpools in North America. Although from above it looks sedate, we were informed this is not the case because of its 38 m (125 ft) depth and its 503 m (1,650 ft) diameter you might be quickly sucked under.

Continuing to the Falls, we stopped next at Brocks Battle Monument commemorating a British victory over America during the War of 1812. This was also the original location of Niagara Falls. For thousands of years, the pounding waters have continually eroded the landscape until it receded to its present location some 12 km (7.5 miles) away. From this vantage, however, there are some truly magnificent views; and if traveling during autumn, the changing leaves only add to the beauty surrounding you.

Arriving at the Canadian Falls, a line of luxury hotels dominate the landscape somewhat overshadowing the natural treasure across the street. Niagara Falls is actually 2 separate sets of falls; the American and Canadian Falls. The Canadians are quick to inform you the smaller set belongs to the Americans while the larger more impressive set to the Canadians. Because of their shape, the Canadian Falls are also called “Horseshoe falls.” These famous Falls are also the site of 15 attempts to tumble over their edge in various kinds of barrels.

The first such attempt occurred in 1901 when Annie Edson Taylor, a retired school teacher, went over the Falls with her cat using a traditional wine barrel. Both occupants survived but upon exiting the barrel, she was heard to utter, “nobody ought ever do that again.”

Even as late as the 1990’s several attempts tried to capitalize on the advancements in technology. One of the more tragic involved a man using a steel barrel with a harness and oxygen tank inside. Upon crashing into the waters below, the barrel became trapped spinning for 24 hours behind the Falls. Unfortunately, there was only enough oxygen for 4 hours, and it was reported to have been a very gruesome sight inside once the barrel was recovered.

During this same period, a kayaker was so confident in his abilities that he made dinner reservations at a restaurant down the river. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep his appointment and all that was recovered were small pieces of his kayak. Another noteworthy attempt shortly after had a Texas rancher daring to go over the Falls using a jet ski, a jet pack, and a parachute. Anyone familiar with Wylie Coyote can quickly imagine the result but unlike Wylie Coyote the rancher didn’t bounce back.

One of the more unusual incidents involved a man attempting a dramatic suicide. What was more surprising was that he lived. Since the first attempt in 1901, there have been 15 people foolish enough to follow in Annie Taylor’s footsteps. Of these, ten survived with only 5 ending with the loss of life. While the odds seem to be in your favor, it certainly doesn’t seem to be worth the risk.

Once you have walked the length of both the American and Canadian Falls, you might want to take the Journey Behind the Falls tour. For an additional $10 Canadian ($8.5 US), you can take an elevator down to the observation deck at the base of the Falls. Here you will find 2 tunnels. One leads to the observation deck where you can get a spectacular view of the water as it comes off the Falls. The other tunnel goes farther back where you can truly appreciate the deafening power of the wall of water as it crashes down in front of you.

As the Magic Bus pulled away two and a half later, everyone had had time to view the Falls, visit several souvenir shops and even test their luck at a Canadian casino. It had been a perfect day trip and gave us enough time to truly enjoy the beautiful scenery.

On the way back to Toronto, the Magic Bus had one more stop to make. This they called the mystery stop. In truth, our driver pulled into a scenic overlook where everyone was treated to one of the most picturesque views imaginable. As the sun set, the reddish hues were reflected off the buildings that make up the Toronto skyline offering everyone a last chance to take a memorable photo.

Reflecting back, I can now say the Magic Bus Company had proven itself true to its word. For a modest fee, they did in fact provide a very enjoyable trip. There was an opportunity to meet other travelers from around the globe and I was treated like a traveler on a budget instead of a herded cow.

Well, to be honest, there is one issue. The company is no longer the same. If you go to their website, they are a fleet service and no longer offer the Magic Bus Tour. Damn, that is ashame....

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