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July 23, 2008 Success! The bus made it to its destination of Edmonton, Canada for the annual AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers) conference held at the University of Alberta. Before we got to our neighbors up north we took in some breathtaking sights at Yellowstone National Park, stopping for a weekend before we did some gigs in Montana. It was a well deserved break, and in spite of it only being for a day, we made it to quite a few sights in Yellowstone, including the Grand Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Springs and of course Old Faithful. After we were satisfied with the amount of sulfur inhaled we headed up to Bozeman Montana for a show at the prettiest Boys and Girls Club we’ve seen yet, where we were spoiled by a Holiday Inn that was kind enough to donate two rooms to us for a night. Bozeman was a neat little city, chock full of artsy diners, interesting people and a beautiful college campus. We ate breakfast in the Cat Eye which had a list of rules on the menu. Rule # 7: If you are smoking, then you better be on fire and expect to be extinguished. And as can be expected, Bruce broke every rule, including #11 that prohibits answering questions with “And how”. We visited a house that was nearly completely heated by solar power in the winter by using pipes full of water positioned in windows facing the southwestern sky, so that in the winter months the low sun would heat the water, and as temperatures cooled the heat would transmit into the house. I think it’s safe to say that Bozeman was an inspiring stop for all. Our next gig was in Great Falls, Montana where our luck in finding generous people continued and we got two hotel rooms donated by the Townhouse Inns. The show in Great Falls went on smoothly, and we even got some press coverage. The kids at the show helped us load up the bus, so they got to experience what it was like being a physics tour roadie, and as far as I could tell they enjoyed it! This seems like a great time to thank all of the counselors at the Boys and Girls Clubs we’ve met. We have yet to find one that is unhappy doing their job or that has not offered to help us or thank us for coming by. They have definitely made living on a bus a little easier (however typing this while on the bus is another story…). After our Great Falls gig, we didn’t have another show scheduled until Edmonton, so we took our time getting up to northern Alberta, and stayed in a few campgrounds along the way. We met a very friendly girl named Amy at our first campground in Canada. She was working the front office for the evening, and took time to come show us the way to make a perfect smore. She also checked out the bus, and although we offered, declined to join us for the rest of our journey. Then we went through my favorite part of the trip thus far, Banff and Jasper National Parks. No picture does this part of the world justice, but I did my best in taking them. The snow capped Canadian Rockies jetted into the sky, glaciers melted into waterfalls that fed into perfect aqua blue lakes, all amidst a thick pine forest and blooming wildflowers. I’m pretty sure we were all a little sorry to leave it behind, but once we got to Edmonton we were refocused on the tour.
Chris had been in contact with Stan Micklavzina, one of the leaders of a Physics Demo Workshop at the AAPT conference, so our first day there we got to meet up with other people from around the world that have been doing things similar to The Physics Factory (we haven’t found another Physics Bus though). After being thoroughly inspired by how others had been successful in science public outreach we made up a couple of skits and performed them for AAPT members and the Edmonton public. Instead of our normal demonstration show we do at the schools and Boys and Girls Clubs, this show was done with almost entirely through music and body language, and no very little to no speaking. This was the result of the inspiring leadership of Wendy Sadler from a science outreach group in England called Science Made Simple. Christina got to be a center of mass snake, Bruce was a snake charmer, Chris was a hunchback demo assistant and Stephanie was the Physics Fairy. Devin sat the show out, but got to watch and do some video recording so hopefully we’ll be able to share some of the show with others. In the meantime you’ll have to enjoy the pictures included here and that we will be adding to the gallery shortly!  Home, Sweet Home!  Bruce taking over as the Physics Fairy  The group at the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone  Our own interpretation of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump  The Physics Bus and a glacier in Banff National Park  Chris lying in snow near Bow Lake in Banff  Some new US and Swedish friends made at the AAPT conference July 16 The Physics Factory made the media again in the Great Falls Tribune. July 12 The Physics Factory has been busy climbing their way up north. After changing and cleaning
multiple filters for the veggie oil system, and some slight
improvements to rooftop the Physics Bus has guided our way through
some beautiful landscapes. Our first show since leaving Arizona was
in Las Vegas. The Boys and Girls club there was in need of a visit
from the Physics Factory, and were lucky enough to be the first to
witness “the flame tube” portion of our show. The kids
ages ranged from 6 to 16, and all seemed to gain some excitement from
what the Physics Factory had to offer. After a hearty hug from one of
the younger kids, and many thanks from the counselors we headed out
of the desert and set our eyes towards Utah. The relief from getting out of triple digit temperatures was immediately apparent. Although
the Physics Bus is equipped with a hammock, sleeping quarters (dubbed
The Nest) and plenty of storage, it is without air
conditioning, which makes for some brutal times. Our first stop in
Utah was in beautiful Provo, where we did two shows at one Boys and
Girls Club, one for the younger kids and one for the older. The
younger crowd may have entertained us more than we did them with
their amazing ability to link a question from us to a story about
their mommies. For example: Chris: Do any of you
have a pet at home? What sounds do they make?
Chris: Does anyone play the violin?
Camping in Provo was where it was discovered that the roof of the bus is an awesome place to drag a sleeping bag at night and camp out under the stars. In Salt Lake City it was discovered that the roof is curved and can be rolled off of. Luckily, only pillows were in danger, but to prevent bodies from making an unexpected stumble in the middle of the night we bolted some boards around the sides, resulting in worry free slumber. In Salt Lake City we also did two shows; this time is separate Boys and Girls clubs across the city. Our KOA campground was only two miles from the Mormon Temple so a couple of our members took a late night bike ride tour of the city. The morning was accompanied by a hot tub and pool, the latter which didn’t last long before the pool bullies were after Bruce, telling him to get out or join them in a water aerobics class. Luckily, the counselors of the Boys and Girls club in Logan Utah offered us a day in their community water park after our show, which we gladly accepted. Getting to Logan was a little more challenging, as on the way out of Salt Lake our bus got a flat tire and we had to camp out in Ogden Utah for a night.  The kind man in Ogden, Utah changing our tire. The show at Logan was
different, in that it was done in a park as opposed to our usual
venue of a gym or multi-purpose room. We were warned before the show
started that some of the kids may leave at noon if we weren’t
keeping their interest, but 12:30 rolled around and we still had a
full audience. We ended the show with rides on the hover craft, then
packed up the bus, changed into our swim suits and hit the pool with
the kids and counselors. The Physics Bus is
currently cruising through some beautiful terrain in northern Idaho
on its way to Yellowstone National Park. The terrain keeps getting
more and more breathtaking and we can’t help but take way too
many photos. One of the members of the Physics Factory, Mike, has
never been north of Las Vegas so this will surely prove to be a
lifetime memory for him. Our next stop is Bozeman, Montana where we
were do two gigs and keep heading north for our goal of Edmonton
Canada!  Some of the kids in Logan that were being sure not to get sunburn!  The Physics Bus cruising the strip in Las Vegas  View from a campground in northern Idaho June 26 A reporter and photographer from the Tucson Citizen came to see us do a gig at the Drachman Boys & Girls Club. It monsooned so loudly on the roof that the kids could barely hear us. We were a little freaked out when, after the clap of thunder, we realized that the bus's flagpole mast was up and there were some middle-school wannabe gangstas hanging around it.  Even though the idea of the bus getting hit by lightning was kind of cool, we agreed that it wouldn't be cool if it happened before the trip! At least until we get our flux-capacitor installed!!! June 25 Bruce, Erik, and Chris got together at the resting site of the original Physics Bus so that we could say our respects and get anything of value off of it before it heads to a metal yard to be crushed. It was a sentimental evening. That bus is what turned the dream of the Physics Factory into a reality, thanks to the selflessness of Bruce who put his money where his mouth was and bought it.   We'll never forget how the bus sacrificed its life--giving everything it had to get us within towing distance of Tucson--so that the Physics Factory could put itself on the map. We were careful not to take too much. It should keep some dignity as it goes into the fiery furnace. It seemed appropriate that rain softly fell as we said our goodbye's. It was comforting to know that as the years go on, and the metal is recycled and distributed over and over again, there will be a little bit of Physics Bus everywhere... June 13 Today Mike started cleaning out the bus. He knew it was bad, but had no idea just how bad. As hopeless as it seems, things are getting done. Today Mike managed to wire the winch into the bus's electrical system, fix the ramp, fix the AC unit in the back, and fix the Wimshurst machine. We keep having to remind ourselves how much this is will be worth it as we will spend well over 100 hours on the bus over the next month. |
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