Here I Go Again

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It was only a matter of time or a matter of boredom before I would decide to shake up my life. The months of August and September had kept me busy with long work days in the film catering business. I was happily working crazy hours feeding cast and crew for the film “Bag Of Bones” in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We relocated our food trucks and set up shop most every other day. Work began in the middle of the night to the late afternoon and days were long. The completion of the film brought the arrival of me being unemployed. I truly enjoy being unemployed as long as I have positive things to put my energy towards. After only a few days of rest, I was bored, ready to leap at any new chance, but what? Two things I did know. 1) I will need to be employed again soon and 2) that I will no longer be living in the city of Halifax. So know what?



I spent the first few weeks of October mainly in New Brunswick, living a slow quiet existence with the dear ones in my life. My girlfriend Courtnay and I began researching other cities in Canada to relocate to. We checked job opportunities and rental prices. We decided that we should drive to Calgary, Alberta and give that a shot (well after our plans to work in the Caribbean fell through). A cross Canada roadtrip was vaguely agreed upon. We dwelled on if we should wait and relax a few weeks or hurry up and get moving before winter gets moving first. We decided to enjoy a couple extra weeks with friends and family and maybe do some research for our futures.



A date was set, our possessions to fit in the rear of a Volkswagen Golf, and our budgets limited. On an early November Saturday morning we left before daylight, -3 degrees outside with over 5000kms in our horizons. The first moments of the trip were great, driving along the Plaster Rock Highway (Route 108) as the morning sun was making its path through then above the treeline. We saw very few vehicles, but plenty of wildlife and camp sites of hunters. We witnessed a coyote run across the highway and a hunter walking up the highway with a drawn rifle. I love the feeling that accompanies a new adventure. The hodge podge of emotions of excitement, anxiety, and the sombreness of leaving loved ones behind, the freedom of being in movement and the excitement for what lays on the path ahead.



Day one took us just over 1000 kms from Northern New Brunswick, into Quebec province then into Ontario. The weather was sunny and around 12 degrees, which made the drive a pleasure while the Quebecer's stood strong to their stereotype and made driving in their province more difficult then it should be. While growing up in New Brunswick one hears of the crazy Quebec folk and their “Je Me Souviens” license plates that speed, tailgate, aggressively drive and terrorize our rural roads, towns and highways during the summer months. I have heard and witnessed this throughout my youth and after noticing the amount of dings, dents, scratches and the overall state of vehicles in Montreal traffic, one will decide that the stereotype is truth. Being cut off, tailgated and passed by speeding vehicles, I vote Quebecer's as the least law abiding drivers in Canada.



We spent our first evening in Ottawa, the nation's capital, and with my sister Beverly's help I had a deal on a very large hotel room. The 11 hour day of driving, plus the one hour time zone change had left me completely tired and we accomplished nothing that evening besides catching z's.



The next morning we toured around Ottawa for a few hours. Visited our Country's Parliament buildings, enjoyed the Ottawa views in the morning sunshine. Had a great breakfast of a Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich before we set off for our destination of the day. We drove westbound down the 401 (which is the busiest highway in North America) our destination Waterdown, which is south of Toronto and near to Hamilton. Now, I am a country boy and even though I have held a driver's license for many years now, I have little experience on multi lane highways. The 401 proved to be as big and busy as I expected but with the help of our GPS we navigated through the lanes, exits and traffic to reach our destination at Rebecca's house in Waterdown.



Rebecca and Courtnay worked together for a few years in Toronto. The first thing I noticed about Rebecca is how warm and friendly she seemed and that proved true throughout our stay. The next day we ventured into Toronto and hit the streets. Courtnay and Rebecca reminiscing while I got to be a tourist. I have been to the city once, a college trip that included lots of food and booze but got to see very little of the large city. I was taken to the Distillery district where the warehouses are now home to pubs, restaurants, clothing shops, coffee shops and a chocolate shop. Another cooking mate from Courtnay's Toronto days Alicia joined us, then the four of us ventured back to downtown where we visited the girl's old workplace George. They caught up with Chef Lorenzo who was delighted to see them while I admired the kitchen, the amount of staff, the amount of kitchen equipment while I tried to decipher the prep taking place . Then off to visit another of their chef gang, Brandon who is now the head chef of a charcuterie restaurant called “The Black Hoof”. We were seated at the back of the cozy restaurant and stared at the chalkboard discussing what to order. We couldn't decide, so we ordered almost everything on the menu (it was a table of chefs). My friend Rachel, whom I worked with in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand joined us for our glutton of meat. We shared plates and drank. Empty plates got taken away, then more plates of animal parts were placed in front of us. We dined on pork tacos, bone marrow (served in the bone), lamb necks, blood custard, foie gras, beef carpaccio, house cured meats, sweetbreads, foie gras torchon and other random parts of animals. The atmosphere of the place changed from quiet when we walked in the front door to a full house with the soundtrack of merry customers in less than an hour. By the time the chef sent us a few complimentary plates we were stuffed. I was uncomfortably full but hopeful my bellyful would stay in my belly. The evening ended with a long train ride with our full bellies dancing to the rhythm of the train. We reported directly to bed upon arrival back to Rebecca's house.



The next day was planned to be an early start to drive north and continue this roadtrip but due to a headlight problem (that was installed improperly at Volkswagen in Miramichi) I had an appointment booked to get my headlight fixed. So our day didn't start till after noon making the 800km planned less likely. We drove north and the suburbs gave way, towns became farther apart, the highway offered plenty of space. We drove the afternoon away and decided Sudbury was as far as we were going to get today. Hangover, hungry, dark and rainy was the combination when we arrived in Sudbury. We seeked for a hotel that fit into our budget and it took a few tries, we walked onto a movie set at one motel complete with a crazy and rude front desk worker. Followed that up by checking out a dive that was much cheaper then the others. We ended up with a smoking room that looked like last night's crime scene. The room stank of cigarette smoke, the walls yellow, cigarette burns on the tv remote, chewing gum stuck to the television. It was the dirtiest place I have ever laid my head and after some of my travels that is saying something. We went to bed early, fully clothed and hoping that this place wouldn't be home to a crime scene that night. We awoke early and safe, packed the car and left the key in the room and began our push of over 1000kms to Thunder Bay.



Weather was a big concern for us as we planned this trip. October can be unpredictable while November brings the promise of snowstorms, blizzards, sub-zero temperatures and other serious winter weather. We left Sudbury knowing that a storm system was pushing north over the Great Lakes and into Ontario. My plan was to drive as far as west as I could get that day, my hope being Thunder Bay over 1000kms away. Large snow flakes floating softly in the cool air, trapping us in what felt like some sort of huge snow globe. In a few hours we were on lower and drier ground. It was getting dark and I decided to push on to Thunder Bay another 100kms away. We drove along the secluded highway with a few handfuls of cars. There was a passing lane, the van behind me sped up but couldn't pass before the lane ended, he was only a few feet from my rear bumper as my headlights spotted a male deer on the shoulder of the highway. We locked eyes, I pressed my breaks firmly and then let go, hoping the deer stayed in mid step and the van didn't come in through the hatchback. As quickly as it happened, it was over. The van only a few feet from my rear bumper, the deer somewhere in the darkness of Northern Ontario and my heart had relocated someplace north of where it once resided. We did make it to Thunder Bay without incident and stopped on a street with a few motels. After the crime scene motel from last night all we wanted was a clean, safe place to call home for the night. The first motel was within budget, clean and didn't show any signs of being a crime scene as of late. We slept well as our little minds could be eased of crime scenes, film sets, snowflakes, wild deer and a long day of pavement behind us.



Another early morning, a few degrees below zero, and a 700km goal of Winnipeg. North of Thunder Bay towns remain far apart, the highway cuts through thick forest and lacks traffic, villages and townships. The snow did fall and we seemed to be driving into the thick of it. A good chat at a small town convenience store and I learned that the upcoming towns had received less snow. The open road, dusted with snow, music playing, singing, chatting and talking plans and dreams is what I remember most about the drive through Northern Ontario. I relaxed as the road ahead should prove an easier trip then the kilometres behinds us. The sign to enter Manitoba came in sight, then disappeared in the rear view while the sun finally decided to peek through the clouds. By dinner time we were cruising through Winnipeg, letting the GPS guide us to my friend Robin's home.



Now Robin is a friend of mine from my travels in New Zealand. She is the girl who somehow talked me into getting behind the controls of an airplane for an flying instruction. We stayed with Robin and her mom on a lovely tree lined street in central Winnipeg. Robin hadn't changed much since the last time I saw here over 2 years ago. She was still vibrant with life, full of energy and she still had an endless supply of smiles. She invited us into her circle of friends and played a great tour guide. We bounced around the city, seen plenty of sights and had a couple good nights on the town. I will always remember the drunken Saturday night in Winnipeg as some of the gang had tried into talking us into just moving to Winnipeg and finish our trip now. We did end up at a pub with an east coast folk band that covered all the nautical songs one may here at a traditional pub in Halifax or Saint John (how ironic it is). We did get to leave Winnipeg continuing on the flat and straight highway west. This is where the trip gets boring, wheat fields, barns and small farming towns line the highway for hours. We did have a night in Regina, Saskatchewan that consisted of food and sleep. Then the final leg from Regina to Calgary. The prairies started to have some bumps, then the bumps became hills, then we were near Calgary with the Rocky Mountains off in the distance. The last day on the road was a strange feeling for the both of us. We had gotten used to being on the road, the highway, the music, the scenery, the conversations and just the feeling of being apart of an adventure. This was going to end soon, as we would be job searching, apartment searching and getting re-settled in new city.



We arrived on a Sunday afternoon to Courtnay's cousin Jeff and his wife Nina's home. They were very welcoming and happy to help us with getting resettled as they made a similar journey years earlier. First task was to make friends with there medley of dogs and their home was now our home. We applied for jobs, apartment searched and explored the city. I got good responses by hitting the streets with resumes and in no time was employed with 2 jobs. The first apartment we looked at was to be a sublet with 6 months remaining, downtown Calgary, and the girl would include the furniture for $100. It was a cheap start up cost and that was the original plan. In no time we had the ramshackle of an apartment, organized, cleaned and cheaply decorated.



The month of December was pleasant in temperature as the month seemed an endless Chinook of warm Pacific winds. Christmas Day was a pleasant 9 degrees Celsius (my warmest Christmas in Canada). We spent Christmas Eve at the Seward's home (Jeff's folks) exchanging gifts, listening to Kenny and Dolly Christmas album, drinking and enjoying the East Coast Christmas with the room filled with Cape Breton accents. Christmas Day was spent at Jeff and Nina's home, where we binged on candy, beer , turkey and laughter.



So here I am. I got my wish, no more Halifax. I'm settled in an apartment I now call home, comfortable in a city I don't think I belong in. Memories of driving across my great country, the feeling of an adventure, the questions of what may lie ahead, all put to rest somewhere behind me. Here I am thinking about adventure and what may lie ahead elsewhere. Over 5000kms with one full Volkswagen and one great partner in all this. I miss being confined in a small car with Courtnay, on a frosty and uncrowded patch of highway, dreaming out loud, moving westward. It all makes me wonder is accomplishing goals greater then the challenge of the task of getting them accomplished? Are the dreams, thoughts and planning to setting goals the greater part of the process. All that I know is that I'm left feeling a little empty, thinking greater things can be accomplished and more importantly experienced.

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