Day 14 - July 10

---

Day 14 - July 10, 2013



Another day of driving and seeing the world. We left our happy hotel a bit later than we had hoped, but we had a relaxing breakfast so it was worth it. We headed out from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and crossed the International Bridge into Ontario, Canada. We were able to see the locks and rapids from above as we crossed the bridge. The driving went well and the scenery was beautiful. Just before our turn south in Sudbury, ON, we saw a sign and had to stop. How can you come to Canada without eating Tim Horton Donuts? We stopped for two, but were told by a very persuasive sales lady that it is cheaper to buy a half dozen, so with a box of six tucked under our arm, off we went again.

The sky had big fluffy clouds for the most part and the road was lined with sparkling lakes and inviting rivers. Shortly after we acquired our donuts we found ourselves stopped on the road. Just minutes before, a car had gone off the road and rolled over at least one and a half times (its underside was up). Numerous truckers had stopped to lend assistance and were parked to the side of the highway. One trucker even stood by with his fire extinguisher until the fire trucks got there. A police car, which and passed us just moments before at 90+ mph (145+ kph), had just gotten out of his car (which was now blocking the road) and was heading to the crashed vehicle when we got there. Within a few minutes, more police and two ambulances snaked their way through the ever-lengthening queue of cars and trucks behind us. There was no shortage of help available; many people had gotten out of their cars to offer help. The EMT’s prepared two stretchers on the shoulder of the road above the crash site indicating two people were in the black SUV in the ditch. Once the police had secured the area, they directed us around the scene, and back on our way. Our prayers are with those who were hurt.

I napped in the sun and Don drove on. We came upon a small town by the name of Parry Sound on the Georgian Bay. The fact that Parry Sound is the deepest, natural freshwater port in the world pales (at least to Canadians) to the fact that it is the birthplace of hockey legend Bobby Hull and hosts the “Bobby Hull Hall of Fame.” The town was named for Sir William Parry, the explorer. It was a cute place to walk around and stretch our legs as we inspected the float planes tied to the dock (might have been a bit too windy to fly).

Despite being delayed by the accident, we were pleased with our drive time to this point and so we were back on the road toward Toronto. We expected to hit the city around 4:00. By 3:00 it was apparent we were close to a big city. The traffic was getting crazy! There were five or six lanes in every direction, all bumper-to-bumper or stopped. As time slipped on and we were still on the outskirts of downtown, we realized our plan to spend some time in downtown Toronto, and maybe even visit the top of the CN Tower, had to be scrapped. We reluctantly (and slowly) turned toward Niagara Falls and waved to Toronto as we saw it in the distance. Toronto lists over 2 million people on their welcome to town sign. I’m pretty sure all of them were on the highways and byways today. As we waved good-bye, the dark clouds gathered and it began to pour. We continued with the rain and the bumper-to-bumper traffic for the next 40 miles or so until we were just outside of Niagara Falls. We pulled over for gas and a quick check of the Internet to get the directions to our hotel for the night. Gas was listed as 131.9…..what the heck is that? That, my friends, is price per liter and works out to about $5.00 a gallon. We did not fill up! We did find out that the new van traveled 499 miles today on a tank of gas with about 35 miles listed until empty. Roughly 25 mpg, not too shabby!

We located our hotel, the Ramada Plaza, on Lundy’s Lane without too much difficulty. The hotel was nice enough but we needed to leave a breadcrumb trail to find our way to the room. We actually ran into a woman who helped us as we wondered around aimlessly. The room was cute and we discovered a short cut so we made it out again in time for dinner.

Canada has a love affair with their hockey! We started out at Tim Horton’s earlier (he was an ex-player) and had dinner at Don Cherry’s (an ex-player, coach, and an announcer for “Hockey Night in Canada”). We were expecting chain restaurant quality and were surprised to find all of our dishes to be very flavorful and tasty. Don tried his first serving of poutine, and he liked it! Poutine is a dish of french fries covered in cheese curds and brown gravy. Ours also included mushrooms, olives, and peppers. It was a nice combination.

A stroll around the outlet mall across the street from our hotel proved to be just the right amount of fresh air. Time to tuck in and turn out the lights.

Thanks for reading,

Jill and Don

---

Photos

Crossing the Border
The border between US and Canada on the International Bridge between the two Sault Ste. Marie's.

St. Mary River Rapids
This is the namesake of Sault Sainte Marie

Parry Sound
On the Georgian Bay.

Float Plane
Whether you want lessons or to go someplace, they're here for you.

One of Don Cherry's Jackets
Did we mention that Don Cherry is known as an outlandish dresser?

Yet Another!
Picture of Don Cherry dressed in just another typical sport coat (typical for HIS closet, that is)

Comments

[Dad]

Don Cherry , Poutine & Toronto
I tried to tell you about TO traffic. it"s now the fourth largest metro area in North America (just passed Chicago) Poutine is an almost exclusive Quebec dish (children's fare). Remember Bowser and Blues' rendition of "The Night They Invented Poutine?" Don Cherry was ultimately a "rockem, sockem bigot" and outlandish curmudgeon.

[WeTravel]

Don Cherry
I have no knowledge of the bigot part but the rockem', Sockem', outlandish parts are spot on. Thanks for your comments, Don