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Alyssa and I left for our yearly road trip on Sunday, and started a leisurely drive through the Great Lakes region. We headed north on M35 and followed along the top of Lake Michigan for a few hours - stopping at beachy rest stops to drop our toes in the frigid water! The lake beaches are extraordinary - with giant rocks, soft squishy sand, and a never ending horizon it's easy to imagine you are on an ocean beach (until you feel the freezing water temperatures!)
About 4 hours into the drive, we were stoked to get to the Canada border! The immigration officer asked us the usual list of questions and let us through with a smile....but even though we asked for a stamp, we didn't get one!

We hit the Canadian highway following Lake Huron towards Sudbury, and my newly rebuilt car was disappointed in the 90 km/hour speed limit! That's a limit of about 55 mph in the middle of nowhere -- although deer and moose crossings are common so I guess it's better to be safe than mangled! We stopped at a truck stop and got a chili cheese wrap and our first serving of poutine! I've been hearing about poutine from all my friends and Alyssa and I were pleased beyond expectations! Perfect fried topped with white cheddar cheese curds and smothered in a rich brown gravy ... get out your fork and dig into the YUM!!!

We got into town late Sunday night and arrived at our cute apartment rented on airbnb.com without a hitch! There is a 24 hour french bakery cafe right up the street and we went to stretch our legs and catch a sandwich! We ordered a club sandwich w/mayo on the side and a ham, cheese, and fried egg sandwich with mayo dripping DOWN the side arrived! Hm! I skipped the sandwich and just had a beer!

It happened that I rented a place right in my friend's neighborhood, so Monday morning we walked up to his new restaurant - Bigabaldi's - and indulged in perfect al dente cheese ravioli with creamy tomato sauce and a sausage, rapini, roasted garlic, and goat cheese pizza. YEAH BRAD! We loved it! He directed us to the nearest subway station, and I had Alyssa take the lead on navigation.

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