Monday, August 8, 2016

#MicroblogMondays: On the road again...

*  This post is coming to you from a hotel room somewhere in northern Ontario, en route home after a long and mostly fun vacation with my family.
*  By the time we get home, we will have been away (gulp) a full FOUR WEEKS. I can't remember the last time I was away from home or took a vacation this long.
*  I thought we would leave right after the long weekend, i.e., early last week. Dh said he'd be happy to leave Thursday -- but by mid-week, my dad was insisting we stay until the following Monday (today). He threw in the bribe of a golf game to dh (plus more fabulous homecooked dinners with fresh veggies from his garden), & so we caved. ;)
* Because... we can!! lol -- one of the perqs of retired childless condo living. ;) 
* I am reminded once again of what a vast, vast country this is, and how few people relative to area. It's estimated that 75% of the Canadian population lives within 161 kilometers/100 miles of the U.S. border. There's a whole lot of empty space...! 
* By the time we get home, we will have been travelling approximately 8 hours a day for three days/two nights straight (not counting stops for lunch & bathroom breaks).
* Northern Ontario travel tips: eat when you can, and use the bathroom where you can, because you never know when you'll get the next opportunity. The towns (such as they are) can be far & few in between. Canadians tend to think there is a Tim Hortons on every street corner -- but when the nearest street corner is another 80 km down the road... (and it may be too small to warrant a Timmies on it...!). 
*  There were places along the road where we were trying to pull in a radio station and... zilch. Not even the good old CBC.  (I remembered this from my trip along this route with my parents, 32 years ago -- I guess technology hasn't improved THAT much since then??)
* Thank you to those of you who sent comments, thoughts & prayers yesterday on Katie's day.  We will be visiting the cemetery within a few days of our return, traditional pink roses in tow.

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here    

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like it's been a wonderful trip. And I know exactly what you're talking about with the long stretches with no civilization in sight. It's both beautiful and frightening. But that's the whole point of adventure.

    Thank and learning to pee on the side of the road ;)

    Safe travels home!

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  2. I have to laugh at your shock at the idea of four weeks holiday. I'm so glad though that the freedoms of your life have led you to being able to appreciate this. "Because ... we can!" Indeed!

    Believe it or not, even in NZ there are pockets when we can't find a radio station. I guess, no people, no service.

    Drive carefully. Eight hours a day is a lot of driving. Take lots of breaks.

    Yes, we were thinking of you this last week. Hugs.

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  3. I was thinking of Katie, as her day is so close to Sam's. I hope it was gentle for you. Enjoy northern Ontario - I love LOTW the best (but you're probably way past there already).

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