Whew. I landed in Chambly about an hour ago. Including the bus from Calgary to Edmonton, I’ve done just over 4,200KM since Monday. I drove at or very near the speed limit the whole time and didn’t drive at night except for today. I think this is about as far as I could drive in that amount of time. If I had to drive any further, I’d have to take a day off!
I knew that 99.9% of today’s driving would be easy. I think that the stretch on highway 17 between the Soo and Ottawa is some of the easiest driving in this country. Yeah, the speed limit could be a little higher on summer days, but it’s still an easy route with minimal interruptions. Yesterday through the U.P. was a lot tougher.
It was just past 10:00 when I pulled out of the Soo and the GPS told me I’d be in Chambly by 9:00, so I correctly estimated my arrival would be close to 11:00. By the time I’d driven just shy of 300KM, I was hungry, needed a bathroom (something that Canada needs more of outside of Tim Hortons, btw), and the gas gauge was nearing the quarter mark. So, I pulled over in Espagnola and took care of all three matters.
Just shy of Sturgeon Falls, I started to feel sleepy and began to look for a place to pull over to take a nap. Kilometres passed and nothing. Then, to add insult to injury, I passed a “Fatigue kills. Take a break!” sign. Several kilometres past it, I was able to stop at an abandoned gas station where I slept for almost a half hour.
Then, I stopped in Sturgeon Falls for an iced coffee, at a roadside park to use the outhouse, and then in Cobden for fuel. That put me at about 1.5 hours from Ottawa, so I had a good idea of when I’d get to Chambly. I called my mother to let her know.
It wasn’t long after Cobden that I started to feel peckish. Stopping for fast food was unappealing and I didn’t want to waste time going to a sit down dinner. There was only one option and it’s one I wouldn’t have had in any other city on the planet than Ottawa. This is because Ottawa is the only city I know well enough to know exactly where to grab a home made dinner in under 20 minutes while only going four blocks from the on and off ramp to the highway, The Table Vegetarian Restaurant. It serves organic food buffet-style. Just walk in, fill up a plate, pay based on the weight of the food, and leave. I made sure to pick up a jar of their onion chutney, something I have been craving for a few years since I used up the supply a friend brought me in Vancouver!
I can’t wait to go back to Ottawa later this summer and see what is the same and what has changed. I am so pleased that time has stood still at The Table.
The worst 100KM or so of my entire trip were between Vaudreuil and Chambly, a nightmarish combination of fatigue, darkness, traffic, construction, and the fact that Quebec likes to save money by not painting lane markers. I would never have made it on my own nor if I was coming in cold with just the GPS. It took both of us to navigate the maze and the last obstacle had me curse for the first time on this trip. I loathe driving in Montreal and I pity the US tourists next to me who had an additional difficulty: directions and road signs written in French only.
But I made it in one piece, thrilled to have gotten my new truck cross country without incident! Now, to see how it tows. I am going to have one looooong rig now!
I found myself in the real life version of The Long, Long Trailer. The truck hauling this trailer has a ‘JUST MARRIED!’ sign on it.
Last time I was through here, I opted to pass the Soo then stop for the night
last time I came through this part of Canada, I stayed here, at the Iron Bridge Motel. Or, as I like to call it, the Bates Motel. The owner was a creep. I refused to take a shower.
hard to believe that glamorous Shania Twain comes from this part of the world
next big town: Ottawa!
first sign announcing Quebec!
Ottawa bound!
This is where I turned the last time I took this trip to go straight to Pontiac.
entering Canada’s National Capital Region!
Never thought I’d be so happy to see Scotia Bank Place!
Home. That’s the only way I can describe seeing this skyline for the first time in four years.
What the heck happened to the Ottawa Ikea?! Did it fall into the same magic potion as Obélix?!
