Restaurants

by

Hiro Sushi, Chambly

When I got to Chambly, I was given a menu for a popular local sushi shop (hint as to the name). It was very western and utterly unappealing. So I did some research and located the well-reviewed Hiro. They also have a very western menu (lots of tempura and cream cheese), but also more traditional fare.

For $18 and change including tax I got:

1) veggie miso soup: disappointing; too heavy on the carrots and not ‘miso-ee’ enough. Will not be ordering their soup again.

2) one piece octopus nigiri: awesome! Will order two next time since they are super cheap here at less than $2 each!

3) one eel cone: awesome! There is cucumber, masago, and avocado in addition to the BBQ eel. Great mix of flavours and textures!

4) one ‘tango’ maki: awesome! It’s essentially a combo spicy tuna and salmon roll with masago and other yummy bits in it.

Miso soup not withstanding, this was unequivocally one of the best sushi meals I’ve ever enjoyed. Thumbs up to Hiro!

by

The Soo, ON to Chambly, QC

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.

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 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.

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

hard to believe that glamorous Shania Twain comes from this part of the world

next big town: Ottawa!

next big town: Ottawa!

first sign announcing Quebec!

first sign announcing Quebec!

Ottawa bound!

Ottawa bound!

This is where I turned the last time I took this trip to go straight to Pontiac.

This is where I turned the last time I took this trip to go straight to Pontiac.

entering Canada's National Capital Region!

entering Canada’s National Capital Region!

Never thought I'd be so happy to see Scotia Bank Place!

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.

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?!

What the heck happened to the Ottawa Ikea?! Did it fall into the same magic potion as Obélix?!

by

Into the Land of Sky Tinted Water

I am at a McDonalds in Bimidji, Minnesota. I went a little out of my way yesterday to spend the night at the Seven Clans Casino, near Thief River Falls. I arrived at 8:00 and tucked myself along the far edge of the sandy RV parking area, then I went in to check out the restaurant. There weren’t that many options, but my ginormous turkey club with fries was very satisfying and only $8.

By the time I’d eaten and set up camp, it was going onto 10:00, which was 9:00 by my body clock because of the time zone change. I was tired, but not ready to sleep, so I left the tailgate open to listen to the birds in the marsh and read for nearly an hour.

20120608-073807.jpg

20120608-073843.jpg

I fell asleep quickly but woke up gasping around 1:00 because it was really hot, even with the windows open and the topper door cracked. I squirmed out of my sleeping bag, covered myself with the blanket only, and fell back into a deep sleep until about 5:20. That was another good night for me!

It was 5:45 when I hit the road. I stopped for fuel ($3.43!!!!!!!!!) and coffee and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the 100KM+ to Bimidji passed.

Croft asked how I feel about Moya’s gas mileage. It’s as I expected. I haven’t done the math yet, but, while I’m sure I’m not getting the 28MPG that Ford promises, it doesn’t feel that bad. I knew that I was trading fuel efficiency for a place to sleep and easier driving over rough roads.

I am hoping to make it to Sault Ste Marie ON today (The Soo), but I may opt to stay on the Michigan side and cross the border in the morning. I am staying at a motel tonight or maybe a campground if I find one with clean showers.

20120608-074858.jpg

by

At a Familiar Starbucks, or Stettler AB to Minot ND

I’m back at the Minot Starbucks where I got online last time I was here before getting my cell phone connection to work. It’s been a long couple of days and today is not over!

Going back to Stettler for a bit, there was a lot to celebrate on Tuesday night, so Donna, Ken, and I treated ourselves to dinner at Stettler’s White Goose Restaurant. The food was excellent and reasonably priced! I enjoyed their chicken souvlaki and would go back to this restaurant without hesitation.

Wednesday morning, I dropped the truck off at CR Glass at 8AM. The other glass place in town looked at me like I was an alien on Tuesday when I asked about the possibly of having my windshield replaced that day or first thing Wednesday. CR Glass said on Tuesday that they didn’t have one in stock, but that they’d have it by 8AM Wednesday and I could be on the road by 1:30ish. They were true to their word and the cost was only $262 with the tax. Thanks, CR Glass!

Goodbyes are always hard, and especially so when you know you won’t be seeing dear friends for another year. I mean, what would be the odds that I’d have to come back again to Alberta before my expected return date?! So I made sure to have everything packed up so I could leave straight from CR Glass instead of going back to Donna and Ken’s.

Donna made sure I was loaded down with electronic rejects, including a little inverter to charge my laptop and iPad when I’m driving! Croft had mentioned such a device, but I misunderstood what he meant, thinking he was talking about a 12V charger. Thanks, Donna!

Google Maps said I was looking at 10+ hours to my property, putting my ETA at about midnight, which was too late when I factored in breaks. But my GPS put the ETA at 11:00, which meant about midnight with breaks. I decided to try for it and reevaluate as I approached Swift Current.

The drive was smooth and uneventful until I got to about 30KM shy of Brooks and I discovered that my gas gauge is not properly calibrated. I went from having a quarter tank of fuel to being in the red in a matter of a couple of kilometres! I was on fumes when I pulled into the first gas station I could find and put in a full tank and then some. Talk about stressful! But my nerves were soothed when I was told, “You got plenty of gas. How about a free hot drink?” So I came out of there with a nice coffee with hazelnut creamer.

It was coming on 6:30ish or so when I hit Medicine Hat, so I took a bit of a detour to a Safeway to pick up a semblance of a picnic for dinner and breakfast.

By the time I turned onto SK highway 37 at Gull Lake, my ETA to my property was only 10:45. I was going to make it!

Next time I go to my property, I will stay on highway 1 to Swift Current and only turn to highway 13 from there. Highway 13 from Cadillac to Weyburn is beautiful, but the bit between the junction of 37 and Cadillac was pretty rough.

I was coming onto a quarter tank of fuel when I hit Cadillac (hilarious, I used to live in Pontiac, but I digress). No problem, there’s a Husky there. Except that I arrived at about 8:30 and it was closed, with the next gas station being more than 100KM away and just as likely to be closed. I just about had a heart attack! And then I noticed the note under the closed sign, that gas was still available after hours with a credit card. There was two pages worth of instructions, but I quickly ascertained that the process was just like getting fuel at AFD Petroleum in Dawson City. So I had no trouble getting my fuel.

It was just starting to get dark when I rolled into Assiniboia and there was still pink at the edges of the sky when I landed on my property at bang on 10PM! I was able to set up camp and was snug in bed by 10:30. I read till 11:00 and slept soundly till 5AM when I was awoken by the sun since my temporary window covering (garbage bag + duct tape) had come loose. That was still a good night for me and I dozed till 7AM, so I was quite well rested this morning.

It was pretty cold through the night and this morning, but my sleeping bag and blanket were sufficient even though I was just sleeping in a t-shirt and shorts. I even left the canopy door cracked open. My fleece was sufficient to ward off the morning chill. All in all, a very successful first night sleeping in Moya!

looking towards the rear of my property

looking towards the rear of my property

this whimsical addition to my radio antenna cracks me up!

this whimsical addition to my radio antenna cracks me up!

looking towards the street (kind of annoyed the for sale sign is still there, but anyway)

looking towards the street (kind of annoyed the for sale sign is still there, but anyway)

I pulled out of my lot at about 7:30. I put Duluth, MN, into my GPS, knowing that I’m not getting there tonight, but it would at least plot me on the shortest route to Quebec. I thought I would be stopping in Weyburn for coffee and internet a couple of hours later, but Moya scrapped those plans. You see, a pick up truck, even a small one, makes light of gravel roads, so I was able to take the road to Willow Bunch that I swore I would never take again in my Accent. That put me at only about a half hour from the US port of entry at Scobey, MT. It meant hours of rural driving and no internet break till Minot, but also immediate access to cheap US fuel!

I stopped just before the border in a town with a small campground and visitor centre with public washrooms (rough but clean). I had breakfast, washed up, and threw out my trash then drove the 10KM to the border.

This was the first crossing where I was asked why I had chosen that port of entry, a very sensible question considering the remoteness of the crossing and how far I was from ‘home.’ I explained that I’d spent the night at my vacation property in ____ and earned a ‘That makes sense! Have a great trip to Montreal!’ in reply.

Fuel was running low as I pulled into Plentywood, MT, around 10:00 so I stopped for gas and coffee. They were having trouble with their POS system, so I was there a bit since they would not let me go to the bank right next door to get cash. That earned me another free coffee, and a really good one at that. 🙂

It poured rain most of the way to North Dakota, but has since cleared up a little.

I’m heading to a casino in Minnesota about five hours away. That will make a full day, but I can do it now that I’ve had a rest.

The truck drives like a dream. I am so happy with it. 🙂

by

Winnipeg Layover

I made it safely and even a little early to Winnipeg, where I have a two-hour layover. I just had dinner at the TGI Fridays (didn’t know we had one in Canada) and now there’s only an hour left till boarding starts.

It was a painful flight. I’ve been fighting a cold for about a week now and am still stuffy. So the change in air pressure was excruciating on the ear drums and my left ear refuses to clear. I’ll be glad when I get to Calgary tonight.

I did manage to squeeze in a solid hour of work on a translation and coding project, but I have to admit that a 17″ MacBook Pro is too big if you have someone sitting next to you. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case today since I was in a row of three seats and the middle one was unoccupied.

20120603-164534.jpg