Hello St. John's

After 5,000 kilometres of driving and a 14 hour ferry ride I arrived in St. John's! It is hard to believe that a full week has passed since I started the adventure. I would like to indicate I accomplished great things over the past week, however, that would be a lie. I accomplished nothing other than driving, singing to the radio, and sometimes talking to myself. I will also admit to a few wrong turns, or scenic drives.

Although I would like nothing more than to kick back and relax for a few days I need to quickly get organized and prepare for meetings and classes. I have meetings scheduled throughout much of Wednesday and the university classes start 8:30 AM (6 AM in Manitoba time) on Thursday morning. In between the meetings and classes I also have a small matter of finding a place to live! I have a few leads that I am hoping will translate into a roof over my head. Hopefully by the end of weekend I have resolved the immediate unknowns. I am hoping by the end of the month I will be fully settled in the city (this may be optimistic).

Leia Mais…

One Day of Driving Remaining

After arriving in Moncton, New Brunswick I realized only one day of driving remaining. The last let of my journey will be driving to North Sydney, Nova Scotia to board the ferry to Newfoundland. After a 14 hour ferry ride I will arrive in Argentia, Newfoundland on Tuesday afternoon.

It is hard to believe I departed Manitoba a week ago. Over 3,500 kilometres have been driven over the past seven days.

Leia Mais…

2,492 km Completed - 1,595 + Ferry Ride Remaining

Three days of driving has translated into almost 2,500 kilometres. I arrived in Montreal around supper time today after having driven across much of northern Ontario and Quebec. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of traffic and the abundance of radio stations. Unfortunately, the traffic came in the form of painfully slow 5th wheel trailers and the radio stations were predominantly French! I learned to be careful what I wished for.

I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, something I have not done in a couple of weeks. I will spend a couple of days in Montreal before beginning the final leg of the journey through eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia. I have to ensure I am in North Sydney, Nova Scotia by 6 PM on Monday to catch the ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland. Missing the ferry translates into a 3 day delay.

Leia Mais…

In the Middle of Nowhere - Ontario

After two days of driving I have arrived in the middle of nowhere in northern Ontario. To be specific, I have arrived in Kirkland Lakes - about 50 km west of the Ontario-Quebec border. Yesterday I had the privilege of entering a new province; today, however, I was not awarded that luxury! It amazes me how long it takes to drive through Ontario.

I departed Thunder Bay this morning only to encounter a multi-vehicle accident on the highway. The GPS navigator provided me an alternative route through Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and eventually back to the highway. Although the GPS navigator was quick to produce an alternative route, I was a little slower in granting it my confidence. Without a hiccup I was back on the highway and driving through northern Ontario. Amenities dropped liked rocks in water as distance from Thunder Bay grew. An hour outside Thunder Bay I lost cell phone reception and after two hours I was without any radio signals. While on the Greenbelt Highway a good 2.5 hours passed without seeing any vehicles or wildlife (not disappointed in missing the last).

Tomorrow will be a 800 km drive through northwestern Quebec with the ultimate destination of Montreal. If all goes as planned I will have a few days to kick back and relax in Montreal before departing for the East Coast.

Leia Mais…

5,000 km Journey Begins

After cleaning out my apartment and tying up loose errands at work I departed on the seven day, 5,000 km journey to St. John's. If all goes as planned I will arrive on September 8 in the mid afternoon. My anticipated route will take me through Thunder Bay, Kirkland Lakes, Montreal, Moncton, and North Sydney before boarding the ferry to Newfoundland.

I am in no real rush to arrive in St. John's. This is partly attributed to the desire to enjoy the drive and take in all the scenery. The other part is that I have no clue where I will be living once I arrive in the city! For the past six weeks I have been emailing and phoning every landlord in the city trying to arrange housing. I have had little success, although still optimistic I will locate a place. I have a few plans for housing:

Plan A is to locate a place when I arrive

Plan B is tent for a while in St. John's while I locate a place

Plan C is to find a large cardboard box (such as a fridge box) and position it in a sheltered area. Given the winds in St. John's I do not anticipate this will be a long term solution!

Regardless of the situation, I have no doubt it will all work out.

Leia Mais…