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…

Slight Mid-Air Emergency Delay (not for or caused by me) but in Toronto

Almost 30 hours since I boarded my first plane in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday and I am now back on Canadian soil in Toronto. The first segment of my return from South Africa to Germany was uneventful - which considering the recent aviation events is not a bad thing. The second leg of the journey home (Germany - Toronto) got a bit interesting.

Three hours into the Frankfurt - Toronto flight a frantic announcement requesting a medical doctor on board to identify them self to a crew member. The older gentlemen sitting across the aisle from me eventually identified himself as a doctor and was rushed to somewhere in the back of the aircraft (not sure where exactly as I received an upgrade to executive class where you cant see any of the economy people). After a lot of excitement and increased blood pressure for the in-flight staff the situation seemed to loose urgency. Eventually the doctor returned to his seat with a slightly disgusted look on his face as apparently the event was nothing too major. A women had passed out when she got up to go to the washroom which was the catalyst for hysteria. When the women came to she was quite worked up and was demanded to go to the nearest hospital for treatment - I am not sure she necessarily recalled that we were 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

When we arrived in Toronto the plane was met by full paramedic and emergency service personnel. All passengers had to wait on the plane until the women was carried out on a stretcher by paramedics. As a result, I missed my connecting plane to Winnipeg. Fortunately, I received a seat on the next flight out to Winnipeg this afternoon without any delays. By late this evening I should (pending any other delays) be back in Brandon.

Leia Mais…