Ever since a good friend of mine began living in Canada, it has become a destination that I have recently frequented. The first two times I travelled to our friendly neighbor in the north, for unknown reasons, I did so in the winter. And Canada in the winter is quite something. How could I describe it? It’s like a winter wonderland postcard. Snow everywhere, amazing winter festivals, charming Christmas markets—it was fantastic. That being said, I’ll never go back in the winter again! Well … I might. We’ll see. I should say I’ll never drive up in the winter again, because that is not fun!
Last year I came up in September, and I have to say, it’s a pretty good time of year for that. The intense heat of the summer is gone, but the cold of the winter has yet to arrive. The weather is beautiful, and perfect for outdoor activities—in my case, eating and drinking. Don’t get the wrong impression, I enjoy other activities too; don’t judge! But I would enjoy eating every meal outdoors, weather permitting, of course. The city in Canada I come to visit is especially great at offering these joys I so adore—Ottawa.
The middle of September is ideal. The weather has already begun to change, but is still very nice. It drops into the 50’s at night, but is usually sunny and warm during the day. Perfect outdoor weather! Any later in the season, the change in the weather will accelerate, and before long, it’ll feel like you checked into the Overlook Hotel.
Long Ride
My journey to Ottawa begins just outside of Atlantic City, a little more than eight hours drive time—of course, assuming it all goes smoothly. The drive will consume the better part of the day. I generally make it a point to stop and visit some type of destination in between these two points along my journey. Not only do I benefit from the experience of visiting a new destination, it also makes the day productive. My days off are precious. The last thing I want to do is spent a whole day just driving. If I can stop and see something, the day was not a waste!
This year my approach is a bit different. Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan, traveling on a Sunday is generally less than ideal during the football season. In recent years, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I would just have to miss out on the game while traveling up on a Sunday. This year there was a window of opportunity, but I wouldn’t have time to mess around. The Eagles were playing the Atlanta Falcons in the Sunday night game of the week. I needed to arrive before 8:20pm. This meant minimal stopping; I just needed to get there!
Did Mike Pence Slow Me Down?
Of course, now that I was on a bit of a time schedule, obstacles were thrown at me from the onset. It started when I plugged my phone into the charger. It wouldn’t charge. The cable in my car had been giving me problems, but had never failed me…until now. Ugh! I can’t make this trip without power. I decided I would jump off the Atlantic City Expressway and quickly run into Best Buy—fortunately just 15-minutes from my house. But then I tried to get on the Expressway. Getting on the entrance ramp was no problem, but as I approached the end of the ramp, where it merged onto the highway, traffic was stopped.
At first I assumed it was “shore” traffic (people leaving the beach) that were headed back to the city—quite common for a Sunday. But there was a police car ahead blocking the ramp. The road was closed for some reason. I must have been one of the first to arrive under these conditions, as I had no idea there was a holdup prior to getting on the ramp…otherwise I would not have taken it and found an alternate route. It wouldn’t be long for vehicles to pile up behind me, and I can’t imagine how long that line stretched by the time we got moving again—a half hour later.
So, what caused this delay? I have no idea! Eventually we were on the move, but there was no sign of an accident, or anything for that matter. It was a bit mysterious. My conclusion…which is probably nowhere near correct (though it may be), I’m blaming Mike Pence! That’s right, our Vice President. You see, just the day before, Pence’s nephew married Kellyann Conway’s cousin—in Atlantic City of all places. Why there? Well, that’s a bigger mystery than why the Expressway was closed. I’m thinking it’s possible Pence, or possibly someone else from the upper echelons of our government, were making their way out of Atlantic City, and the roads were being blocked as to allow the motorcade to pass through unscathed. Not sure if that’s the reason or not, but I’m sticking to it!
A Rest Stop With Views
I wasn’t sure that I’d ever find myself writing about a rest stop, but the Southern Tier Welcome Center in New York has quite the view. Located on I-81 just after crossing the border from Pennsylvania, it is probably the first rest area I’ve actually enjoyed being at. Usually, at rest stops, you do what you need to do—eat, use the restrooms, or simply just take a break—then quickly get on your way. Nestled in the rolling hills of New York, along with an atmosphere unlike most other rest stops, it was relaxing to sit and enjoy a bite to eat. Ok—enough of that. Time to get back on the road. I had to make it before the game started!
My Arrival
I passed through the border with ease—I may have been there ten minutes, if that. After hours of driving it was a warm welcome. I made it! Or rather, that’s how it felt. Despite this being my fourth visit, I still kinda believe once a reached the border I was basically there. Not so—GPS revealed there was still another hour and a half left. Oh joy!
I arrived at my destination about six minutes into the game. There was no time for formalities—show me the way to the TV! Generally we’d go out and about, but with the game on, we just stayed in. It was at that moment I realized what a wonderful host I was staying with.
Old Fashions
We may not have gone out, but I was served drinks like I was in a top class bar. My host has apparently been on an “old fashion” kick, and as such, he was eager to make them. Not only did he have the finest ingredients, he even went as far as to making his own “crystal clear” ice. What I mean is, not the cloudy ice your ice maker makes that melts quickly. I’m talking a block of ice, frozen over 24-hours, that melts slowly. It was quite nice!
Naturally, the drinks went down easy—to easy! We had to maintain discipline—I mean, we had to be functional the following day. Though I’m not so sure we succeeded!
