The francophone discovery quest continues HEATHER DAVIS
The hard part was really getting ready: packing, cleaning, saying good-byes. Once on the road, the fun began. Without all our stuff, jobs, and schedules, we could feel the freedom of the road.
Of course to be free, you need to have a certain amount of money. Lucky for us, our three-hour moving sale had yielded a surprising $1300.
We squished into the car and heaved a sigh of relief. The drive from Prince George to the Rockies looked different to us now that we were leaving. In Jasper National Park, I bade farewell to the dramatic BC Mountains. Also to about 75 elk.
In Edmonton, we awakened to the first silent snowfall of the winter. We were very excited because in our car we had two huskies, a dogsled, and six pairs of skis. We were hoping for more snow before we got to Ontario to visit my cousin Rob and his favourite 250 dogs.
We visited my brand-spanking-new nephew. I held him and we stared at each other a lot. Who needs words when you have eyes?
In Calgary we visited Ghis's sister. We stayed in the apartment with her, hauling the dogsled up the stairs at night. The landlady looked at us suspiciously -- vacancy is almost nil in Calgary so I understand they are wary of long-term guests.
In Moose Jaw we visited my step-grandparents. They packed us enough food to cross at least a province or two. At the famous health spa, we soaked in the mineral waters and even swam outside in the cool air, a blanket of steam around the other guests and us. As Ghis put it, "Hot water can be so beneficial to one's overly used buttocks!"
I was getting tired of the Prairies by now -- lots of blowing snow and frigid winds. But of course they just went on and on -- that's what prairies do.
In Winnipeg, we visited friends -- I had met them last year at a wedding. Cathy lamented the fact that there is no IKEA in Winnipeg. She says the people are too cheap, and that Winnipeg is seen as a test area for many big stores. If they can make it in Winnipeg, they can make it anywhere. Perhaps people here do appreciate second hand merchandise -- no wonder -- look at the grand old houses that line the streets.
Ontario. It's hard to believe that half the kilometers on our trip will be in Ontario. Thunder Bay is our first stop and our first motel. Then on to Sault-Ste.-Marie. Around Superior the winds are so strong that our tiny car keeps hopping into the far lane. We stop and take pictures of the giant surf.
In Sault-Ste.-Marie, we stayed with my step-aunt and her son. She explained to us the benefits of living in a bridge city. That's a Canadian city that is separated from an American city by only a bridge. There are three such cities in Canada where the residents can choose to visit the other side for dinner or even work.
Her son is autistic and when my Aunt told him that Ghis and I would be leaving, he said without a moment's hesitation, "Oh, Right on."
His Mom called after him and said, "No, it's the other one."
"Oh, bogus," he said before disappearing into his room.
More driving and then we finally reached my cousin Rob's. I was eager to meet him, as he and I seemed to have a lot in common. He left the city to live in the country like I had done. We both love the outdoors, and while I love dogsledding, he actually worked as a guide at nearby ChocPaw Kennels. Did you wonder what I meant when I said his favourite 250 dogs?
Cousin Rob had a delicious cabin right on the Magnetewan River near Algonquin Park. We could see that the question wasn't how long would we stay, but how would we ever leave?
Life at my cousin Rob's Ontario cabin was idyllic. During the day we went for walks and ate cookies that his girlfriend had made. At night we played Trivial Pursuit -- the new edition for people our age. We also watched stunning slides of his trips to the Kluane and Nahanni Parks.
Alas, there wasn't enough snow to go dogsledding so after overstaying our welcome (actually, I don't think they really minded), we headed to Ottawa.
As we drove through Algonquin Park, Ghis commented how much he had missed the beautiful eastern forests. I stared out the window and looked for the beauty, but I couldn't see it. We had missed the autumn colours. I said it reminded me of a Boxing Day sale where all the trees were empty racks and there were just a few things lying about on the floor.
Ghis looked mad. I made a mental note to keep my thoughts on such matters to myself.
In Ottawa there were so many important looking buildings, we couldn't tell which ones were government and which ones actually housed something useful. We saw maple syrup for $5 a can. I was overcome with excitement and had to eat some maple candies.
On our way to Montreal, the highway speeds picked up. At 120km/h, we were barely flowing with the traffic. Oh boy, was Ghis ever happy. It was getting dark as we hit the city traffic. One more hour and we would be in Drummondville.
I think: "Is it too late to start practicing my French?"
Copyright © 2000 Heather Davis/Log Cabin Chronicles/01.2000 |
