it's been busy around here .... holiday season and all... but I'm back to finish the story... before I get to that I want to wish everyone a happy new year... I'm so happy that the year 2006 is over.... it started off very well... and ended off alright but I'm by far not happy by any means.... I have a lot of great things going on in my life at the moment and I'm not gonna complain .. but I'm not where I thought I would be and that bothers me...... I shall rectify this in the coming year.. it's going to be a wild ride because I'll be starting a lot of new things that I've never done before and leaving behind the comfortable life I've grown used to..... it shall take some getting used to ... but after my 2 week trip .... I wont have any trouble fitting in.....

after the ski hill was conquered it was time to move on.... we dragged our sore broken bodies off the ski hill and proceeded to drive away to my aunts place... the real reason for the trip ... it's been a long time since I was around Dorothy... she used to babysit us at one time.... a story comes to mind from back then... she was visiting us and during her visit we had another house visitor.... it wasn't uncommon in the area to have creatures that fly ... enter houses.... at night... well I'm a sound sleeper but the noise of a few ladies screaming "aaaaaahhhhhhhhggggggggg" "it's coming for me" will wake the dead... well the night visitor was a bat... a tiny one.... and the ladies were scared it would get stuck in their hair... well my dad came to the rescue.... with tennis rackets lol.... the bat was swatted out of the air and carted outside where it belonged and everything was returned to normal... anyway I learned a few things about my aunt while visiting her.... she has a wonderful daughter that I never met before... and she likes drum and bass music.... (form of techno) I pictured her a rocker lol.... and she has a very nice place in the middle of nowhere.... or a new term my dad said to me (reffering to where he lives) 'buttfuck nowhere' personally I'd like to live where she is... she lives on a mountain... surrounded by trees.... if we had more time I would have enjoyed a walk through the area.... I love hiking through mountains....

while we were in the area there is a small resort for hot springs.... my father just couldn't resist visiting it... hot springs was also on my list of things to do while I was on my vacation.... it had been a long time since I had been to them and there are many in the area.... for those that are unfamilliar with hot springs.... underground water is heated by lava streams (or rather being close to them) then brought to the surface... the water is incredibly warm and are an incredible source of relaxation... even in the winter time.... they are outdoors.... now picture snow on the ground... it is perhaps -2 celcius and your outside swimming.... the water is naturally heated underground then comes out of the mountain into the man made pool...

in order to reach the hot springs we had to take a ferry ride and drive along some twisty windy roads... yes this is mountain area afterall ..... the ferry ride was nice and I got some decent pictures from the boat.... it was very cold outside though with the wind blowing along so I just couldn't stay outside to enjoy the ride..... now like I mentioned there are many hot springs around but this perticular hot springs resort had a cave you could enter ... it was like a super sauna... and because of this they recommend you do not spend any longer than 15 minutes inside.... there is a strong possibility you would pass out if you stay any longer inside.... especially if your close to where the water comes out of the ground... in any event it was super relaxing and I can't wait to go to them again... there is one part of the resort that has a small tub that is I spose I'll reffer to it as room temperature... in other words whatever the temp outside.. the water is that temp.... lets just call it super freezing... I could not get more than my foot in the water.... and even after I did that I got imediatly in the hot springs again..... and I'm not one for extremely hot water lol....

after the relaxation we had to make our way back home.... it was a long drive so we started off.... along the way we came accross a few things that I should mention.... one is a sign that I saw that reminded me of home.... or more specific ... my friend gay paul..... the sign was for a store called 'Paul's Superette' perhaps I'm the only one that finds this funny..... the other is a town that is called Yahk...... this by itself isn't really noteworthy but my dad mentioned that I could tell everyone that I had been to Yahk and back...... yes my father is an interesting character... perhaps yew know where I get it from now

when we did get back we stopped by the local bar.... it turns out a few of the guys were in the bar already.... so we joined in the celebration... I"m not sure what was being celebrated but it was a good time... this is where I met darby (the girl in the photo with me from a few posts prior).... wow is all I can say....... we had a pool tournament to which I lost my first game but I did not lose any more after that.... there was more to this story but I cannot get into it past this.... and dont ask me either.. I'm not about to explain it lol.. but I will say that this night was nearly the cause of my non return to Cape Breton.... or at least my being late a day and having to take family emergency time off for the first time since I have been employed with Stream

so this was my big trip.... the only thing left is the ride home.... I was to drive the entire 5000km home all by myself.... it is a very long gruelling drive I must admit... there were a few things along the way that I will explain... the first is the plains are very boring and flat.... wind is another factor and when accompanied with snow it makes visibility very limited... picture driving along at 110km with very little visibility other than the tail lights of the vehicle ahead of you.... sadly most of the vehicles were going 80 or below ... thankfully there was a second lane .. and I'm a very couragious and confident driver or I probably would have had to use 5 days to drive instead of 4..... and I spose I should mention that my awesome car has better tires on it than the stupid rental car.... in any event I made extremely good time along the way... I had come accross a few vehicles in the ditch crashed or otherwise.... one was a tanker truck it was flipped upside down.. the cab was crushed.. the trailer was on it's side... I came accross two tow trucks.... one of them was blocking off two lanes of traffic... it appeared he had done a U turn on the wrong side of the road... the stupid bastard nearly hit me..... the second was unexpected... he came out of nowhere.... turned on his lights at the last second..... it scared the crap out of me..... but again I'm a very good driver and managed to escape the drivers stupidity....

my first stop was in Kenora, Ontario (other than gas)... yes I went through 3 provinces in one day.... the hotel I stopped in had a krapioke nite goin on... sadly I was too exhausted to go in for a beer... besides I was on a schedule and needed to be on the road as soon as possible...... I did take a moment to check out the cute girl singin though.... I dont think I will ever stay in that hotel again though... it was very cold.... even colder than my house....

my second day was spent driving through northern Ontario... the roads are very twisty turny and with the blowing snow it was not very nice... before I get to the snowy conditions I did have a very scary event happen to me....... I had been driving along with I'll call it driving partners... these driving partners I will call them people going generally faster than the posted speed limit.... I would let them pass me and then motor along with them.... this way if anyone was getting a ticket it wouldn't just be me..... it worked out to my advantage for the most part... I got to go along quicker and it was interesting.... except for one very scary moment..... I was following a transport truck which was going at times slower than the posted speed limit..... this is very frustrating if your trying to make good time..... well since the roads are twisty windy it is very difficult to get a passing section ... but thankfully there are spots where the road is uphill and they give a passing lane.... well the posted limit is 90 and I'm passing the truck.... I notice my speed is in excess of 120kmph..... oops..... in the lane going the other way with a pile of traffic is a cop car... double oooooops...... I get in front of the truck and slow my ass down...... in front of me is a car doing between 70 and 80...... fuk...... I'm worse off than I was behind the truck.... but this isn't the scary part.... I'm checking my rearview mirror as I should be...... a car comes out of nowhere around the transport truck.... like a maniac I must mention.... the double lane passing zone is no longer available and there is oncoming traffic..... the car is riding my bumper but I can't do anything about it because the guy in front of me is super slow.... I take another look... it's the fukn cop car..... thankfully panic does not come over me..... I did mention I'm a very confident and competant driver..... next thing I know the maniac cop is passing me... I back off (like any good citizen) the cop is now between me and the slow moron ahead of us... then the thing I'm dreading since seeing the cop happens.... the lights start flashing... I'm on the verge of freaking out but I maintain some composure.... muttering under my breath.. oh fuk .. oh fuk.. oh fuk..... the slow guy pulls over.. the cop follows...... I keep going....... the transport behind me .. keeps going..... I can no longer see the flashing lights (thanks to the truck behind me) I check the mirrors every few seconds.... and begin to speed up to the posted limit...... thankfully I do not see the cop anymore....... I have escaped my near death experience... ok so not death but I was not looking forward to my first speeding ticket (or whatever else the cop might have had in store for me) I learned something in that moment and accompanied by the other several cop encounters I came accross along the way home..... as long as your in control you really dont have anything to worry about..... another such adventure was on the third day.... I'll come back to it in a minute......

as I was travelling along it was not very nice out... blowing snow but this time it was wet stuff... I was following a transport truck again.... it was the only thing saving me time.... I had run out of windshield wiper fluid... my vision was impaired but I could see the tail lights... I kept goin... if I had stopped to fill the fluid I would surly have lost my way and had to pull over..... the blowing snow was that bad.... I was not about to spend the night in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard..... I somehow managed to get through 180km without fluid to my second stop was in a place called Cochrane... I highly recomend everyone to stay clear of this place..... I was again exhausted at this point and had no alternative but to stop... I saw a sign a ways back for a hotel that had an indoor pool... I kinda needed some extra relaxation.. besides if I was gonna pay for a place to sleep I would have wanted to get my monies worth.... well the places ended up being $99 for a night.... I was not staying that long to warrant spending that much... I decided against it.. told the lady I couldn't afford it.... she made a call accross the street.. they wanted 79..... umm people I'm driving a kcar.... I thought about spending the night in the car in their parking lot..... this did not really go over well with my mind... I knew I still had at least 2 days of driving left.... I got in the car and drove back to the places I had past while going through town.... there were at least 2 other places..... the first one I stopped at was closed.... what kind of fukn hotel closes their doors unless they are not vacant... this place had one car in the lot.. it was by far vacant..... at this point I was pissed off and very tired.. I went accross the street to the other place and relented to pay the 59 plus tax for a few hours of sleep... needless to say it was not worth the price but I was thankfull for not sleeping in the car

so back on the road I got.... and motored on.... I really dont recall anything of interest except the scenery of northern Ontario... it is fabulous... there are many lakes along the way and the area is not flat by any means..... the other cop incident happened along the way.... but this one was not as exciting... the cop was travelling along and passed me and the guy ahead of me.... the guy behind me takes it upon himself to pass us all as well.... the cop was doing 100 kmph or so (the posted limit is 90) the guy behind me follows the cop along.... the cop does not do anything about it even though he is matching the speed of the cop.... I become very pissed about this because of the scare I had the day before of the cop tailgater..... but I motor on... the cop does a u turn close to a town (perhaps out of its jurisdiction) and I motor on.....

I did stop along the way unscheduled I must add at a place by a lake... it was a beautiful location.. the store was beside a lake on either side of the highway.... there was an island in the middle of the one side... the island had trees.. again it was very beautiful..... I wish I had taken a picture but I was not in any mood to do so... along my travels I had seen many signs for Slobway .... I had developed a craving for a sub.... and so I stopped.... the unfortunate guy that was working there had to deal with a cranky tired ..... me..... but he was a moron and deserved a cold shoulder from me.... the store is 4 things... a corner store (with gas station) a Tim Hortons and Slobway..... I just want a sub and then get back on the road.... the guy stands behind the counter.... notices me standing there.... acknowledges the other woman working there leaving the floor to the back somewhere..... he states .... "she left me" I ignore the comment... it's not like you need a degree to make a sandwich.... the guy finally decides to wait on me..... I give him my order and he begins.... I'm checking out the surroundings including the cute girl working the Tim Hortons section... the dufus making my sub starts the small talk... I'm in no mood... one word answers come out.... he says... "long day?" ... I reply .. "yes" he says "you travelling far"... I reply again with the yes ..... out of the blue the guy says "you want a coffee?" I hate coffee but this guy couldn't posibly know that.... I reply no... I just want the sub and get back on the road..... perhaps I was a bit rude.. but I was just not in the mood for conversation ... or to stop in the first place... the guy finally takes a hint and stops the small talk..... finishes the sub and rings up the order..... I'm paying with debit so we have to go to the other end of the store to do that.... he's doing the transaction when he asks again... "you want a coffee?" at this point I'm sick of the moron and notice the transaction was approved..... I said are we done? told him to put the paper in the trash walk away from him.. grab my sub and left.... perhaps I was a bit rude but I was in no mood at all for people... I just wanted to get home... and he wasn't helpfull at all .... I can laugh about it now.... I am a bit sorry about my behavior... but it's too late now.... if he has a blog I'm sure has posted about my interaction with him (such as I have done with some of my customers) I bet my version is better....

it was coming on night time and I was beginning to get a headache.. the lights of oncoming traffic along with the being tired was not a good combination.... I pulled over.... I had no idea where I was... the gas station had lots of light and lots of parking lot.... I ate the other uneaten portion of my sub and leaned back to relax for a bit.... I couldn't sleep.. my head was pounding... I decided to go into the station ... and am very glad I did... the station was being operated by 4 hot girls and one lucky fukn dude.... I got some asprin and a bottle of pop.... it was Mountain Dew... after poppin a pill and sippin on the dew.... I shut my eyes for a few moments and was ok to drive again.... I got on the road and found I was on the outskirts of Ottawa... which was good news to me.... it meant that I was still making good time.... but I was coming up on the dreaded drive through Montreal.... I was not looking forward to this at all....

sometimes I am my own worst enemy... and I proved it in Montreal..... first I will point out a well known fact.... people in Montreal and most of the rest of Quebec do not observe an official posted speed limit.... yes including the police... this suited me just fine because I wanted to get through Quebec as quickly as I possibly could... sadly I could not make it through the entire stretch without stopping for gas and oil.... one place I stopped at just before the madhouse of Montreal I was fortunate to have an english speaking attendant... I was not so fortunate after Montreal.... but luckily she didn't say anything that I really needed to understand... she quoted the price of gas and I paid with debit... and even said Merci to her.... it was almost like I actually spoke french lol.... but I'm getting ahead of myself.....

Montreal is the dreaded place to drive... if you are not paying attention to the signs you get lost and it is next to impossible to recover (unless your me) well getting off the main highway is not recomended because the way back on the highway is a navigation nightmare... there are no signs and if you stop for directions your less than likely to get a friendly response.... (well that is what I recall from past experiences) I had studied the way to go before getting to Montreal so I knew what I was supposed to do..... this did not prepare me for my first time driving through alone.... I was driving along and I was on the right roads as well.... but for some stupid reason I doubted myself and got off the highway.... oops... I took a tour of the slums of Montreal.... a place I have grown to hate... but I was lucky ... I made a circle and managed to get back on the highway going back the other way..... after this I realized that I had been going the right way in the first place and became pissed off that I was headed back the way I came... luckily there are two ways to get through Montreal.... so I kept on the second way.. sadly after I had come to the realization that the way I was going in the first place was the right way I again began to doubt my directions and got off the highway again.....

this sucked because I was going the right way again and I had gotten off.... as I had mentioned it is incredibly difficult to get back on the highway unless you know what your doing..... when I got off the highway I was in a posted 50 zone... I was doing 60.. with again a car on my bumper.... the car was a cop...... great just what I needed.... I pulled into a gas station... the cop sped up... unbelievable... the town of nutz and the cops are worse.... I think I'd feel at home driving around Montreal..... so I'm in a gas station and I decide to ask for directions... I'm fukn lost.... I again get lucky.... the girl running the place is very attractive and speaks some english.... she gives me directions and I turn around to leave when I remember that I can't remember shit..... I tell her and she writes the directions down.... at the bottom of the note she writes something that I will never forget...... Have a nice road !! .... the !! has been turned into a smily face.... 20 minutes later as I'm driving down the highway again I finally stop laughing ... have a nice road.... and I thought www.engrish.com was funny..... so I get through Montreal and come accross Quebec city... I'm going over one of the bridges and oddly enough a cop has pulled over someone... I have to wonder how fast the car was going to get pulled over.... course my buddy George (after telling the story to him) mentioned to me that the guy could have been going super slow..... I have to agree with this as me and the other two cars going by the cop were doing 120 in a 100 zone lol....

my third stop was at a closed gas station somewhere near the New brunswick border.... I was getting close to the sleepy driving nods and knew I had to pull over... but there was nothing near me to stop so I pulled over there.... I had a sleeping bag and pillow along with me just in case.... thankfully ..... I hopped in the back after parking the car in the back and tried to sleep..... I was absolutely exhausted but when I closed my eyes I saw headlights... I couldn't sleep..... the reason.... the fukn mountain dew that I had purchased and drank a few hours earlier.... it turns out that it was one of the shock drinks with caffine in it.... the shit was keeping me awake.... I was a bit curious that I had been able to drive so far without stopping..... (I actually didn't realize the dew had caffine till the following day after reading the label) I finally passed out after a while... I have no idea how long I as out but I dont think it was more than 2 hours...... after my cat nap I got back on the road.... I made it past the New Brunswick border and as I began to look for a hotel to stop in I began to get the nods...... the nods is what I reffer to as sleepy driving.... someone that has been driving far to long and will fall assleep at the wheel if they dont pull over soon..... I pulled over in a truck stop.... hopped in the back and passed out.....

I woke up to wondering where the hell I was and what time it was... it was light outside... I gassed up as a thank you for being allowed to sleep in the parking lot... even though there were a few other trucks parked there that night (all of which were gone by the time I got up) I was close to home though.... I am sure I had passed Edmonston that night so I was gonna be home by the end of the day... there wasn't much excitement after this..... I was too tired to really keep track of any special events.... I will mention that I had stopped in gagetown to call off work.... if I hadn't called off I could have been in jeapardy of being fired.... I had a momentary notion to stop by my buddy georges place ... it turns out he was just getting back in town himself anyway.... the only other point of interest was the only remaining toll booth from the whole trip accross Canada... it's in Nova Scotia..... yes a place you have to pay a toll in order to be allowed to pass..... I was not impressed at all.... but one thing I am thankfull for is the new highway they have in New Brunswick... double lane highway all the way through rather than the single lane twisty windy thing that we travelled along when I was a kid...... (though the absence of the big huge potatoe man statue will be missed)

and that my friends is the end of my vacation story..... I was greeted in port hawkesbury with a storm.... it was so bad that the people ahead of me were driving at 20 - 40 kmps in a 90 zone.... it as not a good greeting at all ... especially since I could have safely gone through faster ..... they were driving in the middle of a two lane highway.... I was super pissed.... thankfuly some of the drivers pulled over and allowed the rest of us drivers through..... just like cape breton weather it was clear 10 minutes down the road.. as if there was no storm at all... anyone that has driven the St. Peters highway in Cape Breton knows the twisty windy road.... it is the most treacherous road I've travelled all the way along the 5000 km..... I was being tailed by an idiot on my bumper... so I pulled over and let the asshole go.... again it was night time and his headlights were giving me a headache..... the SUV was that much bigger that the headlights were above my trunk and were similar to high beams blaring into my rear view mirror.... needless to say the guy began to speed along the twisty windies.... luckily the guy behind him passed me too..... so the three of us began our high speed chase through the treacherous road to sydney.... I kept up as best as I could but I did not want to get a speeding ticket so I backed off.... it was very exhilerating to drive like that and I would have loved to keep going but since I am a capable driver I did not want to get killed that close to home... I had proved to myself that I was a very good driver while I had gone the distance accross Canada... I did not need to keep up with two morons in Cape Breton ..... though I could have even though I was driving a Kcar.... I was a much better driver than the two SUV drivers and I proved it by keeping up with them for as long as I did.... the only reason the two morons had gotten past me in the first place is because the size of their vehicles made it very difficult to see the road with the lights blaring on my eyes....

in any event it was a fantastic trip... I cannot wait to go back in April... so much that I will most likely go back sooner...... I just need to get some things taken care of while I'm on the island... half of which have already been taken care of..... I'm already ahead of schedule...