We owed Ontario
a visit, and we had a good excuse.
Pleasant memories abound of trips to Canada’s
West Coast—shipping out of Vancouver for a
voyage through the inland passage to Alaska
and an excellent land tour in the Victoria
area. But, although the Geezer has a
family tie to Ontario,
until last week I’d only set foot in the province once, and that was a very brief
visit.
My great-grandfather, Joseph Coey, whose ancestors are
buried in Ireland and Scotland,
served in the Canadian Army during what is known as the Fenian War. The Fenian
Society was a group of Irish-Americans dedicated to seizing Canada as a way of forcing the British to leave Ireland. That didn’t work out. Although the Fenians
mounted attacks for four years starting in 1866, the Canadians prevailed and
the Fenians finally gave it up.
For his part in repulsing the invaders, Joseph Coey received
a 160-acre land grant in Ontario
from a grateful Canadian government. My mother inherited the land. It later
returned to governmental control, but that is another story.
All things considered, why not plan a trip to Ontario as a special 51st
wedding anniversary gift to ourselves? And what better destination than Niagara Falls, long a symbol of romance in North America?
So off we went, bolstered by sound information and
suggestions from son Lee and his fiancée Karen, who had visited the falls
several times. The drive from our home covers 400 miles. Half of it is on U.S. interstate
highways and half on multi-lane Canadian highways of similar design. Several
important things about the roads, however, were far from similar.
About half the Michigan
highways leading to the northern border crossing at Sarnia were riddled with cracks, potholes,
and ridges. Improvement work was evident
on only one fairly brief stretch of interstate. Much of the time, we bounced
along cursing the jolts and hoping the front end of beautiful wife Sandy’s car
would arrive in Canada
still connected to the rest of the vehicle.
It took five minutes to clear customs and get on the bridge
to Ontario.
The return trip included a half-hour wait at customs. Questions were more
pointed and vehicles were being waved aside for searches. Perhaps the
difference could be attributed to one-way terrorism fears?
The scenery, mostly farmland interspersed in hardwood
forests, is remarkably similar when driving nearly straight east from Grand Rapids, Michigan,
to Niagara Falls.
We caught some glimpses of foliage color along the way, but we were a bit early
to experience the full effect. Although unable to be awed by fall color, we
were impressed by the condition of the Canadian highways we traveled.
The going was smooth. At least 90 percent of the highways
were newly paved or had been in recent years. Improvement projects were under
way on most of the other 10 percent. It
was a night-and-day comparison of highway quality between the two friendly
countries where much is the same, including restaurant chains and building
architecture. Driving on Canadian highways was a pleasure, and not just because
of the lack of bumps in the road. Several characteristics were positive.
Canada
has one basic highway speed limit for all vehicles--100 kilometers per hour--
not different rates for cars and trucks. That translates roughly to 62 miles
per hour versus the 70 m.p.h. top limit on U.S. interstates. On the way to the
falls, almost all big trucks were driving close to the speed limit in the right
lanes where they are supposed to be. All
other vehicles were traveling about 5 m.p.h over the limit. There weren’t any
hangups at all. I think that was because the trucks were traveling at a reasonable
and consistent speed in the proper lanes and they were easy to pass and thus
didn’t impede smaller vehicles.
We returned on a Friday.
All the vehicles were going about five m.p.h. faster. The result was the same—no hang-ups. We drove
out on a Tuesday. I don’t have a clue as to why everyone was in a bigger hurry
on Friday than on Tuesday. We traveled during the same hours both days. An
approaching weekend, perhaps?
The net result of the lower speed limit in Canada was an
improvement in gas mileage for us. We
joined the crowd and drove about five m.p.h. over the limit in both countries.
We got 29 miles per gallon over the 200 U.S. miles and slightly better than
31 m.p.g. for the 200 Canadian miles.
It may be unique to Ontario,
but we noticed far more Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler vehicles on the road
than foreign makes. The U.S.
brands were more prevalent than they are even in Michigan, home of “Motown.”
The American companies have large manufacturing facilities
in Ontario.
Their Canadian workers were threatening to strike during our trip. Part of the
reason was the manufacturers demanded new salary controls and cuts in benefits.
They did that because, after many years of lower costs in Canada, it now is cheaper to build cars in the U.S. This fact
was mentioned in most U.S.
media accounts of the strike negotiations. It was not included in any of the
Canadian news reports I saw.
That’s the good news—Canadian highways were in vastly better
condition, speed limits were more environmentally friendly, “the knights of the
road” exhibited better behavior that minimized congestion, and Ontario car buyers are
loyal to local brands. But the news is not all good. Those responsible for
considering fundamental motorist comfort apparently had king-sized bladders and
a disregard of the utility of some basic information.
On the Michigan
leg of our journey we pulled into three rest areas. A few more might have been
welcome considering the jolts to our kidneys from the poor road surfaces, but
three did the job. Canada
provided no highway rest areas whatever. An uncomfortable motorist had to take
an exit to a gas station or eatery to use their rest rooms. Two we visited were
in small cities.
Adding distress to the inconvenience, the Canadian signs
indicating exits for small cities give the city name, but not the distance to
the city. Thus, when we took an exit for Paris, Ontario, expecting nearly instant relief, we were aghast
to discover that Paris
was six miles away, something one learns only by driving there. It was a near thing, but we made it to a Paris gas station! The
gas was a dollar a gallon more expensive than in the U.S., but the relief was worth it.
Much of the big difference in gas prices is due to higher
Canadian excise taxes. Does that explain the better road surface maintenance?
Probably. Eliminating costs for roadside rest areas might also be a factor.
Although Canadian signage was delinquent regarding bladder
relief, it was wonderful for tourist attractions. After about 50 miles driving through
relatively sign-less rural landscapes, a golf course sign seemed to pop up
beside the highway every mile or two. As we neared Niagara Falls the golf course indicators gave
way to winery signs at about the same intervals.
Our route led to the good stuff. Our stay at the falls was delightful. The
next post will provide some scenes and comments. We enjoyed the whole
experience. Ah, Canada!
All things considered, great-grandpa would be proud.
6 comments:
Interesting travelogue. Americans could learn a thing or two from Canadians, esp. about speed limits. Unfortunately, Americans laugh at the speed limit.
We've been saying we want to go to Montreal for several years now. Maybe you'll inspire us to actually make the trip . . . oops, I dunno, B can't go more than about 1 1/2 hrs. without stopping at a rest area.
Oh what fun, Dick! 51 years? That is wonderful! Congratulations!!!
We have always loved Canada and Canadians. They seem to love Democrats and really disliked Bush when we were there. We just had to let them know that we didn't vote for him to acquire a Canadian friend.
The falls are really an incredible sight. I hope you did the Maid of the Mist. Gosh... We didn't do the behind the falls walk. Now we'll have to go back. :-)
Then again, not having enough rest stops would be a deterrent for us since our bladders have shrunk considerably through the years.
I'll be looking forward to your next posts.
Interesting trip. I assume you know the Niagra Escarpment wraps around the Great Lakes and ends at Lake Winnebago in WI. Dianne
PS. Congratulations. I hope we make it to 51. We celebrated 30 this year, but David is 83. Coould he make it to 104? We shall see.
Your observance on roads sounds a lot like the difference between driving anywhere in the eastern US and anywhere in western Europe. I think one difference is that our local and state governments are typically so strapped for funds that they go the low-bidder route but get no quality in return. There are improved and longer-lasting surfaces these days but they cost more.
My wife might find the rest stop issue enervating. As an army brat, I (and my sister) had early bladder training for cross-country trips: Get in the car, "rest stop" ONLY when we stop for gas or lunch. Still seems to stand me in pretty good stead.
Congrats on your 51st! Glad to hear you're making the most of these years together.
We would have been only a couple years behind you had my husband lived. I'm sure the Falls surrounding area has changed considerably since we drove there up the East Coast in the 60's.
Enjoyed your trip account. Mich. family has talked of our taking such a trip some time, so your description is quite informative.
(Thought sure I'd get an interesting perspective on that Green Bay game here, but guess the news media has covered it pretty thoroughly -- and the Ref. contract resolved.)
Three words: We wuz robbed.
Post a Comment