Saturday, May 28, 2016

Waynesburg Pennsylvania to Woodstock Ontario

Don and Biker (Gary) were heading all the way back to Sudbury today while we were just going to Woodstock to see family. We went down to share breakfast with them at 6:00 AM and see them on their way. There was an idea kicked around that the North Carolina Week become an annual Freedom Riders activity. Since we go every year anyway, I wouldn't mind doing the organizing.

The terrible two got underway about 6:30. We waved goodbye and then returned to the room to clear up some things. I got the blog caught up and took care of a few other details before we pulled out about 9:00.

The final breakfast for the team

Parting is such sweet sorrow.......

And they're off......

I wasn't really surprised to see that the stretch of I-70/I-79 through Washington, Pennsylvania was still under heavy construction. This is only a few miles long but it has been the subject of roadwork for years. Around Pittsburgh, I noticed that if I was doing 60 MPH in a 55 zone, I didn't pass anyone but if I was doing 65 in a 70, there were all kinds of slower traffic to get by. There is some odd quirk of human nature at work here but I can't fathom what it is.

I-70/I-79 in Washington Pa still under construction

The Ohio River again

The trip up I-79 and across I-90 to Buffalo was uneventful. We made one stop at a Rest Area to use the facilities. The new three-axle EZ Pass transponder for the NY Thruway was appreciated as the Memorial Day lines at the toll booths were longer than usual. There was one final stop at a packed Angola Service Center for cheaper US gas before approaching the border.

Wide loads parked in rest area

Nice Chevy

and Mustang

Nice having a transponder

Text Stop - nice idea

Buffalo skyline

The Peace Bridge was packed with American long weekend traffic heading for Canada, where their US dollars would buy them so much more than at home. Two lanes were open our way while almost no one was going the other direction. As we got to the plaza across the bridge, I held up our NEXUS cards and was directed to a short, fast moving line. I declared a little over $700 US in goods and we were welcomed home. The EZ Pass got used one more time at the only booth they have on Canadian soil and then we were rolling down the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Hamilton.

Peace Bridge - Memorial Day Weekend

Nexus lane is out there

Nexus lane

The other lanes

Welcome home

I stopped and changed SIM cards in my phone, immediately gaining access to my Canadian phone and texting service. Nothing works perfectly, though, so I now didn't have Canadian data access. It looked like I need to understand a few extra nuances, probably related to the Access Point Name (APN).

The temperature had been rising all day. We left Waynesburg at 81F and it was pushing 96F by the time we reached Hamilton. I kept an eye on the engine coolant temperature gauge but it never flickered. We caught Highway 403 and pulled into Woodstock at 4:30. The Best Western Plus had been full so we were at the Holiday Inn Express with it's small and convoluted parking lot.

After I got the rig parked, Tom and Jasper picked us up and took us to the house to see Fiona, now two weeks old. I may be biased but she was perfect, just like our other grandkids. We decided to go to Kelsey's near our hotel for supper and were joined by Kim, Mike and Jolene. Robyn was away overnight at camp.

Kelsey's - Woodstock Ontario

Cousins Jolene and Jasper

Fiona slept the whole time

A name from my past

After supper, we went back to Heather and Tom's where we unloaded a lot of girl baby things Kim and Mike had saved. Then Mike and Kim dropped us back at the hotel on their way back to Cambridge. I was going to post today's events to the blog but the HI internet was pathetically slow. I called their tech support number for help but they were more aimed at assisting guests in getting connected, which I already was. The support person noted my 1.2 Mbps test results and said he would see what he could do. Nothing, as far as I could tell. At this price, we should not have to deal with these issues.

I did note that PC Wireless has come out with new packages and rates for the US. Maybe I won't need the Tracfone account any more, anyway. We finally turned in fairly early.

Today's Route (375 Equinox miles):

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