Sudbury Ontario to Woodstock Ontario

Heather invited us to Woodstock to witness her baptism into the new church they have been attending. We had planned to go down yesterday. This would have given me a chance to see the Doubleheaders Model Railroad Tour, something I have wanted to participate in for years. Unfortunately, I have been laid low for the last two days with a nasty strain of the flu. It was bad enough that I dropped eight pounds in 48 hours. I was feeling better this morning. At least I was keeping food down for the time being.

Snow had been melting steadily since the end of February but, suddenly, it was colder and the snow seemed to want to hang around. It was bright and sunny but only 15 C when we left at noon.

Highway 69 is looking pretty snow free

Highway 400 was moving well

We stopped at the McDonald's in Parry Sound and again at the On Route service centre in Innisfil. From there, since it was late afternoon on a Saturday, I opted to drive right into Toronto on the 400 and take the 401 West. The 407 is quicker and less congested during busy times but the tolls are expensive enough to be considered highway robbery. The back route via Highway 9 is OK but slow so I try to stick to the big road during times we expect it to be less jammed up.

Of course, the online traffic map from the Ministry of Transportation that I consulted at the Innisfil Service Centre wasn't exactly truthful (why am I not surprised?). The 401 West was very slow to the 427 exit and then jammed up again in Mississauga for no apparent reason.

I reflected on the rest of the drive once we got rolling. The twit driving in the centre lane (it's a six-lane road) at 40 KPH less than the rest of the traffic needs to revisit his driving skills. He was like some kind of obstacle in a video game. There was also a class of aggressive drivers who figured that once they got going fast enough, turn signals didn't matter. Using blinkers is a habit I have developed. I do it without thinking. Not using them is a bad habit that can lead to very nasty consequences. As for the driver of that Ram dually belching black smoke every time it accelerated, you need to get that pig serviced. All things being equal, driving in Northern Ontario looked not so bad.

It was 39F when we pulled into the Best Western in Woodstock. I switched to my light jacket and shoes for the first time since last November. I was still a bit under the weather, so we just laid low for the rest of the day.

Today's route (315 Equinox miles):

Interactive map