Woodstock Ontario - Fiona's Christening

Sandy and I were up at 6:00 AM. The hotel breakfast started at 6:30 and included scrambled eggs, sausage patties and home fries. It was not a bad way to start the day, although Sandy stuck with cereal and yogurt.

Sunrise over Woodstock

After breakfast, we returned to the room and got into our Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. I put on my good pants, my favourite dress shirt and a tie. I had left the jacket at home. You will see me in a tie about as often as you see a solar eclipse. Sandy wears a dress about as often, but she looked really good in this one.

We arrived at Heather and Tom's about 8:00 AM. There was a flurry of getting parents and kids ready and loaded in their van. Then we followed them over to the Catholic Church of the Holy Cross where Kim, Mike, Jolene and Robyn were already waiting. It was starting to get warm as we went into the church.

Three quarters of our grandchildren

Holy Cross Catholic Church

Holy Cross serves the Polish Community. Once a month, the Sunday mass is in English. The priest, who also baptized Jasper, was an affable man with limited English and an offbeat sense of humour. He had us move to the front pews and had intended to conduct the baptism as part of the mass, but Tom's mother and father didn't arrive until after it was over. Robyn sat with me through the mass and, although she was bubbling over with energy, didn't cause any problems. In fact, I was proud of all the children. I was more concerned about the church being struck by lightning because I was attending.

After the mass, the family gathered around and the good father welcomed Fiona into their community of faith. She didn't cause any fuss, even when the holy water was applied.

Big brother waiting

Mother and father

Fiona and godmother Kim

Don't drown the kid

And it's done

Parents and godparents

Mom, Dad and Big Brother

With Grandma and Grandpa

The Gronek Clan

All the cousins

When the ceremony was over, we headed to the stately Elm Hurst Inn, about ten miles away in Ingersoll, for lunch. The buffet was well appointed, the staff was friendly and efficient and the food was first rate. Spirits were high and all the kids were good. It was an all round excellent gathering.

Elm Hurst Inn - Ingersoll Ontario

They wouldn't let us eat off these

The photo fountain

Jasper James

Fiona's ear print on Uncle Mike's arm

We left Ingersoll behind and returned to Woodstock, stopping to change into more relaxed clothing at the hotel before going to the house. There was a lively gathering. I sat on the front porch with Kim as we plotted the next day's visit to Canada's Wonderland. After looking at the various options, I ordered the tickets on line and suitable QR codes were sent to my phone. This was my first time dealing with these little bits of electronic magic that young folks today take for granted.

After everyone left, Tom, Heather and the kids came back to the hotel with us. We changed in the room and then went down to the pool, which we had all to ourselves. Jasper wasn't to sure at first but, once he found the water wings would hold him up, had a great time. Fiona didn't seem to care one way or the other.

Jasper and Tom in the pool

Grandma and Fiona

After our guests went home, Sandy and I just took it easy. Tomorrow was going to be another early day so I spent my time reading "Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice" by Bill Browder. It is an alarming true tale of intrigue and corruption in Putin's Russia.

I had a problem with the on line TV guide before I left. Our guide is supposed to have programs for the next two weeks but Space Channel wasn't updated. After two calls to Eastlink Support, I sent an Email to the President indicating my dissatisfaction. The bottom line was that I hadn't been able to schedule a recording of this week's episode of The Last Ship so I watched it live before going to bed.

I set the alarm and was asleep soon after my program was over. Sandy beat me by at least an hour.

Sudbury Ontario to Cambridge Ontario

It was hard to believe that summer was drawing to a close. Despite the continuing hot weather, Labour Day Weekend was less than a week away. Heather and Tom had scheduled Fiona's baptism for tomorrow and Kim and Mike were taking next week off, so we were going to do a lot of catching up with the grandkids.

Saturday meant that we would see less trucks on the road but more touristy types. It was a nice moderate partly cloudy day as we enjoyed the new four lane almost all the way to the French River. All the heavy road work vehicles were parked, once again showing a lack of urgency to get the next stretch of Highway 69 four laning completed. One of the politicians noted recently that, despite the thirteen years since this project was started, they still don't have the land acquisitions finalized for the next stage.

The French River Bridge was still one lane but there were a few people working and there was no line up. We were the first vehicle at the light. Further south, the First Nations gas bar just south of the Magnetawan River is being expanded into an impressive looking facility.

First in line for the French River Bridge

We stopped at McDonald's in Parry Sound so Sandy could get her smoothie. I've switched from a hamburger to a 1/3rd pound Angus bacon cheeseburger with no mustard or ketchup (easier to eat while driving without the sloppy condiments). I find this burger to be very tasty. Sandy had McNuggets.

It was all freeway from here. South of Waubaushene, we caught up to a slug of vehicles moving at about 105 KPH. The speed limit was 100, so someone should have completed their pass and pulled over, but it wasn't happening. It took me about 15 miles to work my way to the front, sort of like shuffling in the draft at Talladega. When I got there, I found a police cruiser in the right lane doing 105 with everyone afraid to pass. It was a Greater Sudbury Police Service vehicle so he wasn't patrolling, he wouldn't have a ticket book for this court jurisdiction and, since he was traveling, he wouldn't want bother himself with a minor speeding offense. I got to the front of the left lane and accelerated to 115 KPH, just short of demerit territory. As I passed him, he seemed to wake up and then picked up the pace. Then we followed him at about 120 to where he turned off in Barrie.

From Barrie south, the three northbound lanes were jammed solid. It was unusual at 12:45, almost like everyone had decided to delay their departure from the big city to avoid the rush, thereby creating a whole other rush.

Heavy traffic on northbound Highway 400

The question remained about what route to take. I wanted to avoid the ETR 407 and its exorbitant toll rates. Last time, Oakville to the 401 cost me $26.38 to cover about 40 miles. Without a trailer. The Highway 9 and 24 route would add over an hour due to the two lane roads, small towns and traffic. My remaining practical choices were King Road to 27 to the 401 or straight down the 400 to the 401. It was Saturday afternoon so I opted for the most direct way.

Who knew that the construction on the westbound ramp to Highway 401 was still going on after all these years. A little more than a mile north of the interchange, traffic ground to a halt. Of the six lanes, the left two should go to 401 East, the middle two to 401 West and the right two to Jane Street. When we finally made it to the ramp, we were down to one lane and cars were cutting into line from both sides. It's probably good Canadians aren't armed. The main reason for our stoppage was a private bus broken down in our single lane just before the ramp, forcing us to move left at low speed into what was otherwise a high speed lane. The icing on the cake was that the 401 merge lane was very short, requiring catlike reflexes to get into the moving westbound traffic without getting clipped.

The rest of the way, we were in heavy traffic. I tried to imagine how the left lane out of three can be brought to a stop when there are no ramps on or off from that side. Theoretically, that lane should just cruise along at a steady pace. So much for theory.

Past Cambridge, they were still widening the 401 between Highways 24 and 8. Some of the concrete barricades had been there so long that there was several layers of growth on top of them. The number of orange barrels caused me to wonder who makes them? Later, I did some research and found that the biggest manufacturer was Plastic Safety Systems Inc in Cleveland. Total production from all sources is about 750,000 barrels per year and a barrel will last about three years. The price depends on what type of reflective materials are supplied. Fascinating. Then I remembered this:-))

We arrived at the Best Western Plus in Woodstock about 3:15 PM. I had originally made a reservation for two nights and then, later, another for Monday through Wednesday. Thursday wasn't available (I shouldn't procrastinate), so I had us reserved at the Days Inn for that night. The Best Western is a lot nicer for only about $10 a night more. Once disappointment was that my request for a first floor room near the lobby wasn't accommodated but we were located on the third at the top of the stairs that led to the gym and the pool.

As we were unpacking, Heather came by with Jasper and Fiona. Jasper was almost 2 1/2, while Fiona was just over three months old. JJ wasn't shy at all.

Jasper James Gronek

Fiona Claire Gronek

We decided to go to Boston Pizza for supper. Both kids were as good as gold during the meal. Jasper coloured with the crayons provided and Fiona slept. Jasper had a grilled cheese sandwich, the go to meal for a child, while I struggled to find something on the menu that looked good. Sandy and I eventually shared a Hawaiian pizza.

Boston Pizza - Woodstock Ontario

Jasper was falling asleep after we ate, so Sandy went back to Heather and Tom's house in their van while I swung by the hotel. At the desk, I asked about combining our reservations. The young lady typed on the keyboard for a bit and then said it was done. She even extended us to Friday, so I cancelled the Days Inn. Then I went back to the house and visited with Heather (and Tom, who had just gotten home from work) for a while. We watched Cars with Jasper, who had perked up. This was his favourite movie. It was still early when we returned to the hotel and went to bed, my plans for a session in the fitness centre shelved for another day.

I thought 396 but the badge said 454

Today's Route (315 Equinox miles):

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Interlochen Michigan to Sudbury Ontario

It was a clear morning when we stuck our heads out of the tent about 7:00 AM. There was very little dew and no wind, which made taking this 20 x 9 foot monstrosity down and folding it about as easy as it was ever going to be. Still, we couldn't fit the fly into the bag. I'll have to do this again and see where I can improve the process.

After everything was loaded and goodbyes were said, we were on the road about 8:20 driving east right into the sunrise. We took 31, Airport Road, 3 Mile and 31 again to the McDonald's just before the M72 intersection. It looked like someone didn't come to work this morning because there was just one lady in a manager's shirt working the counter and the lines were growing. We moved on without ordering. There was another Mickey's on US 131 north of Mancelona (although the GPS was certain it was SOUTH of Mancelona). After picking up breakfast and coffee to go, we kept rolling.

We retraced our route, cutting over from Alba to Gaylord and then north on I-75 to the Big Mac. Temperature was a moderate 73F as we rolled into the Upper Peninsula. We crossed the International Bridge back into Canada about 12:40. There were lots of US bound vehicles but almost no one going our way. The plaza construction on the Canadian side continued. The CBSA officer asked where we stayed, what was in the trailer and where the bike was registered and then released us. Total crossing time? Ten minutes!

Big Mac

Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island

US bound traffic on International Bridge

Total line at Canadian border check

Travel along the North Shore was uneventful. There was one holdup along the Mississagi River as we found ourselves in a line following a Land Rover doing about 75 KPH in a 90 zone. Markings said it was Beata and Adam from Poland on some kind of UNESCO world tour. I found a link but, other than this one brief page, it was all in Polish. This page says it is some kind of competition but Google can't find any more references. I wish them luck and hope they don't get run over by a semi.

Beata and Adam trundling along

At the new Esso/Tim's in Blind River, we stopped and got an ice cap (cappuccino) and one of their new smoothies. There was almost no waiting at the Spanish River Bridge so the rest of our drive to Sudbury went quickly.

This is the whole line eastbound at the Spanish River

No one waiting westbound either

We pulled into our driveway at 4:40 PM. The bike and all our gear were unloaded and put away by 5:30. It was another good trip but, for all we rode it, we could have left the bike at home. We'll have a talk about this troubling trend soon. My concern isn't that we're not taking the bike. My concern is that it doesn't seem to be bothering me. And that bothers me. More later.

Today's Route (391 Equinox miles):

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Interlochen Michingan - Old Mission Point

Sandy and I got a late start this morning so it ended up being just the two of us who arrived at a much busier Dilbert's. We stood and waited for a table, watching one single local take up a table for six and one couple take up another. It was our turn when one of the big tables came open, so we asked the couple in line behind us if they wanted to join us. They said sure. They were young local folks getting together for a camping weekend.

Since we had brought the motorcycle, a ride seemed in order. Flattop was going to lead another micro-brewery tour, but we weren't interested. Furhead said he'd go where we did. Before we left, Roger said he was going to pull up stakes so we said our goodbyes.

The two bikes were it for our group. I started with the delightful winding road around Long Lake and then we took Secor and Silver Lake Roads. Rather than go to the Traverse City waterfront, I took us right on Airport Road and then North on Garfield, which turned into Peninsula Drive. This was the very road we were looking for.

Old Mission Peninsula divides Grand Traverse Bay into its East and West Arms. It is an American Viticultural Area (AVA), defined by the US government as a wine grape growing area, and had a number of cherry orchards as well. As we rode out to the tip on Michigan 37 (aka Center Road), we saw wineries dotting the landscape. Apparently, there are ten withing a five mile radius and some of them looked like they had taken their styling tips from the Napa Valley in California. The peninsula is a pleasant place in the summer but I would imagine it is harsher come winter.

Center Road - Old Mission Peninsula

I think they were practicing

One of the many wineries

Nice houses too

At the very tip of the peninsula lies the Mission Point Lighthouse. The point is a few hundred yards south of the 45th Parallel, half way between the Equator and the North Pole. The township maintains a nice park on the site. We parked and walked down to the white sand beach.

Looking out on Grand Traverse Bay

Furhead and the Old Mission Light

Heading back south, I diverted west to Peninsula Road,which paralleled M 37. About two-thirds of the way back to the mainland, we arrived at the Jolly Pumpkin, a restaurant, brewery and distillery. Big Dawg led us to try this place last year and we enjoyed the artisan fare. We pulled in to find a familiar Nomad there and realized Roseman and Lana had the same idea.

Rosie and Lana were nearly finished and stopped to say Hi on their way out. I had a hamburger while Sandy had smoked turkey breast and  Swiss cheese on a multi-grain bun. I don't recall what Furhead ordered but we all passed on the beer sampling.

For what we are about to receive......

We continued down Peninsula Drive back to Traverse City. The houses along the shore line here would be amazing places to live. One enjoyable factor was the cooler temperatures today. We made our way through the city and back to Interlochen, arriving at the campground about 3:00 PM.

Since we decided we didn't need supper after the ample lunch, I hooked the trailer up and loaded the bike. I wanted to appear that I knew what I was doing with all the folks watching. That should have been no big deal since I do this several times each year. But I'm sure the audience was why I forgot to fold the antennae down before riding into the trailer, with the resulting clatter of metal on aluminum and the subsequent wrangling to get them folded forward after they were bent backwards. Then I screwed up one of my tie-down straps, getting the strap wrapped around the ratchet. Luckily I had spares, because this one was not getting untangled anytime soon. When I got out, I could see the VROC crowd and the Outlaws looking on with amusement. It's a good thing that I'm old enough to have lost most of my pride a long time ago:-)

Other than Flattop getting bitten on the nose by a dog (about the size of a small chihuahua), the evening was uneventful and more subdued than last night. There were comments about how this was probably the driest Interlochen weekend we have ever seen. It was much quieter tonight when Sandy and I hit the sack.

Today's Route (68 motorcycle miles):

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Interlochen Michigan - The Cherry Hut

It always rains on Interlochen. This morning we got a brief bit of very light rain before the clouds scattered and the blue skies returned. The Big Grouch let me drive his car to Dilbert's Restaurant, just down the road. It steps out quite nicely, at least as well as the Equinox. I tried to be responsible by having two eggs, ham and rye toast. I should have skipped the hash browns.

Back at the campground, various small groups headed out for rides, some featuring micro-breweries, but we just sat around (in the shade) and visited.

Our campsite

Not our Wilson......

I remember these

The Big Grouch (Roger) usually rides his motorcycle, but his Vulcan Classic is currently suffering from an oil leak. Rather than miss the camaraderie, he came up in his car. We've done some VROC gatherings with no bike in past years, due to either medical or mechanical reasons. This year, we've done two in the car for pretty much no reason at all. We gather for the people more than the riding.

As lunch time rolled around, we decided that it was time for our annual trek to The Cherry Hut in Beulah. The three of us piled into the Equinox and zipped west on US 31 to where it turned south. The parking lot at the restaurant was crowded but we managed to squeeze into a spot. There was a short wait for a table, but these folks are pros at getting people seated. Sandy and I shared a cherry chicken salad sandwich on a croissant with potato chips and then each had our own cherry pie a la mode. I think Roger had a Reuben sandwich and pie.

One of our traditional stops

Waiting for a table

After lunch, we took a detour and drove around Silver Lake on the way back to the campground. There was some road construction on the way to Frankfort but the rest of the drive was nice.

Road construction on the way to Frankfort

Frankfort Michigan

Silver Lake

Back at the campground, we weren't too energetic. The three reserved sites next to us started to fill up with folks from the Outlaws MC and what appeared to be an associate club, The Pariahs. They had large recreational vehicles and brought ladies, kids and dogs, so it was obviously a family weekend. We had no concerns.

The traditional Cycle-Moore soft serve ice cream machine fired up during the afternoon, which gave everyone something cold to combat the heat with. Many of the crew were going to cook supper on site, so we took Roger back to Culver's (on 31 towards Traverse City). I finally got my mushroom/Swiss Butterburger while Sandy just had a caramel cashew sundae. Roger had something with fish and chips.

Back at the campground, the party was getting into full swing. The cornhole boards were being put to good use, the alcohol was flowing liberally and tall tales were being told. Someone even through some pieces of magnesium into the fire. It took a while, but they eventually lit up the night. Sandy and I turned in early, as usual, but we dozed off to the sounds of happy people. I think VROC out-partied the new neighbors when all was said and done.

Today's Route (54 Equinox miles):

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