Trip to the Soo, Part 1

Back from one trip, and the countdown to the other one is under way. We leave Sunday morning.
My solo journey took me to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I had a nice, if quiet, time. Lots to write, and it will be too easy to get bogged down on one topic. So ...

...The drive over
It was long, of course, but we kept to driving. I got the pictures in Christmas, including that large Santa, who looks almost scary close-up. I also got pictures of other Christmsay things in town, like a shop with a big Mrs. Claus in front. She almost looked like the Granny in the Tweety Bird cartoons. I also got a picture of the Christmas Auto Repair shop. No Christmas-related jokes on the sign. THe Yule Log Motel had a Santa lying in a bed, snoring with a string of Zs coming out of his mouth.

...Getting across
The southbound (from Canada into the U.S.) traffic was backed up for most of the length of the International Bridge, which is 1.5 miles long--the line started before the Canada and U.S. flags at the actual boundary. The line was about 5 minutes going into Canada. A few questions, stop at the Ontario tourism building to exchange money and get a new map, and I'm in.

... First night:
First, I got a motel. Then I went to the Station Mall downtown. I wound up getting a new wallet and a English (as in English English) dictionary. And some Halls throat drops. I'll explain why later.

Might as well explain now. Halls has several flavors in Canada not available in the States: blueberry and lemon-lime and coolmint. We got a few on our trip last summer, so I made it a point to get more. My theory is that Canada is a more advanced country than the U.S. in many ways. This is one of them.

I got a footlong sub on the way back to the motel and stopped at a gas station for a sode. Discovery #2: They have Sprite Ice in Canada. I was looking for Sprite Remix, which has been in the U.S. this summer, with tropical flavors. Instead I found Sprite Ice, which is like Sprite, with the lemon-lime taste, but with mint added. Cool! Before I headed for home, I bought several more bottles, and they should be safe at home because nobody else in the house likes mint. Their loss.

After all that, back to the motel, watch TV, look at the dictionary, eat half of the sub and try to move things from the old wallet to the new one. After I while, I realize the new one won't cut it--too small. Then to bed. The room's air conditioner was so noisy that I finally shut it off and opened a window. It was a little stuffy, with rain expected during the night. For the most part, I slept well.

... To be continued ...