The next bunch of postings are going to be chronicling the grand road trip back to the homeland.

The day began early, with a trip to the car rental agency to pick up the van we’d be spending the next two weeks in.  Things went smoothly (alas, not the normal trend for me, and not a trend that would continue), and we went back home to pack up.  After a small adventure looking for what we thought was a lost or escaped cat — who instead was happily hiding under a recliner — we got under way around noon Chicago time.  About 3 hours later than I wanted to — I have to stop being so optimistic about how long it takes to get ready.

The rush to get underway was needless in any case, as the southern portion of 294 in Chicago lived up to its usual flow.  In fact, while I usually find Indiana to be the slowest going portion of any eastbound road trip, this time Indiana was by far the smoothest, quickest, and most enjoyable part of the U.S. leg of the trip.

Instead of going through Detroit, we decided this time to cross at Port Huron/Sarnia since we’d found the Detroit crossings to be crowded and slow going.  The distance was about the same, so it should have proved to be a time saver.

Note the “should have”.

Michigan was another construction disaster, dropping  us down to a single lane so frequently, I’m sure we lost an hour on our little shortcut.  However, the border crossing was expedient and uneventful — I just wish I’d thought to grab some duty free gas before leaving the country.  Gas prices and exchange rates are going to be interesting on this journey.

Our first road trip to Canada was in the summer of 2001.  At that time, the Canadian Dollar was trading at somewhere in the vicinity of 1 USD to 1.50 CAD.  It was glorious for someone coming in from the U.S.  Today, most places are offering even trade on USD and CAD.  The spending with impunity of the first trip is going to seem like a fantasy world compared with this one.  Even the GST rebate non-residents is no more, though it was not often that I’d take advantage of that.

But I’d still do this trip even with a negative exchange rate.  I just love the drive so much; seeing the Canadian countryside is always something a little special for me.  Already, I’l looking forward to spending Sunday exploring Vieux-Quebec, driving through rural Quebec on Monday, maybe stopping in Cabano for some poutine on the bank of the river.  Ahh, it’s great to be back in Canada.

Tonight, we’re resting up in Mississauga.  Tomorrow, the drive to Quebec City — technically we’re staying in Lévis — and some good ole Tim Horton’s coffee to start the day.  Yay!