Voyage sur la route

We headed out early Sunday morning (if you consider 8 early) to visit my family in Michigan and fetch our camper from my parents' house. Since Nick is crazy busy with work, the kids, dog, and I headed out for the 12 (+/-) hour trip with plenty of electronics to keep us all (minus dog) occupied for at least 12 hours. Luckily, the trip was pretty uneventful overall, but there were a few observations/events worth mentioning:

1. There is never a good time to drive around Toronto.
2. There was the normal amount of roadkill along the highway. Normally I wouldn't even take much notice, but there were two disturbing sights...one was a TINY (possibly newborn) deer, maybe the size of my dog. The other item along the highway appeared to be a well-loved stuffed animal, which had possibly escaped through an open window. As the mother of a child who would need counselling if his favourite stuffed animal were to disappear through an open car window, this was especially disturbing to me. (yes, we speak Canadian now-you know, “when in Canada...”)
3. Signs: “Sanitary Mattress Store” (eewww.) “Village of Bath Attractions” (Now there's a fun time)

While driving across Ontario for approx. 9 hours, I was thinking of all the questions I might have to answer at Customs, you know, the normal stuff: Where did you come from, where are you going, how long are you staying, why are you traveling with a kid that's not biologically yours, etc...

I had all the documents ready....passports, visas, permission slip for my non-biological child to cross a border with me, rabies certificate, etc.... Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about crossing the border for some reason. While waiting in line for the US customs officer to interrogate me and go through my papers with a fine-tooth comb, I went through said documents to make sure I had everything in place. When it was my turn, I pulled up to the window and handed over the passports/visas (but had all the other documentation waiting on my lap in the order that I expected him to ask for it). I was ready for all the questions he might ask, except the one that he actually DID ask: “Did you bring anything with you from Canada?”

My only response to his “gotcha” question was a blank stare. Did I bring anything from Canada? Did he notice my Quebec license plate? EVERYTHING in my car is from Canada! How do I answer this question in a manner that will not cause him to make me pull over for a full roadside inspection?

Thankfully, he noticed my “dumfoundedness” and let me off the hook. “You know, like firearms, alcohol, or food?”

That was it. After assuring him that we were not smuggling any of the above items, we were on our way, but in miles-not kilometres. I had to remember to look at the BIG numbers on my speedometer instead of the little numbers. I suddenly felt like I was going a lot slower.

A few minutes after getting back on the highway my car suddenly slowed and the 4-way flashers turned on. I thought the car was shutting down. Apparently the cruise control shuts off when the Hazard lights are turned on. How did the Hazard lights get turned on? If you've ever been in a newer model Rav-4 (Rav-quatre in French), you'll notice that the large button with the red triangle is front and centre on the dash. The flailing hand movements my passenger used to illustrate a story she was telling me had inadvertently pressed the button. This was not to be the sole occurrence.

Our visit was short, but we managed to help my dad buy a new computer and wireless router AND set it up, along with catching up with my brother and sister-in-law, grandma, and cousins. Maddie was glad to have a chance to practice driving before her birthday in September...I hope the hazard light button in her car isn't out in the open.

Future Caddy

Ready for next year's F1 Grand Prix

Plowing with Uncle Chad

For the record, that's 48 boxes of Annie's.

 We also managed to make it to Target where we found our favorite Mac&Cheese (and snacks) ON SALE. SCORE! I can get this at home, but it's très expensive. So we loaded our cart and went to find the next item on our list; heart rate monitors. 

Ah, irony.

And, yes, I did tell Customs that I bought some food while in the US.

One of the (seemingly few) benefits of living in Quebec is that the alphabet game (you know, find the letters of the alphabet on license plates) is a breeze! Look at those letters!