The All-American Roadtrip

The combination of good people, well-laid plans and reliable transportation (ahem) have produced the opportunity for many a good time. They are the ingredients that make possible camping trips in the wilderness, flights to far-flung countries, and envious adventures that you so often see on your Instagram. In this specific case, it produced a 10-day, 5000 km road trip from Toronto, Ontario to New Orleans, Louisiana. 

A few friends and I had thrown around the idea of a big trip together about a year beforehand, we had all finished our degrees and wanted to travel somewhere that offered great music & atmosphere but was still relatively inexpensive. The aptly-named Kals' Pals Adventure Club was comprised of myself and three spectacular human beings from undergrad (AKA jazz school). Meet the team:

The leakiest and thirstiest member of the team,
the Buick

Shealagh found a new pet during
our tour of the Bayou

Kalya was especially excited about
the flight of craft beers in Buffalo

This is Murray. Yes, he's using tent
poles to prop up his smartphone. 

Ice cold A/C and the hippest playlists
that only a music degree can get you

While there were some who saw the the Buick and immediately doubted her ability to make the journey across the continent, I now invite them to sit down to a hot cup of 'I told you so' that I brewed fresh this morning. 

Everything fits in the Buick

Our first stop was Buffalo to refuel on chicken and stock up on important things like beer, gas and goldfish crackers. Once we hit the American highway system it soon became evident that this wasn't home anymore. There were a few visible differences between the states and the motherland. 

This is not Ohio.This is silk compared
to Ohio

As you travel from one state to the next, it becomes evident that each is a little unique and gives different amounts of care to their infrastructure. The highways in one state could me smooth and neatly painted until you reach the state line, and BAM! OHIO SHOWS UP OUTTA NOWHERE AND DAMN NEAR RIPS THE WHEELS OFF THE BUICK.

Eventually we reached Nashville, our first main stop in the trip. We rented a house within 'walking distance' of the core (maybe if you're an Olympic walker) where we could recharge between Bourbon whiskey tastings/torrents of fried chicken, and the nights out with live music and patrons pouring out of nearly every venue on Broadway. 

We found a candy store

Nashville certainly had a southern feel, but the type that you'd expect from a mainstream, rural (mostly-white) Southern U.S.

 While it may have not been the most diverse city that we visited, we ate well, we explored neat places, and we took in a nightlife that was vibrant, fresh and widespread. It was an absolute blast.


The next leg of our trip meant a drive through the deeeeeeep south. You start to notice the differences between Canadian and American culture as you travel deeper into the bible belt. The attitudes, the accents, even the different kinds of things you hear on the radio. Magnolia trees, SUVs, and ice-cold A/C that blasted you through nearly every entrance way. We got a taste of proper sweet tea, biscuits and gravy and a very interesting take on a garden salad (with more cheese than what the average deli has in stock). It almost felt like a foreign country (do we even have waffle houses in Canada?), and definitely had a different thing going on than our stops in Buffalo and Louisville. 

Murray picked the Airbnb,
he's proud as punch

After a long drive, including a time I almost drove off with my laptop on the roof of the Buick, we arrived in the Big Easy; New Orleans, Louisiana. To sum up the city for you, our AirBnb seemed like a complete NOLA experience. The house itself was in a neighbourhood that was a mix of dive bars, local bakeries, and the odd abandoned, boarded up house. Maps and old records decorated the walls, and the living room featured a Wurlitzer Organ, drum kit, all-steel resonator guitar and a collection of odd instruments some of us hadn't seen before. The host left us some local beer in the fridge and chatted with us about things going on in the city, as well as noting that we seemed like 'normal folks', saying that he was glad to have us as long as we didn't party so hard that we set fires in the house and play the drums at 3am with the doors and windows open (apparently that was a thing that had happened before). 

I suppose I could type and type about the different things that we saw and did, but I think I'll just let the pictures do the talking for now. 

 
 

mmhmm

 

The bayou

Cajun, Creole, Southern or just plain tasty

Someone even got to celebrate his birthday in town

 The St. Charles street car line was a personal favourite of mine. 

 Nighttime activities

New Orleans was an entirely and completely different city than what any of us had experienced before. A city that was both lively yet tired, beautiful and ugly, welcoming but at times seemed unfriendly. Without sounding too abstract, it's a place that in all its aspects seems thick and full with a diverse history, culture and people. We were definitley huge fans, and I think we'd all jump at the chance to visit again.

Between the fantastic food, live music, long drives, beautiful places and interesting characters, I'd say we had a swell time. If you have a chance to get on the road with a few pals and explore a new place, even for a couple of days, there are few things I could recommend more highly (even, I dare say, better than the Buick?). The possibilities that lie in a trip may seem unknown or unfamiliar, but it's a fulfilling experience that you'll carry with you always.  

Kal's Pals indeed

There's something to be said for travelling with your friends on a trip like this. Even when you've known them for years, there are times when you learn a little bit more about who your friends are, or get to share a moment in a unique setting. I feel pretty lucky to have friends like that, whether we shared a 10 day road trip, week at camp, or tasty lunch. It's pretty special.

In Mom's defense, it's hard to pose
for a photo when you can't see the screen

And so now it's time to get back to work on a new school year. I'll hear from some of you folks on WhatsApp, otherwise you can check up on the Interlude to see what colossal disasters I've caused (or find better uses for your time, of which there are many). The uncertainty of a new year with new kids, people and places is holds many possibilities, but the conclusion of the summer means the bittersweet trading one home for another. You folks take care of yourselves until I see you again (or don't, most of you are adults).

Summer in Canada

Summer vacation is pretty darn neat. It's a little bit like being a kid again, only when you call your friends on the phone, they say "My job is a thing I have to be at so I can't come out and play " or "Stuart, I'm at the place where I do adult things" instead. Our school gives us 7.5 weeks in the summertime, and most people flee the humidity and bustle of Macau to do things that are fun. For me, fun has meant hastily travelling across the province seeing and doing all the things I impulsively signed up for during the preceding weeks. Maybe next time I won't try to contact nearly everyone I know to try and do every single thing on every hour of every day.

I realize these posts are getting fewer and less frequent, and that's been a product of that hasty travelling. But I can write that off as quality over quantity, so you're very welcome.

"What a breathtakingly magnificent
 piece of supercharged machinery"

The first summer/life goal was getting the Buick on the road. The fellow who sold it to me was not very accurate in his description of the car's condition or diligent in completing the official paperwork. 

"What a rotten pile of
leaky garbage"

My long-dormant car hobby addiction quickly reminded me of what a mix of elation and frustration it is to own something so old and stupid, as I dealt with rusty body panels, severed exhaust pipes, and a turdburglar of a seller who was flakier than a Kelloggs box of cereal. I'll save you from the full story for now, but I'm certain that a 3 year old child could have quickly and more ably sold a car to me than this guy. Finally, with all the fussy business concluded, I now have a pretty solid vehicle that I'm pleased to say is 100% mine (and 100% healthy, 85% of the time). I'd like to keep it around for future Christmases and summers in Canada, but for that I need a bit of help. See the bottom of this post for more info. 

Jen's pretty chuffed that
she made me wear this

As soon as I had my new plates & insurance (which is far more affordable now), I set off to the States for a 4th of July party at a friend's lake house in upstate New York. It's not quite your Muskoka or Tobermory type cottage, but those folks in the states sure know how to put on a party, even if they made me wear full stars & stripes apparel. The beer was even on par with the Canuck stuff we like so much. Afterwards, an extra day let me stop in Buffalo for one of my favourite schmutzy-hand foods, chiggin wings (hence the web address of the blog). The wings in Buffalo are much like the cars in Sweden, or the witty television in Britain, Effortlessly fantastic.

 Buffalo itself was a pretty neat city, I hadn't been to the States since high school, so checking out the local neat places was pretty chuffing neat. The restored Frank Lloyd Wright mansion is a pretty neat place to check out too, definitely worth a look if you're in town. 

Returning to your home country after an extended stay elsewhere reminds you of the little things that you may or may not take for granted. The freedom of driving across wide-open spaces, the fresh air that smells of soil and pine, clean water that flows from the taps without the concern that the source is a garbage-filled muddy Chinese shipping lane, and the familiar but wholesome satisfaction of home food. I ate breakfast at Tim Hortons 3 days in a row to re-discover the inexpensive Timbits, cold drinks & goodies that I had missed out on for so long (For those non-Canadian readers, I highly recommend you stop at a Timmies if you're passing through). Ontario in itself is very much a land of plenty, with things like juicy strawberries, AAA-grade ribeye steaks and craft beer all produced & sold within the same place. 

This was a great year for strawberries

I feel a little spoiled being able to get all these fresh tasty things so cheaply and easily. Even my hometown of Hamilton has a plethora of new cafes and restaurants that are begging to be explored, all that's needed is a spare hour & empty stomach. I feel a little bit like a kid in a candy store; just given a full wallet and an empty knapsack.  this has been a food-filled vacation so far. Mom pulled out all the stops, as she usually does, for all nature of home-food needs. 

"Stuart is this for the internet?"

I remembered why it's imperative to never move home with my parents long-term, as I would likely have trouble fitting into my clothes after a few weeks. Often I'd get WhatsApp messages from Mom reporting on what new meats were on sale at Fortino's, and that there was a big dinner on the way. 

The tray on the bottom is for catching
all the goop that overflows from this
plethora of pies.

Out from the kitchen came a constant torrent of food, including (but not limited to) the likes of BBQ chicken, seared steak, honey-glazed pork chops, marinated shrimp, grilled asparagus, peppered corn on the cob, cheddar & broccoli salad, buttery sweet potatoes, strawberry shortcake, peanut butter brownies, and peach cobbler, all paired with enough ice cream to float a boat on. Good GREIF. Good thing vacation time is all for eating, right? 


Hometown appreciation goes farther than food too. Being a tourist/visitor in your old stomping ground means revisiting or exploring nearby places that have long been taken for granted. Hiking paths, museums, neighbourhoods, music & art venues, and the new 'lil bits of the city that have changed since you were last there.

Being at home in the city also means neat city things. Things that include really old-fashioned jazz, music & food festivals, good beer, and the widespread availability of tacos at the time of your choosing (you folks at home take this for granted far too often). 

The Beaches "Jazz" Festival
(not all of it was jazz...)

Spot the fellow in the flowery shirt
and I'll be impressed

Even something simple like an outdoor concert in a large venue with friends is a refreshing and awesome experience, even if you don't know any Weezer tunes and they're some hip band that plays rock & roll or something. At least I have cool friends that play in hip bands and wear flowery shirts from Forever 21, so I can pretend to be hip and cool like them. 

A special shout-out to Martin Loomer's Orange Devils (who play on the 2nd Monday of every night at the Monarch Tavern in Little Italy by the way) for playing a wicked set which included my very favourite tune in the world. Check them out if you like swing dancing/neat music/the colour orange. 

Look at how outdoorsy this makes
me look

Jen caught a fish

Camping, fishing, and cottaging might just be the most Canadian thing that you can do during the summer. Hasty adventuring meant I got to see a variety of places like Parry Sound, Wasaga Beach, Tobermory, and the Kingston area (Frontenac Provincial Park), but it also meant I had to travel from place to place at max speed just to make it on time to the next thing. The family Volvo is pictured here because of reasons, the Buick may or may not have been in the shop having the sub-frame welded back on (and it now may or may not be stronger than it was when it rolled off the assembly line in 1995). 

A friend's lakefront cottage in the
Parry Sound area

I didn't catch any fish

You folks make sure you get outside and get some fresh air, sunburns and pine needles in your feet before it gets too chilly. We've got a heck of a lot of country out there. 

One special place that I had made a point to visit was a camp that I had worked & volunteered at for 8 years, a little patch of land in Bruce county, Ontario by the name of Silver Lake camp. It was refreshing to be back and work with the people (and former campers) that you had been around in the past, you're reminded of their fantastic enthusiasm and UMPH that just makes camp GO. It's also not as great to be back because you realize you're 8 years older than you used to be, and you can't run as far, shout as loudly, or keep up with the whippersnappers that now work with you. Sunburns, sore throats and stiff backs quickly became a prevalent theme during the week.

Please note that fun is shown
and kid's faces are not

The best part of it all is that I can do all the things that the restrictions of being a responsible employed adult prohibits: Freeze them at mealtimes (a game we play at camp) and balance various objects on their heads, or just feed them too much pudding and watch as they get it all over themselves and their clothing. 
I had a great counselling partner & spunky camper group that were excited for our activities and tolerant of my shenanigans. It's an innate, deep-seeded, urge to be a benevolent menace, and you can only truly satisfy that at summer camp.

So now that July is finished, the final major expedition of the summer approaches (well, since it takes me so long to write & revise the interlude, we're currently in the middle of it), a 4500 KM trip to the South of the United States. You'll hear just a bit more about it once we're all finished here, but right now, there is some fried chiggin and gumbo that needs attending to. 

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Side-Note: If you or someone you know would be interested in a very easy and enjoyable way of making an extra bit of change, this might be the opportunity for you.

WHAT: Buick Babysitter
WHERE: A parking space, driveway place or other place to place a car in a comfy place of personal space
WHEN: End of August 2016 to end of June 2017 (with a short break in December)
HOW TO EVEN: Once a month; Start the car, take it around the block/to the grocery store, then put it back again (Yes, that means you get to commandeer the Buick)
WHY: Because I will give you a 'lil money on a monthly basis, and because the Buick will bring magic into your life