Saturday, July 28, 2001
At 5:45 on the morning of Saturday, July 28, the last of 7 boys bound for a never-before-seen destination arrived in my driveway, sleepy-eyed but excited. They and their two adult leaders all knew they had a long day's drive ahead. Months of advance preparation and packing had all boiled down to this. Gear was packed, parents were hugged, and it was time, at last, to say goodbye. We were Canada-bound. By 6:00 AM, we were on our way...
We left Brian's house, heading east on the Indiana toll road, then north on I-69, to Michigan Rte 27, into I-75, headed ever northward, til we reached Mackinac Bridge, surprisingly, by noon. Impressed by the good time we'd made, we pressed on about another hour, stopping for lunch at a place in Sault Ste. Marie recommended by my fellow driver Mike, called Studebaker's.
The walls were lined with memorabilia from the old car-making plant, which for many years had operated successfully from its home in South Bend. Thinking ourselves something of a novelty with our South Bend roots in a place so far from home, we were of course disappointed when the waitress gave us a perfunctory 'no chance' response when we inquired as to the possibility of a discount. I guess where you're from doesn't count much for up here, I mused.
After lunch, we crossed the Canadian border uneventfully, two vans full of now weary travelers, headed east on Canada's Hwy 17, towards Sudbury, some 300 kilometers away.
Canada's unique approach to highway cost savings involves using 2-lane highways that occasionally spread to 3, to include a passing lane for the lucky driver. When the road widened to include a passing lane every few miles, most everyone slipped left and pressed the pedal, like so many NASCAR junkies jockeying for position.
Still and all, we did not make nearly such good time as we had to the border, and another 5 hours passed before we arrived in the tiny wayside of French River, specifically, the French River Trading Post. Our day's total driving time was a little over 12 hours from portal to portal, about 11 hours excluding our lunch stop, and we'd covered a distance of 683 miles.
At the Trading Post, we were warmly greeted by the proprietor ("Hi! I've been expecting you," she greeted us cheerily), whereupon she checked us into our 4 reserved rooms, and promptly drove off into the setting sun.
After a quick dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant, a part of the Lodge, and an hour well spent picking up souvenirs in their well-appointed gift shop, we all shuffled off to our rooms, for one last night's sleep in an honest to goodness bed.
Our crew consisted of...
Brian Sittley and Mike Lawecki, the adult leaders, our sons Drew and Andy, plus Chris Stearly, Travis Faas, Adam Strantz, Jeremy Hicks and Aaron Clemenson, all long-time members of Troop 173.