Thunder Bay, 7:05 PM Friday

Winnipeg was a very brief stop at Elsa’s Bed & Breakfast Place. I had only arrived there at 10:30 local time from Birch Hills. Elsa’s is on the very south of town, close to the Perimeter Hwy. Very convenient. I had some issues connecting with their wireless internet, and was only able to upload 1 picture to the site.

I have arrived in Thunder Bay from Winnipeg in very quick time. I left Winnipeg at 10:45 am Eastern, and arrived here at my accommodations at 6:30 pm. So that’s what, 7.75 hours? Nearly 800 kms. I was the fastest car from Winnipeg to the MB-ON border, not that I’m proud of that. Averaging well over 100 kms/hr after taking out the brief stop times, I still managed to eke out 71+ MPG, getting 3.8 and 3.9 L/100km on two fills. (Remember too, I have 125 kgs. of ’stuff’ with me. I think with just me in the car, I could have managed 10% better at least.)

This is what most people do I’m told - burn through these highways. I hear that 110 is the unwritten rule - as a minimum. I’ve had no less than ten people, over half being strangers, tell me to keep up with the flow in this area. I guess you have to conform once in awhile?

The winds were the strongest I’d seen yet, but no issue. The paddle shifters on the steering wheel prove their value on these winding and windy sections. Maybe that’s something you didn’t know about the smart car? Paddle shifters on the steering wheel are standard equipment on what is known as the ‘pulse’ model. And while we’re on the subject of gears, you should know the car has twice as many as it does cylinders. Which means it has six gears. There’s no clutch pedal to depress when shifting, BTW.

Today was rather uneventful - I didn’t take more than a couple photos, and I didn’t stop anywhere to eat. In Vermilion Bay, I tried to look up a radio guy who owns a smart car (who had invited me a couple weeks ago to stop by), but I’d missed him already. I listened to cd’s by Anberlin and Chad Wackerman. The Wackerman cd ‘Holiday Insane’ is one of my favourites.

In Upsala, I was greeted by many curious folks, including a couple travelling from, of all places, Abbotsford. The only negative feedback was from a fellow who didn’t agree that the smart car is safer than vehicles from 1979.

I should probably mention now:

The smart car is NOT a hybrid.

I’ll be in Thunder Bay until mid-morning. Much catching up to do - on this site, and elsewhere. I’ve had a couple nights of great sleeps in a row, so it’s all good. Tomorrow, I’m off to Sault Ste Marie, staying with the Walkers - parents of my friend Jason in Bradford. Sunday morning will see me depart very early, as I have to catch a 1:30 pm sailing in South Baymouth to Tobermory, after which, I will spend the evening in Mitchell at Shirley’s house. Shirley is the mother of JoAnn, who owns a very very cool bakery in Vancouver called Tartine.

I’ll be recounting the last couple of days happenings in a bit, so be sure to check out the articles and pictures in the lower postsings. (Note: Many posts are now added. I am departing Thunder Bay as of 10 am.)

Much is happening.