Foreigners

That would be us.

But earlier today we were quite near to a familiar looking bit of  Michigan iconography.

We couldn't actually get that shot from our motel room  window but we most assuredly did NOT have to  leave the parking lot to get that angle.

It was raining in Michigan.  We were making adequate progress until about the northern city limits of Flint.  At about that point we began to encounter some of the absolute worst pavement ever to masquerade as a portion of the interstate highway system.  At about that point the rain started really to bring it.  Bad pavement, horrible visibility?  The member of  our traveling party responsible for piloting at that point (moi) was not happy.

But we got out of that and pretty soon were approaching the Blue Water Bridge (I think) and an international border crossing.  I wanted to buy gas while still in the USA so I jumped us off the freeway at the last possible exit.

Some good, some bad.

There is a lot of construction going out there at the crossing (Blue Water Bridge?) We had a really hard time finding a way back through the detours to get back onto the ramp up to the bridge.

The good?  $2.54 per gallon.  Gas at every place I have seen so far in Canadia is about $1.09.6.

So here we go again.

1 gallon equals 3.79 liters.

Gas in Canada then is about $4.15 per gallon.

Except that is $4.15 Canadian per gallon.

Today's exchange rate is $1 Canadian equals $0.826 USA.

Meaning about $3.43 USA per gallon for gas in Canada.

Savings of 89 cents per gallon by buying in the USA.

I love numbers.

But soon enough we were across the border.

Very first impression?  The pavement on ON-402 is and should be an embarrassment to citizens of the the State of Michigan based on the  pavement on  I-69, just sayin'.

Second impression?  It was sunny and warm in Ontario with no rain at all.

Pretty soon we were someplace where we could prove we were foreigners, London.  London, Ontario, that is, obviously.

ON-402 is the Canadian equivalent of an interstate highway and we still had miles to go so our first meal in Canada wasn't very Canada specific, we pulled off the freeway and had a Subway.

Careful examination will, however, reveal that we had to "mangez frais".

That seemed kind of foreign.

Lots more driving, some of  it OK, some of  it pretty ugly.

Toronto is a huge megalopolis, it goes on for miles and miles.

But we made it, we checked into our hotel, we recovered enough to walk down to Lake Erie.

Our hotel is right absolutely completely downtown.  Union Station, Maple Leaf Center, Rogers Center, all within a few blocks of our  hotel.

And then this thing, the CN Tower, like two blocks away.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is also a two block walk away.  We will be in town for two full days, our plan is anything but firm, we are going to look around.

We found an ATM in the first large town we came to.  Canadia has new money, you can SEE THROUGH all of the bills  I don't know but that seems to me like transparency is going to be hard to counterfeit.