Farewell Freedom Fries

Late-night arrival in Montreal, Sept. 30. The lights from the bridges and buildings glow against the dark sky, and it's scarf-and-hat-wearing temperatures now in eastern Canada. The city feels more European than North American; sounds of foreign tongues on the streets that are still full of life at 11pm on a Thursday night, packed with faces that fill the spectrum from eggshell to espresso.

Our hotel, Le Saint-Malo, is European-style, too: boutique with tiny-rooms (luckily, the economy rooms are booked so we stay in a standard, which barely contains the bed, our bags, two bikes and Ophie). It smells like cigarette smoke and cobwebs, but it is cheap, with free morning muffins, and pet-friendly, allowing "little-dogs." The hotel staff doesn't see Ophie until we leave the next day.

No trouble finding a place that is open and still serving food at this hour. The toughest decision is choosing just one restaurant from the many. We have been warned against speaking French by a friend who used to live in Montreal: "They jab you with cigarettes and stiletto heels if you even think of disrespecting their precious Quebecois." We can't say anything other than fromage, le chat, tres jolie, so we're safe.

In the morning we explore and spend most of the afternoon at Mount Royal Park, a 101-hectare park in the middle of the city landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, who famously designed New York's Central Park. We walk up hills, through the forest and sculpture garden, around a lake, enjoying the leaves beginning to change from green to orange. Ophie enjoys chasing squirrels and playing with pocket-size puppies, the only type we see during our visit. (This may explain why grown men in Montreal jump off the sidewalk and run to the other side of the street when they see Ophie. There seems to be a cultural oddity/bias against dogs that weigh more than 50 pounds in this part of Canada.)

In addition to the park's natural beauty, it's got a great playground, and because it's a school day, we don't need to kick any children off of it.

Mount Royal Park also includes the highest spot in the city. It's a crisp, clear day and the views of Montreal are spectacular.

Trés jolie!

The Sherpas of Toronto

Our itinerary had us heading for the Adirondacks and the Lake Placid area today but instead we found ourselves turning to an old friend, our Super 8 Hotels directory, on the way into Toronto. Pet-friendly and cheap have been words dear to our vocab along the road. Luckily the Canadian city had one. Unluckily for us it was smack dab on top of a generic, super cheesy, all-Chinese, four-story mall in the heart of Chinatown, and the underground parking garage clearance, stated as 6 feet, actually more like 5 feet10 inches, and our truck with the bikes is about 9 feet 6 inches, with the cargo box and no bikes 7 feet 7 inches, with just the bike racks and no cargo box 6 feet 2 inches, with just the bars just enough to make it! : ) The area around the hotel was busy and a bit ghetto so parking on the street wasn't an option. We had to formulate a plan of action and act we did. We pulled into a dead-end street that resembled the projects, oh wait it was the projects. We figured that Jessica could ride one bike at a time over to the hotel and check in while I rearranged the truck to somehow make everything fit. That meant pulling off the cargo box and the bike racks, moving everything from the back into the cab without crushing Ophie, putting the cargo box upside down and hanging out of the back and driving it thru the busy streets of Toronto with no visibility and praying the box didn't fall out of the back on the hills. Success! Now part two of the plan, carry all of our loose and valuable stuff (including our cargo box and dog) from the third underground level to the third floor of the hotel including our cargo box. After about six or seven trips from the parking garage thru the Chinese mall into the elevator past all the people in the hotel lobby and finally into our room. People had never seen anything like it and it was truly a unique experience.

Oh and by the way we had a nice dinner at a great Indian spot, caught the end of the Avett Brothers show at the legendary Horseshoe Bar, and got some shopping in the next morning after we did the whole sherpa thing all over again just in reverse order. One hell of a 24 hour period!

Border Jumpers

The power of Niagara Falls is evident long before the mighty river comes into view. Mist rises like white smoke high above the trees, miles before we see the thundering falls. Also evident before the sacred place: wedding chapels, high-rise hotels, duty-free gift shops and casinos.

We want to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side so we park the truck in New York, walk across the bridge that looks way, way down on the Niagara River, coffee mugs in hand.

As we cross the Niagara, we find inspiration to take the big leap (maybe it's the free-marriage-license-with-cheap-motel-room deal)...and travel through Canada, stopping first in Toronto, on our way to Nova Scotia. It's cold and rainy and big-city living sounds more adventurous than camping through upstate New York and Vermont.

Back to the U.S. side, passports and rabies vaccination certificate in hand (and paw), we drive across the border with a brief delay at the customs office. Apparently no job, no home and no cash make American visitors sound like would-be illegal immigrants.

Patrick did OK. He told the officer he had been laid-off from his job in the bicycle industry and this is how he has four-months off to take a road trip across the United States and Canada. Then the customs officer turned to me: "What do you do?"

"Nothing!" I say gleefully, with yogurt-covered pretzels falling out of my mouth. "I quit my job!"

"And how much cash are you carrying?"

"About $60."

"Please pull over and go inside the office."

Once inside, I realize that freelance journalist, Santa Cruz homeowner and $15,000 in the bank are all better answers. We convince the officers that we're not flight risks and head to Toronto.

—Jessica

The Wells Fargo Express to Niagara Falls

WARNING: To any and all Wells Fargo Bank customer, there are no branches east of the Ohio and Indiana areas! Yes, that is what many people know as the Eastern United States! What this means for us—we realized this on the morning we're leaving Harbor Springs for Niagara Falls—is a long detour. The problem: Niagara Falls is east, Ohio and Indiana are south, waaayyyy south of where we're trying to get to.

If you want to avoid a 14 or 15 hour driving day please, PLEASE make a serious note of this!

The only upside: driving thru Buffalo at night, the city lights make it look like a charming city and the lighted bridges are beautiful.

The campground at Four Mile Creek State Park looks more like a large picnic area but it's right on the shore of Lake Erie and offers great views of Toronto. The large grassy area is perfect for playing fetch with Ophie. There's absolutely nobody else camping, which isn't surprising because it's cold and rainy so we sleep in the truck for the second time. They have great facilities and we both enjoy a hot shower before heading for Niagara Falls.

The only issue we have is with the park staff who for some reason are very rude and arrogant. Probably the California plates (they're just jealous!!)

Harbor Springs

Tucked into Little Traverse Bay, where the natural springs make Lake Michigan so clear you can see huge salmon swimming deep on the bottom, is the incredibly beautiful and charming township of Harbor Springs, Michigan. Luckily for us one of our best friends now resides there on a full-time basis along with his new family.

He's also perhaps our bravest friend; he's the only person I've ever know who took on a new house, new job, new puppy, and a new son Leighton III, in the same two-month period.

To his credit he's patient and well-adjusted and

doing great.

We finally pulled into a town at a decent hour and were able to make dinner and catch up. Along with his two-and-a-half month year old son, Leighton lives with his girlfriend Liz and Ophie's new little sidekick Mason. His house sits on a couple of acres and the dogs were able to chase and play for the entire week we were there. Ophie thought she had found paradise and will now only allow use to move back to a place with lots of property.

It turned out to be a great week. The weather forecast called for rain for most of the week but it never really transpired and only dumped one afternoon. Although upon entering Harbor Springs in was still summer, and we were decked in our shorts and tank tops, a week later when we left it was definitely fall with jeans and fleeces the new wear of the day. It's amazing how the Great Lakes have such an effect on the region's weather, the patterns move so quickly. They really are fresh water oceans. The boys said that its not uncommon for a front to drop 7-10 feet of snow easy. That's when paradise turns to 5-6 months of grey, cold, boring winter...

The boys in question are some of Northern Michigan's finest. The McLean brothers were around pretty much the whole time. They took us on some great single track mountain biking trails that were right in Leighton's back yard. Boyne Ski Mountain was 20 minute ride from the house and had one of the best marked trail systems I've seen. from super agressive trails decked out with ladders everywhere to mellow winding trails in was great. Leighton also took us on some driving tours of the region showing us some of the finer areas and fall color trails. The downtown area is decked out with fine shopping, art, food, and just enough local flavor to preserve it's standing as not a totally played out tourist trap. We highly recommend the local fudge! One of the highlights was our second to last night when we boated across the Bay over to Petosky for some fine dinning and then down the shore to Bay Harbor, a newer development that has some of the most glamorous monstrosities of homes you'll ever see, to meet up with some friends for a B-Day bash at the Knot.

Many good laughs and even better drinks were had by all. Jessica and I decided to partake in a local tradition and take the Buck Hunter Challenge! Having just spent several weeks viewing amazing and highly protected wild life we needed a release and Buck Hunter was just perfect. Remembering a shirt we had seen on a woman in Yellowstone which stated, "There's a place for all of God's creatures, next to the potatoes and gravy on my plate!" We pulled out the shot gun and had at it. I took down more bucks than Jessica did over the 5 different levels but she found her aim and had a perfect screen on the bonus turkey level killing all 30!! We all closed down the Knot and jumped on the boat for the 20 min. cruise back to Harbor. Along the way starring out at the water and lights on the hill sides I made up my mind that I wanted to sail around the world. I'm now accepting donations to make this dream a reality. Upon returning while we were tieing the boat to the dock I decided to show off and do a back flip into the lake. Other people said I fell off with all my clothes on including a polo sweater and Italian leather shoes. The jury's still out. What is certain is that my Blackberry doesn't like me anymore and my drivers licence picture now shows me with a snorkle and fins! The next day we BBQ'd ribs, watched a little football, and packed the car for the trip to Niagara Falls. We had a great time and we'll hopefully be back next year when the knee heals and we can wakeboard!

—Patrick

Twelvemile Beach Campground

We left Marquette for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a vast wilderness area in the northeastern part of the UP with sandstone cliffs, dunes, lakes, forests and more than 40 miles of Lake Superior Beach. The park roads are dirt two tracks that were muddy and rutted from the recent weather and fun as heck! We were hauling ass with no one else around on the roads, happy to be far from any traffic. We decided to stay in an area with several campgrounds to choose from on a point overlooking Lake Superior. Along the way we found a small village called Grand Marais at the northern most point of the park that wasn't much more than a street but happened to contain Lake Superior Brewing Co. so we had to stop in and sample the local flavor of course. Jessica was able to get a couple tasty brown ales and I had a couple hearty stouts. The ambiance and scene wasn’t exactly charming but it was memorable. Old folks with bad teeth and at least one cigarette hanging from their mouth dotted the bar. Camouflage was the color of choice, and elk and moose heads stared at us from all sides. All and all, good brew and good times. We left there for Hurricane River just west of Au Sable Light Station on the point.

The campground we found 7 miles down this little dirt road was great but we decided that it was worth driving on to see Twelvemile Beach Campground. We ended up finding the most unbelievable beach camping ever! The lake looked more like the Pacific Ocean and the beach was sandy and deserted. It felt more like Baja than Northern Michigan and we knew we wandered upon something special! We spent a great night around the campfire and planned to stay for a few more days or perhaps the rest of our life. The next morning we woke to a strong northern wind blowing across the lake and a wind chill factor of "cold as shit" We decided that we'd leave paradise for another time and head for Harbor Springs. Here's the photos and all I can say is if you get the chance go!

Onward for Michigan and Old Friends

Driving north from Minneapolis we didn’t have a solid idea of what our plans were for the night and we didn’t really care. We were happy to be back on the road and charged up to see more good friends who we hadn’t seen for a while. Along the drive we went thru Duluth which isn’t all that representative except for a conversation Jessica and I had somewhere along the miles on the road. She said that if she could be named after any city it would be Duluth. I picked Phoenix. It’s not always the most interesting conversations that pass the miles we’ve found but sometimes they’re the funniest. On the way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan we passed through Wisconsin (new state for both of us) where we saw the fall colors really starting to set in. The area is heavily wooded with picturesque farms and homesteads dotting the landscape. We spot a few bald eagles along the road sides and lots of small glassy lakes. We’re tipped to a great state park just inside the UP border but the weather forecast is calling for rain and we decided to camp after visiting with our friends Chad and Nancy who live not far from the park. Chad is originally from Michigan but was living in Santa Cruz and was one of my first friends when I moved there sometime around 2000. He’s a great guy and a dedicated Red Wings fan God rest his soul! Hahaha…

I’m surprised we’re still friends after all these years because while he used to be at work all day in Santa Cruz I’d get done with soccer practice and go over to his house and drink his beers until he got home usually only leaving one or two, ahhh the good ol' days. After a quick call we once again realize that we have great friends who are willing to go out of their way to accommodate us on our travels and it’s not a problem to show up a few days earlier than expected. They live in near Marquette, a cool little university town on Lake Superior. Again we pull in at night but this time early enough to catch the tail end of dinner. Steak and potatoes, SCORE! We meet Chaz, their 10-month-old son, for the first time—the cutest blue eyed boy around. We also meet another Stella who is their 2 year old dog and the biggest bitch around! Sorry guys if you read this!! : ) Ophie is constantly tortured by her and she starts several fights with our dog which kinda keeps the visit on high doggie tensions the whole time. We manage to keep them apart and enjoy the visit thoroughly. The next morning Chad, who works from home in many IT arenas, takes us for a hike around the back of his house which just happens to be hundreds of acres of great multi-purpose outdoor activity land. We hit a 5 mile loop that takes us by several lakes where the dogs swim and along a few mountain bike single track trails that look technical and great. Later in the afternoon we head to downtown Marquette which has a great waterfront and meet up with his wife Nancy, a local school teacher and one of the biggest sweet-hearts you‘ll ever meet, for happy hour I.P.A.’s.

Yes we do order I.P.A.’s everywhere we go!! Leaving there they take us for a drive along Lake Superior and to one of their favorite cliff jumping spots. The day is cold and breezy but I decided (more like get pressured by everyone) that I may not be back for a while and strip down to my boxers and jump! It’s cold but refreshing and by the time I swim in 100 yards or so my body feels it. We head back and Jessica whips up a great pasta and salad dinner and we have a great evening drinking wine and chatting it up. The next morning we decide to let them get back to their busy lives and get ourselves back around the campfire. We say our goodbyes and off we go. I’m really happy we were able to make it this far north to visit some good people!

—Patrick

Minnesota Nice!

There is a term coined by Minnesotans based on a warm friendliness and helpfulness that visitors find once inside the state's borders: Minnesota Nice. Upon arriving at our friends' house—Scott, Sarah and their daughter, Stella—we found out what it was all about. We pulled in late night as usual, wary from the long drive and were greeted with the feeling of coming home for the holidays. They carried our bags inside, put our bikes in their garage and had cold spirits at the ready. Mind you they had worked all day, Stella is only 16 months of super cute energy, and they both had to work early the next morning. We stayed up chatting about our adventure and life until after midnight and went to bed. The next morning we awoke to fresh brewed coffee, breakfast and the blessing to use all of their household amenities (laundry!) that we happily took advantage of. We’re still very grateful for the treatment we received from them and have scheduled an annual, visit which they haven‘t been informed of until now!

Scott arranged his schedule to leave work early and show us around the city during the afternoon. First, in what was becoming typical fashion, he made us some lunch and gave us some insight into his job at the University of Minnesota in the neuro-science department. Jessica got a heck of a lot more out of what he was saying than I did, and it was there that I realized I probably relate better to Ophie. So we went to chase squirrels outside and let them talk.

Minneapolis has 50-plus miles of multi-use trails that travel by three lakes and wind through numerous neighborhoods. We jumped on the bikes, picked Stella up from day care, and took a tour through about a third of the trail system. It was a beautiful late summer day and there were people everywhere. Couples out taking wedding pictures in the city’s rose garden, families sunbathing and swimming at many of the beaches along the lakes, rollerblades (yes rollerblades!!) are very popular in Minneapolis, bike riders both serious and recreational, runners, joggers, everyone…great people watching! We stopped half way through and let Stella look at the ducks and play on the beach while we had a local Oktoberfest brew. On the way back home Stella had a great time using her juice cup and snack jar as grenades which she would launch out of her bugger with great joy and accuracy. Luckily Jessica’s riding skills are up to par and she was able dodge them without harm. I don’t understand why more cities, whatever size, don’t embrace trails of this nature. Later that night Scott and Sarah invited some friends over, Scott made shrimp skewers, and we had local brews while listening to music and talked around their outdoor fire pit.

The following morning Jessica and I slip over to the store and we cook big breakfast burritos. It was a good chance to catch up with Sarah a little more and hear about her social work within the Minneapolis community. Her patients and kindness are big assets in what amounts to a very trying and tough job—most people only last 6 months. Jessica and I love her Minnesotan accent and we still reference its charm along the road now (sure, sure). They also tell us that Stella’s name came from their hippie past, which includes several stints following Phish and Scott working for the University of Iowa radio station where he hosted a Grateful Dead hour followed by a free-form music hour. Fun stories all around! Following breakfast Scott’s folks come and happily picked up Stella so we could tour around the city and then go out later in the evening. We start the adventure downtown along the Mississippi River and walk along the waterfront, explore some of the theatre district, watche a German Polka band and their very scary troll-masked dancing crew, and then sit on an outside patio and enjoy several drinks. Later in the evening we visit a great seafood spot with a fourth-story roof top bar and splurge a bit, meaning I had the lobster stuffed salmon at market price, opps! Everyone orders great food, and that all-to-dangerous one more drink. Afterward we hit up this really cool bar with a bowling alley and cabaret inside, and laugh it up over some local I.P.A.s.

Jessica and I are fully impressed, with not only our hosts, but the city as well and give it our stamp of approval!

The next day we get up early, pack up our gear, and head out for a local disc golf course with a great reputation. Scott and I play while the girls wall alongside and talk and take photos. Ophie chases squirrels. The course was challenging and we both had our ups and downs but play pretty good overall. We finish up, Scott gives me the local radio station to follow Brett Favre, the newest Minnesotan, and part ways a few miles down the freeway. We thank them for the wonderful time!

—Patrick

The Road In...

We felt major confliction for the first time as we packed up our camping gear and readied for the long drive to Minneapolis. The realization had set in that we were leaving the Great Parks of the West and wouldn’t be coming back until who knows when. We agreed that if given the chance again we would take the entire time in just the parks. But with fall closing in, it was now or never to head east.

The drive thru the rolling plains of South Dakota and into Minnesota was long but beautiful. We both enjoyed some time for reflection on everything that we had just seen and a chance to reset and ready our expectations for the new adventure ahead. As we got closer to the Minnesota border, strange and luring signs started to appear. At first every half hour or so and then growing in frequency to the point where there was one every mile, probably 100 or more in total. They were full of claims pronouncing that they had everything you would ever need in this life or the next. (a 6-foot rabbit, new T-Rex, a shooting gallery, free ice water, home-made doughnuts and pies free for vets and honeymooners, and a ton more I can‘t think of right now.)

This Shangri-La, this Mecca, we couldn’t believe that we had been kept in the dark about such a place. It’s name; WallDrug…We couldn’t control our excitement, we imagined a monstrous golden building unlike anything we had ever seen. What we found was a little hokey street with third-rate tourist T-shirts, stickers, and restaurants. It was very disappointing considering the hype machine that was laid out before us. So we let Ophie out and she did her business on a patch of grass. We smiled feeling even with WallDrug, and off for Minnesota we went!

—Patrick