Day 1

Point of Origin: Cambridge, ON
Destination: Dayton, Ohio

Route: 401 then the 402 to the Bluewater Bridge. I-94 South via some bizarre GPS routing into Detroit. I-75 South to Dayton.

KMs: 574.7

Cars of Note: Lamborghini Murciélago in green head east on the 401 at a rather sedate pace. Damn speed limits!

I took this route instead of going to the US through Windsor because the drive from London to Windsor is SO DAMN BORING!!! The weather was fantastic and as I approached the boarder crossing I remember that Cam and Annika's mom had introduced me to "Bridge Fries" under the Bluewater Bridge at Point Edward. Since the new bridge has been installed the area is much more formalized than it was back in the early '90s. At that time there was a gravel lot and one chip truck that served delicious fries. Now the area has more parking and a park and another competing chip truck. I do not think the one I graced with my presence was the original one Heather introduced to me but the fries were very good and I enjoyed the view of the St. Clair River with its active boat traffic.


I took some shots while I was there...

The drive to Dayton was interesting. I trusted in my Garmin GPS and it must of used its ability to assess traffic conditions and sent me into downtown Detroit. The route probably saved me some time and I got to see some utterly fascinating architecture but Detroit is a sad town. There were whole blocks of abandoned buildings; abandoned schools and other public buildings; and burned down businesses and apartments. A case of modern urban decay. I wanted to stop and take some photos but not knowing the area I thought it best not to. If I was going to do this I would charter a taxi and guide and use their local knowledge to get some great shots.


Once I cleared the metropolitan Detroit area the drive became more than pleasant. The weather was amazing and I made good time never going over the speed limit.

I got into Dayton around 8:00 PM and saddled up to the Motel 6 in Fairborn, OH, just north of the National Museum of the  USAF. I was looking for cheap and cheerful and I got cheep and scrungy. The Motel 6 in Fiarborn is massive. At least 200 rooms but only 4 or 5 cars in the parking lot. The room was not acceptable but at that time of night I was not going to find another place to stay at. Plus, I have stayed at much worse places in my life. It was serviceable and had WiFi so it would have to do.


I called my parents to let them know all was good. Did some web surfing and then, on a whim, decided to check out the drawers of the clothes bureau in case someone left something behind. Voila! I found a yellow legal pad full of jottings. Interesting...mostly the author writing her name over and over and the birth dates of herself, her siblings repeatedly. Not much in the way of content but oh so teenage obsessive!




NOTES:

1. Why does the US change the speed limits so often? Pet peeve re. GPS does not often have accurate maximum speed limit information. Sometimes it reports the speed limit too fast and sometime too slow. So, do not just trust technology. Use your head and read the signs.
2. Re. GPS routing... It may work but if you are not familiar with the area you are putting your trust too much into technology. Have a map (I have one now!) and look at it and think.
3. Pickup Truck Drivers:  In the States these people are generally IDIOTS. I got cut off 4 times one this trip segment by this category of drivers. Is there something about owning a pickup truck that automatically lowers their IQ?
4. Never seen more pieces of junk driving on the road. In Ontario, generally, people keep up with the flow of traffic but on the trip down to Dayton there were, invariably, a late model Ford, GM, or Dodge that was puffing smoke and cruising along at lower that the 55 MPH legal minimum allowed on Interstate highways. It could be because most of these vehicles were driven by Orca fat women that spend too much time at Hardees.