I have no idea what mile we are on, other than the number is high 🙂
We knew that this 4th of July would not be celebrated with parades and fireworks, and somehow that feels appropriate. This trip has been the perfect celebration of America. We have seen her from coast to coast, and for the most part, she and her people have been pretty amazing.
The holiday started with a great American tradition–visiting the biggest something in the world. This something happened to be the world’s tallest filing cabinet. The title is in dispute, as another installation in California may actually be taller, but we were not there settle that argument
The world’s tallest file cabinet, maybe
Northern Vermont was beautiful. We passed through small towns with their flags flying, and drove by lakes and fields. It was a good exit point.
The border crossing was easy; we didn’t even need to get off the motorcycle.
We were the only ones there on either side
Quebec was beautiful with its French signs, rivers, and stone churches; I don’t know why I only took one picture. We needed a front tire, so we stopped at a couple of Harley shops, but had no luck.
I guess I actually took two pictures of Quebec
Before long, we were in Ontario, and I was hunting for two of my favorite things: free museums and poutine. It was a little tough as we were skirting the Quebec/Ontario border, and my high school French from 30 years ago is rudimentary at best. Still, thanks to Google Maps and its attraction feature, I learned that the Glengarry Pioneer Museum was not far off our track. We set the course and arrived at the free (will donation) museum and started exploring.
The site is host to several buildings from the area, all celebrating the area’s rich Celtic history. The buildings and furnishings are all original and date from the 1840s-1860s. We marveled at the walls held together without nails and the bar, believed to be the oldest in Ontario.
The museum site has also been home to the Clan MacLeod Society gatherings since 1936
Canada gets a few things very right, and at the top of that list is poutine. I was on the lookout; I soon found a place that looked promising. It was an old-school truck stop literally called the “Antrim Truck Stop” with an actual semi inside the restaurant.
They weren’t kidding when they called it a truck stop
I was pleased to see that, along with the menu, was a card listing their poutine specials. We selected the pickle poutine to share, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. The fries were perfectly crisp under the lava flow of gravy, slices of dill pickles, and to top it off three deep-fried pickle spears covered in a crunchy dill exterior sat above it all. A ranch drizzle somehow made the glorious mess work. We practically licked the plate.
The picture does not show how absolutely enormous this plate of deliciousness was
The waitress was friendly and quizzed us about our road trip planning process, as she wanted to take a trip to Florida and didn’t quite know how to start. We gave her some pointers and a hefty tip before leaving.
Our destination for the night was North Bay on the shore of Lake Nipissing. I made our hotel reservations and did a quick search for info and sights in the town. They have a historic carousel, so we made a beeline.
We had forgotten to swing by an exchange or an ATM before arriving, and the carousel only accepted cash for admission. I approached the ticket booth, asking if they accepted American money. She pondered my question and stated that she had never been asked that before. We came up with the solution that she would personally buy my American money so that I didn’t have to miss my ride. I wish I had caught her name, because I will be eternally grateful to her. This, and many other, small acts of kindness have made the trip all that more memorable.
I kept finding small details to love, such as the drum and the hand-painted panels
The ride over, we went to search for our hotel and learned something else that Canada does well. Each summer, university dorm housing is turned into publicly subsidized affordable hotel rooms.
Excuse the mess on the table
It may not be the celebration of America’s 250th that we expected, but somehow it makes me appreciate everything even more.
Carousels and Curiosity 
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