They called us crazy. They called us courageous . They called us plain stupid, dedicated, determined....HECK they called us everything in the book when we copped our third Canat's long distance award. This time it was Susan, me and our two kids Robert ( age three ) and Annette ( age one ) who tackled the trip in our '28 roadster, still sans heater and side curtains.
I'll be the first to admit that we eased our way into this long distance habit which began in '86 when Susan and I attended Canat's in the Soo on our honeymoon. In '87 we missed out on long distance because we spent that year living in Mississauga which was too close to Canat's in Kitchener. Then in '88 we introduced our one year old (almost) son to the rigors of long distance driving by attending Canat's, again in the Soo. We had planned on attending '89 in London but that got cancelled when I went on the fritz and had a couple of feet of my bowels removed. This year everything worked out smoothly and the '90 Canat's long distance was ours again.
If you start planning early you will have an easier time pulling a long distance trip off. We started in January by booking our Canat's motel room, then I went to work on a trailer. WHOA ! For BEHIND the car NOT UNDER it !! By June 20 the trailer was finished. Good thing too because we wanted to be in Edmonton, for the Edmonton Street Rod Association's Pacemaker Summer Cruise, on the 29 of June to kick off our trip east.
The final week before departure saw a flurry of activity, our living room filled up with all the stuff we thought we could take with us. Meanwhile the driveway saw oiling, greasing, tune-up and inspection rituals that should always precede a long trip. Thursday evening saw us loading and unloading, packing and re-packing because naturally what we thought we had room to take and what we actually had room for were two completely different volumes. How did we ever manage those two trips with the roadster alone.
We left for Edmonton Friday morning, leaving our living room half full of stuff which didn't fit, the car and trailer 100 percent full. We kicked the trip off in Edmonton because the E.S.R.A. put on a fantastic run, and we wanted the first days driving to be short to test the kids. We treated the kids and ourselves to a Friday afternoon swim in West Edmonton Mall's water park before registering for the Pacemaker Summer Cruise that evening.
Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning we were entertained in grand style at the great run put on by the E.S.R.A. and when things wrapped up Sunday at noon we headed east. First stop, lunch in Lloydminster where we enjoyed a two province Canada day celebration and, to Roberts delight, took in the 1990 John Deer Slow Race. After lunch we packed up and carried on to Saskatoon where we pitched our tent in the KOA. Robert was really excited now, hotdogs for supper and sleeping in a tent, WOW ! After convincing the kids that we weren't all in this little tent to play, we dozed off for a well earned rest. For Mom and Dad anyway ! Monday dawned sunny although clouds were moving in. We ate breakfast, for Robert another WOW, cereal out of a box outside ! Then we headed to Yorkton for lunch, where I also had to do my first maintenance on our rig. Seems our trailer fenders didn't like the trailer and were trying to shake themselves off, I tightened the bolts and re-loctited them for the first of many times to come. A treat ( for Robert anyway ) of lunch at McDonalds and we were off to Winnipeg arriving just in time for a marvelous lightning show and its accompanying downpour. Needless to say we hoteled it that night, after all I had refused to buy side curtains this spring and I didn't want to die at the hands of a soggy family. Tuesday we drove out of Winnipeg in a misty rain. We lunched in Kenora where we visited with another Rodder and a Custom who were headed to Michigan then we carried on to the nastiest surprize of the trip. Just this side of Dryden we rounded a corner right into what looked for all the world like a Caterpillar "Tearin' up the road" commercial. Northern Ontario residents call the police, your highway has been stolen. We know 'cause we saw it being hauled away in trucks as we drove through construction all the way to Thunder Bay. By the way does anyone know why the speed limit in a construction zone is 50 km/h and when you try to ease the abuse on your Rod by driving at that speed you get passed by dump trucks spewing gravel and pieces of road that are doing at least 80 km/h ?
By the time we reached Thunder Bay the cold front we had met at Kenora had taken its toll on Annette, her sneezes and runny nose prompted us to motel it another night.
Wednesday was a misty, foggy drive on to Sault Ste. Marie by which time Robert had developed a cold as well so we moteled it again. On the pleasant side, while I was out getting a pizza to feed the crew back at the motel, some members of the Soo Street Rod Association spotted me and stopped to say hello, seems it was meeting/cruise night. Thursday saw us make it to Mississauga and warmth. We left the cold front behind in Sudbury although we had collected one more cold, for Susan. We moteled it again for health reasons (more mine than theirs). Friday we visited old friends in Mississauga and the headed up to Whitby to Canat's. Some good things happen on the 401, we found Liz Kitzul coming in from Winnipeg in her T-bucket. It looked like Liz wanted to follow so I pulled out of the express lane and slowed to a normal (except on the 401) highway speed and led the way un-erringly to Iroquois Park. I had to admit later that I didn't really know where I was going either, I just happened to take note of a statement in the pre-registration information that Iriquois park was across from Whitby General Hospital and followed those big H signs hoping that they led to the right hospital. The final treat of the day was finding out that the motel we had picked at random from the phone list was also inhabited by Roamin' Street Rods of Guelph and the 'Chicken Man', Homer Kay.
Well in spite of the three colds we had collected we went on to have a wonderful time at Canat's '90 both at the grounds and at the motel.
We spent the following week in the Ottawa area visiting relatives and the motored home the third week of our vacation this time on the warm southern side of the great lakes. We arrived home with a few more rock chips, two cracked headlight lenses, one burnt out lamp and a cracked and chipped windshield, all minor inconveniences for a great trip. We are now looking forward to '91 in Montague P.E.I., we've registered already and as soon as the visa is paid off we will be saving up for side curtains and begin building a top for the rumble.
Plans are to head east about 28 June 1991 and to travel on the south side of the lakes, having been stung weather wise three times going over the top. The map looks like it would be nice to head east to Maine and then up through New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. That is just a proposal, which ever route we do take, it would be fun to gather a group of Rods along the way and do a cruise to Canat's. So if anyone out there would like to try to do a link-up along the road please get in touch with us at
88 Galway Crescent, Calgary, Alberta, T3E 4Y5 or phone 403 242 4159.
For you folks whose families don't like to do Rod oriented vacations remember that it doesn't have to be only Rods, P.E.I. is the land of Anne and a Canadian Tourist paradise. You should be able to have a great vacation there during the weeks surounding Canats.
Why do we do this ? Cause we like it ! A Mikey !
This article was written for Canadian Street Rodder the official publication of the Canadian Street Rod Association in September 1990