Zach LarkinsVACATION (Part 1)
"Get your motor runnin',
Head out on the highway,
Lookin' for adventure,
And whatever comes our way ...."
Steppenwolf
The day has finally arrived. The car has been packed since last night and other than throwing in a few last minute items, the wifey and I are ready to hit the road. My first inclination was to make the trip straight through from home to Tobermory, where we meet the ferry, but saner heads (hers) prevailed and we left a day early to split the journey into two legs. This was a good thing.
I decided with all this extra time on my hands, we'd take the scenic route and travel along the lake on Hwy. 21 to a little inkspot on the map called Port Albert. Hwy. 21 runs through some small towns and you can't really make good time on it, but that was okay with me. It had been some time since I'd been on this road and wifey had never been on it, so it was an eye-opener for both of us. Port Albert looked to be about halfway to our destination and seemed just the place to stop.
Port Albert, to put it politely, is a sleepy little town with a population of about 50. When we made the reservation the fellow asked what time we'd be arriving and not being sure, he said he'd feed us when we got there. It sounded like a bed-and-breakfast to me and I started to think twice about staying there, but as wifey says, "In for a penny, in for a pound." We got on the road about 10:00 AM that morning and hit the sleepy little burg at about 4: PM. Port Albert consists of the inn we were staying at and a general store across the street. That's it folks. Nothing fancy at all about it. We drove up to the inn and got settled and then went down for a drink.
The inn keeper sat with us and explained the place was built in the late 1800's when Hwy 21 was the main road cutting through town. It was a way station for the stage coaches and a place to get a bite to eat while you waited. Since then, the main highway has been diverted around town and the bridge across the river was removed some years ago. There is still a pedestrian walkway across it though, but with the loss of trade the town dwindled in size to what it is today. There is a nice patio out front where you can sit and chat and a balcony in the back where you can sneak out for a smoke. The inn keepers son is also the main cook and he asked us if we wanted to eat. As we had had nothing all day, we asked to look at the menu and he informed us there wasn't one. He was doing ribs that day and if that was okay with us, he'd give us some. I'm a sucker for ribs, so ribs it was going to be. Wifey asked him what time they would be ready and received the reply that she was now on Port Albert time and they'd be done ‘in a little while'. So we had another drink and when the meal was ready, he came out and asked if we wanted them then or a bit later. We were famished so we told him to bring them on and we'd eat in the dining room. Folks, I gotta tell you, these ribs were a bit of pure heaven. The meat fell from the bones and even though it didn't look like there was much to them, they were baby back ribs that, as you know, are deceiving in how big they are. It was pulled pork with real, home-made mashed potatoes and a side of mixed veg. We both had to work to clean our plates.
I thought I might get withdrawal pains from being away from this computer for the next couple of weeks and I was right. They lasted all of about 15 minutes and I knew when we'd left the concrete of the city in our wake, we'd be on a fine vacation. Port Albert was reinforcing this thought in my mind.
We stayed up and outside for a little while longer and then headed upstairs to bed. The inn has 6 rooms and no elevator. A bit clumsy when it came to bringing the suitcase in, but we managed it and we both had fallen in love with the place. We talked about our next vacation and decided we would probably stay here again next year. The bed was on a little section of raised floor and covered with a canopy. Wifey felt like royalty sleeping under it while I kept my mouth shut about how I thought real men don't sleep under canopies. It was kinda nice though, I must admit. The washroom was huge and the room had a ceiling fan that kept us cool all night. No air conditioner, just a window fan, but it was more than enough.
Breakfast was included in the price of the room but neither of us wanted any the next morning. We were still digesting the previous nights ribs. So we just got a couple of coffees before heading out. Time came to settle up with the inn keeper. (Warning: This place does NOT accept credit cards, so have some cash handy!) Are we sure we don't want any breakfast? No, we'd better hit the road. We have to be at the ferry an hour before it sails. Okay, let's see, there's the room, the drinks from yesterday and two rib dinners. You sure about breakfast? Thanks, no. Okay, plus PST plus GST, that comes to $150.48 total. I stood there and stared at him for a minute. He re-checked his figures. Nope, he was right but he said to call it $150 just to make me feel better. I paid him in full and said we'd be back next year. Wifey and I got in the car and stared at each other. Both of us were thinking the same thing. We'd gone to a Bachmann- Cummings concert last year and paid more than that for just the hotel room, and that place was nothing to write home about, believe me. We are definitely going to stay in Port Albert next year
again.
Off we went along Hwy 21 until we hit Hwy 6 and then turned north to hit Tobermory. We arrived at the dock about an hour and a half before departure so we bought a souvenier, visited the restrooms and settled in to do some tourist watching. The restrooms were as much fun and exciting as restrooms can be, but the tourists were hilarious.
I'll tell you about them in the next installment.
(To be cont'd)
It's his 'better half' here not 'wifey' as he puts it. lol.
You better believe it, it's going to get better. Paradise. Need I say more.
welcome back my canuck buddy...glad you and the wifey made it home safely and had a good time...
Can't wait for the next installment!
LOL
It's just good to have ya back my friend...hug the wifey and say hi for me!
Take care,
Nick
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oh God...I'm afraid...I'm very very afriad lolol
Take care both of you and be well,
Nick
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