27 March

Very reluctantly I arose at 5:45, showered and dressed and headed off for breakfast. I was in fairly early for it at 6 and had finished and got things ready by 6:30. I asked at the desk and got a map of the system (only four years old, but still accurate). Out of the front door, turn right and one hundred yards down, I waited for five minutes for a bus. The driver got frustrated as I was looking for the correct change so I was on, with a transfer ticket, for CAD$2 (instead of CAD$2.75). The bus ran straight to the (subway) station and was there by 7. There I found out which train (there are only two lines from the station, east or west and I had to go west – I was in the east and the airport, where I was going to pick up my rental car, was in the north-west. I caught a train within five minutes and had an interesting ride out to Kipling from Worden. First thing – the trains weren’t crowded, but they were full. Second thing – I got a lesson in makeup from a girl sitting opposite who did the whole works on the train. Third thing – there was no mass exodus in the city block, rather the people left in a linear fashion from a few stations before the city until the end of the line.
At Kipling I found the bus to the airport was the 192 Rocket (i.e. an express), left every twenty minutes and I had just missed one. However fifteen minutes later, I was walking onto the bus and found the fare was covered in the other fare. It was only twenty minutes to the airport and within five minutes I had filled out the paperwork and was walking over to get … not a compact, but a Ford Escape. It was the only sort they had left – a row of them! I got the keys, found out how to move the seat and mirrors, put in the SatNav and was on my way. I was back at the motel before 9:30 and tok nearly as long to gather and collect everything as to return.
After checking out I headed out to Port Hope, to catch up with Tom, a Lion I had met at Werribee at the Convention last year. I travelled out on 401, a highway with a terrible reputation but I found it no worse than the Princess Freeway and far better than the Western Ring Road. I found Port Hope without any trouble and went into the town to have a look around. The woman at the Visitors’ Centre was too helpful and gave me so much information I was almost inclined to change my plans and spend a day just at Port Hope (incidentally it was the original Toronto). However self-discipline won out and I rang Tom and then met him for lunch. Where we ate we had the added attraction of watching two cars being separated after a collision. We chatted about Lions, the area and how things were going to be. Too soon we parted and I headed off to Niagara. I arrived there about 4:30, checked out the Visitors’ Centre there and got maps and information. Five minutes later I was parking the car ($12!) and walking out to see the falls.
The noise was very loud, even though the flow was small because of the ice and small water flow. It was spectacular and huge, given the size of the falls I normally see. The spray created a permanent rain in the middle of the viewing area. I wish I had been able to spend longer, but I had to move on. The first thing was to refuel the car, when I found out that the car really was thirsty. After a few tankfuls, I’ll know precisely, but at the moment it looks to use more fuel than my venerable HJ Kingswood. Then it started to rain and I found out that the advisory speed signs really meant something now. I had picked up a coupon book when I refuelled, and selected two likely places. I called into the first, in Baldwinville, and there were rooms available so I booked in and was settling in by 9.
After the usual computer work, I finished this blog and finally posted it at 10:30. Breakfast starts at 5:30 here, but I won’t be there quite that early. However I have to go to sleep now.