This past Friday I had the chance to relive a bit of the fun with a mini-reunion in Toronto. I left right from work and headed south on the 401. Four or so hours later, I made it to the hotel. The main event of our evening was sponsored by Alumni Western and featured none other than Rick McGhie, a local London musician who has been serenading Western students for over 30 years. We were entertained by Rick in the roundhouse at Steam Whistle Brewery just across from the CN Tower. All was going swimmingly (apart from one missing friend who was trying to make it through the terrible post Jays game traffic) until mid-way through the song Layla when all the lights went off!
At first we thought it was a blown fuse at the brewery, but we soon found out other buildings by us were also affected (i.e. the CN tower)! We headed out to the patio and a few minutes later we were imformed that the city was experiencing rolling brown outs and that the event could not continue because the fire alarm system needed power to work. This was a HUGE bummer for us and we were just about to head to get in line to have our unused drink tickets refunded when the lights came back on! YAY!!! Needless to say those who were still present (about 70% of the original group) had a great time singing along with Rick for the rest of the evening. Our missing friend joined us shortly after power was restored and finally we were together to celebrate at last!
The next morning warranted a large greasy breakfast at none other than Fran’s Restaurant. While we did have a few issues with our meal, overall the food was good. If I can offer any advice, the portions are BIG so think conservatively when ordering.
We said our goodbyes after brunch and I hopped back in the car to head back home. In no particular rush I decided to take a few detours. The first was in Colborne at a place I’d wanted to go to for I’d say close to 20 years! For those who have travelled on highway 401 between Toronto and Kingston, you will see the HUGE red apple on the south side of the highway. I’ve travelled past this big apple numerous times and have never (that I can recall) stopped to see it close up. That has now changed! I am happy to report that I can now strike this off my to-do list. Photographic evidence of this visit can be seen below.
Besides my detour to see the apple, I also decided to veer off the 401 a bit and take a little drive around Prince Edward County travelling through Wellington and Picton. This is BEAUTIFUL country and there are more than a few wineries along Hwy 33. I’d love to go back and stay at one of the many inns or B&B’s I saw and visit some of the vineyards and partake in the Taste Trail.
My final detour was travelling along the 1000 Island Parkway which is also a very scenic ride. While it may have taken me an extra hour or so to get back to Ottawa, as I’ve said before, the journey is often just as important as the destination.
Cheers,
T.
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