Eastbound – Day 14 ( Fulfilling the Dream)

November 23, 2013
Tavistock, ON, Canada
135,120.5 (342.8 miles)

Today was a Milestone in my life. What started out as a childhood dream – to visit every state in the US, 48 by vehicle, 2 by air – was achieved today at 11am Eastern Time, just 19 days before my 49th birthday. Yes, at 11am this afternoon, I crossed into Michigan, the final state on my list, amidst a snowy backdrop. Little did I know then, how much the snow would affect today’s journey. It’s quite an amazing feeling to achieve such a dream, a Childhood Dream. As dreams go, childhood dreams rarely come to be. We usually let them go well before adulthood, replaced with new dreams or goals. I hope you can recall a childhood dream and and reach out and grab it…make it happen!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2YrDNwFTo5w/UpFTvBoSJJI/AAAAAAAAEOc/Am_LCv8ZyA4/s144-c-o/1123131445a.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108131301217387227436/EastboundDay14#5949628650089489554″ caption=”We have put 5,000 miles on Sandy since picking her up on October 23, 2013…just 30 days ago.” type=”image” alt=”1123131445a.jpg” ] 30 Days on the Road! Yes, we managed to hit a month in the Bus, 5,000 miles into the trip and Achieve the Dream all on the same day! We left Hamilton, IN with a flurry in the air and plummeting temperatures. A few minutes out of town and we crossed into Ohio and the snow started coming down hard. Once we turned back west to pick up I-90 bound for I-69, the snow cleared up and the skies got sunny. We crossed the Indiana State line again and then we jumped on I-69 Northbound which we’d stay on into Ontario.
[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Lyv4KYSgkms/UpFUa8y51WI/AAAAAAAAEOs/GWefNqr3_cs/s144-c-o/1123131122.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108131301217387227436/EastboundDay14#5949629404706100578″ caption=”And there it is…I’ve now completed my childhood dream of driving to all Lower 48 States. Most were completed by motorcycle. The last 9 were completed in the bus.” type=”image” alt=”1123131122.jpg” pe2_img_align=”right” ] Within minutes, we were crossing the Michigan State Line. I stopped for a photo op and to revel in the moment. Then its back into the bus to escape the cold. I had to ignore the GPS as it really wanted me to go into Detroit, but I ignored it and stayed on our course. As we approached the Canadian Border, I saw a funny, but appropriate sign. “GPS Drivers, Do Not Follow your GPS. Follow the Signs” and “Your GPS is Wrong” All of these signs were in a construction zone and I could only imagine what prompted them to install the signs.

As we were making our approach into Canada, the sun began to shine bright and I was glad to be out of the occasional flurry and was looking forward to warmer temperatures…little did I know. We crossed the Blue Water Bridge and there was Ontario dead ahead.

Once we passed through Customs, I began looking for a fuel and rest stop. When I got out of the bus, the cold ripped right through me. I’d been running into a stiff wind all day, but this was more than I had felt or expected. Getting back in the bus, I lit the Buddy Heater. This would be the second time I would drive with it on over the last 30 days. It’s also the second time temperatures would dip into the mid to low teens.

Juts a few minutes after pulling out of the Service Area or “OnRoute” as they call them here in Ontario, flashers came on on the vehicles in front of me. Traffic began to slow and then I saw why. The winds were still fierce, but I was not sure if it was just me feeling it in Sandy as it did not seem to be affecting the other vehicles. Well it was, and in a big way. Earlier in the day, the wind had blown a Pick Up truck off the road shortly after I got into Michigan. Now it had blown a Semi off the road and it was not a pretty sight. That cab was in rough shape. It served as a warning to me that the weather was getting worse.

And worse it got. The occasional squall turned into a White Out with heavy winds and the road surface went from black to white to ice. I was no longer having fun. It was now very cold, difficult to see and hard to keep Sandy on the road. On top of that, the traffic was not heeding the conditions and I was worried that someone would wreck in front of us. If that occurred, there would be no way for anyone to stop, behind or in front of me.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q62vQOGZyus/UpFQ22OxYJI/AAAAAAAAEM0/dpAHiB98ygs/s144-c-o/1123131645.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108131301217387227436/EastboundDay14#5949625485933764754″ caption=”I’ll be driving in this now till we arrive at our destination. Temperature is -9c (or 16 degrees with heavy winds)” type=”image” alt=”1123131645.jpg” pe2_gal_align=”right” pe2_featured_tag=”1″ pe2_img_align=”right” ] I began seriously thinking of bailing on my destination and looking for a hotel. This would be the first time we did not sleep in the bus, but this weather was really bad and I wanted off the road. My GPS was not helping as my ETA was increasing faster than I was traveling meaning that I was not making progress and the stress level was growing. On top of that, I don’t have a spray for the windshield so I could not clear the road grime so seeing was getting harder by the second.

I began looking for an exit with a hotel, but I saw that my exit was just 5 miles out so I stuck it out and went for broke. We made the exit and then made our way to Woodstock, ON. That is when I realized that the road was now covered in black ice as I slid to a stop and then had trouble taking off. My GPS said we had about 14 km to go (I switched it to Metric as soon as we hit Canada) so we continued on as there was no hotel in sight.

I was ecstatic when the GPS registered just 2 km left and we were pulling into Tavistock, ON. As I pulled up to the house I noticed a Pin Ball game in the window and questioned if I had the right place. Since I could not use my phone to call, I walked up to the door. I was  immediately greeted and welcomed in so it was official…we made it!

After getting Sandy parked and a quick repair by Jason (my doors froze shut so Jason applied some silicone to the rubber) and Lexie was fed, we headed in to join my host Angie and Jason and their friends for dinner. Dinner was delicious and it was warm inside, we were so thankful for heat.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TkwEpRLKqXI/UpGS8PaZS8I/AAAAAAAAEVA/vFE1Rtd6BT4/s144-c-o/1123132221.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108131301217387227436/EastboundDay14#5949698146360183746″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”1123132221.jpg” ] After dinner Jason showed me the Pin Ball Games, all 8 of them. Jason restores and rebuilds them in the winter while he works on the Buses in the Summer. The temperatures are expected to be around 14 degrees tonight with a good wind chill or a Real Feel of -9f. We’ve placed a thermometer in the bus to see where she’s holding. If its too cold, Lexie and I will sleep inside for the first time in a month. While I’d like to have completed this trip in the bus 100%, I’m not one to put safety second and I see no reason to risk Lexie or I for a goal. We’ll see how it goes.

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/108131301217387227436/albumid/5949624212678688241?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]

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