toledoblade.com --

Well, we finally made it to Freedom, N.H., and back. To summarize: more than 2,000 miles; 12 nights on the road; up through Canada with stops in Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City; and some lovely, unexpected bonus "snow days" on the edge of Lake Ossipee with our Freedom hosts. Finally, slip-sliding home through Maine and Massachusetts and the notorious lake-effect cities in New York and Pennsylvania.

This was our first long road trip in many a year. We learned a bundle about Canada, long-distance driving, the vagaries of New England winters, and - eventually - ourselves.

First, and most importantly however, we realized how much fun it was being a "roadie" again. We actually relished those 300 and 400-mile days of mostly carefree driving through unfamiliar and fascinating countrysides that got better and more dramatic the further east we went, culminating with the achingly beautiful New England landscapes, and especially the rivers, lakes, and the snowy peaks of the White Mountains.

We also loved the multiple freedoms that a long road trip has to offer - like stopping, starting, and staying when and where we wanted; no security lines; no airplanes, no schedules, no cancellations.

All along, our little white Honda CR-V chugged along, performing heroically, especially for an 8-year-old well past its sell-by date. It averaged some 30 miles per gallon for the whole trip - very important with gasoline north of $3 to $4 a gallon - and the 4-wheel drive gave us all the stability and safety we needed in the rain, snow, and slush.

Also, with a surfeit of cargo space and no black Labs to carry this time, we were able to throw in everything we thought we might possibly need. We didn't, of course, and could easily have managed with our 22-inch bags, after all.

We also loved the "new" mapping technology that allowed us to Google our daily destinations on the laptop and receive such precise instructions that we didn't make a single driving error the whole trip. And, even in the confusion of the bigger cities, we never once screamed at each other.

OK, in the spirit of "truthiness," there was one small contretemps at an un-Googled New England crossroads, but compared to those knuckle-biting, epithet-filled European road trips of yesteryear, this one was a compatible, harmonious breeze.

Our first stop this time was Toronto, 224 miles away. It was already fully decked out for Christmas with streets shrugging off the rain and cold with twinkling, colorful lights and very busy shoppers.

The atmosphere was further enhanced by several thousand frenzied football fans, convened for Canada's Super Bowl, the Grey Cup. This year the Saskatchewan Rough Riders were playing arch-rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The hotels were full. The restaurants buzzing. And the drama was intense.

In the end, the Rough Riders won in a squeaker - and we had a stunning Indian meal at "Babur" on Queen Street West.

There were dozens of other memorable moments during our 12-day adventure: trampling over the snow-covered, Christmas-card pretty streets of Old Quebec, biting into the perfect apple crepe at an underground cafe in Montreal's Latin Quarter, and visiting Chapters, the city's world-class book store.

There was also an exceptional buying spree at L.L. Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine. An inspiring meeting of political and conservation activists in a New Hampshire village. A grand steak/frites candlelight nosh-up, when the restaurant lights went out. And several warm and hospitable days as 12 inches of snow fell on Freedom.

In a short while, many of these finer details will sadly begin to fade, leaving only the totality of the trip to remind us of something we'd long forgotten: that getting there - and back - can indeed be half the fun!

But by then, we'll be ready for an encore.

Permanent Link