Part 3 - Back in the USA and home.

Kevin requested that the return route south NOT include the hills nor windy roads of the northernly route used to get to Toronto.

With that input Theresa used her go-to Trip Planner from Good Sams Club site to plan a 4 day approved trek as well as potential campsites along the route. The path would guide the Smitanic back west and south around Toronto and back into the US at a Niagara Falls entrance, then head directly south thru NY, PA, MD(avoiding Baltimore and DC), VA, then back into NC. The stops included the new state of VA to the brag map on the Smitanic slide out.

The exit from the campground was around 10AM in order to time for minimal traffic around Toronto. The entry back into the US included a lengthy 1hour wait as well as having a boarder patrol guy board the RV to be sure there were no rogue Canadians being smuggled back in. All clear.

The fall colors were in full swing as the trail followed the scenic banks of the Susquehanna River in VA. Kevin was pleased with this route and relieved to be away from the mountainous areas experienced in the Northernly route.

Theresa sent a note out to warn the Tasman Ct neighborhood of the impending arrival of the Smitanc for cleaning and restocking. In one day, the Smitanic was unloaded and cleaned then resupplied with items needed for part 4 of the Nomadness! The next day's trek was to park the beast in it's coastal storage area near Holden Beach, NC.

The Sunday drive to the coast was as monotonous as usual. Theresa unlocked the storage gate and drove the disconnected CRV into the area, while Kevin followed with the Smitanic. To their disappointment another very large boat on a trailer was occupying the once vacant stall next to the Smitanic home. There was no way that the RV could be safely parked and allow for the other boat to be maneuvered in and out. Several calls were made to the HOA management Co to let them know the situation. Since it was Sunday, they were closed, so a descriptive message was left. 

With no more time to wait, an executive decision was made to park along the back fence blocking 2 additional stalls, but leaving room for all currently stored vehicles to be taken out and in. That would just have to be OK. Halfway back to Cary the HOA management co returned the call. They confirmed they would relay the situation to the HOA committee and would call back if there was any issue. The Smitanic only needed a home for the next 3 weeks while the nomads took care of the Tasman home front as well as a visit to Snaggy in Boone to do some maintenance there as well. Then onto Part 4 of the Nomadness which heads South to Florida for Thanksgiving.

Month stay in the greater Toronto area (GTA)

The focus for the month was to work in as much time with the Kiehl & Madison as they both started their new jobs at Nordstrom's. So whenever they had a day or more off, some sort of activity was planned, either in Toronto or out at the campsite.

Some of the city sites included: the CN tower, market, subway, Toronto waterfront, as well as just chilling at the newlyweds' new digs.

Joint adventures at the campground included: shoreline walks along Lake Ontario, hikes around the park trails, seeing huge steelhead Salmon jumping up stream and just chilling around the campfire.

On some days Kevin and Theresa were left on their own to explore. Theresa had researched the Waterfront bicycle trail that meanders from one waterfront park to another along Lake Ontario. It is part of the larger cross-Canadian trail that is 15,000 miles from coast to coast. Several sections of the waterfront trail, as well as the cros Canadian trail were explored with Kevin on his Touring Bock with Zin in tow and Theresa on the Green Machine (willed to her by Steve Cope after his epic cross USA trek where Kevin and Theresa surprised him and joined him for the last 1/3 of the journey).

A 10-15 mile section of trail was picked for each days trek that normally was an out and back route. Unlike past excursions, the mission was not to cover any great distance, but instead to enjoy the nice scenery and sweat a bit. Mission accomplished! The trails were quite nice and well utilized by bikes as well as pedestrians. The parks that the trail traversed were some of the best the two have ever seen! Some spread out for miles and were well manicured with lots of picnic tables and benches as well as play areas for families.

There were also lots of community shared facilities for soccer, hockey as well as other sports including (to Theresa's delight) Pickleball!!!! Theresa discovered the 'Abilities Center' that would allow guests to come and play Pickleball. Kevin and she managed to attend the open play on two days during their stay. Canadians love the sport and play it year round indoors and out.

The weather for the stay was amazingly perfect for late Sept thru mid-October in Canada (well above normal). Sunny days were perfect for biking or hiking and the cool nights were spent by a nice campfire! The last few days turned a bit chilly as the grill was cleaned and all outside items were once again stowed for the return trip home. The park was also preparing for its closure for the season at the end of the month. No doubt the Smitanic will return to this park on the next visit north.

Although Canada is very close to US in many respects there are some subtle nuances that were noticed on the month-long visit:

• kilometers vs miles (so it was good to have run many races to help with this translation) 
• $ca vs $ us was about $1CA = $.75 US so good thing most places take cards (not Costco), though the banks will charge a fee 
• Large Grocery Stores are amazing such as Loblaws much like a Wiegmans
• Booze and wine and beer are not sold in grocery stores, there are LBCO and Beer stores much like ABCs in NC 
• One can earn Air mile points for purchases at most stores including LBCO 
• Drivers are very bad, cut and turn in front of you, are very impatient, do not stop at stop signs / lights, will jump yellow lights 
• Signage & information is lacking, got to be a good guesser 
• rules are not for everyone ... bikers were on hiking trails that noted no Bikes allowed, hikers went on trails marked “do not enter” guess it's just a guideline... 
• A Hwy Collector is a 3-4 lane pre-exit for several upcoming exits, so you better know in plenty of time when to enter the collector to then get to your exit 
• bathrooms are called washrooms 
• Excuse me is Surry (vs. sorry) 
• no 'on your left' when passing a cyclist or walker... a bell is used. 
• you wait in a Queue not a Line (however if you leave even the slightest gap folks will butt in) 
• Canadians seem to be in there own zone. They do not notice if they are blocking the way, they stop in the middle of an aisle or trail or road and do not move. But generally one on one they are very friendly and helpful. 
• And in Pickleball once the game is over all players exchange fist bumps rather than the US tradition of butt of racket bumps.

Nomadness Part 2 – Toronto bound

In late July, Kiehl and Madison made a momentous move from the lights of LA to the seasons of Toronto, Ontario, Canada! Theresa quickly researched campground that were even remotely close to the city center where home would be for the newlyweds. The Glen Rouge campground was locked within 12 miles to Toronto center. Theresa called and reservations were confirmed for late September thru mid Oct. Theresa then set on a mission to plan a route for a 4 day Northern route to avoid I-95 and the DC congestion. 

Day 1

A night before departure one last pickleball session was held with several Tasman Court neighbors in attendance for the send off.

The next day the Smitanic hit the road north by 9 AM. The selected route would wind thru the VA hills. Kevin thought he could hear banjos playing in the distance as he navigated the mountainous curves and elevation changes. As he released the gas and applied the engine break heading down hill he proclaimed “It's all about the momentum, downshift, keep the RPMs high and on the up hills...watch the engine temp rise.”

Traffic was light on this post Labor Day weekday. There was no set destination, nor any campsite reservations. “Make it up as you go Nomad-style”. Theresa scoped out 2 possible stops. Kevin was feeling pretty good and opted for the further destination choice.

The Summersville Lake Retreat in WV was high on a hill above a lake with a lighthouse for a landmark. The site was nice with a great view of the lake, but not level. It would work for the one night stay. Theresa seared the ahi tuna obtained from the Willmington-based Seaview Crab Co and put it on a bed of fresh greens. What a treat! The temps were perfect to set outside and enjoy gazing at the stars and the fire flies as the sunset over the lake.  This added another state to the Smitanic Brag Map.

The next days destination would be near Erie, PA.

Day 2

Due to all the climbs on the first day, Kevin did a pre-trip check that included the radiator and the hydraulic dipsticks. They were both low so he put a half a gallon of coolant in the radiator and a quart of oil into the hydraulic reservoir. He also noticed that the exhaust pipe had been bent when service was performed earlier in the week at triple T in Wilmington... disappointing :(

Todays route was more of the same: hills, curves, and more downshifting and engine break use. The traffic was lighter but rain added an extra challenge as the miles clicked away. Only 2 more travel days to make it to the designated Toronto campground. The nomads decided not to stay any extra days at any of the stops on the way, but to march on to Toronto and make an early arrival. Theresa got to work making reservations for extra days in Toronto campgrounds and the current night's campground, a KOA between Grove City and Mercer, PA. 

The Sparano's (current residents of the Smit Homestead) had texted that Theresa had received what was assumed to be a Jury duty summons in the mail (Steve got a similar envelope). After a short call, Carolyn sent a picture of the document so Theresa could fill out her excuse and get it in the mail. The Grove City Post Office was in the heart of the Town next to the Grove City College. Theresa confirmed that this was same college that was home to a team of 6-8 cross country cyclists that Kevin and Theresa met on their falls2fields trek several years back. Cool! It is a small world. 

With the letter successfully mailed, Theresa was sure that there would yet be another opportunity to perform her civic duty when she was not roaming around the country.

Day 3

The days destination was dialed into the RV's GPS(Nora). As Kevin navigated the beast thru a small town Nora indicated a right turn just outside of town. Thank goodness Kevin noticed a warning sign for 11ft 6 in clearance (the RV needs 13 ft) in time to avoid that encounter. Wtf. Nora was no help in finding an alternate route, every recalculation insisted on returning to the same low clearance road. Theresa needed some time to study the maps on the back up nav device (her iPad). A mobile home park had a road that appeared to be passible on the map, so Kevin pulled into the drive. As the rig with car in tow came to a pause a resident of the park came out to greet the seemingly misguided visitors. Adrian introduced herself and informed Kevin that she had just broke her arm in her mobile home. She looked maybe 70 ish or maybe a well weathered 55. Adrian then asked the obvious, “Are you lost? “. Kevin responded, “Well kind of” Adrian continued the conversation with “Where are you from?” and “Where are yo heading?”. She nervously passed in front of the RV several times checking it out like the Smitanic was some visitor from outer space. Theresa was frantically reconstructing a path back to a main thoroughfare on both iPad and gps that avoided the low clearance road. Nora refused to cooperate so the google maps route would have to do. Google maps of course does not have any clearance limits that can be noted on the routes. That would be a great upgrade to the mapping capabilities. 

A final wave to Adrian and the Smitanic circled the very narrow mobile home park and did a bit of off-road mudslinging as it rounded the back side of the mobile home park where a trench had recently been torn up. The Smitanic crawled along as branches from trees scraped the top of the RV, while rear tires spun mud up and all over the Toad. Kevin was relieved to be back on a truck route and with Nora finally in sync there were multiple alternatives to get to the major I-79 route. Nora was followed and finally the safety of a major hwy was secured. 

A much needed gas stop at the last pilot station was completed just outside Erie, PA. This gave all the RV occupants a much need break from the road as well.

Back on the road, Theresa's next task was to call Verizon to see what options for mifi could service visitors to Canada. She was informed that the current MiFi device would not work at all and any upgraded device and service would be very costly. This may put a damper on internet usage while out of the USA. Next ATT was called to change to an unlimited plan that would allow text, calling and data usage in Canada. The plan was pricy, an additional $70 plus taxes and partial month and change fees. The plan was to change back to a more economical plan once back in the States.

The nomads arrived at the Niagara KOA in the mid-afternoon. The park seemed familiar, Kevin seemed to recall it was a park used in the falls2fields trek. Theresa checked in and was given the assigned site. However when the park attendant guided the Smitanic to the site it was clear that it could not accommodate dockage for the massive rig. Entry into the site would require dodging another Travel Trailer in the adjacent site on one side and a large pothole on the other side. The attendant agreed and quickly pointed to another “upgraded site” that would be far easier for the entrance and exit. Nice. Next stop .... Canada!

Day 4 – Toronto Destination

An early rise was desired in anticipation of extra time needed at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge Canadian crossing. The wait was about 30 min or so. It was a non-event! Even the Canadian bridge toll accepted the NC QuickPass! Traffic got heavier as the route skirted the eastern then northern suburbs of Toronto. It was about noon when all movement came to a halt. All 7+ lanes were wall to wall with lunchtime travelers. Gradually the crowds let up as the campground exit was made.

The Glen Rouge Campground was a Provisional park along the banks of the Rouge River. It featured nice flat, large grassy sites, next to the river, 30 amp & water however, no sewer. It was about 20 min to downtown Toronto, so weekly trips to the dump station would be more than worth the convenience of the location. 

Kiehl and Madison had the following day off and planned to take the “GO” train to a station that was just 3 miles away! This was a great beginning for the month long stay!