Why would two otherwise sensible women head out to spend over a total of 30 hours driving almost 3,000 km in 4 days? A puppy, of course.
My friend bought a new Bull Terrier puppy from a breeder far away and had made arrangements to pick her up in the Toronto area. It made sense for me to go with her as navigator, morale support, and part-time puppy sitter.
The first leg of our journey (to Drummondville, PQ) went well. We chatted, reminisced about the high points of our friendship, and enjoyed the changing scenery along the way. Our focus, of course, was on getting there.
The second leg of the trip took us past Montreal and on into Ontario (yay for OnRoute rest stops!) Again, we still enjoyed the conversation and the scenery. We were focused on getting to our destination just north of Toronto. Our route took us along the infamous Highway 401 with its too many lanes, too much traffic, and horrendous reputation as a very dangerous highway. High fives to us – we made it through calmly (relatively speaking) and arrived mentally and physically exhausted at our hotel for the night. After a tasty meal, we crashed early in preparation for puppy pick up day and the start of the return journey.
Monday morning we met the family who had transported my friend’s puppy from the breeder to Toronto. They had purchased her brother so the two pups had travelled together. Little Ella (as she’s now been christened) won our hearts immediately. Like most 8-week-old puppies, she snuggly and loving, but her personality is already showing. She’s no wimp!
After a short but lovely visit with that family, we packed Ella into her well-appointed cabin (crate) for the journey. She cried for a little while, but quickly settled down for the trip with the ‘heart-beat’ stuffed toy her “grandmother” had provided for comfort.
Using the alternate Highway #407, we had a smooth exit from the Toronto area and headed for our next destination, Quebec City. It was a long, long day for all of us, and we were very happy to eventually find our hotel for the night. Navigating in the dark in an unfamiliar place, even with Siri’s help, is far from easy. But we succeeded. We took breaks as we drove along to let Ella out for the necessities and a break from the crate. She was a trouper.
After a relatively sleepless night (for my friend), we loaded up the truck again and headed for home. We both sighed with relief when we saw the NB flags at our province’s border. After the flat plains in Quebec, the rolling hills of New Brunswick and occasional glimpses of the St John River were very welcome sights. Canada really is an amazingly beautiful country from coast to coast. Each province offers new views and new things to appreciate. Among other things, we appreciated the relative quiet of the drive with minimal traffic, typical of our home area.
After all was said and done, it was a lovely trip in many ways. My friend and I had lots of time to talk about all manner of things. And now, one tired but very happy puppy has her new forever home.
Welcome home to New Brunswick, Ella!
Capturing Cherished Memories 