I needed a big, smooth ride for a Montreal road trip so I borrowed a Hyundai Palisade for a six hour drive east on the 401. I was gone for only 30-something hours, but it was quite eventful!
I jumped off the highway at Kingston for a quick donut and coffee with FOTM Gare Joyce. It was good to catch up with Kingston Gare and see him in his new home city.
My drive was during game 5 of the Leafs-Bruins series, so I listened to Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph on 1050. Somehow, I still had a bit of a signal when Knies scored in OT to force a game six in Toronto. When this goal was scored, I was in very east Ontario about to cross the border into Quebec. It's amazing how far that signal carried this Tuesday night.
I rolled into Montreal around 11pm, talking to my daughter Michelle via the Palisade's Bluetooth. The purpose of this trip was to move her and her friends into a new Montreal flat and then to bring her and a bunch of her stuff back to Toronto for the summer. While I was on the phone with her, a Montreal police officer pulled me over and accused me of turning red on a red light. Truth be known, I had completely forgot you can't do that in Quebec, and was likely guilty of breaking this traffic law, but I was eventually sent on my way with a warning. Phew!
When I arrived at my daughter's flat, I wanted to make one last visit to the roof, because I love the view of the city from up there. We went up one last time, and then on our way down the many steep outside staircases I got turned around and entered the apartment above my daughter's. The door was unlocked, and I got pretty deep into this home before realizing I had entered someone else's residence. We bolted down the stairs and laughed our asses off about this.
Early in the morning I fell asleep and got a few hours of rest in before waking up and loading up the Palisade to start the move. I am a very good mover. Seriously... ask my family. We got it all done in a few trips before heading to Ikea to buy a new mattress and bed frame. Did you know the Ikea in Montreal sells poutine?
By 2pm Wednesday, it was time to head home, but once again I was pulled over by the cops, this time an OPP officer. The license plates were run and came back "unattached" so I got to spend some time convincing this police officer that I hadn't stolen the vehicle. That was fun!
The Hyundai Palisade made my 12+ hours of driving as comfortable as possible, and the space ensured we could get the move done without a wrinkle (besides the fact the U-Haul van rented to move the large furniture blew its transmission 2 km from our destination) and we were home safe by 9pm.
Pulled over twice, walzed into someone's private residence, and lived to tell the tale.
