we're leaving in 30 hours!

View Larger Map

Worst campers ever!

We made it to Jasper, Alberta! For some reason I paid $9 to get into
the park, but I haven't seen this $9 park yet... I'll figure that out
tomorrow. We did find the quaint town of Jasper and my plan was to
park in one of their many tourist parking lots, and crash in the car.
Rightly so, Keona thought that was a bad idea, and that along with the
signs that said it wasn't allowed had me looking for new
accomidations. We stumbled upon Whistlers Campsite, and for $27, Keona
and I are the proud owners of campsite 6H for the night! Sadly, we did
not bring a tent, or flashlight, but that didn't stop us wannabe
campers. With only minutes to spare before pitch blackness, and the
bears come to eat us, I converted the Honda into our 4 star sleeping
facility, and built the most awesome fire you see in the picture.
Maybe we're campers after-all!

Billy Goats Gruff

Watch for Goats
Originally uploaded by mickzilla

Just outside of Jasper - we stumbled upon 3 Mountain Goats Gruff. One stopped us, and said "You can't cross here - I'm going to eat you". So I said, Mr. Billy - let us head to West Edmonton Mall where we'll fatten up, so we'll be much tastier when we return - and to that, his response - "Mick, you're fat enough!"

So we ran! - Next stop WEM!

The West Edmonton Mall

There's a truck in the room..., originally uploaded by mickzilla.

We survived Jasper, and the Mountain Goats - I never did find the part of the park that I paid to get into to - but at least I supported the Park economy none the less.

A short day of driving, just a quick 4 hours and we where into Edmonton. I figured every other street would be "Wayne Gretzky Way" or "Wayne Gretzky Ave." but alas, I was wrong - i guess they never forgave him moving to L.A. We did find Alberta's greatest tourist destination, and the biggest mall in North America. From 1983-2006 it used to be the biggest (by total area) in the world - but China has built 2 bigger since. Apparently communists really like to shop.

The mall area itself didn't seem too big - maybe about the same size as the Metrotown mall in Burnaby, BC - but what did make it massive, was the full Waterpark, Amusement Park, and Hockey Rink located inside. Not to mention the the life-sized replicate of the Santa Maria in the lake located inside. We couldn't do it all - but we did go skating for a hour - it's pretty neat doing that in the middle of a mall.

Since we roughed it last night - i went to check out the "Fantasy Land" hotel that's in the mall - apparently they do theme rooms. Since it was Wednesday, and they had extra "Truck" rooms - we got a deal, and signed up for it. I'm sleeping in the back of a Truck tonight - Keona's sleeping in the cab. The room also has a hottub - go figure.

Saskatoon, SK

Bug Soup, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

The Prairies weren't are boring as I was told - It wasn't completely flat - there where hills and turns, and seas of yellow fields. Granted, we're only about in the middle, so maybe that part comes next.

We actually knew someone in Saskatoon, and thanks to Emily - we got a neat little tour of the city, and some surprisingly good land locked Sushi. The city seems old - like a giant Gas Town, from downtown VBC. I did like the vibe, and Emily made it very entertaining - Thanks Em!

Apparently Saskatchewan's biggest tourist attraction is the actual Corner Gas station (from Canada's #1 Sitcom - Corner Gas) in the city of Rouleau (aka Dog River) - It would be about 1hour off track for us to visit it, and since I've only seen 2 episodes of Corner Gas (enjoying about 1.5 of them), I think we'll skip it. We will drive through Regina though - and I'll probably pick up an Ice Coffee at the local McDonald's there - so there will be a highlight on the next leg of the trip after all!

We're going to do a lot of driving tomorrow - almost 10 hours I believe - next stop, Winnipeg, Manitoba! (and the corner of Portage and Main!)

Pulp Fiction - Saskatchewan Style

Mick: You know what the funniest thing about Saskatchewan is?
Keona: What?
Mick: It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same stuff over there that they got here, but it's just - it's just there it's a little different.
Keona: Example.
Mick: All right. Well, you can walk into a farm in Downtown Saskatoon and see Animals. And I don't mean just like in no petting zoo, I'm talking about a full on farm. And in Saskatchewan, do you know what they call the time zone they are in?
Keona: They don't call it Central Time?
Mick: Nah, man, they don't believe in Daylight Savings Time. They wouldn't know what the heck the time is half the year.
Keona: What do they call it?
Mick: They call it a "Saskatchewan Time."
Keona: "Saskatchewan Time."
Mick: That's right.
Keona: What do they call a Whopper?
Mick: I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King.

The Slurpee Capital of the World - 9 Years Running!

Look through the bug guts to a great city!
Originally uploaded by mickzilla

We're driven just under 2600K total and have setup shop tonight in the great city of Winnipeg Manitoba! Per capita, they sell more Slurpee's here than anywhere else in the world - and they are very proud of that - it's the 9th year that they have won this honour - and 7-11 has invested a lot in bill boards around the city for the Winnipegonions to look upon with pride.

Thanks to Kelly, we got a deal via expedia for the Historic Marlborough Hotel on Portage Ave. (est. 1914, and I don't think much has changed since). I do feel like a fur trader staying here, making my way back east after a successful Fire Water for Fur trading binge - I guess that could be expected in a place named after cheap American cigarettes.

Winnipeg was a big stop on the tour - I've always wanted to see this city - The corner or Portage and Main (which we'll check out, and take pictures of tomorrow) is supposedly the windiest and in the winter, the coldest intersection in all of Canada.

Speaking of Portage and Main - 50 below - Winnipeg is also the birthplace of Neil Young - everyone's favorite Classic Rocker. I almost feel closer to his music just being here... Unfortunately, I haven't found the Neil Young tribute site yet. Our waiter tonight don't think it exists, but it must. I find it hard to believe that Winnipeg celebrates Slurpee's more than Neil Young!

30K From Thunder Bay

Getting better at this camping thing!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

I'm writing from the "Happy Land" camp site, right outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario - No Phone service, but high-speed Wireless Internet - That's the way it should be!

It was another successful 8hrs of driving, we'll do it again tomorrow and end up in Sault Ste Marie - A city that exists part in Ontario part in Michigan - good thing we brought our passports!

Ontario is a massive province - we crossed BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 1 day each - Ontario alone is going to take the time of those combined by my estimates!

Also, all the way until Ontario - it was pretty much 2 lanes - and you could comfortably maintain a solid 140-160Km/h - but as soon as we hit this massive province, we hit one lane and big trucks in front of us going 80k/h, then to top it off - every 100k there's these big signs which are like menu's for speeders. They read:

Want to Speed?
100km/h............$98
120km/h............$200
130km/h............$298

I'll take the 130km/h with a side Ceaser please.

Anyways - I love Ontario - when i was 20, I had spent about 1/2 of my life here - i just remember it being a lot "cooler". I'm sure all will be forgiven when we hit Canada's Wonderland!

PS - We got our picture on the corner of Portage and Main - check out Flickr for them!

The Wawa General Store

The Wawa General Store, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

My good friend, and the best Barber in Vancouver, Farzad (that's in the history of Barbers - next time you're in Yaletown, get a cut and shave and see!), anyways - he told me about a special little town that he discovered when he traveled Toronto to Vancouver via Motorcycle. It was called Wawa, Ontario - and there was a general store there that had everything you could possibly imagine. I thought this place was between Kenora and Thunder Bay - so I figure I missed it - but on the way to Sault Ste. Marie today - I found it!

The place was incredible - you name it and they sold it, everything from Suckers with dead scorpions to Homemade Fudge to Nike's to Shotguns.

The full sized dead stuffed moose in front invites you in to this wonder of the world - and you're sure glad it did once your in! It also claims to have the best summer sausage in the world - I believe Farzad mentioned that to me too - and they were both right! Their secret is their 3 week smoking process, they say. I picked up 2lbs of this meat god-send for a mere $15


We also got to see the birthplace of Winnie-the-Poo on this leg of the trip. In White River, Ontario - he was a cub that was sold to a Canadian solider from Winnipeg, just before he left for Europe and WWI. Winnie ended up at the London Zoo, where author A.A. Milne used to take his son, Christoper Robin - You might remember seeing one of those "Part of our Canada Heritage" commercials that the CBC use to spam us with about this.

We're at a campsite just outside Sault Ste. Marie - (thanks again to Kelly's hookup) - It's another night of camping in the car. Tomorrow night we'll make it to Canada's Wonderland - and get ourselves setup to spend all day Tuesday there!

How Ontario Got its Groove Back

Ontario Loves Kids, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

First off - I got to send a shout out to, John Perrin - Corporate Director of Sales & Marketing for The Marlborough Hotel. Thanks for the comment - and no disrespect comparing your hotel to cheap American Cigarettes.. It was a great stay - and the staff was very friendly - although they charged me $6.85 for a parking pass - but i stayed there on the weekend, and the weekend flat rate for parking is $2 if I didn't have the pass. Remind me to skip your discount parking pass next time!

Second - you may remember - i was looking for the "cool" in the Ontario - and it hit me like a bucket of water as soon as i hit Barrie, Ont. I realize now, its Southern Ontario - no offense Thunder Bay - your Lake Superior is... well.. superior - but I'm a big city guy, and when i found the $1.24/l gas, and 3-4 lane highway - there was no turning back. I love when people get angry if you're going below 120km/h in their lane.

Side note - Barrie, Ont. is officially the cheapest place I've gassed up this whole trip - I don't know if it's a timing thing or location thing - but the next closest was Edmonton, where it was $1.25 - and I figured they would be the cheapest, with all the oil fields and refineries I passed.

So we're shacked up for a 2 night stay at the Knight Inn, Toronto North - just 10 minutes from Canada's Wonderland! We got our discount tickets from the front desk - and we will ravage North America's greatest variety of roller coasters all day tomorrow!

Today's picture pays homage to something you don't see in BC, and it brought back some crazy memories for me growing up out here. At the end of the kids meal, the waitress brings out the "treasure chest" filled with cheap toys to choose from. The chest and toys have not changed in 20 years. God Bless Southern Ontario.

The Behemoth

The Behemoth
Originally uploaded by mickzilla

Canada's Wonderland was awesome - better than i remember it! But the highlight of the day, was definitely Canada's Longest, Tallest and Fastest roller coaster ever - the Behemoth!

A special thanks to Keona, who was 6" too short to get on, but still waited the hour with me in line so I could ride.

I snuck my camera on board, so I could film what it's like - but the g-forces where just too much for my little Fuji - and it shut itself off after 1min and 15 seconds into the 3 minute ride.

Have a watch as i climb the 230ft, and then drop at 75 degrees at a speed of 125km/h.

Downtown Toronto

The Good Seats!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

It's only a 30 minute drive from Canada's Wonderland to Downtown Toronto - so that was by far one of our shortest drives.

The night before, I have bought us the cheap cheap seats at the Blue Jays game - Keona wanted the fancy seats (i think mostly because the seats where colored pink in the seating guide) but I figured her first major league baseball game experience should be in the nose bleeds.

We got to Toronto about 3 hours before game time - so we went to the top of the CN Tower to kill time in the worlds highest observation deck. Top of the world baby!

We headed to the game after and got there about 1hr early - which tuned out to be a really good thing, it was "School Day" at the former SkyDome (now, the Rogers Center) - and Keona received a free Blue Jays back to school kit - With kit in hand we headed up the never ending path to our seats - unfortunately without a Sherpa to carry our stuff for the trek .

As we waited patiently in our seats, with tissues in our noses to slop the blood - a girl came over and asked if we'd like to win an upgrade... Confused, we said sure, and before we knew it - near the end of the first inning, we were presented with $100 tickets in exchange for our $9 tickets - our faces where up on the jumbo-tron (Canada's biggest TV screen) - and we waved to the crowd.

We headed down in special elevator, and found our seats, 9 rows behind home plate. (Funny how we get a fancy elevator down to the nice seats - but made us climb the mountain by foot for our previous seats). Keona ended up in the "pink" seats after all! Obviously karma for waiting in the Behemoth lineup for 1hr the day before!

The Jay's lost to Tampa 3-2, but i picked up the sweetest limited edition retro Blue Jays cap - stitched in yellow, instead of white - in honor of Caribana - the major annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival happening this weekend.

After the game, we made to my Uncle Perry's place 4hrs away in Ottawa - where we're being spoiled with hospitality. It feels good to not sleep in the car!

Our Nation's Capital

Change those guards!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

It was a beautifully hot and sticky day in Ottawa, Ontario - and we walked around like tourists, stumbling into all sorts of different events. We saw the changing of the guards, some international buskers festival stuff, and lots and lots of federal tax dollars in action.

Big thanks to Perry, Sonja and the kids for their amazing Ottawa hospitality - all good things come to an end, and we headed out early Friday for the grand province of Quebec!

Lost In Translation

The Home of Poutine, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

We made it to Quebec City - after battling a painful Friday rush hour traffic situation going through Montreal, At least an extra 1.5 hrs in the hot sun, stop and go. I was practicing my French swear words during that time.

So Quebec City is 400 years old - and you'd think in all that time, that they would have evolved into an English speaking province...

But seriously - I'm a firm believer in the "When in Rome.." philosophy, and i did a seek in the old brain for my Grade 9 French knowledge to see how far it would get me. (Mind you, this was French 9 in BC, which is probably about a Grade 2-3 French equivalent in every other province, except maybe Alberta)

So I walked into the hotel, everyone in front of us was speaking French, and when it was my turn, I go up with my "Bonjer! - Une resarvay-shun pour Robinson". She took about a 5 second look at me, and responded with, in a very thick French accent, "One moment please". - She was obviously not impressed with my attempt to use to the language.. She grabbed some paperwork, entirely in French, and said "Sign 'ere, 'ere, and 'ere". I did, and got my key - but then realized I have no idea what I just signed... Lets hope it wasn't a French contract for my soul.

We were starving - but concerned on how we would complete the process of ordering food with the Grade 9 French - and then like an epiphany, it came to me - the French word for "Poutine" is "Pountine!" - Not to mention we're also in the birthplace of this staple of the Canadian diet.

We hit he car, and found a drive-through close to the hotel with big pictures of pountine on the menu - I pulled in, and after a bunch of unrecognizable French words came out of the intercom - I proudly said, "Poutine, See Voo Play". A slew more of unrecognizable French words came out of the intercom and very confused with what to do next, i responded with "Large?"... Again, there was about a 5 second awkward silence, and I got the very thick French accented English phrase, "One moment please". - This time, the manager came on the intercom, and said "We don't understand what size poutine you would like?" - thinking quick - I said "Grand" and she said "What?" and I said, "The biggest one please". Thank god, that seemed to work - and we headed back to the hotel with the best poutine we've ever had.

Tomorrow is the final stretch and a 10hr drive to PEI and the old man's house!

Family of Green Gables

Family of Green Gables, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

The wonderful island of PEI is acting a lot of like Vancouver - it hasn't stopped raining since we arrived - but it's been beautiful none the less.

Today we ate the Worlds best Ice-Cream (Cows) at it's founding location, right beside the Anne of Green Gables house (seen in the background of today's picture) - then came home and had lobster - the kind that scream when you slip them into their hot bath.

Auntie Sine and Keona have been setup in the club house aka the garage - and only come in for food. The folks and i are laid back in the living room celebrating BC day, PEI style. It finally feels like vacation.

The Worlds Best Ice-Cream

Bessy, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

Cows Ice-Cream is the best in the world according to a US travel company.

"Tauck World Discovery" - They travel to 86 counties - and had their employees during travels, report back on the Ice Creams of the world.

Victory is sweet for a tiny PEI company that licked the competition to take its place among the world's 10 best ice cream destinations."It's a very simple recipe, just cream and sugar and eggs," said James Power, ice cream production manager at the Cows facility in Charlottetown. "From there we add all the best ingredients we can find and we add lots of them."

This stuff is good - and there use to be one on Robson Street - but they traded up for a Whistler location. And get this - their only US of A franchise - in Utah! It would even make Kelly proud!

In case you're interested, here's the official top 10:

1. COWS, Prince Edward Island: "On the waterfront in Charlottetown, the proprietors use high-quality ingredients and a lusciously high butterfat content (16 per cent) to craft rich, whimsically-themed flavours."

2. Gelateria Perche No! Florence, Italy: "Perche No! translates to Why Not! The shop dates back 50 years."

3. Tip Top Ice Cream, locations throughout New Zealand: "The Ben & Jerry's of New Zealand."

4. Kula Lodge, Maui, Hawaii: "The best mango sherbet I've ever tasted."

5. Freddo, Buenos Aires: "Known for its eight kinds of dulce de leche ice cream."

6. Gelateria di Piazza, San Gimignano, Italy: "Over 100 flavours, including five different types of chocolate."

7. Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream, Fairbanks, Alaska: "Locally inspired flavours include Aurora Borealis, Alaska Birch Walnut and Nanook Nosh."

8. Glacier Berthillon, Ile de St. Louis, Paris: "A Paris landmark since 1934."

9. Las Iguanas, Boca de Arenal, Costa Rica: "Unique flavours including cactus and tamarind."

10. Ben & Jerry's, Waterbury, Vermont: "To really appreciate it you'll want to make the pilgrimage to their factory."

THE McLobster

McLobster, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

Now those of you who know me, might remember my pilgrimage to PEI back in 2005 for a taste of the fabled McLobster sandwich.... But unfortunately, when I walked into McDonald's on September 1st, 2005 - I found out that McLobster season ended August 31st. I explained that I had traveled from the far west to experience this eastern delicacy, and begged them to create me one - but the best they could do was bring out the sign from storage - which did produce one of the most famous pictures of all times. (Producing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" - Google Image Search Result of "McLobster" from 2006-2007).

Well - I'm very happy to report that 3 years later, yet another item from my bucket list has been crossed out. I have finally experienced a McLobster sandwich! It was interestingly-delicious, and figured it out to be 1 part lettuce, 1 part celery, and 2 parts frozen lobster parts all on a hot-dog bun. I figure the lobster parts are local, or from New Brunswick - I imagine they spoke french.

None the less - I challenge everyone who enjoys lobster to make the trek out to the Canadian Maritimes and enjoy the McLobster Sandwich. It won't suck.

Just the Hali-facts!

My apologies for the lack of posts over the last few days. We made it to Halifax and the many events in Dartmouth. There was Wedding's on the water, unlimited food and family, excessive good times by all... Yet no wireless Internet, hence no posts. Halifax is our final Canadian destination, and tomorrow we'll be heading back west, starting in the great state of Maine! (America's only monosyllabic state!)

I'm sure their will be plenty of Wireless in the birthplace of Stephen King, and when I find it, I'll get some of these incredible pictures up!

Until then, congratulations once again, Cousin Mr & Mrs. Daddy Thornton. Keep it real!

What Boston Looked Like

What Boston Looked Like, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

And so it begins - The trek home, and we're in the US of A!

Me Ma has joined us for the ride - and she's off to a great start by getting us a Super 8 Motel Room for only $8.88! You see, she was 1 of 800 people globally to book a Super 8 room at 8pm yesterday, therefore winning the their "Too Good To Be True 888" promotion.

So after a grueling 13hr drive - we made it from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to the Super 8 in Brockton, Massachusetts - which is about 25 minutes outside of Boston, but took us almost 1.5 hrs more to get to because lovely Boston evening roadwork. The picture above is pretty much exactly how I saw Boston once i got there, it's not unfocused, i am.

Speaking of pictures - i got all the family wedding shots up on flickr (as well as many more here). Good Times.

The Super 8 room is what's to be expected for $8.88, but there is free Wireless Internet - so no complaints from me. I am a little concerned of this strange liquid that seems to be in the carpets - it doesn't smell friendly, and after i stepped in it in my socks - they seemed to have started some sort of chemical reaction. I've retreated to the center of my bed, and hope the liquid doesn't jump up and get me after i fall asleep. If this is the last post, you know why.

Welcome to Times Square

Welcome to Times Square, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

The Super 8 carpet blob didn't get me - but I was sure glad to get out of that stinky place.

Kelly came through as always - and helped me find something a lot better for our New York visit - There's this travel booking website (name withheld until they send my check) that lists the general location, star-rating, and price of a hotel - but it doesn't say what the hotel is, until your non-refundable booking is complete. That's how they can do it super-cheap. I guess it's a form of gambling, so I won't do it on the sabbath but none the less, it got us a 4 star Hotel in Newark for $94 (10 minutes from Time Square by public transit) and for tomorrow, i got a 3 star right on the waterfront downtown Cleveland for $49. I guess I'm 2 for 2.

We crossed 3 states yesterday (Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) - and 3 more today (Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey). When we hit New York - I assume right around rush-hour time, as there was about 2 millions cars moving very quickly, all around me. I'm a very confident driver, but New York City driving is inhuman... After a few near death experiences, and accidentally running through a toll booth without paying, we made it into New Jersey, which felt more like the opening scene from the Soprano's.

We were professional tourists in Manhattan today. Especially on top of the Empire State Building. It was the tallest in the world from 1931-1972, and then in 1973, Toronto built the CN Tower. Go Canada!

Cleveland, OH

I'm useless with the self timer., originally uploaded by mickzilla.

We made it to Cleveland thanks to the stupendous driving by me Ma. She handled all of Pennsylvania by herself - in some parts in torrential downpours. Thanks MOM! We're sure glad your here for this part!

Cleveland is a cool looking city - and we got a view of Lake Erie from the hotel, and saw a pretty cool sunset over it. We're also right beside Browns Stadium.

I saw an Cleveland Indian's game here about 18 years ago, can't remember if much has changed.

T,T & WT

Take the Skyway!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

Toll Booths, Turnpikes, and Water Towers... that's a summary of our trip across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and into Minnesota. I had to look up Turnpike in Wikipedia - it's just another name for a toll road :)

We drove all day in order to save a day and spend it at the Mall of America, which we'll adventure tomorrow. I kept my normal pace of about 140km/h and wouldn't you know it, a Wisconsin State Trooper didn't really like that....

It was pretty classic, i noticed him at the side of the road just about the same time he noticed me. He pulled out from the bush he was hiding in quite quick, in what looked like he was getting ready for a hot action high speed chase. I instead hit the brakes, and dropped from 140km/h to about 90km/h just as quick - so there he was, a fair distance in front of me, looking as if he was not really sure of what to do next.

I continued to craw at 90, and eventually he had to hit his brakes hard in order for me to catch up so he could pull in behind me. Which he did. I guess he ran my plates, cause the cherry's didn't go on for about a minute or so - but when the did, i put on my right turn signal, and drove for a bit - looking for the perfect place to pull over. Which I found about a mile down.

When the State Trooper got the car, he was very nice and I realized Wisconsin accents sound very Canadian (or at least his did)..

He said, "All the way from British Columbia, eh? Where ya heading?".
I responded with, "The Great Mall of America, sir!".
"Oh, great - have you ever been there before?"
"Nope first time!"
"I pulled you over cause of the speed, you know that right?"
"ummm... ya"
"How fast where you going?"
"Oh, about 110 Kilometers per hour"
"What's that in miles?"

I then squinted at the odometer, after a short pause, looked up and responded with, "Umm, 70?"

He quickly said - "It was a lot faster than that", and left with my license and registration.

After about 5 minutes of Ma and I trying to calculate out how much it would be, (As we had seen signs just before in Illinois where it said speeding "Min. Fine $375" - but that was road work zones) he came back and said, "At the speed you where going, the State of Wisconsin fine would be $300...... but I'm not going to ruin your weekend - and I'll give you a warning!"

"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you!"
"But slow it down - set the cruise control, or you'll have Winsonsin state troopers all over you for the rest of your drive."
"Okay Sir!"

But little did he know, there is no cruise in the Fit - just when my foot falls sleep on the petal - and that's what started this whole ordeal to begin with.

The Great Mall of America

Why Pay $29.95 ?, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

We did the biggest mall in Canada (and North America) on the early start of our tour, so it only seemed right to stop in to the biggest mall in America. By comparison, it's like less than half the land mass - but it does has 4 floors (West Edmonton Mall only had 2) - so that makes it pretty comparable. The really cool thing is that the Amusement park is right in the middle - and Keona ravaged that all day today. I hit a couple of the roller coasters, which where surprisingly awesome even though they where named after Nickelodeon characters.

After the mall, the drive led us to Bismarck, North Dakota and right through Fargo. On the highway all through Fargo, I couldn't help keeping my eyes glued to the side of the road, looking for the little flag that Steve Buscemi left to indicate where the money was buried. I'm sure it's been found by now.

Hannah, Montana

There's a snake in my boot!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

One thing that was very consistent over the travels through the parries, both Canada and USA, is the bugs. Like living raindrops they wet the windshield in a downpour at 140km/h.

As the day grew long, and we drove into the Montana sunset, the bug guts on the windshield were all the colors of the rainbow. Vivid cherry reds, lime greens, and lemon yellows of bugs that once were.

We're back!

Welcome Home!, originally uploaded by mickzilla.

It's been about a week actually, and it's taken that time to get use to not being in the driving stance for 10 hours a day.

From the moment we left the drive-way until we pulled back in, it was 13,400KM on the tripometer (or 8326 Miles). So, the good old Honda Fit gets on average 40 miles per gallon, so we burned through about 208 Gallons of Gas (sorry environment).

Thanks for all the great comments on the blog during our trip - it was like everyone was with us as we traveled coast to coast to coast! The travel blog has now officially come to an end - but stay tuned - i'll find something new to write about - and keep mickzilla.com alive :)

And finally, our friend in the picture was waiting for me on my bed the night we got home. I set him free in the neighbors yard.