I Came to a Conclusion Today

Peter keeps track of all kinds of statistics each year with the Sprite, the Alfa and the 4 bikes. He likes to end the season with each vehicle at an exact # on the odometer. The goal this year with the Sprite is to end at 53,000 miles. Last week he needed to put on another 490 miles, so because today’s weather forecast called for sun and a temperature in the mid-teens, we decided it was a good day to add another 250-300 miles.

We left home around 10, heading for Prince Edward County, a peninsula sticking out into Lake Ontario between Belleville and Kingston. Prince Edward County is an agricultural area which, over the past 20 years, has become the home of probably 20 wineries with all the accompanying tourist businesses. There is also a provincial park with beautiful beaches and campgrounds.

At 11:30, on our way to Belleville, we stopped in Port Hope for a burger. Olympus Burger, housed in a former KFC building, won a contest for the best burger in Canada several years ago. The sign today says they have served more than 264,000 burgers to date. Run by a Greek father and son, the burgers are named after Greek gods. As well as beef, there are lamb, chicken and salmon patties available. Today I chose the Zeus with carmelized onions, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce, their homemade sauce and added my favourite, 2 pineapple slices. Absolutely perfect!

Even with Covid-19, Prince Edward County was busy. There are several small towns and villages, restaurants, craft shops, antiques, and cycling trails. There were actually too many people, so we just enjoyed the scenery and stayed away from the shops.

With the Sprite or the Alfa, we stay away from the major highways, so we took small highways north and west from Belleville to Peterborough, then home through Bethany and Port Perry.

The sun went down about an hour before we reached home, and I was getting nervous. The Sprite is a very small car, 61 years old (it was Peter’s very first car and he has kept it all that time), and even though it can keep up to all the proper highway speeds, it is not always treated with respect, especially, it seems, by pick-up truck drivers. I was very glad to get home, and need only about 225 more miles.

Which brings me to my conclusion... I no longer enjoy travelling at night on roads that we don’t know well. I’ve decided that I will no longer drive outside of town at night. At 77, I think it is a wise decision, and I hope I can convince Peter to do the same thing. He’s 80, and I know his eyes aren’t as good as mine, and I’m beginning to worry that his reflexes are slowing down too.