Driving a 26 ft. U-Haul across Ontario

We had a late start on Friday morning. We had hoped to get away on Thursday night, but there was just too much work left to do at the house. Thank goodness for Peter and Cathy and Alister and Inger! Peter took two truckloads and one trailer of mixed good stuff and junk out to Navan where the garbage collection service was just doing the curb pick-up. a lister and Inger did some important running around for us which really saved a lot of time as we were in the thick of packing the U-haul to the gunnels and then some!

We stayed at Peter and Cathy for the evening and were very grateful for the warm bed and shower facilities. Refreshed, we went back to the house on Friday morning and finished the packing the U-haul and finally rolled out around noon.


The truck took some getting used to as it was loaded to the gunnels and it was quite challenging to drive in a straight line with the gentle rolling of the truck with road bumps and wind. Although Ottawa has been very good to us over the years, and we have had great neighbours and friends, I can't honestly say that I felt bad about leaving. Both Lill and I were ready for change and were happy to have the opportunity to roll the dice. Change is a good thing!


Anyway, we made it up to Petawawa and decided to stop in for the evening with Fran and Dave. It was a great evening! Allie, Tyler and Bennet came over for supper and beer and we all had a good old fashioned ceilidh. Great time. We got up early, had a great breakfast and hit the road around 0800 hrs.

We had been experiencing problems with the warning lights on the SAAB after taking it in for a tune-up. This first started on Wednesday with the engine warning light coming on. Peter suggested I disconnect the battery to see of this would clear the fault. Did that and sure enough, the engine warning light went out. However, about 70 kms out of Ottawa, and too far to turn around and get to the garage before closing time on Friday afternoon. We were too far along so we decided to press ahead and just keep an eye out for any problems. Luckily, the car seemed to perform quite well so, warning lights notwithstanding, everything looked great to go. (I should mention that we just spent ~$2,000 on a tune-up and trip preparation just 2 days before leaving!)

The second night, we made it as far as Sault Ste Marie. The road was getting pretty tricky. Lots of construction around Sudbury area. Very tiring driving the truck as it would wander around between the shoulder and the centre line with the wind. There were A LOT of hills and big (I mean BIG) trucks loaded with lumber, fuel, and whatever. Going up the hills was quite a challenge as your speed dropped from 100 kms to about 40 kms to about 30+ kms. Just as you would crest the hill, you would look down and would start to feel a little jittery as the truck picked up speed and gravity took over. The lumbering weight of the vehicle, the swaying from the wind and the dozen or so vehicles you had collected in the painful climb up the hill. We repeated this dance many times through the day. Exhausting!

In Sault Ste, Marie we stayed the night at a roadside and had a quick meal at the local A&W before hitting the hay. The hotel had just been refurbished and the facilities were outstanding. Lots of rock walls in the main entrance, new carpeting and paint/wallpaper in the halls and the rooms were outstanding. Great place to bunk out!


Next morning, we took full advantage of the complimentary breakfast in the hotel.

The next day was probably the hardest for us. We drove from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunderbay. Very steep hills, slow climbs up and terrifying brakes-on descents. There was a forest fire nearby and, though just a haze for the most part, made the eyes sting and limited the visibility over the beautiful vistas overlooking Lake Superior. When the wind would pick up the smoke and blow it away and the sun shone on the Lake Superior beaches, there are not may places as beautiful on the entire planet in my humble opinion.