I’ve tried to write this post all week but apparently I can’t write about how happy I am to be done with tour until I’m actually done with it.

But now I’m done because South Pacific closed today!

I’m always happy when tours close. It means new adventures and other horizons and no one’s dirty laundry but my own. I’ve been deep in tour ennui this year so I’m more than ready to go do something else for a while. That something else, in this case, is a road trip.

Yes, I’m detoxing from touring by taking a road trip. Makes a strange kind of sense, don’t you think? All the benefits of touring with none of the show hassle AND I get to go wherever I want. Win. And Win. Plus once I load up my car, it will be the first time in 5 years that I will have all my work stuff, my dive gear and most of my clothes and boots all in one place. How great is that?

I went to pick up my rental car at the airport today and discovered that National and Enterprise are sister companies and the local National workers are on strike. I rented from Enterprise and National protested by making each Enterprise car wait 4 minutes before it left the lot.

4 minutes.

4 minutes that went like this.

I drove up to the gate, where an Enterprise guy waited.

EG: “you’re going to have to wait 4 minutes before you leave. Sorry.”

Me: I heard National is on strike.

EG: yeah…

Me (also a union member): well, I hope they get what they need.

EG: Oh, they won’t. OK. Have a good day. Sorry about the hassle.

As he scurried away, a National guy stood in front of the exit dressed in a vest that said LOCAL 175 ON STRIKE, held up his hand, looked at his watch and yelled to me “it’s 1035! I’ll let you exit at 1039!”

And then I sat there for 4 minutes while he stood in front of me and talked to the Enterprise guy. There was no one behind me or in front of me and I wasn’t in a hurry so I sat there until 1039 when he said, “Ok! Go ahead!” and stepped out of the way.

Who thinks of these things and what’s the point? Shouldn’t he be educating me on the strike? Or trash talking Enterprise or playing that Madonna song or something? And if I start driving at him, won’t he have to move out of the way or is he going to play chicken with a car?

But I didn’t and he didn’t so we hung out at the airport exit gate for 4 minutes on a Sunday morning while I listened to the news and they discussed hockey.

As my friend John put it, “I’m beginning to think ‘O Canada’ is a lament…”

But this is the end of my Canada run because I’m leaving tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I’ll haul my suitcases down to the front desk, run around the corner and down 3 flights to get my car, load it up and try to be on my way out of Toronto by 7AM. Then I’ll drive across the border to the Buffalo airport where I’ll exchange this car for one with US plates (and about a third of the cost), repack my new car and drive to NYC, battle rush hour traffic to get to Chelsea and find a place to park in time to run to my friend’s apartment, throw on some clothes and make a 645 dinner reservation at a place I’ve been wanting to eat for years.

All of you who remember my Japan escapades in Kyoto will notice a striking resemblance in plot points by now and be asking yourself – as I am  – “why is this girl always running across a country to make a dinner reservation with dire consequences if she doesn’t make it?”

I have no answer to that but I promise to tell you all about whatever happens. Those of you who haven’t read about Kyoto and Kitcho can find it here.

As to the road trip, below is a picture of my projected path.

It’s a LOT! I know. But I have a lot of time. No plans until May, actually. And I know that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, so I will say that it’s only a plan and is subject to change. There is a surprise twist to this plan but I’ll save that for when I leave NYC on Thursday and actually get on the road.

This quote describes my current state well:

“My little baby soul was not a happy infant, of course, with much to complain about, but as every parent learns, a restless baby often calms down if you take it for a ride. I had learned my squalling spirit could be soothed the same way, by motion, and so I had decided to set off on this journey into the unknown. Take my little baby soul for a ride.”

– Neil Peart

Ghost Rider

Going for a ride with epic plans, dicey dinner reservations and surprise twist. Sounds about right.

See you tomorrow.