Urban Farming: Not Just an Urban Legend

Posted on July 23, 2013 by alyssa

There are at least 61,777 residential and community gardens that are part of the “urban farming global food chain.” Urban farming is doing more than just providing city folk with a way to grow their own salads. Today’s version of urban farming establishes organic gardens in vacant lots and unused spaces to grow crops for people that have trouble accessing healthy foods. When city-dwellers notice urban gardens springing up in their neighborhoods, they become more aware of their own health and inspired to help others eat healthier too. Not only do urban farms help cut grocery bills, but they also provide communities with jobs and bring people together for the common benefit.

Situated in the agricultural mecca of the Midwest, yet far removed from it, Chicago has embraced the concept of urban farming in unprecedented ways. The city’s poverty-stricken South Side is being transformed into an urban farming district, known as Growing Home, which will make use of thirteen square miles of unused space and at least 11,000 vacant lots. Chicago hopes that the farms will bring healthier food options to a notoriously obese community, create jobs, and attract new businesses to the area. Another local organization, City Farm, offers volunteer and internship opportunities for residents to get their hands dirty and learn about growing and selling produce to local markets. But urban farms aren’t just limited to vacant lots around the city. Entrepreneurial businesses like FarmedHere have been financing vertical farms in cities, hoping to grow millions of pounds of chemical and pesticide-free leafy greens to feed local communities.

But Chicago isn’t the only city jumping on the urban farming bandwagon. Rio Grande Community Farm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California, Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, Alabama, and Brooklyn Rescue Mission in New York are making a huge impact on their communities as well. The urban farming wave might seem like a new concept, but it actually dates back to ancient civilizations in Egypt and Machu Picchu. Since more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, where millions of hungry people are struggling to live every day, urban farming holds a lot of promise for the future. So if you live in a high rise apartment with little more than a balcony amidst a jungle of steel and concrete, do a quick Internet search to see if any urban farms are growing nearby. Do yourself and your community a favor and get involved!

Milking Cows on a Rainy Day in Vermont

Posted on July 18, 2013 by alyssa

It was a rainy day in Vermont, which put somewhat of a damper on our plans to hike, bike, kayak. Outdoor enthusiasts are in good company in this state, where nearly every car sports a cargo rack with recreational equipment. Fortunately, there’s lots of ways to have rainy day fun when the weather refuses to cooperate with your adventure plans.

Although we usually avoid tourist traps like the plague, we considered our rainy day options and settled on Shelburne Farms. This 1,400-acre working farm and National Historic Landmark is situated along the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont, just a short drive from our campground. But this farm does much more than just growing vegetables and feeding animals. It’s an educational campus that hooks up with schools and environmental groups to teach people about sustainable farming methods in an area filled with 1900 era history.

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If you read my recent article about finding free samples in Vermont, this is where my love affair tiny handouts began. The Shelburne Farms gift shop had about six kinds of cheese, two kinds of cheese spreads, six kinds of jams, and four kinds of mustards to load onto crackers and fill your belly. Since we signed up for a tour of the farm and had some time to kill, we were able to feast on samples and stay dry while we waited.

Although the farm tours usually set off in an open-air wagon, we were piled into a green school bus because of the rain. Tours cost $11 per person and depart four times throughout the day to see the historic buildings, landscape, cheese factory, and experience yet another sampling of cheese. Our tour guide definitely knew his stuff and told us about the rich folks that used to live here and run the property before it became a non-profit organization.

Since it was a Saturday, there was no one making cheese, but we did get to see the farm’s cheese-making operation. It seemed that some cheese had been left out over the weekend, which I sure hope wasn’t by mistake.

After about an hour and a half, our tour wrapped up and we were free to wander about the ground and hiking trails. The pouring rain deterred us from doing much hiking, so we sought shelter in the Children’s Farmyard. There were plenty of sheep inside the barn to stare at and let stare back at you.

The barn also had a walk-in chicken coop, where visitors were encouraged to watch their step and get to know their feathered friends up close and personal.

Perhaps the highlight of the farm experience was milking the cow. When I was a kid in rural Illinois, I once attempted to milk a cow at a county fair. Instead of taking on the job like a champ, I fearfully squealed and hid behind my parents at the sight of an udder. My boyfriend, however, milked this cow like it had never been milked before. Milk squirted into a tin bucket and all was right in the world. I took my turn as well and had much more success than in my previous attempt. There were a handful of kids in line to squeeze the udders, so we had to put on our patient hats and wait our turn.

After thoroughly washing our hands, we stopped back in the gift shop to load up on a few more samples of cheese for the road. As we chewed and pretended to browse the merchandise, our tour guide tipped us off on a great spot to hit up next: Shelburne Vineyard! From history to cheese, wine, and udders, I’d definitely recommend Shelburne Farms for a great way to spend a rainy day in Vermont.

Monkeys Posing as Cows & Hairy White Dudes

Posted on July 16, 2013 by alyssa

This post is a shout out to Wendy at Cabot Cheese! I’m so glad you enjoyed my review of all of the amazing free samples your shop has to offer hungry travelers on road trips.

Below is my favorite picture posing with the cow cutouts outside the Waterbury, Vermont tasting shop. My boyfriend and his favorite travel monkey, Nappy, are HUGE fans of cows. That monkey makes just as much cow noise as it does monkey noise, which is a little unsettling when you stop to think about it.

On our most recent road trip through the northeast, we were accompanied by not one, but FOUR travel monkeys. The concept of the travel monkey came about as a direct result of my unhealthy obsession with gnomes. To cope with the overabundance of gnomes taking up room in the Jeep, he began collecting monkey companions to restore the balance.

But don’t think for a minute that my favorite monkey and I were left out of the wooden cutout fun. Ginger Sauce (AKA Dunkey) and I got our very own photo shoot at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory.

We were such big fans of your cheese that we ordered a gift box to send back to our friends back in Chicago that picked up our mail and watered our plants while we were away. Given the recent 90-degree temperatures, we thought it best not to haul cheese around for a few weeks un-refrigerated in the Jeep. I figured our friends would appreciate that!

Mooching Off Vermont’s Free Samples

Posted on July 9, 2013 by alyssa

When you’ve been eating little more than luke-warm beans out of a can rolling around the back of a Jeep for a few weeks, a day of free samples is a day to go down in the history books. Out of all the states that I’ve been too, I found more delicious free samples in Vermont than anywhere else. More specifically, the Waterbury area is a malnourished gal’s wet dream.

With minimal travel time in between, here are some amazing places to fill up on free stuff while driving through the Green Mountain State.

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

There aren’t a ton of samples here, but it’s still worth a stop so you can say you’ve been to a cider mill. Make your way through the gift shop and satisfy your need for consumerism as you scour the tables for food laying out. There are a couple homemade jams and mustards with pretzel sticks near the door, so push people out of the way until you see where the grub is. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As you walk to the back of the mill, you can pour yourself a tiny glass of free apple cider and watch an informational video about how they make the stuff. Apparently there’s an apple shortage this year, because the mill limits you to one tiny cup per person (that is, unless no one’s looking). Unfortunately, these folks don’t really believe in hard cider.

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Grand View Winery

Unlike some winery tastings, this one isn’t actually free so you’ll have to pull two whole dollars out of your pocket to get some sips. Although the actual winery is in East Calais, they have a tasting room directly across from the cider mill so you don’t have to re-park your car.

You get to taste six wines for your Washingtons, and the portions are smaller than average. All the wines they produce are fruit wines, rather than grape wines, so everything is really sweet and refreshing. The cost of most bottles is in the $14 range, but buying one would have broken the golden rule of Free Sample Day.

Cabot Cheese

Hands down, Cabot Cheese wins the award for Best Free Samples in Vermont. Drop your car off in their parking lot and stick your head through the cow cut-outs to snap a picture as you walk in the front door. A gift shop welcomes you as you walk in and there’s plenty of local beer for sale in their coolers as well.

The free cheese sample bar has about twenty-five different samples of cheese, all of which are amazing. One side of the sample bar has standard flavors of cheese that you see everywhere, and the other side has random flavors like Tomato Basil, Hand-rolled Tuscan, and Horseradish. But the samples don’t stop there! The sides of the bar and nearby tables feature popcorn with Cabot cheese sprinkle, cheese dips, and butter dips. Grab a handful of toothpicks and settle in for the long haul!

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Leave your car parked at Cabot Cheese and walk your cheese hangover off across the parking lot over here. I didn’t expect to find too many samples here because fancy chocolate can get pretty pricey, but there were two sample areas at this chocolate shop. Most of the shop is filled with things to buy, but if you venture up towards the counters, you’ll see some lonely chocolate pieces lying about.

As you snack on a square or two of free chocolate, read through the shop’s recommendations for chocolate tastings. That way, you’ll feel (and look) like you’re learning something about what you’re tasting instead of just scarfing it all down like a fatty.

Alchemist Cannery

When I first saw a sign for this place, I didn’t even consider stopping because I assumed a cannery was all about jellies and jams. But much to my surprise, there was beer inside! Oddly enough, this brewery (that brews in only cans) only makes one type of beer. It’s an 8% double IPA called the Heady Topper. As a newly emerging fan of certain types of IPAs, I must say that their one creation is pretty delicious.

We received two 3-ounce samples for free at their tasting room, which was situated among rows of brew-themed merchandise. Their “self guided tour” was more of a room that you could walk into and take a look at the brewing equipment from afar. They usually sell cans of beer at the tasting room, but happened to have run out this particular day. I guess I’m not the only one who liked it.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory

Although the sample of ice cream is “free,” there is a catch. You have to take the factory tour, but it only costs $4 per person, which is just $4 away from free. The tour starts with a seven minute video about their company that actually didn’t put me to sleep. My very pink monkey in socks, Ginger (a.k.a. Dunkey), accompanied me on this tour because she’s as big of an ice cream fan as I am.

You can’t take any pictures through their production area, but a perky teenage guide will point to different pieces of machinery and sort of tell you what each does. After listening as long as your attention span allows, your guide leads you into the tasting room for a sample. Mint chocolate chunk was on the menu this particular day.

Hang around after everyone takes their sample, because there will likely be leftovers for you to snag on the way out. The portions were decently sized, and you can always stand in line to buy another bowl after the tour if you’re truly hardcore.

Needless to say, I didn’t need to eat any beans for lunch or instant noodles for dinner on this particular day in Vermont. Whether you’re looking to get a taste of local goods or just be cheap about your dietary intake, free samples are the way to go. And in my experience, free samples are harder to come by in the rest of New England, so stock up while you can!

A Steamy Tour of Western Hot Springs

Posted on June 28, 2013 by alyssa

Before spending a month traveling around the Western United States, my experience with hot springs was limited to a free outdoor stream I managed to find in Costa Rica. However, after dipping into near-boiling waters across Wyoming and Montana, I’ve been a bit more of a hot springs expert.

But as I quickly learned, not all hot springs are created equal. Some are situated in state-regulated bathhouses and others are tucked away along hiking trails. Some give off the vibe of a relaxing spa and others a more scantily-clad version of a college frat party. Here are a few observations and recommendations of hot springs in the Wild West:

The Boiling River

Yellowstone National Park – Mammoth Hot Springs, MT

The National Park Service doesn’t exactly advertise The Boiling River as a public bathing area, so you won’t see any signs with arrows pointing you to it. Park your car on the east side of the road near the “45th Parallel of Latitude – Halfway Between Equator and North Pole” sign at the Montana/Wyoming state line in the park. As you walk about a half mile upstream from the parking area, you’l start wondering if this hot springs really does exist. Keep walking…you’ll be seeing clouds of stream soon enough.

Cold water from the Gardiner River and hot water from the Boiling River meet at this point and swirl around to create a pleasant temperature. Although the National Park Service website claims the area is closed in springtime due to high water levels, we and other bathers were splashing around on April 11th when it was barely above freezing.

There’s no rangers around and the water is miserably scalding in certain parts, but it is free to get in (after you’ve paid your national park fee at the entrance, of course). I only lasted a couple minutes in my bathing suit, but my boyfriend got a full blown shower out of it.

Bozeman Hot Springs

Bozeman Hot Springs – Bozeman, MT

If you’ve been camping in a 20-degree blizzard in Yellowstone National Park for awhile, these hot springs feel amazing. If you’re looking to relax your mind and soothe your soul, you’re better off hitting the hot tub at the Holiday Inn.

These hot springs look exactly like a public pool, and they’re just as crowded as one too. The pools are located on the outskirts of Bozeman, near Four Corners, and it costs $8.50 per adult to get in the door. You can dip into six different pools after you toss your clothes in a locker, and one of them is even outside. The inside pools are split into two sections and have different temperatures to test out.

These hot springs have pretty limited hours, so families with dozens of obnoxious children cram into steamy pools with fun noodles and inflatable arm bands. If you can squeeze into the outdoor pool after the sun goes down, you can look up at the stars and experience the extremes of hot and cold at the same time.

Chico Hot Springs

Chico Hot Springs – Pray, MT

Drive half an hour north of Yellowstone to Pray, Montana to experience the best hot springs in a reasonable driving distance. I was initially intimidated by Chico because it’s a day spa resort and I saw dollar signs flashing before my eyes. Believe it or not, a day pass is only $7.50 to use these hot springs.

Chico has two large pools, one set at 96-degrees and the other at 103-degrees. We liked this place so much that we splurged for a one-night stay and soaked in the hot springs for a second day. Unlike the first two springs I mentioned, these are pools that you can bring booze into….which is a huge bonus. Visit the pool-side bar for local beers and mixed drinks that you can take with you in plastic cups into the pool.

These hot springs were mostly filled with adult couples and retirees, so the atmosphere was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. You don’t have to fight for a corner to sit in at Chico, and you can hang out at their bar and use their free Wi Fi while you’re there as well.

Thermopolis Free Public Bathhouse

Thermopolis Hot Springs – Thermopolis, WY

After visiting a few hot springs in the cold weather, you’ll likely develop an addiction for all things producing steam. We traveled to Thermopolis, Wyoming simply because the name sounded warm.

Thermopolis has a free public bathhouse that is run by the state, and it feels like it. There’s a 20-minute soaking limit in these springs, which are located right in the middle of Hot Springs State Park, which is right in the middle of the town. You’re required to sign in at the front desk and stick to a brief dip to avoid reprimand. Bypass the indoor pool and hurry over to the outdoor pool, which has an awing overhead to shield you from sun and snow.

Aside from some easy hiking trails with informational plaques about the history of hot springs in the West, there isn’t a whole lot to do in this small town. So while these hot springs feel rushed, the water temperature is great and you can’t beat free entertainment.

Evan’s Plunge

Unfortunately, our hot springs tour ended on a sour note. On the drive back to Chicago, we made a point to stop on the last hot springs to be found: Evan’s Plunge. I found it surprising that a town called “Hot Springs” only had one hot springs facility, even if it was in South Dakota.

We arrived at Evan’s Plunge shortly before closing time, hoping to catch a dip before they closed their doors. We were absolutely the only people in the pool, which had a freezing temperature and a depressing 1970s theme park vibe. They claim the water is 87-degrees, but it was downright frigid compared to the other hot springs we’d recently been to. Not only was the water cold, but it cost a whopping $12.50 per person to get it.

A few teenagers showed up after we went down the slides a couple times for the hell of it. After the water temperature became unbearable, we relocated to the hot tubs, which contained no natural mineral water at all and were too hot to bear for more than a couple minutes at a time.

So if you’re planning on heading out west anytime soon, you should definitely check out some hot springs if the temperature dip a little low. My advise? Check out Yellowstone’s Boiling River for an amazing view and unique experience, and check out Chico Hot Springs to experience affordable relaxation the way nature intended.

A Low-Maintenance Chick’s Guide to Long-Term Camping

Posted on June 27, 2013 by alyssa

I like to think of myself as a pretty low-maintenance kind of chick. I can put up with less-than-ideal road trip conditions, and I don’t mind skipping showers for a few days if I’m doing something cool.

Camping Amérique Campground, Montreal, Canada

However like most women, I have a gazillion health and body products crammed on my bathroom shelves back home. When I reluctantly return to home base after a month of living on the road, I find myself using face creams and eyeliners I’d completely forgotten about.

While living out of a tent and the back of a Jeep for extended periods of time, I’ve learned a thing of two about what to bring along and what to leave behind in the medicine cabinet. Even low-maintenance chicks, like me, tend to over-pack, so here’s some miscellaneous advice to help you avoid repeating my mistakes.

Bring This Stuff

Face wash & lotion – You might think you can get by with combined body/face wash, but once your eyes start stinging, you’ll thank me. Your skin condition will inevitably suffer in the outdoors over time, so stock up on mini hotel lotions when you can and shove a bunch in your bag.
Dry shampoo – Showers can be hard to come by and this stuff can make you feel a bit less greasy.
Makeup foundation – Your skin will likely break out and look like crap within a week. Although you’ll likely spend most your days makeup free, sometimes you just feel better glancing at an evener complexion in the mirror. Feel less silly about wearing it by bringing a foundation with SPF 15 or 30.
Floss and mouthwash – You might think flossing and swishing are a hassle, but with infrequent brushing, your teeth will get really nasty really quick. Without the distractions of television and abundant social plans, you’ll have more time to floss in the evenings, whether it’s in the campground bathroom or your car’s rear view mirror.
Prescription sunglasses – Contact lenses and living in the outdoors don’t mix very well. Your hands will often be dirty and your eyes will be stinging from blowing dust in the wind. Prescription sunglasses are expensive, but if your eyes suck and you spend a lot of time outdoors, they’re worth it.
Bandanas – Just get used to it…your hair isn’t going to look very good very often. My hair is naturally wavy, meaning it’s always frizzy when I’m living outdoors. My advice is to start a bandana collection. Not only do bandanas keep the hair out of your face, they also make you look hardcore and they’re a fun souvenir to seek out, especially at national parks.

Champlain Adult Campground, South Hero, Vermont

Leave This Stuff Behind

All hair tools – As hard as it is to leave the blow dryer at home, trust me…you won’t use it. If you’re serious about outdoor activity, your hair will usually be pulled back or tucked inside a hat of some sort. Outlets can be a sparse commodity in campgrounds, and the other campers will silently judge you for being vain.
Nail polish and remover – Before leaving on a long road trip, remove all of your fingernail and toenail polish. It will soon chip away and bother the crap out of you. I’ve never seen a travel-size bottle of nail polish remover, so save room in your bag and avoid potential acetone-soaked spills.
Eye makeup – It’s common knowledge that leaving eye makeup on when you sleep is a bad idea. You won’t have a nice sink to wash your face in if you’re backcountry camping, so skip the eye makeup and leave the remover at home too. Having long lashes on a hiking trail isn’t worth a nasty eye infection.

See, that’s not so bad! I even gave you twice as many things to take than things to leave behind just so you aren’t turned off by the idea of long-term camping!

But seriously, living in the outdoors for more than just a weekend here and there is a really rewarding experience that clues you in on things you didn’t even know about yourself (or your travel companion, for that matter). For example, I learned that I’m cool with camping until it hits twenty degrees. Once the mercury dips into the teens, I’m ready to check into a hotel. While my boyfriend is more okay with cold temperatures, he can’t stand a damp tent or temperatures over eighty-five degrees.

We all have our breaking points. But with the essential (not excessive) comforts of home, we can feel a little more prepared to tackle the challenges that bring us to closer to them.

Oh for Pete’s Sake, Put Down that iPhone!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by alyssa

Next time you visit your favorite park, notice how many people are trying to hike a trail (and not fall on their faces) while texting. Next time you travel to a beautiful vista point, notice how many people are frantically snapping iPhone pictures of the view rather than actually looking at it. Next time you’re camping, notice how many tents are illuminated by iPads playing Netflix episodes off the campground’s Wi-Fi. Technology has its place in the world, but that place is most certainly not in the outdoors.

I recently read an interesting article about a bunch of neuroscientists who were sent out to spend a week in southern Utah rafting the San Juan River, hiking tributary canyons, and camping along the way. Sounds like a rough gig, right? The whole point of this adventure was to investigate whether remote natural retreats can actually reverse the harmful effects of heavy technology use in the human body. The scientists had no cell reception, no outlets to plug in their laptops, and no distractions from the pure beauty overwhelming them from every direction.

Overuse of technology is so widely accepted these days that we look at people who don’t have smartphones like freaks of nature, instead of lovers of nature. We have become a culture of obsessive email checkers and arbitrary Facebook posters with a frantic need to be entertained every moment of the day. Unplugging is obviously more challenging for some people than others. If you’re a self-diagnosed technology junkie, your best bet it to travel off the grid so that nature makes the decision for you. Before you unplug, look up your voice and data provider’s coverage map and choose trip destinations as far away from the coverage as possible to avoid temptation.

Next time you stare into a roaring campfire, direct your mind away from the day’s events and turn it into a blank slate. Next time you sit on the pier and watch waves crash into the shore, relate the water’s fluidity to your own transient state from one life phase to the next. We adults are setting a really crappy example for the young whipper-snappers, who don’t even understand a life that doesn’t revolve around a LCD screen. It’s now or never, people.

So what did those guys in Utah conclude from their little adventure? Well for one, they confirmed that the drumbeat of data creates a false sense of urgency that affects our ability to focus. They also confirmed that the data takes up valuable brain memory that could be put to better use with creative endeavors that inspire original thought, rather than a regurgitated version of what someone else already came up with. So next time you go outdoors, leave your devices at home, take a breath of fresh air, and force yourself to look outside above and beyond yourself. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you, and it doesn’t take a neuroscientist to figure that out.

Stop Bear Hunting Cruelty in the Northeast

Posted on June 17, 2013 by alyssa

The state of Maine harbors some of the cruelest methods of hunting bears anywhere in the world. Hunters in the state favor a hunting method known as hounding, where a pack of dogs harasses a bear for miles until the exhausted bear seeks refuge in a tree. The hunters use GPS devices to track the dogs and shoot the bear off of the tree branch it is clinging onto. Dog-bear fights often ensue, resulting in the death of one or more of the animals, which are simply pawns in the hunting game.

Not only are the bears in Maine treated inhumanely, but the hunting dogs as well. Maine animal shelters have reported an increased number of bear hounds being dumped at their doors, after being subjected to improper veterinary care and nutrition. The Humane Society of the United States proposed a legislative act that would stop inhumane and unsporting methods of bear hunting. Since the legislature has failed to act, it is now up to the voters to decide the fate of the bear species.

Sign my petition to urge the government in Maine to reject voter suppression legislation that would keep the cruelty of bear hounding and baiting out of the public eye. We must protect our right to freedom of speech while also protecting the bear species from senseless destruction.

Photo credit: Cowgirl Jules via Flickr

Casual Judgements in Toronto

Posted on June 14, 2013 by alyssa

After spending a few days in Canada’s largest city, I couldn’t help but make some observations along the way. Here’s a few things that I found scribbled in a notebook from those days as I worked, played, and remained casually judgmental.

1. Biking is okay in Toronto, but not great.

Before even crossing into the city limits, I had the impression that Toronto was a bike-friendly city. With a permanent residence in Chicago, I had high expectations for the Canadian equivalent. I will say that a few areas around the city are great for biking…Toronto Island in particular after the ferry ride. However, a majority of the streets downtown don’t have bike lanes, so you have to squeeze between cars in heavy traffic. To save on hotel bills, I stayed in the semi-nearby Scarborough Township. Biking to the downtown area required either a bus-yellow line subway ride or a blue line-green line transfer subway ride, which became a pain in the ass after a couple days.

2. I’m a minority.

I see enough white people on a daily basis, so Toronto was refreshingly diverse. Never have I seen so many mixed-race couples and bi-racial kids running around in public parks.

3. You can smoke weed wherever you want.

A whiff here, a whiff there, a passing breeze to bring back cloudy memories of college days. Unless my nose steers me wrong, Toronto isn’t all that hung up on public use marijuana laws.

4. 90’s grunge isn’t dead.

If you lived out your adolescent years in the 90s you might feel right at home in Toronto. While biking the city streets, I saw a greater than average number of flannel shirts, baggy jeans, mohawks, and camouflage.

5. Folks are cool with being naked.

I had the pleasure of experiencing my first nude beach near Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island. There were a good number of fully nude dudes, a couple shirtless chicks, and a surprisingly un-weird vibe. This beach was incredibly peaceful, despite all the “stuff” hanging out.

6. Traffic is just as bad, or worse, than Chicago.

Since I live in a city, I typically don’t enjoy vacationing in a city…especially another one with similarly stressful traffic. Getting around the highways can be difficult when your GPS doesn’t understand where Canada is and your cell reception cuts off at the border.

7. People aren’t overly friendly, but cordial.

After my last road trip through Montana, I became accustomed to strangers being friendly to road trippers. Toronto struck a middle ground in this regard. Locals didn’t exactly go out of their way to say hello, but they weren’t assholes either. I met a guy named Walter who lived on Marcos Street and had an exquisite collection of gnomes in his yard. Naturally, I introduced myself. He was kind enough to let me snap some shots and even see the backyard collection.

8. The Scarborough Bluffs don’t exist.

I read about the Scarborough Bluffs on Trip Advisor and thought it’d be a cool place to check out for some cliff-side biking. I found that the bluffs (if they do happen to exist) are pretty inaccessible by bike. After some dead ends and treacherous roads, I didn’t even catch a glimpse of any jagged peaks.

9. Shit’s expensive.

Just when you thought things were expensive back at home, Canada gives you a swift slap in the face. A one-way bus ride cost me $4.35, a mediocre six-pack of beer costs me around $13, and if I could figure out the metric system I’d tell you what an exorbitant rate I paid for gas.

Those are the nine random things that I’ll probably remember most about being in Toronto? I can’t say that I felt at home there and I’m not sure if I’ll be back anytime soon, but it definitely was an interesting place that was fun to spend a few days in.

Road Tripping with the ‘Check Engine’ Light On

Posted on June 11, 2013 by alyssa

Today marks Day #4 of our second workcation. We started calling this trip “The Vermainshire Workcation,” but then we ended up in Canada and name combinations just became too confusing.

I write today from a dorm-like motel in Scarborough, on the outskirts of Toronto, as I knock out some projects to pay for the days ahead. Things are going smoothly so far, but they didn’t start out that way.

On Saturday morning at 7am, we stuffed the Jeep full of seemingly useful crap, attached a couple bikes, and secured the hitch rack cargo bag. About an hour into our drive, my Jeep (who goes by “Chief Surfs with Manatees, if you were unaware) dinged a foreboding ding.

The dreaded “check engine” light was shining brightly back at me from the dash, mocking me.

A debate of the options ensued, and we considered driving back to Chicago to get it taken care of. We settled on pulling over in Michigan City, Indiana to take Chief to the automobile emergency room.

We first attempted to buy a scanner to diagnose the problem at an Advanced Auto Parts. The dude there was kind enough to scan Chief with the company scanner for free, which saved us at least fifty bucks. Woot! The diagnosis indicated an EGR (exhaust gas re-circulation) issue, and while a treatment plan couldn’t be determined from that, it was clear we needed some professional help.

A crap-hole shop called Apex Auto Care advised they couldn’t even diagnose Chief, let alone fix him because he was “too new”. Apparently, all the cars they service are from 2009 or older, which is weird and lame.

Fortunately, another shop, Chris’ Car Care, ran a $45 test and told us that the EGR valve sensor had been set off, but that no immediate fix was needed. Even after explaining that I needed this Jeep to get me to Maine, the dude reassured me that it would drive just fine. I can’t say I understand his explanation very well, but I guess I am apprehensively relieved. Fingers crossed!

We’ve made it to Toronto so far and have been hanging out in and around the city, which reminds me of Chicago but nicer, greener, friendlier, and equally expensive. Stay tuned for future blog posts about our adventures, which will hopefully be about fun things rather than Jeep drama.

Posts about biking Toronto Island and the Bellwoods Brewery are coming up next! I’m also creating a road trip poetry book that will feature haikus, limericks, and other forms of random poetry that I decide to Google and learn how to write.

Happy trails!

Alyssa v. Nature

Where the nature outside collides with the nature inside