New York/Quebec December 2004

This trip can be summed up in one sentence: The most unexpected, unplanned, insane trip we have ever taken.

Wayne has a cousin, Cody Vaughan, who had a 1966 bronco that had died here in South Dakota. Well, one day Cody came to retrieve his bronco. His love for the bronco prompted him to plan to tow it from South Dakota to New York. His towing vehicle, however, was a 1976 Station Wagon.

For some reason (which no one can recall) Wayne and I decided that this was our ticket to an impromptu trip. We would drive our pickup out to New York, and pull both vehicles on my dad's 40 foot trailer. It would be fun - quality time with cousin Cody, and see a little of the country.

We would take I 90 all the way to New York, stopping periodically to eat and sleep. About 10 miles into our trip, someone flagged us down and told us the brakes on the trailer were smoking. After considering our options for a mere 30 seconds, the brakes were snipped and off we went. Having no trailer brakes is dangerous, not to mention illegal, and there was no guarantee of clear roads in the middle of December.
We left Sioux Falls at about 6 pm on a Sunday. We stopped for gas somewhere in Minnesota, where we realized that the station wagon was literally hanging 6 inches from the pavement. More chains were bought and the wagon was again tied down.
Since we were 'tough' and had little money, hotels were out of the question. Our first stop at a rest area to sleep did not go well. After a couple of hours of trying to sleep in the sub-zero temperatures, we gave up and hit the road again. The next 26 hours were a cycle of getting gas, food, and Pepsi's, driving, and stopping for bathroom breaks. Wayne picks on me now because I slept about 20 of those hours. I can't deny it, I was in the back seat of the pickup, curled up on the floor dreaming.
We arrived at the Vaughan's in New York at 4 AM Tuesday. We spent some time at the Vaughan's and then drove around the area. Wayne showed me the houses he lived in as a kid.

We drove north to Quebec and spent a few days with the Pibuses, friends of Wayne's family. After that we drove south to Newport, Vermont. That is where we met Gilbert.
Gilbert was a police officer that pulled us over in Newport. I had been taking pictures, as we were driving through the town. Gilbert inched up to the window with one hand at his holster and started stuttering, "Uh, h-hi there. I need to see some, s-some, ahh, ahh, documentation."
Wayne - "Drivers license, registration, insurance?"
Gilbert - "Yes"
Wayne - Gives Gilbert papers
Gilbert - "Is that a police scanner?" {points to our little CB radio}
Wayne - "{raises eyes} No, it's a CB radio"
Gilbert - "What were you taking pictures of?"
Wayne - "Ah, the pretty churches and stuff in your town, Why?" {Wayne is starting to get very cranky}
Gilbert - "That's a suspicious activity." {Goes to his car}
Gilbert - {comes back with ticket} "Here's your ticket, your license plates have expired."
Wayne - {losing all pretense of politeness} "Why did you pull me over?"
Gilbert - "Ahh, Ahh, you were going 2 to 3 miles per hour over the limit and you failed to use your flash indicator."
Wayne - {Did he just say FLASH INDICATOR?} "Then WHY didn't you give me a ticket for that?"
Gilbert - "Ahh, you were taking pictures and that is a suspicious activity."
After a bit more futile communication, Wayne does a burn-out and off we go.
Wayne and I drove home without any further excitement. We were glad to be home safe after one crazy trip.

Reflections
Likes: Visiting friends and family, eating Poutine in Quebec. (Poutine is french fries smothered in cheese curds & gravy, delicious!)
Dislikes: No trailer brakes, the $300 traffic ticket, and a very long drive.
Regrets: Not using our brains.
Ease of travel on 1-10 scale (1=easy, 10=hard): 2
Would we go back? y/n Yes - Wayne wants to take me to visit the Adirondacks in Northern New York and see the state in the summer.

More Pictures of the New York/Quebec trip: Webshots