So, what’s next?
Sometime between 1840 and 1853, William James Robertson left the village of Old Machar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where he was born and crossed the Atlantic landing in Detroit, Michigan. His ultimate destination was Quebec in Canada East.
Over the next few decades, the family spread out, some remaining in the Argenteuil and Grenville districts of Quebec, while others settled in Sault St. Marie in Southern Ontario. By the time of my father’s birth in 1908 almost all the family were now in Sault St. Marie, Ontario.
The family of my in-laws also have some roots in Canada, but this time around Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. So why not go and visit all these places in one journey?
But wait…. If I am going to go that far, then why not complete the Trans Canda Highway all the way to St. John’s Newfoundland? After all, that will only add 2,305 kilometers to the journey for a total of 7,343 one way – not much more than the total journey I just finished. Crazy? Maybe not:
- “Normal” temperatures the whole way
- Paved fast road the whole way – Not a Dempster Highway in sight!
- Won’t need to take half the equipment I had to take on the last journey
- Less distance between gas stations
- Less distance between somewhere to get a meal
- Probably won’t wreck any wheels in the process
- Chance of meeting more than 3 Scots
- Get to visit lots of relatives on the way, even if they are all dead
- Will keep me out of trouble at home because I won’t be at home
When to leave? Well, this year I set off on the mainland on my birthday, May 1st, so let’s get a tradition going and leave the same day in 2024.