Molson Indy

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  Exhibition Place
Date: July 2003
Website:  www.hondaindytoronto.com

   Once again engines will roar down by the lake!  The Honda Indy 2016 will take over the Exhibition Place grounds from July 15 to 17.  Back in 2003 when we attended the event it was still sponsored by Molson "Don't drink and drive" Brewery.

  The barriers and grandstands have already been put into place well before event weekend.  We took the photo above near Lakeshore Blvd. and Newfoundland Drive.  Exhibition Place has a street named after each of Canada's provinces and territories except for one.  There is no street representing the Northwest Territories.  Perhaps Northwest Street was deemed too confusing for drivers?  When the racing weekend finally arrives if you are on any street near the Exhibition grounds you will hear it. 

  We were lucky enough to have seats right behind the pit lane.  This gave us a front row seat to watch the pit crews in action.  They perform a well choreographed routine when their driver pulls in.  Tires are removed and changed and both the car and driver get some much needed refueling.  Every second counts until the driver is back out on the race track.

  The cars raced past us at average speeds of around 100 miles per hour.  We took lots of photos and we had to time it just right in order to catch a vehicle in our shot.  You could hear the noise of a vehicle as it changed gears and came around the bend and then roared ahead as it entered the straightaway.

  The only time it was easier to film the Indy cars was when there was a caution on the track and the pace car was released to lead the vehicles.  The Indy cars are actually Champ Cars that get their name from the most famous race, the Indianapolis 500.

  The 2003 race was won by Paul Tracy from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
 

  Over the course of the day we also witnessed a CASCAR stock car race.  CASCAR stands for the Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.  Their pit crews must roll out the equipment and set up on the pavement in front of the Indy car pit lane.  That race was followed by a Formula 1600 race.  Eventually the race day had to come to an end and the engines fell silent.

 You can drive through the Exhibition grounds yourself while the barriers are still in place and pretend you are on your victory lap.  Keep in mind that while race car drivers are paid to push their cars to the limit, the rest of us will have to pay if we don't obey the traffic laws.

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Map of Our World
Molson Indy (Honda Indy)

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Post # 122

Confederation Bridge

Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Address: Confederation Bridge
Date: July 2006
Website:  www.confederationbridge.com

  If you wanted to bring a car to Prince Edward Island you used to have no choice but to do it by boat.  In May 1997 the Confederation Bridge opened and allowed people to drive across to the island.  The good news is that if you wish to visit Canada's smallest province it is free to drive across.  The bad news is that you will have to pay if you ever want to leave again.

  The bridge took about three and a half years to build.  It spans 13 kilometres over the Northumberland Strait.  It starts in the province of New Brunswick and ends in PEI.  When we last checked, the toll was about $50 per vehicle to leave PEI again.

  Another option for leaving Prince Edward Island is to take the ferry.  We chose this option.  The ferry will cost you as well so don't think you are getting away without paying your fair share.  As our trip was taking us further east this option made the most sense.  We drove from Shediac, New Brunswick to Cavendish, PEI.  After a few days visit we headed east again to Wood Islands, PEI where we caught the ferry to Caribou, Nova Scotia.  It was then eastern bound once more to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

  We had crossed the Confederation Bridge in a downpour and the rain stayed with us while we were on the island.  Despite the grey skies, our ferry trip allowed us to get up on the deck and finally get some fresh sea air.   The mud in PEI is red due to its high iron-oxide content.  Our ferry set sail and we left the red mud of Prince Edward Island behind.  We vowed to return when the sun was shining to check out this province once again.  Hey,  it wouldn't even cost us anything to drive over there.

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Map of Our World
Confederation Bridge
Wood Islands to Caribou Ferry

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Post # 121

Statue Of Liberty (Splash)

Location: New York, New York, USA
Address: Liberty Island
Date: Jan 2009
Website:  www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm

In the movie Splash, Daryl Hannah plays a mermaid who goes by the name of Madison.  Tom Hanks is Allen Bauer who was saved by a mermaid after falling out of a boat when he was a boy.  Years later Allen has another boating accident and is saved once again.  The mermaid finds his wallet and decides to travel to New York in order to locate him. 

When a mermaid is on land she has legs like a human, but when she enters the water her tail returns so she can swim away.  Madison arrives in New York on Liberty Island.  She climbs over the railing like the one in the first picture above and walks past a sign like the one in the bottom left corner of the second picture.  As she walks across the grass with the skyline of Manhattan in the background she causes quite a commotion.

  It seems that even though mermaids have legs when on land, they do not instantly become clothed.  As a result Madison appears naked on the island.  The movie Splash was actually the first Disney film geared towards adults under the name Touchstone Films.

  Madison is quickly ushered inside through the doors on the front right of Lady Liberty and away from the crowds.  She is then escorted by police boat from the island wearing an extra long "I Love New York" t-shirt.  This is one way to possibly get a free souvenir that we were unwilling to try.

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Map of Our World
Statue of Liberty (Splash)

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Post # 120