Ghyslain tells us about his trip

Ghyslain tells us about his trip

Here is a travel summary from an iGoutte micro-trailer owner:

“We left on July 23 and returned on August 24 (of the same year, 2017)—a 31-day trip full of little joys and unexpected surprises.
We covered between 10,000 and 11,000 kilometers.

Here’s the 1^er iGoutte effect:
It’s Sunday, July 23, and it’s 3:00 p.m. I have to leave tomorrow morning, but all my gear is ready. So I say to my partner: “Do you know why I’d wait until tomorrow? I don’t need a reservation anyway—I have my iGoutte!” And that’s how my trip begins at 4:30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon.

If you’re up for it, grab a map and a marker—with the names of the places—and you can experience some of the fun I had.

From Saguenay, head toward Chibougamau, Val-d’Or, and northern Ontario via Kirkland Lake, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, and Hearst. (It’s almost 10 times the size of the Laurentians region.)
I’ll pass through Manitoba (Winnipeg) and enter the United States at the Emerson/North Dakota border
(very nice campground, by the way). Note: since I was traveling alone, I decided to use campgrounds as often as possible, for convenience and safety. You never know what dangers might be lurking for a young man like me.

In the U.S., I crossed North and South Dakota, hit the famous Route 66, all the way to Fargo, then entered Minnesota and headed to Minneapolis. I headed to Wisconsin via St. Paul and went to New Lisbon (I spent 6 days there, because the whole Quebec family got together to celebrate my sister-in-law. Oh, I mean, my sister-in-law…and my wife will be there…yes).

Since it was only August 13 (still the same year), I decided to change my itinerary. So I headed north from New Lisbon toward Mackinaw City, driving along the shores of Lake Michigan. In Mackinaw, I had a choice between two directions: Sault Ste. Marie or Detroit. What do you think I did? My head said north and my heart said south. And yes, my heart won—it always does—and off I went toward Detroit. But my heart found the road boring, so I decided to head south along Lake Huron. And from there, I treated myself to a real feast of asphalt

Since it was only August 13 (still the same year), I decided to change my itinerary. So I headed north from New Lisbon toward Mackinaw City, driving along the shores of Lake Michigan. In Mackinaw, I had a choice between two directions: Sault Ste. Marie or Detroit. Which do you think I chose? My head said north, and my heart said south. And yes, my heart won—it always does—and off I went toward Detroit. But my heart found the road boring, so I decided to head south along Lake Huron. And from there, I treat myself to a real asphalt feast on my Goldwing at 80 mph with my iGoutte: Roger City, Alpena, Saginaw, etc. In my euphoria, I skip Detroit and keep heading south; I’m going to meet Ann—Ann Arbor—she lives not far from Plymouth, near Toledo. Well, I head back north along the shores of Lake Erie, visiting Cleveland and Buffalo on my way to Maine. Past Buffalo, I want to see the American side of Niagara Falls, but since there’s a lot of roadwork, my GPS gets lost, and I find myself standing at attention in front of… a Canadian customs officer. I say to him, “Finally, we’re going to speak French.” He replies, “I’ll try to help you.” Phew…

So, Maine is out of the picture, and here I am heading to Toronto. An unexpected turn of events that changes the itinerary again, but it works out well—I only have $20 USD left.
To make a long story short, I visited family in Mont St-Grégoire and Lac Beauport before heading home.

A few little iGoutte moments:

-Setting off without reservations for a 30-day trip;

-Multiple changes to daily plans;

-Unplanned visits to various places, sometimes intentional, sometimes truly unexpected, like the day I found myself on gravel roads in the middle of wheat fields in Manitoba. I had set my GPS to “shortest route”—I wanted to see what that would lead to. Result: a lot of dust…

– Oh yeah, the rain… when it really, really pours, you have to adapt, and I adapted. Leaving Lac Beauport heading toward Saguenay, I stopped at a truck weigh station. Soaked to the bone, naked as a jaybird in my iGoutte, I changed into dry clothes—thank goodness the truck weigh station was closed that day… Well, I set off again, and once back at L’Étape, I had to stop; it was 8:00 p.m. and it was raining way too hard. I adjust my plans without any trouble: dinner at L’Étape and a night at this wonderful campsite (the background noise is free for the night: the damn trucks, they’re going all night long, but hey, at least I’m dry in my tent).

– I met a lot of nice people. People asked me lots of questions and gave me lots of compliments on my Hall Fit. One guy even waved me over at a traffic light in Rouyn-Noranda. After chatting for half an hour, I gave him one of your business cards and told him the trip to Larouche was worth it—maybe you’ve met him?

– On a more practical note, significant savings on gas, lodging, and dining. (I met some Quebec bikers who told me they turned back before reaching British Columbia because the cheapest room they could find for the four of them was $400 a night. Imagine the little smirk on my face when I set off again with my Hall Fit.

And 30 days of freedom and pure, total bliss.

Thank you so much, Sylvie and Rémi—you’re doing an excellent job!

Thank you, Sylvie, for your openness in accepting the first ^rental of an iGoutte, and thank you, Rémi, for finding a solution to my need for ceiling lighting and a second ^door. The interior cabinet that you let me build myself meets my expectations perfectly, and I’ll be able to modify it if my needs or dreams change.

And since I’m not superstitious, I’m happy to have bought the 13^th…

I’m attaching a few photos and am already dreaming of next year for my 65^th birthday gift.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP AND LONG LIVE FREEDOM!

P.S.: When are we getting an iGoutte À LA VIE club?

Bye!
Ghyslain »

Written and narrated by Ghyslain Côté