Day: Jul 30, 2013

I SPENT A COUPLE OF DAYS IN SMALL TOWNS ON THE SHORE OF LAKE HURON – PORT SANILAC & LEXINGTON.

I THOUGHT THIS CHURCH IN LEXINGTON WAS QUITE NICE

Found a nice bar with some live music and a great choice of beers – so I ordered a sampler and then a trio to take back to the motel

SUNDAY 28TH, I RODE ACROSS THE BLUE WATER BRIDGE AND DOWN THE 401 AND 403 TO HAMILTON.

I HAD BOOKED A ROOM AT THE SUPER 8 JUST OUTSIDE HAMILTON AIRPORT – OH IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER BEING ABLE TO FLY TO & FROM THERE BEFORE THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN MEANT THEY CUT BACK ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS.

SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING, I WENT THROUGH A FEW TECHNOLOGICAL FRUSTRATIONS. FIRSTLY, ON SETTING UP THE COMPUTER, I FOUND THERE WAS NO WIFI SIGNAL, SO I WENT TO RECEPTION AND WAS TOLD, YES, A STORM WENT THROUGH A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO AND IT SOMEHOW KILLED THE WIFI. A REPAIRMAN WAS SUPPOSEDLY ON THE WAY, BUT THEN AGAIN, HE SHOULD HAVE ARRIVED ON THE SATURDAY AND HADN’T. AND IT ISN’T LIKELY HE WILL TURN UP ON A SUNDAY….

AH WELL, AT LEAST I HAVE THE TRACFONE……………WELL…….UNTIL I CHECKED IT; NO SERVICE….

GREAT, I HAD JUST PUT 120 UNITS ON IT FOR MY FINAL DAYS IN CANADA. SO I GOT ON THE BIKE AND WENT TO WALMART TO SEE IF THEY COULD DO ANYTHING; NO, APPARENTLY TRACFONE WAS ONLY A USA COMPANY. WALMART CANADA SELLS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PHONE. I DECLINED THE OFFER OF A CANADIAN PHONE AND BOUGHT AN INTERNATIONAL PHONE CARD INSTEAD.

BACK TO THE MOTEL AND TRIED TO CALL TRACFONE USA TO SEE IF MY PHONE COULD SOMEHOW BE SET TO ROAM IN CANADA.

THE BLOODY PHONE CARD WOULDN’T ALLOW THE CALL TO TRACFONE’S USA: 1-800, NUMBER AND THERE WERE NO OTHER NUMBERS AVAILABLE.

ANYWAY I DECIDED TO PHONE CHRISTINE, AND LET HER KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON…………ONLY TO FIND HER LINE ENGAGED.

BY THEN I WAS A BIT MIFFED WITH THE WHOLE SITUATION, SO I SLAMMED THE PHONE DOWN AND WENT TO THE BAR WHERE I ORDERED SOUP OF THE DAY, AND NACHOS WITH CHILLI, AND OBVIOUSLY A PINT OF IRISH RED WHILE I WAITED.
THE SOUP CAME IN A LARGER BOWL THAN I EXPECTED AND THE NACHOS WOULD HAVE FED 5.

I DID MY BEST, BUT NO WAY COULD I EAT ALL THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, NACHOS, ONCE DOUSED IN SOUR CREAM & SALSA, ALONG WITH THE LETTUCE ETC, DO NOT DO VERY WELL IN A FRIDGE OVERNIGHT.

I SAW THESE TWO STRANGE MOTORIZED BIKES, OUTSIDE THE BAR

UNFORTUNATELY I NEVER FOUND OUT WHO WAS USING THEM SO I DIDN’T GET ANY INFO. BUT, WHEN CHRISTINE SAW THEM – SHE WENT ON A HUNT AS SHE FANCIES ONE. http://www.motorizedbicycle.ca/

WITH LUNCH OVER & DONE WITH, I WALKED THE COUPLE OF HUNDRED YARDS TO THE TOWN LIBRARY. NOT TO SEE IF IT WAS OPEN, BUT TO SEE WHEN IT OPENED NEXT DAY, MONDAY. 1400 – 1700.

WELL MONDAY MORNING CAME & WENT, THEN AROUND 1300, THE WIFI PEOPLE TURNED UP, AND SET TO WORK. MEANWHILE, I TOOK THE NOTEBOOK TO THE LIBRARY, TO SEE IF I COULD GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TRACFONE PEOPLE.
FIRST YOU HAVE TO FILL IN ALL KINDS OF JUNK, BEFORE YOU GET ACCEPTED, THEN YOU HAVE TO CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR THE ACTIVATION LINK…………THEN WHEN YOU GET THAT DONE, THERE IS NOTHING ON THE FIXED MENU THAT GIVES YOU THE OPTION OF TALKING TO ANYONE…………..
SO YOU HAVE TO GO ON THE FORUM…………….. WELL TO GET ON THE FORUM, THE STUFF YOU JUST FILLED IN, IS ALL SEPARATE, SO NOW ,YOU HAVE TO FILL IN YET ANOTHER SET OF DETAILS, JUST LIKE BEFORE……………
FINALLY, HAVING AGAIN CLICKED ON ANOTHER ACCEPTANCE LINK. YOU GET TO WRITE THE ACTUAL QUESTION, ‘HOW DO I ACTIVATE MY TRACFONE FOR ROAMING USE IN CANADA…………..’
GREAT, FINALLY, NOW PRESS SUBMIT, AND THAT’S DONE…………………….
IS IT BUGGER !!! NOW YOU GET A MESSAGE SAYING “AS THIS IS YOUR FIRST POST, IT WILL BE CHECKED BY A MODERATOR, PRIOR TO POSTING
ON THE FORUM YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED WHEN YOUR POST HAS BEEN APPROVED”

HOWEVER, ON A POSITIVE NOTE, LATER IN THE DAY, THEY GOT THE MOTEL WIFI UP AND RUNNING AGAIN

TODAY, ONCE I GET SORTED, I WILL GO AND DO THE STORAGE PAPERWORK, THEN TAKE A RIDE AROUND & SEE IF THERE ARE ANY GOOD PICCYS TO BE HAD.
TAKE CARE OUT THERE

WELL, I RODE TO PORT DOVER SO HERE’S A FEW PHOTOS FROM TODAY