Acoustic storyteller Dan Schaumann returns with his latest musical release, I Wish I Lived In Canada, available on all major streaming platforms. Having cut his musical teeth on the sidewalks and bars of Townsville and Brisbane, Dan followed his heart to the UK and later to Canada where he’s resided since 2013. From lost love to found feet, toppled dreams to open doors, Dan’s attitude to life is as infectious as the songs he draws from it. His artistic creations speak of an extraordinary journey into the experiences of a contemporary traveler.

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In September 2025 I went on a 700km+ road trip to see the quirky West Australian sights of the Corrigin Dog Cemetery, Statues Lake, the Wave Rock, the Mile Of Boots and the historic town of York.

I was originally planning to spend the weekend in Perth but with the miserable, rainy weather in mind, I opted instead to take a long drive. It was a tough choice between north, south or east of Perth, but a chance finding of the Corrigin Dog Cemetery on Google Maps set my eastern itinerary on the #1 spot.

The original burial at this site was Strike, beloved pup of Paddy Wright, who in 1974, likely had no clue how influential this choice of resting spot would become in the years that followed. Seven years later in 1981, Alan Henderson buried his faithful old Lassie adjacent to Strike. Lassie’s burial and headstone sparked some local interest, and Henderson became the unofficial janitor of what was fast becoming a place to memorialise Corrigin’s dearly departed doggies.

Hundreds of Corrigin canine companions have been laid to rest here, and it’s now a tourist attraction of its own.

A collection of the graves
The grave of Strike, the first pup to be buried at this site
Andy’s resting place

After my visit to the Cemetery, I took the 4km Corrigin Wildflower Drive before stopping briefly at the town centre for a stroll down the main street and a meal at the local roadhouse. Being a Sunday, most of the town was closed, but it certainly presented itself as a peaceful and tidy town.

I headed next towards the town of Hyden, famous for its nearby Wave Rock, but along the way I chanced upon a salty outback waterhole known as Statues Lake, just outside Kondinin (population: 31). It was an unexpectedly eerie place to walk around; the four statues by its shore represented the coming of rain, inspecting crops, land clearing and shearing.

Off to the Wave Rock now, and wow – this place was absolutely majestic. It was worth the road trip for this attraction alone.

Wave Rock – which is only part of the overall Hyden Rock – is a 15 metre tall, 110 metre wide piece of granite rock shaped much like a wave, thanks to millions of years worth of gradual erosion. It’s a unique and spectacular sight to behold, as was the view from the summit of the rock, accessible by a steep and slippery (but achievable) walk on the far western end of the wave.

I count myself lucky to have been here on a rainy day – I don’t suppose it’s very common to see an actual wave on the Wave Rock.

 

Before heading back to the car I took the circuit trail on the eastern end of the rock to see a formation known as Hippo’s Yawn. I needn’t have thought too deeply about the meaning behind its name, because it turned out to be exactly as it’s described:

It was around this time, while scrolling through Google Maps for more interesting sights in the local vicinity, that I stumbled upon a mysterious landmark known as Mile Of Boots. It was 77km away, and I figured I’m probably only going to be out this way once in my life, so I extended my journey to check it out for myself.

Similarly to the self-descriptive Hippo’s Yawn, the Mile Of Boots was indeed as it was described: a literal mile’s worth of boots strung up along a fence.

I’ve since discovered this was the brainchild of Ross & Helen Fidge, who started this collection along the side of Mt Walker Road, just outside Narembeen, as a humorous sight for tourists passing by. Indeed I got a laugh out of it and walked the entire distance of boots while measuring it with the GPS on my watch. Admittedly, it only turned out to be 0.71 miles of boots, but it’s close enough!

Finally, along the lengthy drive back to Perth, I stopped at the historic town of York for dinner at the Imperial Homestead. I wish I’d had more time to spend here because my brief walk along the main street suggested this was a charming and quaint little town, featuring heritage architecture that is becoming rarer to find by the year.

I’d really recommend checking out this section of Western Australia if you ever find yourself in Perth and yearning a 1-2 day road trip. I did it in a single day but if I had my time again I’d split it across two days to allow more time to digest the sights.

If you enjoyed reading this blog and you haven’t already watched my accompanying video, please check it out here on YouTube!

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Check out my video about this fantastic adventure!

In August 2024 I embarked upon the longest one-day biking challenge I’ve ever done – a 200km trip from Montréal, QC to Ottawa, ON!

Previously, the longest one-day cycle I’d achieved was 164km. It had been on my cards to attempt the double century for a while, and I had my eyes firmly set on the route from my current home in Quebec’s largest city to the nation’s capital in the neighbouring province.

Armed with a pannier of essentials, a bottle of water, my Go Pro and a rough route I’d devised on Google Maps, I set off at 4am, the morning after Montréal had suffered from a rough wind storm and downpour. Despite the day’s forecast appearing sunny, the city roads remained damp and puddled in the pre-dawn; the Lachine Canal bike path bearing the brunt of fallen branches, and indeed, an entire tree blocking the way.

I’m lucky I saw the tree and broke in time… this could have been a nasty accident.

I was familiar with the approximately 40km route off Montréal Island, having made the ride a couple of dozen times in the past, but I’d certainly never cycled it so early. By the time I crossed the Sainte-Anne bridge onto L’Île-Perrot, the sun had well & truly come out of hiding. Heading north towards the suburb of Vaudreuil-Dorion, I found myself in new cycling territory which I was eager to explore.

The stunning morning view of the Lake of Two Mountains.
A serene field I passed just outside the town of Hudson, QC.

Stopping briefly in the quaint town of Hudson, QC, it was still too early for any cafés to be open. I hungrily continued along Rue Main and Chemin de l’Anse to the next major town of Rigaud, where I downed a hearty breakfast at Chez 4’s.

According to Google Maps, Rigaud was where I’d finally be able to exit the road and get myself onto a dedicated rail corridor-turned bike trail, which would take me almost all the way to Ottawa. This was the section of the ride I was looking forward to the most. Every rail trail I’d cycled in Ontario over the years had been a fantastic experience, and I expected no less from this one.

The beginning of the trail at Rigaud on an old railway bridge – or so I thought!

Unfortunately, I soon realized something wasn’t quite right. In the space of a few hundred metres, the trail shifted from railway bridge to gravel to thick, puddly sludge, ultimately leading me to an overgrown dead end. Referring back to my navigation source in a state of confusion, I was confident I was on the right track, but perhaps this section of the trail just wasn’t open at the moment, or not properly maintained at this time of year?

Challenging times navigating the trail at Rigaud.

Some googling eventually led me onto the website of the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail, which I wish I’d discovered before my journey began. Apparently the trail I was looking for didn’t start until the town of St-Eugène, about 10km west of Rigaud, just past the Ontario border. With this newfound information in mind, I pedalled my muddy bike back onto the regional road and into the slow but peaceful St-Eugène. Here I found the true beginning of this fabulous path.

*Note: I’ve since heard from Eric Collard, Executive Director of the Prescott-Russell Trail, who told me that – all going well – the trail from Rigaud to St-Eugène should be paved by spring 2025!

The beginning of my trail experience, just outside St-Eugène.

From here on, I was in cycling heaven. The skies had turned perfectly blue, the wind had died down and the temperature hovered around a comfortable 27ºC. The trail was in very good condition – mostly hard-packed gravel, with occasional paved sections – and I was impressed by the shelters (including toilets, maps and picnic tables) dotted along the path every 15-20 kilometres. I wish these kinds of facilities existed along all long-distance bike trails.

The Vankleek Hill Pavilion.
Does a bike ride get much more stunning than this?

Along the the trail, I happened to pass a tiny grass snake sunning himself on the pebbles (nothing to be frightened of – I was impressed to see such wildlife!), bridges over gorgeous creeks and tributaries, the site of the historic Caledonia Springs train station, old railway infrastructure, countless farmyards, fields, cows, trailside lakes, scores of happy fellow cyclists & pedestrians, and I stopped briefly in the town of Plantagenet to pick up an energy boost at the local convenience store.

A section of actual railway along the rail trail.
Caledonia Springs Station, the site of a prestigious spa that tourists would flock to in the early 20th century.
It was tempting to take a dip in this creek.

The route continued southwest out of Plantagenet, through the towns of Bourget and Hammond. I stopped briefly in Hammond to celebrate my 165th kilometre – from here on, it was the furthest distance I’d travelled in a day by bike.

Hammond signified the end of the 72km Prescott-Russell trail and the beginning of the next trail which led me to Orleans, just outside Ottawa. After an impressive 85km total of dedicated bike trail, I made a right onto Anderson road and revelled in the fact that I was entering suburbia again, barely a dozen kilometres from my destination.

Power lines! Getting closer to civilization.
The outskirts of Ottawa.

Finally, after 205 kilometres, 686 metres climbed, nearly 12 hours of riding time, and over 14 hours of elapsed time, I arrived at Parliament Hill, Ottawa! You can’t believe how exhausted yet enraptured I was to finally complete this challenge, in front of one of the most recognizable buildings in the country. What a day!

I made it to Parliament Hill!

Altogether it was a wonderful bike trip which I’d wholeheartedly recommend to any cyclist who feels like they have 200km in them. If the whole city-to-city distance isn’t your cup of tea, you could cut the route short by taking the Exo Train between Hudson & Montreal, or you could simply do a section of the trail by bike or on foot – there are many carparks along the way that offer easy access.

For more information about the trail itself, including maps, activities, accommodations and restaurant ideas, be sure to visit the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail official website.

And for more sights, sounds and stories about this adventure – including the ridiculous drama I faced the next day driving back to Montréal – please check out the video I published on YouTube.

For those who are interested, you can see the full route I took at Strava or download the GPX.

The Strava route.

Happy cycling, and let me know in the comments below if you do this trip!

Maybe I’ll take on 300km next year?

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Way back in 1998, at the youthful age of 14, I heard a song on CMT, the chorus of which embedded deeply into my memory. The words, as I remember, still ring clear to me today:

Love is like a cane fire
Your love is like a cane fire at night
Love it like a cane fire
Sugar burning, sugar burning

Unfortunately I didn’t catch any details of the band, but I figured it wouldn’t be so difficult to track down. Boy… how wrong could I have been? I never imagined it would lead me on a 25 year-long quest.

Finally, after two and a half decades of repeated googling, asking radio stations, flicking through countless CD’s at record stores, searching all over the web in online forms and social media, I managed to track it down!

This is the story of how I was reunited with Cane Fire by Strum. Written by Timo Tolvanen (a.k.a. Tim Withano), and produced by Glenn Heaton, it was released in 1997 on Strum’s EP, Distant Rain.

I hope you enjoy Cane Fire as much as I do.

You can find more info about Tim Withano here:

Tim’s Website
Spotify
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram

And thanks also to Daimon Martin for the footage of the cane fire! Find him around the web here:

Instagram
TikTok

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On November 11th, 2023, I went on the 2.5 hour journey from Montréal to St Johnsbury, Vermont, to visit the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain.

I’d heard about it recently via an article at Atlas Obscura. It’s a shrine atop a small hill, built in 2000 by Stephen Huneck, who was involved in a near-death experience in the mid-90’s. During his recovery he thought long and hard about the rituals surrounding death: why did we put so much importance in funeral ceremonies for humans, but not as much in similar ceremonies for our dearly departed furry friends? From these humble reflections he devised the idea of the Dog Chapel. Over the course of three years and with thanks to a generous donation from a local dog-loving couple, he built the chapel adjacent to his art gallery on his farm, Dog Mountain, in the Vermont countryside.

Huneck opened his property to the public, inviting anyone who had lost a pet to leave a photo on the chapel walls in their memory, and allowing anyone with a pup to enjoy the serenity of the mountain, free from leashes. Dogs of all creeds and breeds are welcome here! Sadly, Huneck took his own life in 2010, and his beloved wife Gwendolyn died three years afterwards, but his legacy lives on through the Friends Of Dog Mountain non-profit organization. Dog Mountain remains a staple New England attraction today.

In April 2023, my parent’s beloved English Staffy, Coco, passed the rainbow bridge after a long and joyful 14 years & four months with us on this planet. As soon as I heard about the Dog Chapel, I knew I had to pay a visit in tribute to our dear Coco.

So that’s exactly what I did, and I took some pics and video along the way to share with you:

The Dog Chapel, atop Stephen Huneck’s Dog Mountain
The pic I left on the walls of the chapel of our dear Coco
I added some photos to the album as well
Can you spot the imposters?!
Coco Tam, 2009-2023. We miss you!

Dog Mountain can be found at:

143 Parks Rd
Saint Johnsbury, VT 05819

For more details and opening hours, go to https://www.dogmt.com/

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I matched the postcodes of the Townsville region with the vegetables linked to their corresponding price lookup codes and made a soup out of it!

Townsville, North Queensland, is my home town, but these days I live on the other side of the world in Canada – the chilly city of Montréal, to be specific. I miss the warmth of my home town quite a lot, to the point that sometimes I embark on silly but adventurous little projects to help bring Townsville a little closer to me. For example, a few years ago, I rode my bike 200km through Ontario, from Toronto to Brantford and back, just to visit Townsville Court, a small street in a suburban neighbourhood:

More recently, I had an idea to match the postcodes of the Townsville region with the vegetables linked to their corresponding price lookup codes, and make a soup out of it.

What exactly did this entail? Well, firstly, let’s talk of Australian postcodes. All postcodes in the country have 4 digits and generally speaking, each state and territory has a range of 1000 postcodes assigned to its various locations. For example, Western Australia postcodes follow 6xxx format. Queensland postcodes are all 4xxx. When we look specifically at the Townsville region, local postcodes start at 4810 and extend through to 4819:

Here is the full list of Townsville-region postcodes, according to Australia Post:

POSTCODESUBURB
4810BELGIAN GARDENS, CAPE CLEVELAND, CASTLE HILL, NORTH WARD, PALLARENDA, RAILWAY ESTATE, ROWES BAY, SHELLY BEACH, SOUTH TOWNSVILLE, TOWN COMMON, TOWNSVILLE, TOWNSVILLE CITY, TOWNSVILLE DC, TOWNSVILLE MC, WEST END
4811CLUDEN, IDALIA, JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY, MOUNT STUART, OAK VALLEY, OONOONBA, ROSENEATH, STUART, WULGURU, 
4812CURRAJONG, GULLIVER, HERMIT PARK, HYDE PARK, MUNDINGBURRA, MYSTERTON, PIMLICO, ROSSLEA, 
4813TOWNSVILLE MILPO
4814AITKENVALE, ANNANDALE, CRANBROOK, DOUGLAS, GARBUTT, GARBUTT EAST, HEATLEY, MOUNT LOUISA, MURRAY, THURINGOWA DC, VINCENT
4815CONDON, GRANITE VALE, GUMLOW, KELSO, PINNACLES, RASMUSSEN, 
4816ALLIGATOR CREEK, BALGAL BEACH, BARRINGHA, BROOKHILL, CALCIUM, CARRUCHAN, CLEMANT, CRYSTAL CREEK, CUNGULLA, ELLERBECK, GREENVALE, HOMESTEAD, JULAGO, KENNEDY, MAJORS CREEK, MALPAS-TRENTON, MINGELA, MOUNT ELLIOT, MUTARNEE, NOME, PALM ISLAND, PALUMA, PENTLAND, RAVENSWOOD, REID RIVER, ROLLINGSTONE, ROSS RIVER, SAVANNAH, SELLHEIM, TOOMULLA, TOONPAN, TORRENS CREEK, WOODSTOCK
4817ALICE RIVER, BOHLE PLAINS, HERVEY RANGE, KIRWAN, RANGEWOOD, THURINGOWA CENTRAL
4818BEACH HOLM, BLACK RIVER, BLUE HILLS, BLUEWATER, BLUEWATER PARK, BOHLE, BURDELL, BUSHLAND BEACH, COSGROVE, DEERAGUN, JENSEN, LYNAM, MOUNT LOW, MOUNT ST JOHN, SAUNDERS BEACH, SHAW, TOOLAKEA, YABULU
4819ARCADIA, FLORENCE BAY, HORSESHOE BAY, MAGNETIC ISLAND, NELLY BAY, PICNIC BAY, WEST POINT

Now, price lookup codes, or PLU’s. You know when you buy fruit or vegetables from the grocery store and they have that little sticker on them with a 4- or 5-digit number? For example, a banana is usually marked with a 4011 label. That’s a price lookup code. It’s an internationally-administered and recognized numbering system that identify all the different types of fresh produce available at grocery stores worldwide. A PLU is specific to a commodity and can also be specific to its variety, size, and region of production.

And as it happens, the 4011 PLU of a banana corresponds with the postcode of Clayfield, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane a little north of the city. Once I made the correlation between PLU’s and Australian postcodes, I began wondering to myself: would the postcodes of my home town match up with a fruit or vegetable item?

I researched a little, and indeed they did!

PLUPRODUCT
4810Bunched or banded turnips
4811Purple-top turnip
4812White turnip
4813Retailer-assigned turnip
4814Water chestnuts
4815Watercress
4816Golden sweet potato
4817Sweet potato with red or orangy-red flesh
4818Retailer-assigned sweet potato
4819Cassava

And this, my friends, made up the list of ingredients for Townsville Soup! I set on a mission to find them all. I ignored the retailer-assigned items (these are used for products that don’t have their own standardized PLU’s), but I was able to find most of the others.

You can watch my YouTube video here on the experience, and to see how it turned out:

I call upon Townsville restaurants and food trucks to add this to your menu. I’m sure it’ll sell!

TOWNSVILLE SOUP

Ingredients:
4810 – bunched or banded turnips
4811 – purple-top turnip
4812 – white turnip
4813 – retailer-assigned turnip (ignored for the recipe)
4814 – water chestnuts
4815 – watercress
4816 – golden sweet potato
4817 – sweet potato with red or orangy-red flesh
4818 – retailer-assigned sweet potato (ignored for the recipe)
4819 – cassava

Method:
1. Peel, chop and boil / pressure cook the hell out of the cassava first cause it’s toxic if you don’t.
2. Peel & chop the turnips, water chestnuts & sweet potato.
3. Throw it all in a soup pot, cover with water & a bit of salt and boil everything for 45 mins.
4. Whiz it all through a blender once it’s cooled down.
5. Chop the watercress and add it to the soup.
6. Eat your deliciously nostalgic Townsville Soup, preferably while overlooking the city from the Castle Hill lookout.

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Earlier this year as I was packing my belongings during a house relocation, I decided to put a few things up for sale which I didn’t need any more. One of them was a crystal photography ball, similar to this:

Basically it’s a transparent crystal ball you can use to take inverted, reflective photos with. I got it as a Reddit Secret Santa gift years ago, toyed with it once and never had a use for it after that. You can pick them up for $20 on Amazon but I listed mine for $10 on Facebook Marketplace.

One guy, who I shall name Frederic, showed some interest in the crystal ball to cast “gnar spells” with and went as far as paying me for it, but curiously, he never actually collected the item from me, nor did he accept a refund. I ended up profiting $10 for absolutely no reason!

Check out my story on YouTube to find out what happened:

Frederic was a true character – one of those people you encounter from time to time who just make you shake your head and laugh.

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Check out my video on the world’s most vulgar gravestone!

In a nondescript plot in Montreal’s Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery lies the body of a certain John Laird McCaffrey, whose gravestone has written upon it an ambiguously naughty inscription.

Now that I live in Montreal, I had to see this sacrilegious sarcophagus for myself.

What exactly is this crude commemoration, might you ask? Take a look:

John:

Free your body and soul
Unfold your powerful wings
Climb up the highest mountains
Kick your feet up in the air
You may now live forever
Or return to this Earth
Unless you feel good where you are!

Missed by your friends

If you haven’t spotted it already, take the first letter of each of the lines in the epitaph and you’ll see it spells “FUCK YOU”!

I’d heard of this gravestone quite some time ago but I wasn’t sure if it actually existed or if it was an urban myth; thankfully an article at Snopes and an official entry at Find A Grave (the world’s largest database on all things related to burials) confirmed to me that it was, in fact, legitimate.

I took note of its location: Section C, Plot 01369, and rode my bike up the delightfully scenic Mont Royal, to Notre Dame des Neige Cemetery (one of the two necropoli that reside along its western slopes), to embark upon my quest.

It didn’t take long to spot. The burial location map at the official cemetery website gave me a good indication of where Section C was, and it was a quick search from there to find the specific slab.

The front of McCaffrey’s gravestone

So how did this gravestone come to be?

According to an interview published some years ago in the Montreal Mirror with the stonemason who carved out the words:

“Afterwards, as I’m done, I’m looking at it and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I noticed it just like that. This guy’s ex-wife and mistress came in together and ordered the stone. They said the message represented him. It was a thing between the three of them.”

I’d like to think McCaffrey would see the light side to this – after all, it’s been 28 years since his death and random people like me are still visiting him!

I was curious to see just how common it was around the world for epitaphs to contain vulgar language like this and I can’t say I was particularly surprised to find it certainly isn’t prevalent.

In an article from 2015 on stuff.co.nz entitled Expletives could be banned from headstones, I learnt that the Palmerston North City Council censored the gravestone of Vincent Drummond-Paul which contained an F-Bomb. Engraved on the stone was a list of his favourite songs, including the Big Sean hit, I Don’t Fuck With You; it received complaints from another grieving family and the council took action to hide the offending word.

In another case a few years earlier in Lynn, Massachusetts, The Daily Item reported that the Cemetery Commissioner rejected a request from a local family to inscribe deceased rapper Sonny Santiago’s tombstone with lyrics from one of his self-penned songs: “You gonna remember the damn name, I give a fuck if I die with no damn friends, I got my fam by my side and that’s until the end”.

Don’t get me wrong – there are quite a few humorous gravestones out there in the world, easily evident from a quick google search, but it’s rare indeed to find any epitaphs containing a profane word. I wasn’t able to find any set rule as to what language is and isn’t acceptable on a cemetery shrine, but it’s pretty clear an unofficial line is drawn when it comes to hard cussing.

With all that in mind, I’m pretty sure the late John Laird McCaffrey can hold claim to the world’s most vulgar gravestone.

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One of my favourite outdoor spots around Toronto to spend time in is Tommy Thompson Park (a.k.a. the Leslie St. Spit), a not-too-well-known peninsula that extends into Lake Ontario from the far south end of Leslie St. It’s essentially a chunk of reclaimed land, formed from the dumping of unwanted construction material in the 1950’s, which has since transformed into an environmental wetlands & conservation area.

I’d written about it once before here on my blog, back in 2014. Take a peek at it for a more thorough photographic depiction of the gloriousness of this urban wilderness as a whole, but what I’ve come here to talk about today is a certain corner of the park’s backroads that I chanced upon in October 2017.

The good majority of Tommy Thompson Park is accessible by an asphalt road but there are a number of smaller, more rugged trails that branch off the primary track. My friend Conor and I were cycling in the area on a fall afternoon and opted for one such weather-beaten way. We came to precisely this point on the map when we noticed a curious structure made from the countless bricks and cinder blocks that lined the shores:

A very talented & motivated artist / amateur architect (quite possibly a group of them?) had gone to an incredible effort to build a fort along the park’s southern banks. We spent some time wandering around, marveling at how such a construction could possibly have come together in such a remote and difficult-to-access area.

I returned a few weeks later with my camera and took a bunch of shots to preserve the memory. As much as I wanted to share them to Reddit at the time, I refrained from doing so as a viral post could have led to an overabundance of curious visitors and potential vandalism of the site.

Despite my frequent return visits to the park it took me quite some time to stop by this particular corner again; alas, by 2020 the fort had been demolished. I’m not sure if its demise was accelerated by the harsh Ontarian wind or if it happened purely by human hands. Regardless, I finally feel like posting my pics of this magical lakeside artwork in memory of its creator(s) and the handful of people who were also lucky enough to stumble upon it and leave their own marks of appreciation.

Dotted around the fort were some smaller pieces of art and emotive dedications:

I was also quite impressed by the sheer number of ladybugs resting on the debris-laden lakeshore:

Prior to writing this post I tried to locate some further information on the brick fort, assuming others may have posted photos or a journal onto the web in the years that have passed. It was my hope that someone out there had laid claim to its creation. Aside from this Toronto Star article seven years prior to my visit questioning the origins of a similar, smaller brick shrine, I haven’t been able to find a thing.

Whoever you were, dear creator, the time I spent getting to know your charming fort was certainly time well spent. I remain in awe of your superb craftsmanship.

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Today was the big day that the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) opened the 6-station subway extension to Line 1 – nine years in the making and with a budget of over $3.2 billion!

I thought to myself yesterday while preparing to go out on a downtown pub crawl that it’d be cool to be part of Toronto history and ride the first public train along the new line from Sheppard West to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Despite getting kinda wasted and heading home from the last bar at a reasonably late time, I still managed to wake up early enough on a Sunday to catch the first southbound train from College, which would eventually lead me northbound towards Vaughan.

My friend Elaine had agreed to come for the ride as well, boarding the 7:55am southbound train from the first stop on the line, Finch. The plan was for me to meet her when it passed through College, but I failed to realise that other trains closer to the downtown area had commenced service at the same time. She wasn’t on the first train that passed through College, so I train-hopped until I found her on the next one. We may have missed the opportunity to be on the first ever public train to use the new track, but we were on the first train to do the full circuit from Finch to Vaughan.

We weren’t the only ones with the same idea

The best thing about the journey along the new portion of the track was that the train driver opened up his compartment and allowed a few people in at a time to see the line up close & personal, from the perspective of the operator. It was a rare privilege to be able to see the TTC in this form.

Subway driver’s compartment on the opening day of the TTC Line 1 extension!

The rear half of the train along the way to Vaughan

Elaine & I got chatting with a guy sitting next to us; he told us he also travelled on the TTC the first day the northbound Spadina line extension opened in the late 70’s. Not only that, but he remembered being 4 or 5 years old and taking the subway when the first line was completed in the 50’s. He was pretty confident he’s gonna live long enough to be the first to travel on the Eglinton LRT when it opens in 2021 – providing of course that it doesn’t get delayed!

Getting close!

Pretty much everyone on the new track was there purely for the ride. There was a surprisingly upbeat, happy & celebratory mood in the first carriage, it was a really nice event to be part of.

We reached Vaughan Metropolitan Centre around 9am to a round of applause from the fellow passengers and a lot of fanfare at the beautiful new station.

The awesome mirrored ceiling at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Me with my commemorative TTC Map (which is now hanging on my bedroom wall)

York Transit also wanted to be part of the action, not all the fanfare went to the TTC!

There wasn’t too much going on outside the new station, it was kinda desolate all the way up in the northern suburbs. We managed to find a nearby diner for some brunch and then made our way back to the station for the return trip downtown.

The new station from the outside

The main entrance

I’ll probably never come up this far north again but I don’t at all regret getting up early after a night on the booze to be part of Toronto transit history this morning. The opening of a new train line is definitely not something that happens every day.

Bring on Eglinton 2021!

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As a new resident to Toronto in 2013 it was impossible to ignore the bright lights of Honest Ed’s the first time I passed by the corner of Bloor & Bathurst, in the north-west of the downtown core.

Opened in 1948 by entrepreneur Ed Mirvish, it rose to prominence as the destination in town for no-frills bargains. Met with some resistance in its founding years, it ultimately carved a place in Toronto culture thanks its huge storefront display featuring tens of thousands of flashing light bulbs and pun-laden slogans (Honest Ed’s a nut! But look at the ‘cashew’ save!). You might compare its notoriety with something like Harrods in London – on the complete other end of the price & elegance scale, mind you – but a one-of-a-kind store that locals flock to & tourists read about in all their guidebooks. It became pretty clear to me that this place was an institution.

Unfortunately in mid-2014 it was announced Honest Ed’s would close on December 31st, 2016 to make way for a new residential & commercial development. With less than a week to go, I decided to drop by one final time today with my camera to snap a few shots of this lovable Toronto landmark before it’s gone forever.

 

One of the many glorious Honest Ed’s storefront signs

 

Busy pedestrian corner at Bloor & Bathurst

 

The first time I walked through the store I was awestruck at how full it was with all kinds of trinkets, clothes, appliances, groceries & housewares. I recall my bemusement at the randomness of some of the merchandise on offer, in particular some $2.99 water bottles with a choice of either a Jamaican flag or a Newfoundland & Labrador flag printed on it, of all things. This is exactly the kinda weird stuff that gave Honest Ed’s its charm! Only a few minutes later in the clothing section upstairs I found a pair of jeans on sale for $2 – less than the price of the bloody Jamaica water bottle. Thanks to Ed Mirvish’s contribution to the Toronto performing arts scene, my eyes were drawn to the scores of theatrical posters & props lining the walls of the two buildings, alongside hand-painted shop signs from years gone by. It was certainly a colourful & eccentric shop to spend time in.

 

Jamaica or Newfoundland & Labrador?

One of the many strange props adoring the walls

 

I wish I’d taken more pics of the place back then because the interior today was a shadow of its former self. The previously-packed rooms were now almost empty, with not much left to purchase aside from a few impractical bits & pieces which were clearly struggling to move off the shelves.

There was a whole section cordoned off for Honest Ed-related memorabilia though, where bins full of their iconic hand-painted signs were on offer as souvenirs. Most of today’s shoppers, including myself, could be found in this area trying to get their hands on a piece of Toronto signwriting history.

 

I got told off for attempting to take a pic of the memorabilia section, but there were hundreds of hand-painted signs similar to this posters one starting from $9, up to $100+ for a full-sized sign

 

A view of the rainy laneway from the overpass connecting the two buildings

 

What was left of the kitchenware department: a few tables with some unappealing mugs, plates and glasses

 

Along the Markham St entrance

 

Honest Ed Alley

 

“Only the floors are crooked” – along Bathurst St

 

Looking out at the sign from the Green Beanery Cafe across the road

 

This place looks awesome at night, I’ll miss these lights, even if half of them are blown

 

Last month the TTC subway station at Bathurst paid tribute to Honest Ed’s by installing signs & slogans in the spirit of the retailer. I’ve heard there are plans to turn it into a permanent feature of the station – here’s hoping this is true.

 

The Honest Ed’s-style entrance to Bathurst Station

 

Love a good TTC pun

 

There was another one that said Bacon & Eglinton, $3.25 … ha!

 

That Honest Ed’s typeface

 

Honest Ed’s facts plastered over the Bathurst platform

 

Thanks Honest Ed’s. It was a pleasure to have shopped in you over the past three years.

 

Bye Honest Ed’s

 

Oh and one final thing: I now have my very own authenticated piece of Honest Ed’s on display in my bathroom 🙂