Since I was a child sitting on my father’s knees, I have been driving a car. At the time (1959) we lived in a remote area from which he allowed me to steer the wheel of his Oldsmobile up and down a quiet roadway (while he manipulated the brake and accelerator). Following the purchase (1975) by my father of my first car (a Ford Mustang) – I have owned 26 new cars. The one I am driving now was purchased on February 17th last (about 5 months ago); it has already clocked 29,130 Kms (easily an average of 5,000 Kms/month or 60,000 Kms/year). More importantly from my perspective, the trade-in value of a car (no matter its year or condition) decreases by about $1,000 every 1,000 Kms of “mileage”. Accordingly knowing when to trade with the least impact of the cost of the new vehicle is critical. It is for this reason I have already contracted for the purchase of another new car which I suspect may arrive any time between now and the middle of October (depending upon the manufacturer’s and Donald J. Trump’s sometimes capricious agenda). I am in no rush.  I’ve ordered the identical car, just a year newer.

As a devoted and fun-loving driver, my vehicular interest naturally lies beyond the realm of strictly commercial activity. One of the reasons I especially enjoyed the winter sojourns to Hilton Head Island (1,800 Kms) and Longboat Key (2,400 Kms) was purely the driving experience. It was an allure that similarly invigorated me when (in the summer) we drove to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (1,400 Kms). But these jaunts soon rack up the numbers, and there is no use pretending the “wear and tear” will somehow evaporate. Or, as I have callously observed, “It’s pay me now or pay me later!”

It was in this state of mind that my partner and I embarked this morning on an anticipated 2-hour drive to visit my sister and her husband at their summer resort in Combermere, Madawaska Valley.

I would be remiss were I not to share this adventure with you, dear Reader. I must begin by recording that years ago – the first time we visited my sister and her family at the resort – we took what we believe to have been the identical path that we took again today.  The difference is that, years ago, the state of repair of the roadways was deplorable. Infrastructure to the rescue! Now the drive is superlative.

It bears repeating that today (a normal workday Wednesday) may have been quieter than a weekend when one expects more seasonal traffic. The scenery however would be the same – excellent! And did I mention the state of repair of the new paved roads? And just to be clear I am talking about the Opeongo Road.

One such road is The Opeongo Line, surveyed in 1852, at first called the Ottawa and Opeongo Road.

The Opeongo Line is the most famous of several local settlement roads. At first considered to be an alternate route to move troops to Toronto in case American forces seized the Rideau and Kingston corridors, it later became a major artery for settlement and accessing the stands of giant pine in and near Algonquin Park. Although the days of squared- timber rafts and log drives are gone, the abundant waters, second and third growth forests, and beautiful scenery are known worldwide for recreation, business and wilderness settings. Opeongo, likely of Ojibwa origin, means a safe place to cross, a place to be on the lookout for, ‘a shallows at the narrows’ of a river.