Day 10: Toronto to Wilmington, DE

Google maps told us this drive would take about 8 1/2 to 9 hours, taking only interstates. We decided to leave Toronto early, in case there was a long delay at the border, and to give ourselves time to maybe do some country roads, while still arriving at the friend's house we were staying in that night in time for dinner.

Ha.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

We made it across the border just fine - we went to the bridge right by the falls, and the delay was less than 20 minutes (at 8:30 a.m.; I can't speak for later in the day...) The border guard actually *looked* at our identification, so in that sense he was one step ahead of the Canadian border guard we'd crossed with the day before, but that was about it.

We drove through Buffalo, where we experienced the worst rainfall it has ever been my pleasure to drive through - the wipers couldn't keep up with the rain, all I could barely make out were the taillights ahead of me, so I followed them; miraculously, they led to my exits - and I couldn't pull over AT ALL, despite Anja's desperate need for a bathroom.

Karma paid me back in spades, by the way, since about 2 hours later we turned off the road to find a bathroom and gas in little ol' Homer, NY, which is a SCARY, scary little town, and where their signs LIE, LIE, LIE about the locations of bathrooms. I thought my kidneys would burst, and I'd have to get a transplant from my cartoonishly fearful adult son. Luckily, we found a bathroom in time.

We made to within about 5 miles of the Pennsylvania border when we hit construction. One. And. One. Half. Hours. to get through those 5 miles, and then blessed, blessed freedom. For about five miles, at which point we HIT CONSTRUCTION AGAIN!!! Luckily, this delay was only about 1/2 an hour.

Did I mention this all took place in about a bazillion degree heat? I am very, very glad my little car has air conditioning.

We then drove over the crappiest highways it has ever been my pleasure to experience, got lost and nearly run down TWICE in Philadelphia, and finally made it to Wilmington. You can tell the very SECOND you hit Delaware, by the way, despite the fact that Philly/Wilmington is kind of one big city: your ride becomes immediately and noticeably smoother.

Dinner was delicious, and her bedroom was air conditioned. :)