Sydenham to Sharbot Lake in Only Two and a Half Hours

Craig Bakay | Jan 25, 2017

Was anybody else stupid enough to be out driving around Tuesday night?

I don’t usually write in the first person but for this brief report, I don’t have much else.

Tuesday night was committee of the whole for South Frontenac Council. It was a productive meeting, a little long-winded for my taste, but knowing what the drive down through the mixed bag of stuff that falls from the sky was like, I left a little early. Not early enough it turns out.

First, the drive to Tichborne was bad enough, almost an hour of essentially white-knuckles. And then, you guessed it, there was a train stopped in the crossing with all the bells and whistles going and a line-up of cars on each side.
Now a nice young fella from CP came by and explained that he didn’t know much because he was there to shovel snow, not fix trains but there was a break problem 35 cars down from the engine and at least another 60 cars to get through the crossing.

“They tell me it’s going to be about 20 minutes,” he said.

“Fine, why not,” I thought.

Well, when the 20 minutes was gone along with the young fella from CP, some of us in the north bound land got to talking and sure enough, another train came into the crossing and stopped.

A discussion ensued about the chances the road guys had got to Long Lake Road with the consensus being that they probably hadn’t.

But, there was another young fella with his crew in a big, black pick-up who was headed to Arden.

I asked “is that thing 4-wheel?” and he replied “of course.”

I said, “well, I’m game if you are.”

He said “see that dent on the front there, I did that on Long Lake Road a while back.”

Of course, we decided to try it anyway.

So, away we went, the big black pick-up followed by the little green station wagon, heading off into the surreal night, me expecting to run into a zombie herd at any moment.

Long Lake Road wasn’t in the best of shape but it had been plowed some time earlier.

We took it really slow, with the pickup slowing down at regular intervals to make sure the station wagon was still following.

But it sure felt good to see those tail lights up ahead on point.

Thanks a million Avery Wilson, much appreciated from an old man.

Bottom line, two and one-half hours from Sydenham to Sharbot Lake, via Mountain Grove.