Of Pickering, Power, and Parking Lots
This past weekend I found myself in Pickering, Ontario (last minor hockey event of the year). Being in the Greater Toronto Area in the last few days has made me realize that there are things I am not used to having to deal with. They are:
* Lack of parking spaces–everywhere!
* Lineups–everywhere!
* People running yellow lights–all the time!
At our hotel one night we couldn’t find a parking space anywhere so we, being the savvy country survivalists that we are, spotted a space where a snow pile was preventing its use, got out of our car, kicked the snow mound to flatten it out, and proceeded to park over top of it. Hah!
The parking lot to the arena was under huge electrical power towers. The lines hummed in a most eerie way.
I have to confess, though, that it was more eerie to find out that those four dome shapes just visible in the haze in the lower left were the nuclear power plant. I knew it was around but didn’t realize I would actually be able to see it!
The power towers marched on as far as I could see in both directions.
Most fascinating to me, though, was being close to the huge windmill (and one of those nuclear domes is slightly more visible in the lower left).
We wanted to get a closer look at this windmill so we asked a local for directions. He happily provided them (and possibly looked at us like we were weird seeing as he admitted he’d lived there his whole life and had never seen it closer himself).
The size of it is difficult to believe. Those are not evergreen bushes, they’re full blown trees. Of course, at this location I was steps from the nuclear power plant. Time to leave.
It’s great to be a tourist!
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