It’s a mini Crisis!

A dog and a beer at PNC Park (May 2012)

Ok, it’s not really a crisis. In actual fact, it’s just a tradition. And that tradition has me embarking on my 3rd Annual Birthday Road Trip. Destination: Cincinnati.

The inaugural trip was a surprisingly great trip to Pittsburgh. PITTSBURGH! I don’t think I’ve ever been so surprised by a city. No offense to Pittburghianites but I kind of expected Pittsburgh to be a hole – maybe it has something to do with my dislike of the Steelers. Anyway, it was a great trip. Beautiful ballpark, nice scenery, and a very cool observatory. Who knew!?

Yup. It’s a big nickel.
(May 2013)

The sophomore edition of the trip was going to have a lot to live up to and well, it didn’t. My options were limited, and it almost looked like the tradition of the Annual Birthday Road Trip was going to end at one. I couldn’t let that happen so I got in the car and drove, and drove, and drove. Sometimes not making a plan doesn’t work out as well as you hoped because sometimes you end up in Sudbury. I’m not going to lie, there’s not much to see and/or do in Sudbury. So, I checked out the big nickel and the giant smoke stack. The latter is really impressive. I mean, the ability to send pollutants HIGHER into the air than your average smoke stack is quite commendable. Anyway, having checked out Sudbury I decided to drive on. Did I mention not having a plan sometimes doesn’t work out? Yup, I ended up in North Bay. North Bay would’ve been somewhat more interesting had I been aware of the giant underground military base (well, former base) that they have there. I couldn’t have gone in, but it would’ve made the city more interesting.

Realizing that the trip was not going to bring the blissful joy of a trip to Pittsburgh (I can’t believe I just typed that), I got back in the car and drove home. A one-day, 900 km trip. And while it wasn’t the most exciting trip ever (gross understatement), if I hadn’t gone then the tradition would have died a premature death.

Scenic Pittsburgh (May 2012)

 
Instead, the tradition lives on. And that brings us back to the 3rd Annual Birthday Road Trip. As I mentioned earlier, the destination this year is Cincinnati. Curiously, I googled “Things to do in Cincinnati” and … well, I’m not going to lie … I think I heard my computer chuckle. There was definitely mild guffaw (hmmmm … can you have a “mild” guffaw?). Anyway, they have baseball. And beer. And hot dogs. So, if nothing else, I should come home with another “dog and a beer” photo. All things considered, that’s not so bad.

Directions … check.  8-hour Playlist … check.  Animal crackers … check.  It’s time for a drive!