How We Hitchhiked Across Canada / Day Two and Three

Travel Day Two and Three - Calgary, Alberta - July 1 and 2, 2019

Donnie pulled into the Wendy’s parking lot at six a.m, just like he said he would. He eyeballed us cautiously from behind his tinted windshield before popping his trunk and getting out of the car. “If you two looked sketchy, I was going to drive away,” he said frankly.

We’d found his post on a rideshare site the night before. ‘Calgary to Sudbury. Leaving 6AM Monday. Shared driving.’ We responded and he obliged. He shuffled his flip-flopped feet to the trunk of the car, making room for our bags. I couldn’t help but stare at his neck full of tattoos.

“I’d like to keep rotating drivers so we can ride right through the night,” he said. Matt and I agreed. “How many times have you driven across Canada?” I asked. “None,” he replied. We smiled, knowing that Donnie might not know just how big Canada is.

We filled the day with interesting conversations about social media addiction, the future of CBD and why we all loved Drake. We alternated positions, each trying unsuccessfully to take a backseat nap in between piloting and co-piloting the ship. By two in the morning Donnie was hitting the centerline rumble strips, Matt was sleeping in the back and I was nodding off in shotgun.

“Maybe we should pull over for a few hours,” Donnie relented. I agreed in relief. Parked in the back corner of a McDonald’s parking lot in Kenora, ON, we half slept for a few hours until the sun was too bright to pretend. Another full day of travel lay ahead.

By the time we reached Sudbury that evening, Donnie was hesitant to drop us off at the greenspace we’d located on Google Maps to call home for the night. We'd spent 36 intimate hours exploring each other's minds, learning about one another’s lives and celebrating our sameness. Alas, we were all ready for some reprieve.

We assured him we would find a nice, soft space to pitch our tent and catch up on some missing sleep. The night was so warm and the stars so bright that we opted for a flyless tent above our heads. As we climbed into bed, I noticed a flickering light wavering above and then another and another and another. “Fireflies!" Mathieu said, "It’s our gift for being brave."