I needed to use a couple of vacation days before the end of the year. I tossed around a few ideas but nothing was coming together. I mentioned to Karen and it was been a long time since we had seen our friend Darren Lee. He is an Elvis Tribute Artist and the last time we saw him was December 2019 in Maui. The three of us have been friends since 1998. Long time readers of the blog know that we have travelled to many place to hang out with Darren … Las Vegas, Vancouver, Memphis … just to name a few. I saw on Facebook that he was going to have a show in Ponoka, Alberta along with his brother Robin Kelly who is also an Elvis Tribute Artist. Darren and Robin grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and Robin still lives there. I talked to Karen and she said I should just go. Karen was not going to be joining me on this trip. But she said that she would drop me off and pick me up from Toronto Pearson International Airport on her way to her brother Rob’s cottage near North Bay.
I got to Karen’s house at 6:30am and helped her pack up the car. We got on the road just after 7:00am and by 8:05am, I was saying goodbye to her and Maui. Since I was flying with carry-on luggage only (first time), I was through security by 8:10am. Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge enjoying breakfast. I was expecting the lounge to be really busy but it was not. I had about an hour to relax before I left and headed over to Gate D28.
I was sitting for a few minutes when I began to wonder why boarding had not started yet. I looked over and saw that my flight was delayed until 11:15am. My Air Canada flight to Edmonton ($221.98 CAD including fees and taxes) was supposed to leave at 10:15am. Rookie mistake. I should have checked the board before leaving the lounge. I started heading back to the lounge when I came across something called Air Canada Cafe. It is a smaller version of the lounge that has complimentary beverages including beer and wine, hot and cold plated food and Grab ‘n’ Go snacks. I was lucky enough to find a spot to hang out for another forty-five minutes.
I headed over to Gate D34 and very soon boarding began. I got settled in 29C and lucky for me, there was no one in the middle seat. After everyone was boarded, we learned we still had to wait another twenty minutes before we could leave. This was due to the fact that maintenance had to be performed on the maintenance that was done in Boston where the plane originated from. Finally at 11:45am, we left Toronto.
The flight seemed to go by pretty quickly. I think this was due to the fact that I watched “Nothin’ But a Good Time”, a three part documentary about the 80’s hair metal scene on the Sunset Strip. The music of my youth. We arrived at Edmonton International Airport at 1:45pm and by 2:10pm, I was off the plane. I could get used to flying with carry on only. I headed over to Enterprise ($174.49 CAD including taxes and fees, booked with Costco) and picked up my Ford Escape which they upgraded me to. Here is a pro tip .. when you book a rental car with Costco, go back and check the price. When I initially booked back in July, I was going to pay $228.40. I booked and rebooked two times before I got the price that I finally paid.
After leaving the airport, my first stop was at Olive Garden where I enjoyed a very late lunch of salad and breadsticks. From there it was a twenty minute drive to the Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Sherwood Park ($378.96 CAD including taxes and fees, booked with Expedia). The reason why I am staying in Sherwood Park instead of Edmonton, is because Robin and his partner Leeann live there.
Once I got settled in my queen bed studio suite, I went over to Robin and Leeann’s house. It has been a very long time since I have seen them. We learned that Darren and his partner Jenn would not be arriving until 8:30pm. Since we were hungry the three of us along with their neighbour Trevor went and had dinner at The Other Place by La Patrona. There was a lot of laughter over some great Mexican food and drinks.
When we got back from dinner, Darren and Jenn finally arrived. The rest of the night was spent exactly as I thought it would, talking late into the night. For the LaBine Brothers, midnight is not late for them. However after the long day that I had, it was for me. I said my goodbyes and headed back to the hotel.
Be First to Comment