When we rocked up to our hotel, it was clear the Days Inn wanted to show off the fact that Dola & Co had decided to retire for the evening there, and consequently we scored prime parking. Perfectly timed too, as an entire stadium of people emptied out of a hockey game and got to come by and have a chat. Nice work.

Back to business – Toast and Cat headed off in a cab to hit up Future Shop, following a somewhat frightening incident which prevented us from uploading our video footage onto the laptop. The very kind employees there were extremely helpful, and the cab driver on the way home provided us with a definitive session of Soo-101, so we didn’t have to feel like we zipped through without some background on the town. We learned that we were only steps from the waterfront and the world famous shipping ‘locks’ – precisely where we wanted to be the next day for Dola’s portfolio building. Right…off to another 10pm dinner…and another town that stocks Kokanee. Sweeeeet. We needed one after this day.

We rise and shine by 7:30 a.m. the next day, after a video editing session that went until 3 a.m. (hope you are enjoying them!) and we’re down to the lobby to check out before daylight. Again. But our early departure for the locks goes slightly sideways when Cat discovers she’s missing her purse. Which contains “the” credit card. And our aircard. And her Blackberry. Not to mention wallet. Enter: Minor heart attack right about now. Holy *BEEEEEEEEP*!!!

Apparently I’ve caught Forget-itis from Toaster. Mich can sit in the backseat with him henceforth! Ok, snap back. Following a frantic search, we conclude that it must have been left at the restaurant. Minor heart attack develops into something resembling a major heart attack when the front desk agent tells us the restaurant is leased by a third-party operator and won’t open until the afternoon. We’re thankful Dave is not around to hear this news. We don’t need him losing further years from his life. We’ve already robbed him of enough.

Ok. Front desk agent needs to be told restaurant must be opened immediately, as the tour must go on, and go on now! She’s hesitant, but following some fairly firm coaxing which both Mich and Cat have extremely developed skills in, she agrees to call her manager, and learns that there they have on-site keys to access restaurant. Cat and Mich like it when people learn something new and they get their own way…well maybe just the get their own way part.

A very kind maintenance man is called and he smoothly lets us in. Mich is convinced Cat definitely has nine lives when the purse is discovered precisely where it had been left – under the dinner table. Maintenance man becomes the receiver of our relief and gets a HUGE hug… And when he asks for another – well shucks…he gets one, we are SO LUCKY/RELIEVED/ECSTATIC!!! Truck on… Waterfront and shipping locks here we come…

The Soo is a pretty town, and a stones-throw from it’s eponymously named US counterpart. Dola really wants to venture over and place her feet on some American soil, but we gently explain to her that it would take too long to get her a passport, and promise that maybe we’ll bring her back when she’s a little older. It’s hard to break her heart like that.

With portfolio additions complete, we decide the Soo is a great time to have our first Tim Hortons’s experience for the trip so far. And fine choice it was as – to our great surprise – we managed to meet at least three people who had ties to Whistler in some way, shape or form, and many others who skied there on a regular basis. Crank up the reggae Gus, (sorry Mich!) we’re hanging around for a while. Three coffees, one steeped tea, three chocolate milks, three orange juices, three cream cheeses with a little bit of bagel, two donuts, a ham and Swiss BLT and half-box of collateral later, we considered the Soo conquered, and plugged in Tips for our next stop – the majestic Wawa Goose.

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