A Geographical Oddity

30 kilometres? We've got this

Earlier today I attempted to find a bus to Hamilton from Guelph. Given that Hamilton is about 50 minutes away from Guelph – just down highway 6, and a grand total of 52 kilometres according to the all-knowing and all-powerful Google – I had figured that this task would be a simple one.

Was I ever wrong.

It’s not that bus routes between the cities don’t exist. They do. But to say they are ridiculous is an understatement. As evidence I offer you the following: Greyhound offers bus service between the two cities. However, the service either makes a milk run to Toronto, or a milk run to London. The result – what should be a 50 minute trip turns into a 4 hour trip (if you go through Toronto), or a 7 hour trip (if you go through London). Efficient – I’d suggest no.

Apparently Hamilton is some sort of geographical oddity. On paper – it’s 50 minutes away – but in reality it actually exists in some sort of spatial-temporal wormhole. It might as well be on the other side of the galaxy.

I investigated other bus lines, thanks to my friends on the Twitter. The best option ended up being a direct route from Kitchener to Hamilton. Of course, that meant I’d need to take a bus to Kitchener from Guelph – and that of course was easy. The combined trip worked out to be about 2.5 hours. A far better option than those offered by Greyhound.

But, dear readers, there is a point where cost and time intersect and the return on one is simply not worth the price of the other; at least, that’s my opinion. In this case, spending that many hours on a bus for a trip that was essentially right down the road seemed downright silly. The total cost roundtrip would have been about the same as getting a cab to Hamilton. So I hummed and I haaaa’ed.

Found at the Farmer's Market. Yes, this made me giggle.

And then almost out of nowhere, my friend Beth – who is running the 30K Around the Bay relay – sent me a message to tell me that she’d be able to give me a lift home after the run.

Decision made.

Since I wouldn’t need a round trip ticket, I figured I could use the full round trip fare and book a cab. Convenient. Simple. Private. AWESOME. So that is exactly what I did.

Anyway, I found my way to Hamilton earlier today so that I could pick up my race kit and get my chip for timing my run¹. I wandered around the city a bit, and stopped in at the Farmer’s Market. A latte and a snack later, I ventured back to my hotel. I’m currently lounging about watching t.v., awaiting my friend Carolyn to arrive. Our plan for the eve: food, carbo-loading beer, and rest.

Because tomorrow is the big day.

30 kilometres.

And I’m stoked about it.

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¹ For those interested, I’ll be attempting to live stream my run tomorrow. Check out this link at 9:30 to follow my progress (if you are so inclined).

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• Oddity Central (str17.wordpress.com)
• The Baker Street Luncheoning (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)