Saturday, August 25, 2018

The King's Highway and Main Street

Main Street Grimsby is an east-west street that runs just under the Escarpment.  It started out as a regional highway - King's Highway 8, one of the oldest provincial highways in Ontario.  The King's Highway covered quite a bit of Southern Ontario, not just Niagara.  The Niagara section is the oldest, though, and came about in 1918.   Because it connected to the road system of New York State at the Queenston Heights Suspension Bridge, it was the first international highway link designated in Ontario. 

Things have changed since then - what passes through Grimsby now is Niagara Regional Road 81, and The King's Highway 8 ends where Hamilton and Grimsby meet.   We call it Main Street, and it is an enjoyable drive along Highway 8 through towns, orchards and vineyards. 
 
I thought I would investigate Highway jokes.  There are very amusing road signs, but they are visual, so not easily includes.  Here's a story, though, that goes well with the highway theme:

A guy was driving when a policeman pulled him over. He rolled down his window and said to the officer, "Is there a problem, Officer?"
"No problem at all. I just observed your safe driving and am pleased to award you a $5,000 Safe Driver Award. Congratulations. What do you think you're going to do with the money?"
He thought for a minute and said, "Well, I guess I'll go get that driver's license."
The lady sitting in the passenger seat said to the policeman, "Oh, don't pay attention to him - he's a smartass when he's drunk and stoned."
The guy from the back seat said, "I TOLD you guys we wouldn't get far in a stolen car!"
At that moment, there was a knock from the trunk and a muffled voice said, "Are we over the border yet?"

I got to thinking about Main Street and Highway 8 yesterday as I was walking along it.  I took a few pictures -  the first is our always-pretty porch, and the second shows one of the barns that is beside the house. It reminds us of the not-so-long-ago times when horses were part of transportation.

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