COBDEN — Ken Guarino was driving along Hwy. 417 as he prepared to leave Ottawa Monday afternoon for a return trip to Cape Vincent, New York.
What he didn’t realize, was the highway changed to Hwy. 17.
However, thinking he was heading the right way, he kept driving while his three passengers were sleeping.
“I was thinking none of this looks familiar,” but didn’t think anything about it, he recalled late Tuesday afternoon.
When his wife Laurie awoke, she knew they weren’t where they should be. They should have been near their campground in Cape Vincent, New York.
However, they were in Cobden, Ontario.
They drove by the Cobden Tourist Booth and saw the sign said “Open.” Mr. Guarino turned the car around and went to the tourist booth.
“We were glad you’re opened,” Ms. Guarino said to tourist booth volunteer Connie Tabbert, who is editor of whitewaternews.ca and Whitewater Region employee Samantha Savage.
“Do you know how far to Cape Vince,” she questioned.
Neither of the two know the name of the town, so asked what it was near.
“The Thousand Islands,” she said.
They were not expecting the answer provided by Ms. Savage.
“It’s near Kingston, about three to four aways away,” she said.
Knowing there was a story here, Ms. Tabbert sat down with the four lost Americans.
Mr. and Mrs. Guarino live in Rochester, New York while their travelling companions, sister and brother-in-law Amy and David Nicholson live in Macedon, New York.
Mr. Guarino explained that they were on vacation at the campground and Monday travelled to Ottawa for the day. They went to the Parliament buildings, changing of the guard and spent time on an amphibious boat on the Ottawa River, Mr. Guarino said.
They spent the night and the next morning prepared to head back to the campground.
They stopped at IKEA for a while and then began their drive back to Cape Vincent, New York.
While listening to a book on tape, the three passengers fall asleep.
“Everybody was asleep and I thought I was heading the right way,” Mr. Guarino said. “Not paying attention really to the roads signs, I just thought I was on 417 heading the right way and ended up in your fair town.”
When Ms. Guarino awoke about 4:30 p.m., she was surprised to find they weren’t at the campground.
“I knew we should have been there by now,” she said. “We should have been relaxing back at the campground.”
They were expected to be back at the campground by supper.
After telling their story through bursts of laughter, they get back into their vehicle and begin their three, or almost four, hour drive back to Cape Vincent.
