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August 14 through 19, 2002
Wednesday August 14:
We departed Sudbury in late morning with our friend Doris from Miami, FL; destination Montreal. This is intended as a fun trip to confirm our readiness for the long one to the west planned to start in early September. We fuel in Sudbury, then head north to I-495, and eventually pick up I-89 in New Hampshire, heading over the mountains of Vermont toward Burlington. We are unsure whether to attempt a border crossing late in the day with no planned place to stop in Quebec, so we opt for an early stop in Willison VT outside Burlington. The Walmart parking lot was HOT; we were in the middle of a heat wave I would not expect in northern New England in mid August; it is usually starting to cool off by this time of year. We had been reasonably comfortable with the vehicle air conditioner while driving, but as soon as we stopped, I knew why RV's come with 110v air conditioners; we started the generator and both air conditioners. It quickly cooled off and became quite comfortable; the noise of the generator was hardly noticeable....until it STOPPED! Huh???? When the start button was pushed, it immediately restarted easily and ran comfortably for 20 minutes, then stopped again; I decide to check the oil, which was fine. I started to suspect generator overheating, and turned off the rear air conditioner; the black asphalt parking lot surface was HOTTTT, and I did not want to remain outside any longer than necessary to check the oil!!!! Perhaps the generator could not pull it's full rated load with the intake cooling air being that hot. It again started easily and continued to run with only one air conditioner. We were quite comfortable with that, and did not push our luck further with two air conditioners. We had some "forgotchas" to buy in Walmarts, and returned to watch a bit of TV, then turned in; the night had cooled, so the overhead vents with fan could keep it bearable (but still very warm) for sleeping without running the generator all night. I must say that Doris is a much easier RV guest than our kitties; they were staying home this trip, with son Matt who had to work. Thus the shower could always be ready for it's designed purpose, rather than serving as home for a litter box. :-)
Thursday August 15:
We departed early for the border, intending to beat any backups that might build as traffic increased; we had an uneventful crossing into Canada, answering only a few questions asked by the lady with the charming French accent:
How many people?
Any firearms? (answer must be no)
Purpose of trip?
How long are you staying? OK, enjoy your trip... SURE will!! :-))
We immediately entered a land of French road signs, and somewhat narrower roads; we did rely on the GPS a few times when we were unsure we had taken the right turn, but all in all it was easy. We pulled off at the tourist bureau, and I cleaned the windshield while the gals went inside to choose our activities. We had reservations tonight at Parc Laval Campground on the outskirts of Montreal. We were early, and the distance to Montreal was short. We decided to spend some time in the old city before proceeding to the campground, and after a false start found the one parking lot on the old wharf along the river that accepted RVs. It was a pleasant, interesting place, but still HOT, and we ran the A/C as soon as we stopped. I was shocked to find the heat wave extending this far north, but live with it we must. As soon as we finished our snack, we could not wait to explore the old city.
We found LOTS of shops with interesting things, and many were AIR CONDITIONED.
The prices, however, even after allowing for the 33% Canadian exchange rate discount, were not bargains. They knew a tourist crowd when they had one... :-) The people were all friendly and helpful, and almost all spoke English. We walked the streets, some wide and beautiful, filled with flowers and inviting open air restaurants.
Others are narrow, but still lined with interesting shops and restaurants.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame is one of many beautiful buildings in the old city. It sits in a square that enhances its beauty.
As a major tourist attraction, it also attracts many of the horse drawn carriage drivers offering tours of the old city.
There were many interesting sites to see and people watching must be included; Montreal is obviously culturally unique. I am struck by the difference in styles of dress that is hard to describe yet noticeable. The heat wave must have been even harder on the local folks here than it was on us, and indeed shorts were commonly seen. I also noted the parking meters along the opposite side of the sidewalk than is common in the US.
We stopped at the Montreal tourist office and bought tourist metro passes for the next day; these would allow us unlimited use of the transit system for the day, for about $7 each. It is too soon time to wend our way through rush hour traffic to our campground on the northwest outskirts of Montreal. The trip here is a chore and was further and took longer than we expected. The parking lot on the wharf offered 24 hour parking for $15 Canadian (~$9 US) and we discuss staying there the following night if we can change our reservations at the campground to only one night. After one wrong turn and rescue by the GPS we arrive at Parc Laval Campground. We are treated very nicely, arrange to stay only one night, and pull into the assigned site. It did require some leveling blocks to assure operation of the refrigerator, but offered both 20A and 30A electricity, so we took advantage of the rewiring accomplished over the summer to plug in both air conditioners to run simultaneously. They were VERY welcome in the heat and humidity, and although the countryside was attractive, we were not inclined to stay outside one moment longer than necessary to connect the cables, as the twilight bug count built to an unbearable level.
Friday August 16:
In the morning after filling water and dumping, we planned to eat breakfast at a French restaurant, then continue into the city for further touring. The campground operator was kind enough to direct us to one she considered above average that was on our way. We enjoyed the meal, and the attempts by the friendly French speaking staff to communicate the exact items on the menu by showing us samples. They really did go out of their way to be helpful. Most of the clientele here spoke French, and the food was EXCELLENT. We had been well directed by our campground host. We retraced our path of the prior day, to the wharf parking lot, and parked in exactly the same spot, next to a trailer that had been there since we had arrived the day before; if we were going to squat here overnight, best to be near another "squatter". :-) On leaving the parking area I was struck by this old ornately decorated building now housing a museum.
We walked the old city again, enjoying the cosmopolitan atmosphere with an artistic flavor. This statue, "The Illuminated Crowd" in polyester resin was done by in 1985 by Raymond Mason.
McGill University was very beautiful at the base of the large hill we wanted to climb, but could not find the energy in the heat. A refreshing glass in the shady breeze of a sidewalk cafe seemed somehow more appropriate... :-)
The locals were clearly looking for all possible ways to cool off, and this attractive fountain under Admiral Nelson's marble gaze was useful for more than eye appeal... :-) I must admit the idea was contagious, but thoughts of a Montreal jail quickly overcame the temptation.......
We wandered quaint narrow streets lined with artists displaying their wares while creating new ones....
Too soon our time ran short; we enjoyed "smoked meat"
for lunch in a deli, then found the deli would not accept credit cards as their
machine was down. The waiter suggested an ATM on the other side of the
room; it was also down. He then suggested I try a machine in a store across
the street; I left Claire and Doris hostage as I went searching for cash. The
suggested ATM was, of course, down too. Someone explained a major
fiber optic cable had been cut in Montreal by construction work. Fortunately
the ATM at the store next door worked, and I was able to return and free
Claire and Doris; they really did not seem to mind TOO much, especially since they
were prisoners in air conditioned comfort... :-) We had made 8:45PM
dinner reservations at Gibby's, one of Montreal's finest restaurants. We
needed some time to relax and returned to the RV. The old wharf
we were parked on had a beautiful view down the St Lawrence river, with the
clock tower on the right. 
The air conditioner ran again as we enjoyed a drink and snacks while changing for dinner. Doris suggested we take a horse drawn carriage ride to the restaurant, and that was a really NEET idea! While our horse Jacki ate from the feedbag, our driver was kind enough to snap this picture of the three of us.
The drive through the darkening streets of Montreal was interesting, as Jacki fearlessly cut off cars at corners and proceeded through busy intersections, while the driver explained the city sights we were passing. Dinner at Gibby's was all it was famous for; deliciously prepared, excellently served, with enough food for another meal to be taken home. :-) The waitress was so accommodating she took our picture while the "doggie" boxes were being packed...
We walked back to the RV after the meal; Montreal had become even MORE alive. There were crowds on the street watching street performers.
We dallied a while with a band, and watched a magician's show. The band was good, but I could understand why the magician was on the street... :-) This was a late evening for us, and we were fortunate to have overnight parking within walking distance; a drive to the campground would SURELY have not been welcome at this hour....as it was, we all enjoyed the evening immensely.
Saturday August 17:
We drove out of Montreal early today, in little traffic, past numerous closed restaurants. This is an evening city. There are a few open breakfast places, but we decide that light snack on board is the best way to go after Gibby's.... :-) We had decided to skip Quebec City this trip in favor of more time to shop at LL Bean in Freeport ME. Doris had limited time and we had to be back on schedule. We headed west through the Quebec countryside on RT 10, then picked up RT 55 to join with I-91 at the Vermont border. Our crossing back to the US was fast; we showed our three passports, said we had each bought under $50 worth of items to bring back from Canada, and were waved through. I do belive passports help with border crossings, although they are not required. We will always use ours as ID even if not required; there are never any questions about the validity of a passport. We continued south to I-93 and shortly joined US-302 in New Hampshire for a scenic trip through the White Mountain National Forest. This luxury hotel (Mount Washington Lodge I believe) with golf course was striking enough to demand a road shoulder stop....
The mountain scenery was impressive all through the National Forest as the road slipped through the passes between the green forested hills towering above.
Beautiful mountain lakes are here also.
We arrived in Freeport and inquired at the Bean store about overnight RV parking; they suggested their lot near the store as the only truly legal spot in the area, so we quickly moved over and made a space for ourselves among the cars that seem to insist on filling the RV lot.... The LL Bean bulletin board revealed that this very night they were sponsoring a free show by a black a-cappella pop singing group in the outdoor amphitheater next to the Bean store; the group was well known years ago, but I cannot remember the name now. :-( Anyhow, they have not lost their touch; they put on a very nice show, and involved the audience. We carried our folding chairs so we had excellent seats we could move as openings developed in the crowd. Here they invited a group of children from the audience to participate in a number....the lady on the right is signing the lyrics for the benefit of the deaf in the audience.
Freeport is a factory outlet town, full of stores, and the shopping could go on all night at LL Bean's. We were tired from the days travels though, and turned in for a good night's sleep in the parking lot.
Sunday August 18:
This day was shop 'til you drop day; we nearly did too. :-) Fortunately the stores were all air conditioned, and that made entering them a treat even if you really were not looking to buy.... :-)
Fortunately Freeport it is also a favored fishing and boating town, with a lobster in the rough restaurant that is hard to beat. Your lobsters come from the water to the cooker as you order, and 20 minutes later you have your lobster dinner ready to eat. The 20 minutes is easy to spend on the dock overlooking the waterfront too....
The dinner was very much worth waiting for too..... :-))
Freeport is a fun town; however the guy on the left should have had this picture taken BEFORE eating lobsters it seems........
We returned to the LL Bean lot for the night, and before turning in had one more expedition through Bean's. We did make purchases too; Claire has been wanting a pair of light weight field glasses for bird watching, a rain suit, and new rubber Bean boots we use a lot to step out of the RV when not walking much. We purchased all those, although the rain suit was to be shipped, as the correct size was inaccessibly located in the warehouse. We turned in tired but ready to hit the road home in the morning.
Monday, August 19:
Claire made one more run through the Bean outlet store in the morning to make sure she could not find any of her purchases here; and indeed she did find the Bean boots at half price. A bit longer to return the purchase of last night, and we were on the way home. We had enough time to drive the scenic route along the Maine coast, and stop for a lunch time lobster roll along the way. The coast road is a bit too tight for the RV; the right side mirror hit a pole as we allowed room for a truck to pass. It was easily turned back to the correct viewing angle and we continued. A stop at Kittery's Outlet Malls completed our "Shop the Northeast" tour; the rest of the trip was uneventful on interstate highways and familiar local roads near home. Doris needed to pack for her departure the next day; we hope she enjoyed the trip as much a we did. :-)