Monday, 07/11/05 To Quebec

I followed the coast of Lake Ontario on a pleasant drive into Canada. I even picked up Canadian money at a bank along this rural route and bought a replacement for the bottle of wine I threw down the sink to stay within custom regulations of 1.1 l of wine/spirits and 24 bottles of beer.

Then, since I had no clue how to navigate the Montreal area, and no good map, I decided to drop onto Autoroute 40. Big mistake! From about 2 to 3:30 only traffic jams and stop and go traffic. All in an incredible heat, at least, incredible to someone who has been driving north for a week trying to escape the Florida heat. My car thermometer read up to 105 degrees. The thing would have picked up some engine heat, but it was most definitely in the high 90s for air temperature. And I was sitting in a top down car with a black interior in the sun while not moving. It was a relief to get out of the Montreal area and a reminder why I have never stayed in that city or in Toronto while driving. (I have once stayed in Toronto, but then I flew in.)

I could not find any easy lodging between Montreal and Quebec, so I ended up just going all the way. In Quebec, I could not remember what I did for lodging last time I was there, but on a bit driving around, the Hilton was sticking out in the sky, so I headed there. They had a room with a great view and great dinner, all for not too much money.

Click pictures to magnify Click here for a slide show


1

2

3

Return