Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Last evening was so nice, warm and beautiful we had the windows, hatches and door open until we went to bed. We went to bed early with hopes of an early start today. The temperature in the trailer with everything open was 84F.
We were up at 6:30AM and unable to get into the internet. This Wifi is great stuff. Frustrating! The Wifi here at this campground was definitely turned off.
We managed a good early start at 8:43AM. They do not open the gate until 7AM so we were within the limits there. We stopped at the dump station and dumped on the way out.
We got back on highway 401 and stopped at Bainsville, Ontario. We were at the Curry Hill Truck Stop at 9:52AM and took on 34.920 litres of diesel at $1.229 per litre for a total of $42.92.
The Quebec border sign as we entered Quebec on route 20 Est.
We were soon back on highway 401 and crossed into Quebec. Once in Quebec the highway became 20 Est for East. My last trip through Quebec was in 1969. That was 42 years ago and I swore I would never go near the place again.
Joan likes Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine much better and wanted to go that way. My first trip across Canada was from Halifax to Whitehorse, via Canada all the way. This is probably my last trip with a trailer and I wanted an all Canada trip. I now wish I had gone with Joan. There is not a dit of English anywhere in Quebec and it is very frustrating trying to drive through the place. We have been going back and forth to the rest of Canada via the New England states and will continue to do so if we make any more trips with the trailer. It is so much easier and their roads are so much better.
Only Canada and Canadians would tolerate such foolishness as French only in Quebec when we have to put up with all the French elsewhere in the country. Especially out west around Calgary, Edmonton and so on. It makes little if any sense.
This is looking down on Montreal as one approaches the Champlain bridge crossing the St. Lawrence River.
The St. Lawrence River was high like all the rivers, lakes, streams and so on from all the rain.
This is a small portion of the city of Montreal from the approaches to the Champlain Bridge.
This is the Champlain Bridge and I did not notice the English until I typed this. This has to be the only English we encountered.
This is the St. Lawrence River Valley. It is not the best photo of the valley but will give one an idea.
I do believe Sudbury, Ontario will have to take a back seat to the award for the roughest roads. Quebec roads are much rougher. There is construction everywhere along the Quebec roads but it is hard to find anyone working.
We kept coming East or Est, the choice is yours, to Wolf River (Riviere-du-Loup) where we turned right on highway 185 South or Sud.
This is approaching Riviere-du-Loup on Route 20 Est.
We stopped at the Irving Big Stop at St-Antonin at 3:30PM for supper. The supper was great. After supper we pulled up to the pickup diesel pump and took 53.062 litres of diesel at 1.259 per litre for a total of $66.81.
We crossed over into New Brunswick about an hour and a half later after paying the bill at 4:35PM. This put us back in our home time zone of Atlantic Daylight Saving Time.
This is the sign one goes past on entering New Brunswick via Quebec route 185. Quebec route 185 turns into New Brunswick route 2 on entering New Brunswick and also known as the Trans Canada Highway.
We pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot at Edmundston, New Brunswick at 6:47PM ADT.
The mileage from the campground at Cardinal, Ontario to Edmundston, New Brunswick was 729 kilometres. A long drive for sure.
We had nice sunny weather most of the day. There was black alto cumulus over Riviere-du-Loup but it produced three drops of rain on the windshield only. One did not have to turn the windshield wipers on.
We soon called it a day and another day was history