Early May, 2011
Florida to Montreal & Quebec via CAR?Robert was looking for crew for his 40’ trawler power boat to go from Florida up to Quebec. Before he did that, he needed to drive his car from Florida to Quebec. We met and seemed to get along quite well so I decided to share the road trip with him. A road trip is a good test to see if you really get along. I believe it’s actually harder to get along on land than it is on the water. On a boat there is always a lot of things to do and it takes you to separate areas of the boat. In a car, there are no other rooms to go to, just one shared space.
Wires are always a challenge. Charging and working we have
phones, computers, ipads and ipods.
Now a flat tire shouldn’t be such a big deal. At least, it never was in the past. And this was a little test for us too. It would tell us how we deal with semi-crisis situations. When the tire blew, I was driving so I drove to the far right lane and then spotted an exit. I had to ride on the grass the last feet so the remains of the tire wouldn’t be ruined.
Robert got out of the car to check the wheel and gave me the owner’s manual and told me to look up how to change the tire. The car is a 2005 Pontiac G8. He never had to change a tire yet on the car. When I looked it up, it said there was no spare, no tire changing tools, and to call a tow truck. He looked at me and said I must be on the wrong page. So he looked at it. Sure enough, no spare tire. No even a donut tire. Nada.
The driver is checking his messages at one of the many rest stops along the highway.
Pirates aren't so funny anymore, but hey, it's local art at a restaurant along the way.
So we looked up tire repair shops and towing companies. All of the companies told us the same thing; no tires for that car were available. It has special wide racing tires that come stock with the car and that is the only kind you can replace it with. So we were stuck. It was Saturday and if we didn’t get it resolved that day, we would be looking at wasting two more days until Monday. After calling every company in the book, we found one tire company on the edge of Charleston who had them. The tow truck took us there for a mere $250 because it was an hour away. With the tires on in a few minutes, we were good to get back on the road.
Our first stop was Montreal. While Robert had some business in town, I was free to roam as I pleased. It had been 20 years since I had been there. My favorite stop was the Notre-Dame Basicila. It’s interior is so beautiful. I love it there.
My second favorite church located in Montreal.. It's so beautiful inside.
Interesting architecture.
Police persons keeping the peace during a march.
Bike rentals all over town.
Spring in the window boxes.
A most curious sign. No, it doesn't mean two cherries below,
it means two fire hydrants below. Of course!
From there we visited Robert’s son and his two sons, and his father. Usually you know someone for at least 6 months before being introduced to their family.
We stayed in this skiing village near the people he wanted to visit.
A little picturesque chapel at the ski town.
Grandad
Then we drove to Trois Rivieres or 3 Rivers which was not my favorite place. This is where Robert lived before he retired and he is still a consultant for that business. He also kept his boat there. The marina is right next to a pulp mill. Really next to. When I grew up in Appleton, WI, there was a pulp mill in Kaukauna, WI about 15 miles away and I was always grateful that I didn’t live there and have to smell it. The people in 3 Rivers don’t seem to mind.
Then we went to Quebec City where Robert’s daughter and family lives. They were all so nice and welcoming. Qceananne and Sara came to visit us at the hotel and take advantage of the hot Jacuzzi there. It was so cold, we ran from the hotel into the Jacuzzi. When we went out for dinner, we took the first restaurant out of the hotel as it was too cold to walk.
The old village of Quebec
More streets.
If there's horses and carriages, it's tourist time.
Where to eat, where to eat.
A little more complicated for me with everything in French.
Grand daughters Sara & Oceanne
The most interesting part of the trip was watching the weather get cooler and cooler. We started out in Florida in the mid 90's, and ended in Quebec with some day's high in the low 60's. Everything was in full bloom in Florida, around Virginia the buds were mostly all opened, but in Quebec, the buds were just beginning to enlarge. It was like going backwards from summer to spring!
