Woke up (0530) this morning in Montreal! Before leaving my room, I did some more reading, got packed and cleaned up the room. I then took all of my things down to the Parking Garage. I checked out with the Front Desk (to beat the Cheerleading Group) at 0700 and immediately went to eat breakfast in the hotel dining area. It was a spectacular feast! I haven't seen so much food in many years and it was clear that this hotel was on the high end for travelers. While I ate, I spent some time planning out my morning. Departed (with assistance from the lady at the front desk) and drove a short distance to Mount Royal Park - basically, I was backtracking from the evening before. For the first time, however, I noticed some signs in French that seemed to warning drivers about something. If it isn't one thing, it's another... After a bit of "exploring", I found the main parking lot at about 0800. The meters weren't working and I was bit concerned about getting towed - finally decided to just stop worrying and left my car. From that point, I spent the rest of the morning walking the rim of Mount Royal. Using the complex trail system (Chemin Olmsted, including part of the Grand Staircase), I found several places where I got some amazing views of Montreal and the St. Lawrence! The park, I learned, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who also designed Central Park in NYC). It was very pedestrian-friendly and lots of Montrealers were enjoying hikes, bike-rides, etc. in the area. When I finally reached my car again, I realized that I hadn't heard anyone speaking English all day. Before proceeding, I looked up words from a road sign that I'd seen earlier and discovered that it meant that there was a speed camera (yikes!). From the parking area, I drove a short distance over the mountain top to where I got a different view (of the northern part) of Montreal. I then backtracked to the entrance to Cimiterie Notre-Dame-Cote-des-Neiges. My last visit (2006) was with my whole family, and we were able to pay our respects to my ancestor, Owen Coogan (the first member of our family to live in North America). I had hoped to come back for the 200th anniversary of his birth in Ireland (Dec 1820 or Jan 1821) but couldn’t have chosen better weather when I returned today. Without a map, it took me a long time to find the cemetery stones again. When I did, I was shocked at how difficult they had become to read - I guess the "acid-rain" (or something else) is having very negative effects... Explored some other locations (higher elevations) in the Cemetery before departing. I exited back to Avenue Attwater and took this road all the way through the Downtown. I actually went through a tunnel under the Lachine Canal! Eventually, I reached the A15 and then headed east until I was able to cross the Pont Samuel-de-Champlain. There were no traffic delays this time but there was some construction. Continued on A10 until I was able to get on A35 - encountered more traffic at the interchange. Didn't stay on the main highway for long because I wanted to explore the area south of St John-sur-Richelieu. Used QC-233 initially and then detoured on Rue St Jacques so I could get closer to the Richelieu River. After that, took Rue Jacques-Cartier until I was able to merge with QC-233 again. Then continued south, along the river) to Isle-aux-Noix. After finishing “Rabble in Arms” earlier this year, the place had special meaning... The park was closed so I didn't stay long - instead, I followed QC-233 to the intersection with QC-202 (Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel). Because I missed the sign for the Blockhouse, I ended up driving west into the town of Lacolle. Once I realized my mistake, I backtracked to the park to learn more about Canadian Frontier history. I then used QC-202 to cross the Richelieu into Noyan. Took Chemin du Bord-de-l'Eau and then QC-225 to the north (still following the river). Eventually got on Rue St Jean-Baptiste and merged with QC-133 in Henryville. Continued south to the US border (1400), where I found a larger crowd of cars (probably six in each of the two open lanes). I believe I was lucky because everyone in front of me moved pretty quickly - the whole process probably didn't take longer than 20 minutes. This time, I had no issues with CBP and was soon driving south (with almost no traffic) on I-89 in Vermont. Stopped for a break at the first rest area (named "Georgia") that I found and checked on the Lake Champlain Ferry. Continued south again and then took a short detour on US-2 so I could visit Grand Isle. I used VT-314 to find the ferry landing and then backtracked to the Interstate. From there, I drove (without stopping) all the way to the Connecticut River. The weather was great and there still wasn't much traffic. I talked to Mollie for a little bit and then stopped at Shaws in West Lebanon (done at 1610). From there, I continued on I-89 and arrived home at 1630. While unpacking, I considered how fortunate I am to live so close to an "International" city like Montreal - hope I can return again soon!
