Brenna slept in at my condo until almost 1100. Meanwhile, I started my telework day and then departed (at 0915) for the Trail Magic event I was conducting (with my friends) in Hanover (at the Black Recreation Center). We hosted a big cookout for the Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers who were passing through on their way to Maine or Georgia. In addition to many of the same friends and neighbors who helped make this event a success last year, we were joined by members of the local Trail Angels group and the staff of the RWB Rec Center. The hiker feed was definitely a hit and many of our visitors took advantage of the nice weather, cooling shade and all the space we had for airing out gear or swapping out equipment they’d received at our Post Office. Along the way, we were inspired by the drive and determination of our guests. In turn, I believe we were successful in sharing some Upper Valley cheer for their amazing journeys. Overall, our collaboration with the town produced a great event that benefited 24 NOBO and 3 SOBO hikers. It was a perfect day of food, fun and trail stories - I’m proud to be connected to our wonderful trail town and such awesome friends! Brenna texted and called me several times as she woke up, got coffee and did some reading. Eventually, she texted that she was going to walk down to the event; when she arrived (1230), she happily joined in the fun. She met lots of hikers and talked to my friends. Near the end of the event (1500), she helped me to clean up items and load things in the car. We'd heard that one of the hikers wanted to go to the Urgent Care facility in Lebanon so Brenna and I drove him there. We dropped him off for his appointment and then drove to West Lebanon to pick up some items I'd left with Chan Chan's Alternations/Sewing. Next, we drove north towards Hanover and stopped for gas at Irving in West Lebanon. Arriving at my condo after driving through Hanover again, Brenna and I discussed how we needed to hurry and get out of town. She quickly packed while I unloaded/reloaded the car and then we cleaned up the condo a bit (note: I also loaded my inflatable kayak, in case we could participate in Lock & Paddle). By 1620, we were on our way towards Montreal. To leave town, we drove through Hanover (that took a little while) but then made good time on I-91 to the I-89 entrance. From there, we drove north towards the Canadian Border and had some nice talks on the way. We tried to stop at a rest area before the border checkpoint but it had already closed (1820). Instead, we drove right to the border and arrived to find only a few cars waiting to cross. It actually took less than five minutes to clear Canadian Customs! Brenna had a lot of questions for me before and after we drove into Canada. After that, we talked about what we were going to do in Montreal and about some family history. The weather was very nice and Brenna told me she liked the flat terrain ("but not as much as the mountains"). We hit traffic a few times but were able to reach our destination in the city (Hotel le Roberval) by 1950. We quickly got checked in, moved our gear to the room and checked out the Murphy Bed (Brenna liked that). I then tried to find some parking for our car (that took about 45 minutes). When I returned to the room, Brenna was ready to go out for a walk near the hotel. I took her over to Rue St. Denis and we explored the pedestrian-only area. It was a bit cooler than we are used to in the US so we each wore longer sleeves. At about 2115, we sat down at Frite Alors, a cute little restaurant with Poutine as a specialty, and ordered some food/drinks. Brenna got the classic poutine and I got the signature (named for the restaurant) version. Our drinks were a red beer for me and a chardonnay for Brenna. She didn't really like the drink so I asked the server if she could improve on it. The nice lady (younger than Brenna) converted the drink to a Sangria which Brenna liked a LOT. Our conversation flowed freely and we ended up closing down the restaurant (last ones there). Before departing, though, Brenna got some good ideas from the server about things to do on her first trip to Canada in many years. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel (arrived at 2230) and settled in for the night. Brenna stayed awake a bit longer than me but we both had our lights out by 2330. Let the Montreal fun begin!
