On our last day in Montreal, I woke up at 0600 and got ready. Last night, I'd asked Brenna to pack and I was pleased to find her bags ready. Meanwhile, she slept while I finished up my own packing, went to breakfast and double checked the room for items we might have forgotten. At 0745, I managed to convince Brenna to wake up. I then got most of the bags and walked to the parking garage (under the nearby Hyatt Hotel). Once I located my car, I managed to get it out of the tight-fitting spot and (after some trouble with my credit card) carefully exited the low-ceiling garage without damaging my car (0815). During the time I was gone, Brenna ate breakfast. When I got back to the hotel, she brought the bags down to the lobby and we checked out. Overall, it was a nice stay! Next, we loaded up the car and headed towards Mont Royal. The weather was beautiful again. We took surface streets to the parking area and paid our fee at a kiosk (0855). We then walked towards the nice overlook spot - Brenna liked the view. Next, we walked around on the road that circled the top of Mont Royal and visited the big cross. Making our way back to the car, we looked inside the visitor center building before departing (0955). We drove a short distance to the entrance of the Notre Dame Cemetery (Cote des Neiges) and located Owen Coogan's stone. Since my last visit, the grass had been cut - things looked much better. Next, we explored the area a little and made our way towards Griffintown. We located the Parc Du Fauberg-Sainte-Anne (ruins of the St. Ann's Church, where our family had attended). During this time, Brenna asked me lots of questions about family history. In Griffintown, there was a LOT of new construction, mostly apartment buildings, but very little parking. We got lucky, though, and found a place on the street near Lock #3 for the Lachine Canal. I had to laugh because this was the exact location for the "Lock and Paddle" that we'd missed the day before... There were LOTS of bikers and people doing yoga in the area and we spent time exploring the history, bike trails and wonderful views. By 1055, we were back at our car and made our way (again via the ruins of St. Ann's Church), towards the entrance to the Victoria Bridge (Rue Wellington, Rue Bridge and QC-112). The route was a tight fitting squeeze for my car and the surface of the old bridge was metal. The views were good, though. I'd hoped to take Brenna to the Ile-Notre-Dame (for the Olympic venues) but couldn't make it work due to the way the roads were organized. Instead, we got on A20 and headed south; this route took us to A15. I'd briefly considered getting on the "normal" road, A10, but took the scenic route along the Saint Lawrence River. Brenna was getting hungry by this point so I suggested we get some crepes at Eggsquis. She liked that idea and we found one along our route, although we had to backtrack through farm fields (after getting off A15) to reach the restaurant (located in St-Constant / Delson, QC). Once seated, we both ordered some good stuff (crepes) enjoyed a nice meal. After that (1215), we used A30 to get back to A15 and drove south. Brenna decided she wanted a break from talking - she put on her ear buds and listened to music while I drove. She eventually fell asleep and got a nice nap. As we approached the border at Blackpool, QC Google Maps suggested we drive east (on Montee Guay) to the border crossing at Rouses Point, NY (used QC-223 and US-11). This turned out to be a good suggestion and we arrived there at 1305. The line of cars wasn't too bad and, by 1315, we were through the checkpoint. Next, we got on US-2 and headed towards the southeast. This route took us across the Lake Champlain islands and Brenna liked the scenery. At about this time, I remembered that Mollie had once shared a Facebook Message with me about a bike trail called the Colchester Causeway - I recalled that it was nearby. I managed to locate the spot and we headed over there (via US-2 to US-7 and back roads). Once parked (1430), we took a walk and enjoyed the wonderful trail conditions - we saw LOTS of bikers. Brenna enjoyed the scenery and we spent about 45 minutes there. I was quite relieved that our car didn't get towed off of the "Private Road"... Backtracking towards I-89, we started driving towards home. Since President Biden had just announced that he would no longer be in the running for 2024, Brenna and I talked about this for a while. During this time, we made good time to the Connecticut River and stopped in West Lebanon so I could do some shopping at Home Depot (1645). We also stopped at the Beverage King (to look for a drink that Mollie wanted; no luck) and then headed home (arrived at 1715). Brenna unloaded her stuff and then took a three hour nap. Meanwhile, I did some chores in my condo. Brenna was awake again by 2030 and we ate some dinner (leftovers) together. We then watched another movie on my streaming services. It was over before 2200 and I headed to bed (Brenna stayed up for a little while). It will be hard to say goodbye to Brenna after such a nice visit!
