All in Travel
Water. A compound unique in all the Universe. Beautiful in any of its natural states. Humans crave the stuff. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, float on it, boat on it, ski and snowshoe on it. We want to live next to it. It makes up well more than half of every individual's mass.
We’ve been home for a while from our nearly three-month-long journey. This post shares some random thoughts, a quick summation, and some of my favorite images from the trip. Random thoughts first. With apologies to the more-is-better crowd, as a society, we need to use less electricity.
The next morning found us in the van, leaving Massachusetts, heading to East Hampton, Connecticut. Bill and Heather Embacher, old friends from Alaska, live there. The last time I saw them, they were childless. Now they have a beautiful nine-year old daughter. It had certainly been too long.
New Hampshire Highway 112, more commonly called the Kancamagus Highway, offers motorists one of the most scenic roads in New England. In the fall, when the leaves are changing color, it's particularly breath-taking.
After being with us in Lovell almost two weeks, Maryann had to leave on Sunday. Susan wondered what she'd do during the coming week. I suggested she go back to Winthrop with Maryann. She could visit friends and visit Boston. I'd meet her near the end of the week.
Ralph moved us to the Pond House, still in Lovell, Maine. The previous cabin (the one with the squirrels) had been nice. This place was a major upgrade, though! All wood paneling and ceilings, fireplaces, comfortable leather furniture, pond views out of enormous windows, nicer than our home, certainly nicer than the van.
We settled in, then began checking our surroundings. The cabin was a 60-second walk from Kezar Lake, one of Maine's premier fisheries. Numerous other ponds were nearby. We had access to kayaks, and canoes, and a johnboat. The surrounding area had farm stands, and hikes, and restaurants, and best of all, we had an entire month here.
Susan had said, "We should go to Vermont. I've never spent much time there." Not part of the plan, but a good idea. I always liked Vermont. Change the plan! We crossed the border and went through customs at Rouses Point, New York.
Morning found us on the way to Old Quebec City. We found a parking garage that, at 18$C, seemed like a bargain compared to Montreal. We made our way to the tourist information office, immediately impressed by the old, well-kept buildings, the profusion of flowers, and the street art.
Our hostess at Camping Amerique Montreal spoke excellent English, which was good. Our French is abysmal! Moneau patiently showed us on the map how to get to Montreal, a 30-minute drive. She also showed us where to park, explaining that the 25$C we'd spend for parking was the best parking value in the city.
Susan asked, "Why are we going to Ottawa?" "It's the country's capital," I said. "There ought to be something worth seeing there." As it turned out, I nailed it. Ottawa boasts several world-class museums (and quite a number of smaller ones!), two of which we got to visit.
The drive through Toronto, well, I've had nicer nightmares. Twelve lanes of traffic, slow-and-stop-and-go, for well more than 50 miles. I'd been prepared for it to be bad, but I reached a breaking point and had to get off the 401, Ontario's main east-west route.
