Summer 2010 Northeast Trip – Second Issue

We were traveling from Ottawa, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec when we last updated our blog. Traveling through Montreal in the coach was experience almost equal to the challenge of Toronto. Traveling underneath the St. Lawrence River in the La Fontaine Tunnel was pretty cool.

Montreal was fun, but it was wet. Our campground was flooded when we arrived, and continued to flood as the rains continued. We toured Montreal by bus until the rain stopped and then we began our own walking tour through downtown and Old Montreal. We visited the Olympic Village, St. Joseph’s Oratory, Notre Dame, Basilica and Old Montreal.

We had to leave Montreal after two days because of plans we made in Vermont. Our coach just made it through the vehicle chute at customs with two (really, 2) inches to spare. I thought it was going to be time to visit a paint and body shop. Our first stop back in the states was for two days on Lake Champlain at North Beach in Burlington. What a beautiful area. Burlington is a vibrant waterfront town with a very eclectic and young population. We toured the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, Green Mountain Coffee, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, Dakin Farm and Shelburne Farms.

We then moved just 10 miles east to Essex Junction where we got together with some of our Clemson friends and approximately 500 other motor coaches in Essex Junction, Vermont for the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) Northeast Area Rally. We even met a SC Gamecock fan who was pleasant. While there we spent an afternoon soaring high above the mountains over Stowe, Vermont in a sailplane. We were able to maintain our flight at 5,000’ in mountain wave. It was Anna’s first flight in a sailplane (glider). She did great. I was really proud of her.

We spent just one night in Danville, Vermont to catch up on housekeeping and maintenance items and relax. Then we headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Mount Washington, the highest point in the northeastern United States, famous for its dangerously erratic weather. It was beautiful in the Mountains. When we started our ride up the Mount Washington Auto Road, the temperature was 91 degrees. It was 60 degrees at the top with winds above 40 miles per hour. Just traveling on the auto road was a lot of fun, and waiting until the end of the day allowed us to be the only group of the day with enough visibility to see past our hands. We had about 40 mlles of clear visibility. The moose population is extremely high in New Hampshire, and speed limits are low everywhere to reduce the fatality risk when a moose and vehicle decide to occupy the same space in time. They even have moose viewing tours. We didn’t see any moose, but then we didn’t take the tour!

The next day we hiked the Flume Gorge in Franconia State Park. It is a site not to be missed if you are ever in this area. While in the Lincoln, New Hampshire area, we decided to ride the Aerial Tramway to the top of Cannon Mountain. We saw our first bear of the trip near the top of the mountain. We are at the Pumpkin Patch near Bangor Maine. Brewster is getting groomed at the doggie spa and we are taking care of a couple of items for the motorhome prior to heading north to New Brunswick this coming weekend. We will keep you posted with updates and photos as we roll down the highway. Wish you could be here with us.

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As always, we hope to see you down the road…