June 12, 2019 - Eastern Townships, PQ

June 12, 2019

This morning was clearer and we woke up to a good, warm, sunny morning. First up on the list was to head south to see L’Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-Du-Lac, an abbey that French monks built, overlooking Lac Memphremagog. They began it in 1912 and, after several additions, renovations and modifications, today it sits in regal beauty in the midst of a fairytale surrounding, tucked away in the hills of Canton de L’Est.

The abbey has a large property with orchards and gardens, a cider mill and a fromagerie. After visiting the church with it’s magnificent organ (see photos) we visited the shop and bought a ridiculous amount of cheese, chocolate, duck rillette (which was to die for) and cider, all made by the monks.

After fortifying our stash, we headed north and then east towards Lac Megantic. First on the list was to go and visit the Astrolab, an observatory in Notre-Dame-des-Bois. This observatory allowed Canada to become part of the leading edge of astrophysics research on the world stage and is located in a Dark-Sky Reserve, a large geographical area (that includes local towns) that has made a commitment to keep light pollution to a minimum.

Once in the Reserve, we purchased a ticket which allowed us to go up the hill to Mont St. Joseph which has a spectacular view of the surrounding area. There is a small chapel there as well. We then carried on to Mont Megantic where the observatory is located. We weren’t able to go into the observatory but the ride up the mountains and the spectacular views were well worth the effort. We were a little early in the season to be able to catch the films that are offered at the main information building but they have an interpretation center as well during peak season.

We finished the day by heading to Lac Megantic where we lucked out and found THE MOST AMAZING house to rent. Sylvie, the owner, has done a magnificent job of renovating this house and it was such a pleasure to spend an evening and night there. Look for it online. It’s called Maison du Lac in Lac Megantic. We found a Metro and SAQ, loaded up with some wine and more charcuterie delectibles and had another marvellous evening.

Lac Megantic is a beautiful lake and the town itself has recovered remarkably from the terribly tragic train explosion a number of years ago. The house we rented was just on the edge of the explosion area and, while a lot of infrastructure (roads, parks, gardens etc.) have been rebuilt, there are still quite a few building lots have have yet to be redeveloped so there is yet a noticeable gap in the town. We saw the rail track and the big bend where the train came off the rails just down from where we stayed. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for the people of this beautiful little town to have gone through so much loss.

June 11, 2019 - Eastern Townships, PQ

June 11, 2019

This morning we woke up to some rain so we donned our rain gear and headed off to Valcourt to go and see the Bombardier Museum. When I was researching the Eastern Townships, this was rated one opt the top 10 things to do in the region. I knew that Bombardier started the Ski-Doo, made some planes and now does the Spider but I had NO IDEA what an amazing story is behind this Canadian company that we can all be very proud of.

Basically, Joseph Armand Bombardier started imagining a way to navigate snow in the winter because, in his township of Valcourt in the 1930s, they were frequently snowed in. His parents originally had high hopes he would become a priest but he had other ideas. Who knew that he would build a world-wide company based out of little Valcourt, Quebec.

He was nothing if not imaginative and adaptable and, over the years, met obstacles and challenges with optimism and ingenuity. Among other things, Bombardier created the snow mobile and got the patent for the cog and belt design which they also used for all terrain vehicles which were used on muskeg and in deep mud conditions. They also produced motorcycles (CanAm) as well as air craft (the Leer Jet as well as the first regional jet), metro trains (Montreal and New York) and eventually built bullet trains (Italy). They even designed and built the torch that the athletes carried in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Today, they also build the three-wheeled motorcycle, the Spider.

When you first go to the museum, you watch two multi-media video presentations which are incredibly well done. The first tells the story of JA Bombardier and his time establishing the company. The second tells the story of the Bombardier after JA passed away and his family carried his legacy forward. Today, while the transportation (trains and aircraft) portion of the company has been sold, the family still owns BRP (Bombardier Recreation Products) which include their Ski-Doos and Spiders etc. The main manufacturing factory is still in Valcourt as the family has always wanted to keep the main production in Valcourt, to benefit the community that JA was such a big part of.
After the videos, the museum covers the evolution of the company and almost all of the installations have interactive aspects, making this museum very engaging. It is so well done.

While we were there, Yvan inquired about tours of the factory. The front desk staff hemmed and hawed because they don’t have their regular tours going just yet but one of the managers shuffled some things around and made arrangements for us to go. WOW, was it ever worth it!

We left the museum and drove a few blocks over to the factory and met Colette, our tour guide there. After suiting us up with steel toes, safety glasses and headsets (we we could hear her) and locking all our possessions up in a storeroom (including all cameras and cel phones) off we went for a 1.5 hour tour of the plant. It’s HUGE and they produce both Ski-Doos and Spiders there. They have 350 people per shift and have two shifts per day. Colette we unable to tell us their current production numbers (top secret stuff!) but it must be pretty big. The yard outside is filled with stacks and stacks of boxed up Ski-Doos and Spiders ready to be shipped world-wide. A lot of the production is automated. Many of the little trophies that carry parts and items being assembled around are robots and operate by GPS or by following magnetic strips in the floor. It’s a very high tech assembly line. They also have hand welders as well as robot welding stations and robot riveting stations for some parts of the the assembly. We also saw where they powered coat paint some of the parts. It was so fascinating and it was too bad you couldn’t just find a spot and stay for awhile and really watch how things work. Even with 1.5 hours, we hustled fairly quickly through to see it all.

After we returned to the museum, we finished looking at the parts we didn’t get to including a jet plane flight simulator which was a lot of fun. IT was fairly quiet at the museum and Colette approached us and said that she had time to take us into the restricted archival area which houses many more machines and artifacts that aren’t available to the public to see unless you make special arrangements. Colette sure gave us the royal treatment! We were very grateful and we enjoyed the tour to see the two Ski-Doos that were the first motorized vehicles to get to the North Pole. There were also prototypes of inventions that Bombardier never put into production. They have the custom Ski-Doo JA made for his wife as well as a little car he built for his son when he was 10.

All in all, we ended up spending the entire day in Valcourt. We hadn’t intended to do so but the museum and tours were so amazing, it was well worth the time to stay and take it all in. We didn’t know what to expect when we went but I can say that it’s with very good reason that this is one of the top things to do in the Eastern Townships.

We had originally planned on being over near Lac Megantic this night but we ended up going back to our Motel des Deux Lacs for another night. We stopped by the Metro and bought some charcuterie delectables and the SAQ for some excellent wine and had a fun and laughter filled evening. A great day. It was really nice to not just ride our asses off for a change but actually stop and see something. :) It’s always the dilemma on a long trip... balancing the need to make some miles (as Lynn would say) and actually taking the time to enjoy where you are!

June 10, 2019 - LaChute to Eastern Townships, PQ

June 10, 2019

After a lovely evening last night with Yvan and Carole, we crashed. Hard. It felt like a bit of a marathon to get here by our set date of June 9. We left a day late so we had to make up the time along the way which meant we had a bit of pressure and some longer days. Even with some riding beforehand, to pull 8 hour days in the saddle, 10 days in a row, was a lot to ask of our poor bodies. Plus, I think it’s just the psychological effect of feeling like you’ve “arrived”, your brain relaxes a bit and boom, done. We hit a bit of a wall.

I sure felt it this morning. We had good intentions of getting up at a decent time and getting rolling. Carole and Yvan were all ready to go but the reality was that we only had one speed and that was pretty much first gear. We all agreed it was a good idea to just take the time we needed without rushing which meant it was 1pm before we were finally on the road.

We decided our goal was just to get to the Canton des L’Est (Eastern Townships) which is a region east of Montreal. Yvan led the way and we backtracked to Hawksbury and then headed east on the south side of the river to bypass the mess of Montreal and all the road work that is happening over there. We found ourselves in some fairly big traffic and 10 lane highways but fairly quickly, we popped out on Highway 10 and zoomed our way over to the little town of Waterloo. It is one of the Coeur de Villes and, like them all, it is picture postcard of beautiful old brick buildings in the little downtown core and sweet little clapboard, brick or stone houses tucked into beautiful treed yards and acreages. One of the first things you notice, in Quebec in general, is that people REALLY tend their homes and yards well. Everything is trimmed, planted, neat and tidy. Houses are cared for and there are basically no mobile homes here. I’m not sure why that is but so far, we haven’t seen one. Most of the houses in the Eastern Townships are old (turn of the century-ish) and around every bend is a postcard worthy vista. Alas, one of the disadvantages of riding a motorbike is that it’s not easy to just stop and take photos so, like going through Algonquin Park, I don’t have a lot of photos but wow, just google the Eastern Townships of Quebec and you’ll get the idea...

We stayed at the Motel des Deux Lacs just east of Waterloo. It’s a little gem of a place. From the front, it just looks like a typical 50s style roadside motel but in behind the buildings is an idyllic oasis - a lovely little lake with a fountain surrounded by big trees with hammocks, gardens and lovely green lawns. Everything is so lush and green right now - there’s been quite a bit of rain here this spring.

We spent a bit of time walking the grounds, testing out the hammocks and enjoying the peaceful pond and then called it a day.

June 8,9 2019 - Georgian Bay, Muskoka, Algonquin Park, ON to LaChute PQ

 June 8, 2019

Today we left Manitoulin Island. We packed up quickly because the mosquitos were fierce this morning and we bee-lined it for South Baymouth where the ferry goes to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. We got in line to catch the Chi-Cheemaun  then went and had a nice breakfast at the cafe. We ended up talking to a couple from Vancouver Island who are also on a cross-Canada trip but by car and for 5 months. Lucky them!

The boat ride was 2 hours and then we landed in Tobermory. Apparently, Tobermory is known world-wide for scuba diving because it has one of the largest collections of ship wrecks in the world. Some are wrecks that happened in the course of sailing and some were sunk intentionally to add to the diving area. 

The Bruce Peninsula is gorgeous and there are a number of little towns that are postcard perfect with stunning brick buildings in the downtown core that look like movie sets and beautiful turn of the century brick homes everywhere. In particular, I loved Warton and Owen Sound. 

We followed the coastal route along Georgian Bay (26) towards Barrie and then headed north (11) through Muskoka and “Cottage Country”. Many of the cottages are actually enormous, beautiful homes tucked into the trees on the shores of the thousands of lakes in the region. We were told that Manitoulin Island, Bruce Peninsula and the Muskoka region are the main holiday it areas for many people in Ontario, Quebec, New York State etc. 

We pushed up to Huntsville and by the time we got there, we were too tired to try to find a campsite and we hadn’t seen any that were immediately accessible so we took a hotel room for the night. I was so happy to have a clean bathroom and shower all to myself - I stood in the shower for half an hour! 

We had a room with 2 Queen beds and, after sleeping together in our little camper which is only the size of a small double bed, I looked at Lynn and said I wanted a bed all to myself. I love you honey, but tonight I want to SPREAD OUT!! So, he had one Queen bed all to himself and so did I. 

Also - another shout out today - Happy Birthday to my sister Becky!

June 9, 2019

Today was a long haul but we were determined to arrive in LaChute, Quebec today to meet our friends Yvan and Carole. We left Huntsville by 9:00 and quickly entered Algonquin Provincial Park. This is a stunning wilderness park with many lakes with good camping options. It’s very picturesque and as the road dips and winds through the woods, little magical vistas of lakes peek out here and there. The province also has information centres, interpretations centres, stores and some museums here so there is a lot to do. 

Leaving Algonquin, we stopped in Whitney for breakfast. I love the really old-school diners and this was a perfect version, complete with round stools at the counter and lots of locals gathered for coffee and a BS. The breakfast was excellent and off we went.

Not far from Whitney is the larger community of Barry’s Bay and then we came to Wilno which is one of the first Polish communities in Canada. This was interesting to us because one of our sons-in-law is from Poland. There are still some heritage houses from that era and a small local museum, all of it you can see from the road. 

Eventually, we made it to the Trans-Canada highway so we were able to make some fast time. After being in relatively quiet, rural areas for the past 9 days (for the most part) we were pulled up short when suddenly the highway became 3 and then 4 and then 5 lanes in either direction and we found ourselves in the mid-stream of major traffic coming into and through Ottawa. It’s amazing how quickly it changes - from country roads through idyllic farmland to major city thoroughfare! We were very happy to get through to the other side and the 17 turned back into a single lane highway that follows along the Ottawa River.

We crossed into Quebec at Hawksbury and, shortly after that arrived in LaChute to see our friends Yvan and Carole! It’s been 5 years since we’ve seen them and it was just like yesterday. It’s so nice to have friends like that where no time seems to pass and you fall right into that easy way of being right away. They are coming with us for the next 10 days, through the Eastern Townships (east of Montreal), down into Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They will leave us after Halifax because Yvan has to return home to help his son hay. 

We had a very enjoyable dinner and quickly found our stride with French and English. We’re all speaking a hybrid of English and French and I’m working on improving my French and Yvan and Carole are wanting to work on their English. We have a lot of laughs about how things translate. One of the ones we laughed about are all the names English has for what the French call Une Toilette. We call them a restroom, a bathroom, a washroom or even an outhouse, none of which literally translate to using the toilette!

Funny moment:

Speaking of Une Toilette - we were at a gas station somewhere in Ontario in the past 2 days and they had a little cafe that is attached. There was only one large bathroom for both men/women. I went into the bathroom and didn’t catch the lock well enough and as I was sitting on the toilet, Lynn walked in (thinking it was the first door to the bathroom area) and found himself in this bathroom with me. So he came in and shut the door. Of course, like most married couples, this is common occurrence but I said to him, I imagine other people in the cafe might be wondering what we’re doing in here... He just shrugged and said oh well, I’ll just wait  so we chatted while I “did my thing”   and when I finished, I stepped out of the bathroom and about 6 people in the cafe were staring at me with funny looks on their faces... Always leave them guessing! Ha ha ha...