Heading Northeast in June

We tried to leave the Des Moines heat behind us by going to the BMW annual motorcycle rally in Essex Junction, Vermont, but this afternoon, the humidity, high temperatures, & heat advisory led me to leave the tent city to find refuge in an air-conditioned coffee shop called the Boxcar Bakery.

Essex Junction is near Burlington, in northwestern Vermont. Lake Champlain is to the west (along with New York) & Montreal is just 2 1/2 hours north.

We loved driving through Canada to get here, crossing the border at Port Huron, Michigan into Sarnia, Ontario. Seeing road signs in French and English of course made me happy. Passing through a bit of Ontario & Québec before dropping south again near Montreal we were able to see several Tim Hortons located in the OnRoute rest areas along the main highway, #401.

Greg & his first Poutine at an On Route rest area

At a smaller gas station, I asked a woman if she spoke French, and she answered “oui” and smiled wide. She said she wasn’t so good at English, so we were both in heaven as we spoke French & she kindly filled my water bottle with cold water & my cup with ice. She explained that she lived in Québec even though her job at this gas station was in Ontario. “Take the next exit, and you’ll be in Québec!”

Later that day, I made Greg stop for a late French lunch in Québec before we re-entered the States. The town was St-Jean-sur-Richelieu & the restaurant was Les Belles Sœurs. We drove 15 minutes off the main route and then could not find parking for our pick up & trailer. No parking available, street construction, and one-ways made the old city center on the Richelieu River city very “difficile.” We ended up parking where we were clearly not to park.

But we took the risk because local man in Québécois French said “Why not risk it? Just for a lunch. You should be okay.”

We did. The scrambled egg-bacon-sausage filled crepes, hash browns, maple syrup, apple filled crepe with maple syrup too & fresh fruit with free fair trade coffee, everything, including the art & the French speaking waitress & clientele made it “parfait” for me, except I was worried about the parking and walked to check on the parking situation while Greg waited for our food. It arrived promptly. Well before I got back. Then I shoveled mine in so I could get back to the truck before it was towed away. But all was fine. I had forgotten that things are pretty laid back in Québec.

At the rally, we have met folks from Canada, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Georgia, and even Knoxville, Iowa! My favorite part of this rally is meeting people and listening to their stories.

This morning we met a couple from Michigan: Dennis & June. Dennis grew up in a farm on New Foundland. He left at age 16 because he didn’t want to farm as his father had. (The hard way.) He had hoped to get back to the island; but life happens, as he said. After the rally, are headed to New Foundland & then St Pierre et Miquelon, so talking with them was easy. He gave us places to stop and the names of several singers from New Foundland: Alan Doyle & Amelia Curran for starters. I told him about my beloved Canadian folk singer, Stan Rogers.

Boxcar Bakery in Essex Junction, my refuge

That’s all for today, but I hope to write a bit & share a few photos as we continue exploring the northeastern part of the US and maritime Canada and France.