I tried to post everyday, but as you can see from
the singular previous post about Canada, I was having too much of a good time
to be spending a minute on my phone/computer blogging, so lets see how well I
can recall the details . . .
Part 2:
Tuesday morning after breakfast on the porch,
gazing out at the Adirondacks, we made our way to Montreal, but not without a
detour or two. Being the organized people that we are, we decided to get gas
before crossing the border into Canada, unfortunately for us, we have very poor
luck when it comes to gas stations . . . an hour of cows, silos, and farmlands
(in the wrong direction) later we found a gas station. Now being that what was
intended as a 10-minute side trip took the better part of an hour, we decided
to get lunch. We found a quaint little place on the road, with a number of
cars, and ordered. Unfortunately for us, when we got our food, no matter how hard
we tried, we could not bring ourselves to eat more than the first bite--they
were completely inedible. Stomachs grumbling, with our full tank of gas, and an
hour behind schedule, we set out again and made it Canada by mid-afternoon. 
Montreal was beautiful! Given our limited amount of
time in the city we set out straight away to explore. Having received a
recommendation for an area to go for dinner, we set out walking in a complete
circle, through the entire city proper, at least 13km. We wandered through
several neighborhoods, took a look at McGill University, walked through a park
or two (I have never seen so many people exercising in one place before in my
entire life), ate dinner at a Greek restaurant, explored the downtown, got a
cocktail in Old Montreal, witnessed a protest, and walked along the waterfront. We did not take the
typical tourist route, but instead saw the sites under the stars, taking in the
city at night—in my opinion a much better way to do it.
Part 3:
In the morning we made pancakes at our hostel,
making friends with an Australian who was traveling across Canada. We chatted
on the patio over coffee before going our separate ways for the day. Rachel and
I, headed north of the city to Mt. Royal Park, where we hiked for a few hours,
visited a "castle," learned some history of the city, took in several
breathtaking views, snacked on maple sugar candies, and had lunch at a
cafe--Canadian beer and sandwiches--before getting back in the car and heading
back to the old USA.
On the way back to North Creek, we took a few side
trips:
- We went to Fort Ticonderoga
- Ate ice cream
- Sang show tunes--namely the Sound of Music
- Walked through a century old cemetery and church
- Found a waterfall
- Explored a park
- Played on a playground
- Put our feet in Lake George
- Visited Hauge
- Drove through a biker convention
- And wandered through the woods
Part 4:
This morning we were up, packed, and off bright and
early! With our coffee and pastry in hand we set off for Saratoga Spa State
Park where we went on a few short hikes, Rachel saw her first geyser, and we
bathed in a few natural springs. After which we went to see the Saratoga Race
Tracks, which were unfortunately closed, but we still we able to see quite a
bit from the road. Having made better time than expected we went looking for
another stop to make and decided to head to New Paltz for a coffee and a look
around. In our attempt to avoid NYC rush hour, we managed to hit
bumper-to-bumper all the way to New Paltz. By the time we got there we were
ready to go. We took at look at SUNY New Paltz campus, got a coffee in town,
and explored Main Street before getting back in the car and heading home.
After 1200 miles, 10+ cities, 4 days, 3 nights, and 2 countries we
arrived back at home and have already begun planning our next road trip, get
excited for the Rachel & Shelby Massachusetts road trip come August as well
as (fingers crossed) European Summer 2013!
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