Crossed the Border into Quebec - Jun 25, 2009

We crossed the border today to Quebec. We were about 20 miles from the border in Plattsburg so we knew we didn’t have many miles to travel; however, we didn’t know how long we would have to queue at the border either so we got a fairly early start. Also, Joe wanted to top off with diesel as we know we won’t see prices this low for a few months again…not that it was that low in New York; $2.89 in Plattsburgh.

As luck would have it, we were first in line at the border; no traffic or queue at all. After a glance at our passports, logging in our vehicle tag numbers, and a couple of routine questions about firearms, alcohol, and tobacco, the nice customs agent waved us on and wished us a nice trip. That was painless. We did a quick brain conversion to kilometers from miles and started to absorb what certain French words on road signs translated to in English; fortunately, for the most part, the signs are in both languages. We continued on and stopped at the Tourist information center.

I took Foxy for a walk and Joe ran the generator for a while. We have found the summer weather; it’s in the 80’s today with very high humidity. We picked up some tourist stuff and changed some U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars (exchange rate was $1.08 so it’s only slightly better than one-one; makes everything here look pretty expensive.). A very knowledgeable gentleman with a charming French accent loaded us up with maps, information, and tips for seeing his Province.

We are now settled in at our home for the next several days at the KOA in South Montreal; nice big sites and, most importantly, a clear shot at the satellite. Foxy is happy here too with lots of grass and some shady areas for her, especially under the picnic table.

We’ll probably do some sightseeing in Montreal tomorrow.