Sunday, April 24

Le Grill? What the hell is 'le grill?!?'

Finally had the first long distance haul with the new car. Suffice to say it worked pretty well! I drove from Oakville, ON to Brockville, ON to pick up my sister, and then she drove the car from there to Quebec City. For me total time on the road (Including breaks) was about 11 hours, although with the exception of the last stretch between Montreal and Quebec City it didn't feel like it took all that long.

It was the tail end of Easter Weekend so there wasn't that much traffic on the road, so that was awesome. Unfortunately for anyone who has ever had the misfortune to drive in Quebec, it doesn't matter how few drivers there are on the road they still find a way to cut you off or tailgate you. Montreal was especially bad. Fortunately, unlike when we come up here with our Dad, the people we have encountered have been very friendly, and more importantly, bilingual!

The only real highlight of the drive (Other than highlighting how much driving there actually will be when the road trip starts) was the horror of driving through Montreal. Not only does Quebec seem to have some sort of crazy twilight zone gas pricing system, the highway going through Montreal has to be the most convoluted design of city planning since Picasso was temporarily named Director of the Spanish Metro System. It wants to beguile you into thinking that it will be a straight forward drive and then as you're lulled into a false sense of security they throw in 10 metre merge spaces and onramps that seem like their straight out of the thunderdome. To showcase how horrifying this was I wasn't even driving it was that terrible to simply be the passenger in this situation. I unfortunately wasn't able to take any pictures through this ordeal, but I did get a picture of a neat hill that was on the other side of Montreal.

Not pictured: Terror
For anyone who feels that I may be holding out some amazing story that happened today I really am not holding out on anything. Other than the fact that gas was $1.28 at the Quebec/Ontario border and then magically increased to $1.36 by the time I got to Montreal (clearly because I had to buy some more then!). That and the fact that I used Priceline to get an awesome deal on a hotel in Quebec City, not much happened.

This is what you missed, jealous much?
There may not be a post tomorrow, just because there isn't much between Quebec City and Saint John, NB that is worth posting about. The first official post should be expected May 1st!

2 comments:

  1. I'M POSTING A COMMENT!
    Also: hi!

    ...it's Keri, just in case. Anyways! Montreal's roads are terrifying. Offramps like madness. Nightmares. I was a sleepy passenger and all I remember is the nightmare of insane roads.
    And the sheer flatness and nothingness between there and Saint John. That was valuable sleeping/dance party time.

    I'm going to stalk your blog now. Living the dream, man!
    Also: tell me when you folks are coming to Freddyville! WE CAN DO THINGS

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  2. Hi! Quebec drivers are insane! The only part I like is their rough justice for folks who drive on the highway slowly in the left-hand passing lane. They will pass the slower driver, pull in front and then jam on the brakes in front of em to "teach" them a lesson. I would never do that, but I silent like it.

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