Susan had said, "We should go to Vermont. I've never spent much time there." Not part of the plan, but a good idea. I always liked Vermont. Change the plan! We crossed the border and went through customs at Rouses Point, New York.
On The Road Again: Quebec City
Morning found us on the way to Old Quebec City. We found a parking garage that, at 18$C, seemed like a bargain compared to Montreal. We made our way to the tourist information office, immediately impressed by the old, well-kept buildings, the profusion of flowers, and the street art.
On The Road Again: Montreal
Our hostess at Camping Amerique Montreal spoke excellent English, which was good. Our French is abysmal! Moneau patiently showed us on the map how to get to Montreal, a 30-minute drive. She also showed us where to park, explaining that the 25$C we'd spend for parking was the best parking value in the city.
On The Road Again: Ottawa!
Susan asked, "Why are we going to Ottawa?" "It's the country's capital," I said. "There ought to be something worth seeing there." As it turned out, I nailed it. Ottawa boasts several world-class museums (and quite a number of smaller ones!), two of which we got to visit.
On The Road Again: Toronto to Ottawa
The drive through Toronto, well, I've had nicer nightmares. Twelve lanes of traffic, slow-and-stop-and-go, for well more than 50 miles. I'd been prepared for it to be bad, but I reached a breaking point and had to get off the 401, Ontario's main east-west route.
On The Road Again: Niagara Part 2
You can hear the falls before you see them. On a quiet morning the roar is audible for blocks. And when you can finally see them, the sight takes your breath away. We're talking Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side.
On The Road Again: Niagara Part 1
As we rolled out of Allegany State Park, we had a choice. Should we visit the County Fair in Little Valley, or head directly to our next campsite? The question became moot when we passed the Seneca Iroquois National Museum.
On The Road Again: The Lake Erie Section
Early in the morning we left Leith Run and took the Ohio River Scenic Byway, OH-7, up the river to near the Pennsylvania border. There is a power plant every 30 minutes or so all along that stretch, belching huge amounts of coal exhaust.
On the Road, Again (with apologies to Jack Kerouac)
Susan and I are on the road, again. It would be easy enough to say, "Summer's here- the road called, and we responded." But Susan was already selling the idea of a road trip this summer, before we got home from our road trip last summer. Just another example of how well I married.
Photographing Dragons
Dragonflies were part of my youth. My father was a freshwater fisherman- dragonflies are found around freshwater. I grew up watching their amazing aerial acrobatics.
On the Oconoluftee, With a Fly Rod
Gentle rain fell. The brook murmured gently in some places, fairly roared in others. Tammy Wilson and Jim Tedesco waded carefully, casting flies in an attempt to fool a wary trout. We were fishing the Oconoluftee River, on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, in western North Carolina.
A Visit To The Alexander Springs Run
Any visitor to Florida's Ocala National Forest needs to include the Alexander Springs Run on their list of things to see. This first-magnitude spring discharges over 60 million gallons of spring water daily, with a boil strong enough to be easily observed from the shoreline.