Biking the Lachine Canal

Montreal

Determined to see why everyone talks beams about Montreal as one of the greatest cities, we decided to drive in with our bikes early on the morning we were set to leave. We started near the beginning of the Lachine canal, a bike path that stretches 15 miles along the canal. The canal was once filed in after it was no longer used for shipping, but in the 70s the city began revitalizing the area. It was our first sunny day, and the biking along the canal was fantastic. Old warehouses were being converted into lofts, and you could see how quickly this area is changing. We happened to hit bike rush hour: many locals use the path to get to and from work. We had uninterrupted views of the city, as well as the biosphere that seems to float up from the trees like a gigantic air bubble.

At last, Montreal has redeemed itself. After a few hours biking, we got back to the RV in time to pack up and head out. On to Niagara Falls!

Montreal Botanical Gardens

On Sunday, we spent the entire day at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. It was pretty spectacular, despite the threatening weather. Montreal's is the second largest botanical garden in the world (London's is the largest). We were lucky to catch the annual lantern festival in the Chinese gardens. Here are a few pictures.

Week in Montreal

September 3-10

A week at this campsite was probably three days too long, but we both took advantage of the wireless Internet service and access to Montreal.

Getting into Montreal was quite expensive using public transportation, so we chanced it and drove our car in. Fortunately, we found a place to park near Old Town and spent the day walking around. Montreal definitely has a European feel, I would say most comparable to Brussels. We walked through Chinatown, Old Town, and the Plateau area, where we had the famous smoked meat sandwiches standing up at a little Hungarian meat shop. They were likely the same as the ones sold just down the road at Schwartz, the one that made a mention in the guidebooks. The architecture in Old Town isn't that spectacular, a bit dark and conservative, but there were some interesting contemporary art galleries. One in particular focused on graffiti artwork, which is ubiquitous in Montreal.

Montreal is definitely a hip city, with an abundance of cafes, clothing boutiques and restaurants. One of the best outdoor markets that I have ever visited, the Jean-Talon market in the northern part of town near Little Italy, nearly made the entire trip worth it for me. I don't think I have ever seen such variety, all of which was from the Quebec area. Strawberries, blackberries, purple, red, white, yellow potatoes, small and large leeks, huge bunches of basil and parsley, baskets of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, and on and on. There were also more high-end stalls selling exotic mushrooms, smoked meats, cheeses, etc. I was pretty much in heaven. It was here that I realized what was missing in my backpack travels throughout Asia: I was never able to actually buy and cook any of the fresh food that I always drooled over at the markets. It is so wonderful to shop at these places on our travels and bring back bags of local food to cook up.

On the road to Montreal

September 2-3, 2008

There really is no direct way of getting from Acadia National Park to Montreal, so we settled in on the state roads and wound our way through small New England towns and hilly terrain for a few days. The drive through rural Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont was spectacular. The New England we have seen so far boasts a subtle beauty: rail roads skirting gentle rivers, iron bridges straddling the banks of towns, old church steeples breaking the sky, and sleepy bed and breakfasts open for business. The leaves were just starting to change, I imagine a few weeks later the hillsides will be bursting will vibrant colors.

Although the backroads are far more interesting, we were averaging about 30 mph, so it took us a few days and one Wal-Mart stop (one of the best views from the White Mountains) to get to the Canadian border. Our GPS system malfunctioned in Canada, and put us on some terrible single track roads for about 30 miles. Arriving at our new campground, the very large Camping Alouette 15 minutes outside of Montreal, was completely different than either of us had imagined. Situated in an farming valley dotted with cornfields, warehouses, and factories, the area didn't seem to offer very many redeeming qualities, as far as we could tell. Actually, since our campground was just off the Interstate 20, it was probably the least appealing spot so far.

To make matters worse, many of the campers here were retirees living in their motorhomes permanently. The highlight of the day seemed to be sweeping off the front mat and adjusting the awning. Not exactly our thing, but it was the closest spot to the city.

More photos of Acadia

I thought I would devote this posting to photos from Acadia. From top:
Pete near Otter Cliffs
View of Otter Cliffs on a hike


Windswept Boris at 5am on a trip to watch sunrise over Cadillac Mountain.
Sunrise (it was cloudy)


One of the carriage roads, the leaves were just starting to change.

Week in Acadia

Aug. 22-Sept. 2, 2008

Despite a bad Internet connection, we ended up spending over a week in Acadia. Shaune did most of his work at an Internet cafe in the quaint town of Southwest Harbor. Most of our time was spent hiking, kayaking, cooking, and reading, which made for a pretty great week. Acadia is absolutely gorgeous, pristine, with loads to do. We had great weather as well, the evenings and mornings were cool and the days were warm and sunny. But, I have never seen such huge mosquitoes in my lifetime. They came out in full force around 6pm, and hovered around like miniature aircrafts until way after dark. We built enormous fires every night, which helped slightly.

Aside from that, we renewed our addiction to the card game Shithead (which occupied countless hours on islands in Thailand). One highlight were the times that we went on long bike rides on the Carriage Roads that snaked around the crystal clear glacier lakes and through the hillsides. Commissioned by Rockefeller in the early 1900s as a retreat into nature on horse-drawn buggies, the roads wind through the park for 45 miles and are mostly used for cyclists and enthusiastic walkers. Built for horse buggies, the gradual gradient is absolutely perfect for cycling. I can't imagine a more beautiful place to cycle. Along the way, beautiful stone bridges that Rockefeller also had built, designed after his favorite bridge in Central Park, NYC, dotted the landscape. It would be worth coming to Acadia purely to experience these incredible Carriage Roads.

We also spent quite a bit of time searching for the best deal on live lobster. We finally found it for 6.50 a pound, which is quite a deal for hardshell lobster. We cooked it twice, and it was absolutely delicious. We tried the softshell as well, the difference is quite significant. The meat was tastier and sweeter than that of the hardshell, but there was so much water and much less meat that by the time you worked your way through the lobster, you were left with much less. It makes sense that the softshells are two to three dollars less per pound. Pete absolutely hated the lobsters, though, and was extremely afraid. It was almost as bad as his tong phobia. I guess I can't blame him, since when we got them home, I made the mistake of putting one of them on the counter top, where it crawled around and fell down while I wasn't looking.

Acadia National Park

Aug. 22-23
After a long drive, we arrived at Acadia National Park in Maine. It was a bit of a detour, but turns out it was totally worth the trip. We stayed at one of the two National Park Campgrounds Seawall Campground near Southwest Harbor. Tucked into a wooded area of mostly birch and evergreen trees, the campsite didn't offer any hookups, and Shaune was barely able to get his Internet connection through AT&T.

On Saturday, we got up early and took the Island Express bus to the Cadillac Mountain trailhead. This bus service is incredible, covering the entire Mount Dessert Island area, it puts many mid-sized cities that I have visited to shame as far as public transportation is concerned. The bus is free, and we were able to put our bikes on the front and bring the dogs. The Cadillac Mountain hike was about 5 miles long, a steady ascent to the top. At 1,532 feet, it is the highest point along the North Atlantic Seaboard and is the first place in the United States to see the sunrise. The views along the way were spectacular, rivaling any of the many breathtaking views of the ocean in Thailand. The picture of us is from the top of the mostly bald mountain, overlooking Mount Dessert Island.

In the evening we took Boris and Pete to Seawall, a rocky spot looking out towards the Atlantic, a five-minute walk from our campsite. The picture of the dogs is from that spot. The little radio on the picnic table is our battery powered radio that is probably one of the best things we brought on the trip. We mostly play National Public Radio whenever we get reception and take it with us wherever we go.

Portland, Maine

Aug. 22

We decided to stop at a Walmart parking lot 4 miles outside of Portland before making our way to Acadia National Park. The city boasts a working harbor (which depending on one's taste, means stinky rotten fish smell accompanied by dirty lobster traps scattered about or a fascinating look into what nearly seems like a lost slice of working America). Anyway, we spent the late afternoon walking around the city, which might have more cozy pubs per block than I have ever seen. Along one of the docks, we stopped into a lobster shack to have the infamous lobster roll: chunks of delicious lobster mixed with mayo and cold slaw, wrapped in a bun. We tried a few of the innumerable local beer brews and headed back to the RV. We were a little disappointed that we didn't have more time to explore Portland, it seems like a really cool place. As with most places in New England, not surprisingly, it seems to lack any significant ethnic diversity.

Around Boston

Aug. 15-21, 2008

For the next few days, we spent most of our time hiking, running, and biking around the beautiful trails of the park. The mornings were lovely and cool. We drove to the T station and took the metro into the city for a few days, walking around like crazy enjoying Boston.

We hit most of the tourist spots, like Quincy Market, Beacon Hill, walked the Freedom Trail until we strayed off to get a beer. I don't think you would survive long here unless you were a huge fan of the Boston Red Socks. Neither Shaune nor I are into sports of any kind, but the intense dedication to something is a bit intoxicating. We stopped to watch former circus stars performing contortion acts on the street, walked through Chinatown (mostly Vietnamese) to stock up on a few Asian condiment items, walked along the Harbor area and admired the huge yachts docked with private helicopters, motorbikes, and embroidered velvet slippers waiting for the guests to arrive.

We had lunch in the beautiful Public Gardens: a great strong cheese, baguette, and a sampling of nice olives from a nearby deli.

I have to say that my favorite part of Boston was the Northend, where most of the Italian descendants are concentrated. For once I was pleasantly surprised that an area I had suspected to be overly touristy and deliberate, was indeed charming, authentic, and genuinely moody in parts. We bought a cannoli for good measure (although neither of us were big fans), along with some freshly made pasta, black olives and prosciutto for dinner.

Another day I met Jessica and her baby Beckett at the Institute of Contemporary Art, which offers what has to be the most incredible view of the harbor. The wind from the water was already cold, and once again, I found myself imagining how shockingly cold that spot would be in the winter. There was a great Anish Kapoor exhibition on, along with some other strange, but extremely fascinating works.

Our world did have to stop momentarily while here: Pete got a urinary tract infection, so I spent the better part of a day taking him to the vet for treatment. All is well, he's on antibiotics and Vitamin C.

We spent the last night there visiting our friends who live in Dorchester, near "Southie" as the residents fondly call the South part of town. The area is very diverse, Vietnamese, black, working class, white yuppies, the whole works. If we were to settle down somewhere, I would like to be in an area that offers this much diversity. As we travel, this is becoming more of a priority for me. Unfortunately, that rules out some really beautiful places.

Cape Cod

Aug. 13-15, 2008

A few days on Cape Cod and one can certainly understand why what seems like the entire East Coast floods there during the summer. As soon as you cross over the bridge traffic picks up, but the sea air has a way of relaxing you. We were very fortunate that our friends invited us to stay at their cottage with them, otherwise I can't imagine affording it.

The cottage is lovely: compact and cozy, just off a narrow dirt road. Like most other cottages here, the house is covered in wooden, grey shingles, single story. Located in Chatham, the area seemed to escape the hordes of tourists that you might see farther up.

From that little house, we all took walks along the beach, picked at the creatures on the shore, including washed up horseshoe crabs, lobster claws, seaweed. We took a drive along the shore where the views from above the cliffs to the deep blue sea below were spectacular. It was pretty hot outside during the day, but the shock of the freezing cold ocean gave away just how cold this area can be. According to Todd, who spent most of his summers here, winters on the Cape were pretty depressing.

It was here that Shaune and I had our first lobster! (We could call this trip firstcrustaceansacrossamerica as well) Jess and Todd told us how to "relax" the lobster before dropping it into roaring boiling water by stroking its tail upside down for a few minutes first. It seemed like the least I could do for the poor thing. Anyway, it is as delicious as they say, a true delicacy. We ate them with just a bit of melted butter and lemon, and I was hooked. You would have to take out a second job to afford the habit, but it was a great first experience.

Drive to Boston

Aug. 11-12, 2008

After dropping mom off at the Newark airport, Shaune and I started our trip to Boston. We drove all the way through Connecticut on the 84 to the 90, then turned south to get as close to Wompatuck State Park as we could. We stayed the night in a Walmart parking lot since we arrived late. Wednesday morning we drove to the state park, a 4,000-square-foot park, thickly settled with trees and ferns that is just 15 miles outside of Boston, located in the very posh neighborhood of Hingham.

We quickly set up the RV so that we could take off and meet our friends Jessica and Todd nearby to drive to Cape Cod for a few days. Technically, we weren't supposed to keep the RV at the site if we weren't staying there, but like most state parks, no one seems to monitor this type of thing. Now, park a wheel or part of the trailer off of the gravel just slightly, and a park ranger will appear as if out of no where. It's a great policy though, otherwise, each site would slowly expand into nearby vegetation. We left before lunch to meet our friends.

Family visit in New York

Aug. 1-11, 2008
Hopewell Junction, New York

Nearly two months into our trip, it was great to arrive in Hopewell Junction, New York to see my grandparents and family. Mom was able to schedule a visit at the same time, which was great. From DC, we took the most direct route possible into New York - the lovely New Jersey Turnpike. We skirted around the gritty industrial city of Baltimore, just missed Philadelphia, which were considering visiting but changed our minds to save time, and traveled on the NJT until we were able to avoid NY city traffic by getting on the Garden state parkway followed by the 287 to the 87. We stopped for a night near the 287/87 junction in a town called Airmont. The town seemed like any other town within the reaches of NY city: lowslung strip malls built in the late 80s with family-owned Italian pizza and sub takeouts, chinese restaurants, donut shops. But we also noticed a majority hasidic Jewish population. Kosher delis and synagogues stood next to drycleaners owned by Koreans and gas stations run by East Asians. School buses were driven by men with black top hats, single ringlets of hair tucked behind each ear. We decided this area merited a Walmart sleepover. By the time we parked the RV, we were no longer within walking distance of any Jewish specialty eating spots, so we settled for some disappointing pasta instead.

The next day we awoke early and drove a short distance to Sylvan Lake Beach Campground on the east side of the Hudson River and 10 miles or so from my grandparents house in Wappingers Falls. Mom met us there after we arrived, and strangely, this lake was where she and her brother and sisters used to go for afternoons when they were kids. The sleepy park hadn't changed at all, she noticed. The lake was nice, situated just downhill from our site. The thick grass was a vibrant green, the smell of the moss on the rocky ground reminded me of the smell of my grandparent's house; a smell that always reminds me of summers spent in NY as a child.

We spent the week visiting my grandparents, playing Password, eating takeout. It was a great week, and on Saturday, Shaune and I took the one and a half hour train ride into NY city for the day. Although we weren't planning on seeing a show, we ended up buying some half-priced ticked for a matinee showing of Avenue Q (a modern, cynical adult take on Sesame Street). It was fantastic, as usual, and Shaune's first Broadway show. We walked all the way from Times Square to Chinatown to the New York Noodle House (there are hundreds sharing this name, no doubt) on the corner of Bowery and Pell. At last, we had again the incredible salted shrimp, cooked with a layer of salt, delicious juice spilling out from the middle. They truly are remarkable. Also, we happened to be in the city on the first Saturday of five when they closed 4th and 5th avenues to traffic. There were hordes of cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the car-free areas. It was a bit strange, by habit, you still looked out for reckless cabs and stray motorcyclists. As always, the city was incredibly exciting, and made us both want to move there once again.