Brampton, ON to Edmundston, NB = 1127 km.

Willow and I hit the road much later than expected today. Originally I was hoping for a 5 or 6am departure time. Turned into an 8:45am, still reasonable. All the blame is put on The Festival of Beer in Toronto last night (July 29, 2012). My fave band, Big Wreck, was playing and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them, again this year. First time was in May, yet again they didn't disappoint. :)

I paid for it when I got home, and to make matters worse, I still hadn't packed a thing. This morning was throw stuff in a bag and be gone riteawayquik. 8:45am was the best I could do and after loading the hotel destination in Edmundston into the GPS, I was a little dismayed with the ETA of 8:30pm. Even taking the 407 ETR in the morning to get across the disaster of traffic that is the GTA wouldn't help me very much, but it's better than nothing.  12 hours......ouch.

I only did 2 fuel stops....one in Cornwall around 2 pm and L'islet, QC at 6:30pm. I did ensure that I got into the habit of cleaning the windshield at every stop and doing a quick walk around of my valiant steed.  Willow proudly displayed a 6.7 l/100km for me. Best I could do at home for city driving is 8.9. The drive really was rather uneventful. Plenty of scenery to go around, mostly flat, some big hills to see. I took very few breaks. The more breaks you take, the longer of a delay you have at the end and honestly, time was critical for me today.

There does seem to be construction every 20 km or so on the Trans Canada. The weather was hot and sunny the whole way.

Lady GPS steered me correctly through the meandering highways through Montreal....I can't believe I didn't make a wrong turn today. I was routed through 20, 40, 80S, 25 and back to 20....via the great tunnel.




Stretches of Ontario and Quebec are quite "boring".  Only so much field and road to really see.  I now introduce my trip mascot Charlie. Don't worry if he looks a little small here, I plan to have him in MANY pictures along my trip. I have been told however that he needs the most proper of introductions of how he came to be.

A close friend and work colleague, Corey, who actually specified for me to state how charming and handsome he is somewhere within this blog of mine, was working on a project at work.  I peered over his shoulder and commented that what he was working on looked to be "a lot like a lobster trap". Knowing I had an East Coast trip planned, he decided it would be perfect to cut and paste a little lobster into the so-called "trap" I mentioned. With a whole lotta inspiration and a beaming smile, he handed over a color printout of his creation shortly after my comment. Aside from the fail of discovering that the red, smiley faced cutie was a CRAB and not a LOBSTER, I knew immediately I had a mascot to accompany me on my travels.

I had only made 2 separate breaks for food, stretching, etc. at Mallorytown, ON and Ste. Anne Du Sault following the wide eyed driving thru Montreal. The last gas fill up involved a quick nap to rest my eyes. I quickly grasped how tired I was becoming, which was a bad sign since I was still a couple of hours away from my destination.  The only notable unscheduled stop I considered making was Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse. If only there was a spot to pull over and take a proper picture without completely blowing through this area. Might hit it on my way back, really pretty landscape, and close to Montmagny.

The New Brunswick border could not have come quick enough for me.

Light was already starting to dwindle.
I was in moose country. But, being in Canada all my life, I have only ever seen one moose in person in "the wild". Driving all across Canada...these mystic meese are missing. They must all be hiding from me. That's ok by me, I don't really want to encounter one on my drive. Happily pulled into Edmundston an hour early tonight! While my GPS adjusted for the time zone, I did not. What a fabulous surprise.
Vacancy available at the Quality Inn, 919 Chemin Canada, Edmundston, NB.
Hopefully a good nights rest. Have to plan out the adventure for tomorrow. I actually expect to do lots of sightseeing, and while Saint John is my goal to get to tomorrow, I have yet to map it out. 1127 km in the books and nearly 12 hours later, we'll see what tomorrow brings.