Nord, Sud, Ouest, Est - Day 13

Quebec was not on my itinerary.  In fact, Quebec was specifically excluded from my itinerary because my French is very rusty.  But Lake Champlain, a very large body of water, intervened, in a very large way.  Ferries, with their unsatisfactory schedules, were definitely not in my plans.  Thus, north from Burlington into Quebec was my only other feasible route from Burlington, VT, USA, to Cornwall, Ontario, and then to Ottawa.

Before I go on, let me mention the wedding (Day 12), which was held outdoors overlooking that massive Lake that borders Burlington.  It was a beautiful wedding for a couple that appears as happy as any I've ever seen.  The Unitarian minister who oversaw the ceremony was generous enough to acknowledge the "conscientious objectors" among the guests.  Thus concludes the religious portion of this ritual.  The other excellent feature of this wedding is that I got to visit with my old friends Tim and Rosanna, Gladys and Victor from Maryland.

Also before I go on, let's think a little bit about that Lake.  I did, as I was driving due north -- nearly to Montreal -- in order to go northwest from Burlington into Ontario.  Early European settlers and Native Americans before them had to deal with that enormous Lake in their travels.  Did they simply ignore it and mostly go north-south?  How, if at all, was east-west travel possible?  This body of water doesn't appear to be canoe-friendly.  How much later did the Europeans have larger boats (bateaux, if I recall, were used during the American Revolution)?  I need to learn more about those travel routes.  In the meantime, on to Quebec ...

Did I mention that my French is rusty?  And the Quebecers are not so good as the Ontarians in making their highway signs bilingual.  In fact, all the highway signs in Quebec are unilingual ... French.  Nonetheless, I did my best.  I greeted the Canadian border guard with a friendly Bonjour (thank goodness, he switched us to English), and I was able to order coffee at Tim Horton's en français.  I did at least as well as the voice of Ms. GPS in conducting today's business in French.  In addition, in the English portion of my immigration interview, I assured my border guard that I wasn't one of "those Americans" when he asked if I was traveling with weapons.

Other than the highway sign challenge, today's portion of Quebec was lovely, in fact.  Primarily farmland, oodles of siloes, a whole cornfield bordered by daylilies, a large, happy patch of sunflowers.  Delightful.

Language notwithstanding, Ms. GPS and I made it to Cornwall (back in Ontario where the signs are bilingual), found the Trinity Anglican Church and its associated cemetery, and ... and ... no dead ancestor anywhere.  I have a photograph of the marker I sought, but it was. not. there. among the couple of dozen markers remaining in the old, shady cemetery.  Let it be noted that this is not the first time that "findagrave.com" has misled me.  I did find this, however, erected at the front of the cemetery:

Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery, Cornwall

Truly, I believe this was the right place, and since the photo I've seen shows a marker in pristine condition, I wondered if it might be inside the church.  Which was locked, of course.  This time, it being Sunday and everything and everywhere that otherwise might provide information being closed, I decided to move on to Ottawa.

Cornwall to Ottawa is a cross-country trip, with very little highway except as one gets close to the city.  But even after the sign for "Ottawa, Population 900,000," the landscape remains rural.  And stays that way.  I got off the highway as instructed, ostensibly headed toward the airport and my airport hotel.  And I followed country road after country road, turn after turn.  I was certain Ms. GPS had lost her mind and we were going in circles.  Then, finally, we arrived.  I love Ms. GPS, even when I have no idea where we've been.

I am in a nice, new-ish hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn.  When I walked into my 8th floor room, I was truly shocked.  I don't think I've ever seen such a huge hotel room.  I could have a party!  I could invite my dead ancestors (except they probably wouldn't take up much space).  In addition to enough floor space for a dance, I have an enchanting easy chair and ottoman, which are too distant from the TV for optimal viewing.  So, I'll move the furniture.  The view outside?  I overlook the FedEx flight operations center, but beyond the runways (there went an Air Canada flight!) is a forest.  I think I found the perfect place to end my trip.

Biggest Hotel Room Ever

Hello, FedEx!