Bonjour! As you might be able to guess today we set-off on our East coast trip to the Maritimes & we are starting in ‘la belle province de Québec’. (Oh, the title of this post is ‘Our view from the road’ for those of our readers that do not read French.)
Restless night, so am tired this morning but managed to go for a 6km walk before completing prep to leave. We drive out of the laneway at 9:30am and head into town to top off with fuel and then onto Winchester where we stop at Tim Horton’s for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Hwy31 takes us to Hwy401 where we turn East towards Cornwall, ON. We cross into Québec and cross the St Lawrence river at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield before joining the Autoroute30 that takes us across the southern side of Montreal. At Boucherville we join Autoroute20 which we will follow to our destination in Rivière-du-Loup.
In all the drive takes about 7.5hrs including a stop for lunch and another for fuel. The day started overcast; however, by the time we got past Montreal the skies had cleared and were a beautiful blue. The only thing that detracted from a relaxed driving experience was the wind. Coming from the East it was blowing across the highway at times gusting above 60kmh. It made for a very tiring day of driving and I was really glad to pull into the “Camping municipal de la pointe” campground.
We have a site overlooking the St Lawrence and will get to watch the sunset from the van. The temperature is only 10C and so sitting outside in the wind would require a braver constitution than I have.
Tomorrow we continue along the south shore of the St Lawrence as we begin our exploration of the Gaspé region. Bon nuit.
Awake at 6:30am following a nice night in the park. I head off to the shower hoping that I find hot water. I am mostly satisfied as the water is warm and pleasant enough to enjoy. Barb reports from her slightly later shower that the system was now up-to-speed and supplying plenty of very hot water. Just my luck to have been the first of the day. Showers get a 8/10 loosing points on general cleaniness and age. Security and privacy were very good as each shower is in its own room. Water supply was also very good, not a dribble as can be found in some campgrounds.
We depart our site at 8:45am and head to the dump-station. It is clean and well equipped with rinse hose. Heading out of the park we head East long US-5 and I turn to head toward Fredonia, NY only to find a railroad underpass with a signed 10’-1” headroom clearance. STOP! At a supposed 10’-0” height for the van I was not about to test either the factory spec or accuracy of the sign so I turned about and headed into Dunkirk, NY where I crossed over the railroad tracks in order to return to the I-90 East.
The drive into Buffalo and through the city is uneventful and before long we are heading East through Western New York farmland. As the long weekend is over the highways are busier with truck traffic than we have seen for the past day or so but in general everyone behaves themselves and before we know it we leave the I-90 and join the I-81 North towards Watertown, NY where we stop for fuel and a sandwich in the van. Barb drops into Walmart and picks up a set of new melamine bowls that she has not been able to find in Canada since returning from the US Southwest a few weeks ago.
We decide to not cross back into Canada using the Ivy-Lea crossing, but instead turn onto US-37 and head towards Ogdensburg, NY and use the quieter crossing. This allows us to slow down and enjoy the day more and avoid having to drive on Hwy-401. At the bridge I learned that having dually rear wheels costs $9.00CAD instead of $4.25CAD to cross the bridge. I’d not noticed this in previous crossings over the past year or so, but had read online that others had experienced an up charge for the same reason on other toll roads and bridges.
Canadian customs was not busy and the staff efficient and much more pleasant than their US counterparts that we engaged with just a few days ago. Yay!
Driving home along Hwy-416 we both agreed that it was once again nice to be home in Canada and that, at least for now, we were both USA’d out for a while. We are looking forward to the Maritime leg of this trip which we plan on starting in just a few days, so check back soon for more updates from the road.
Well, the night was warm and the nearby I-65 was at times a bit noisy. Evidently there is also a railroad close to this Cracker Barrel which a few times overnight woke me. So, we are at 7:00am awake and getting ready for breakfast. The restaurant is open and based on the number of cars already in the lot, a popular place to start the day. We enjoy eggs & bacon and a cup of coffee before heading back out onto the I-65 East.
We immediately enter the state of Ohio and for the next couple of hours enjoy its pastoral landscape. We get off the interstate and take some smaller backroads to head NorthEast towards Cleveland. At one point in a small town we have to turn around and take an alternate route as the town had closed its Main Street for a Memorial Day running event.
We bypass Cleveland and head toward Erie, PA. We bypass Erie and head into the state of New York along I-90. We hop off the interstate before it becomes a toll road to get fuel. Our destination is a short drive along US-5 past a number of vineyards that line the coast of Lake Erie in this area.
We arrive at Lake Erie State Park without a reservation. We had checked online and it appeared that most campers had departed after the long weekend and thus there should be plenty of room for us. We were right!!! In fact, even better was that the computer system was offline resulting in the park attendant granting us a free night!
The park is quiet and has lots of hardwood trees scattered about for shade. The park is also right on the shore of the lake with wonderful views of the sunset. We arrived mid-afternoon and so we’re able to relax and enjoy the view and lakeside breezes before having roast beef sandwiches and salads for dinner in the van. A little TV to relax by during the evening and then a walk to the beach to enjoy that stunning sunset.
Sunset across Lake Erie
Good night one and all, I hope you to have recently enjoyed a glowing sunset. see you tomorrow!
6:00am and thousands of sleeping campers are awakened by one fool who thinks it’s cute to fire off an enormous thundering firework to announce the start of Race Day. Thanks buddy.
So, we’re awake and enjoying a light breakfast when we realize that we are now being entertained by Christmas music. Yep, someone is blasting ‘Rudolph the red nosed reindeer’ just for something to do we guess.
As the morning progresses more people emerge from their tents and trailers, most looking a little worse for wear after possibly over-indulging last night. ‘The hair of the dog that bit you’ seems to be the remedy of choice as many are enjoying what I’m sure will be the first of many beers consumed this day. It’s now 8:30am.
We prepare our lunch and pack a cooler bag with wraps, snacks, water & pop that we will take into the speedway. Last year we found that getting food during the event from on-site vendors was just too challenging with some running out of items so this year we’re going prepared to take care of ourselves.
10:00am and we leave our campsite for the track. It’s about a 10min walk to the gate where we pass through metal detectors and then have our tickets scanned. Voila, we’re in.
We’ve arrived at the infield of the IMS!
We stop by an official merchandise shop to pickup this years program and commemorative pin for display in the van. We briefly stopped by the ‘Fan Zone’ behind the main stands but it was incredibly overcrowded and so we proceeded directly to our seats. In all it took about an 45min of maneuvering through the crowds to get to our seats. These are the same ones as last year thanks to Dean Lawrence who goes above and beyond ordering and acquiring everything for our group. Cheers again Bud.
An idea of the crowds near the infield Fan-Zone
It’s now 11:00am and the official pre-race ceremonies are underway. It being Memorial Day weekend, the military are front and center with walkbys, drivebys, and flybys being the order of the day. Lots of pomp and circumstance. At 11:45am the driver introductions occur with the fan favorites receiving the loudest appreciation from the fans. The singing of ‘God Bless America’ and the national anthem takes place ahead of those famous words “Drivers, start your engines”. The grid roars to life and becomes much less crowded as unnecessary personnel leave the track. The cars pull away for a few parade laps followed by the pace lap and then we’re underway!
Pre-race activities. A reported 300,000 in attendance.
The cars lap the 2.5mile track in about 40seconds at speeds averaging over 210mph. The race settles into a rhythm and before we know it 100laps are complete. The clouds are clearing and the day is heating up. There’s no shade over our seats so the water that we brought becomes really important. 150laps, three-quarters race distance and the race has been mostly uneventful. Cars we expected to do well are running near the front and those that struggled to qualify are hanging on at the rear of the pack, some now lapped once or twice.
Our view of the track, the pits in the foreground and the closest digital info board. I see the race is 100laps in and under a yellow flag condition.
We’re nearing the end of the race now and there are a few accidents as drivers start taking a few more chances looking for ways to pass that might or might not work. Officials decide to red flag the race causing racing to stop while each of two accidents are cleared from the track. This is to allow for a racing finish as opposed to a parade finish behind a pace car. These delay our leaving the stands and the heat, it’s becoming quite unbearable and we’ve finished our water supplies. The last red flag incidents means that the race will be settled in a one lap sprint around the track, the green flag drops and the cars tear down the front straight and into turn1 and turn2. The car running 2nd gets a great run out of turn2 and passes for the lead before turn3. The two cars leading the pack go through turn4 and the lead car weaves crazily trying to break the aerodynamic tow. They weave into and out of the pit lane entrance before returning to the track for the sprint to the line. Exciting stuff as the 2nd place car pulls out to attempt the pass but is out of time and distance, Josef Newgarden, driving for Team Penske wins!
Panoramic view from our seats of the front straight.
We collect our cooler bag and start the walk out of the stands. Behind us the winner is celebrating and will shortly be drinking the celebratory milk that is tradition for this race.
We say our goodbyes to our friends, Dean & Cathy and J-P & Lisa as they head towards the shuttles that will return them to their hotel while we join the thousands that are exiting the speedway toward Georgetown Rd. We make good time and in only about 30min we are back at our van. Time for a cold beer!
The van interior is 36C, I start the onboard generator and turn on the rooftop a/c. Argh! I’m being pelted with small black bits of plastic! I shutoff the a/c and the generator knowing the cause of the plastic rain. It has been reported by others that own the same type and model of a/c that 2 motor mounting bolts can vibrate loose causing the squirrel cage fans to rub on the housing causing them to shred. I had checked for this loosening last year and found it not to be an issue; however, after traveling another 15000km or so, I guess I should have checked again. Hmmm. The good news is that the fix is simple and I will take care of it when we get home before heading to the Maritimes.
For now, we get to relax in a very hot van with the doors and windows all open. Traffic is horrifically bad immediately after the race and so sitting still for an hour or so allows the traffic to improve before we head out.
Yep, we’ve decided not to stay a 2nd night but instead head East cutting some of the driving down from tomorrows itinerary. At 6:45pm we pull out of the camping field and join the still steady stream of traffic. Our drive in the traffic jam lasts only about 45min before we get into I-65 heading across the city and the drive out of the city is uneventful.
We continue on I-65 for an hour or so and pull off the highway in Richmond, IN just before the Ohio state line. We get fuel and will spend the night parked in a Cracker Barrel. Good night all, hopefully no loud fireworks to awaken us tomorrow.
After enjoying a beverage and slice of pizza at our hosts last evening, we enjoyed a long and silent night.
The views across the farmland this morning were serene. Windmills on the horizon quietly turning about their business whilst a few early farming types were up and running about getting a jump on the days chores.
We get going at about 8:45am and head back towards highway 401. The border crossing at Windsor is only about 45 min away and so we are hoping to beat the Saturday rush. Not quite.
Crossing into Detroit
US Customs is busy with many lanes open for traffic each having between 6 and 9 vehicles waiting. We join a line of 6 cars and 1 minibus. Mistake #1. The minibus takes a while for all passengers to be processed and then the lane is closed temporarily while there is a shift change of agents.
Our turn comes and it isn’t long before we realize that we have inherited the badass agent out to prove something to someone. We’re grilled. We’re boarded. We’re released. Phew. 25 minutes in all to clear US Customs. Argh.
Detroit driving is actually very good and the I-75 South towards Toledo flows smoothly. Potholes, lots. Construction, also lots but as it’s Saturday we pass right through without any delays.
Before we know it we’re driving around Toledo and onto US-24 towards Fort Wayne, IN. This is a beautiful road. Quiet, smooth, relatively flat.
When we arrive in Fort Wayne we head towards town and stop for fuel and groceries at a WalMart. Whilst stopped we made ourselves lunch in the van.
Back on the road we head now towards Indianapolis. Traffic builds as we get into the city as there are lots of construction zones we need to slow down for. We head around the city on I-465 and then take I-65 towards the Speedway. A few more turns and we’re driving down Georgetown Road towards IMS Lot 1-A where we are camping whilst in town.
A friendly campground host sets us up in a really nice spot at the edge of the camping field away from the rowdiest of campers. Excellent!
IMS Lot 1-A campsite
We’re meeting friends while here and they pick us up in their truck shortly after we arrive. We go back to their hotel which is next to the Indianapolis Colts football stadium and enjoy a couple of drinks while catching up on everyone’s travels from Ottawa to Indy.
We take an Uber downtown to Fogo de Chāo a Brazilian Steakhouse where all enjoyed a wonderful meal while telling tales and laughing at ourselves and the escapades enjoyed throughout our long term friendships.
Barb and I took an Uber back to the campsite to end the day and fell asleep to the thrum of generators, music and fireworks.
Tomorrow, the Indy 500. That’s it, that’s all, a motor race. Sleep tight everyone! Vroom, vroom.
