Bonjour! We are still in Quebec taking the leisurely route west, discovering new territory, and continuing to over night in Walmart parking lots! It's still a bargain you can't beat! That said, we have become slightly discouraged while we hunt for the local pools. It takes up most of our morning while we google search in broken french, and drive around town with our T@b in tow until we find the
piscine (pool)
. Which usually has a big
ferme sign hanging on the door! It appears that most aquatic centres close down for the summer while they empty and clean the pools! Go figure! We did however come across a YMCA two days ago which was a beautiful sight! And also free! Woo hoo! Other than that we have to subject ourselves to baby wipes, and dry shampoo until we find our next shower. Not a shining moment! At our last Walmart visit we met a
fantastique couple from Gatineau Quebec! Actually, he is originally from France and she is from Quebec City. Within the hour they invited us to come park the T@b on their property using it as a home base while we explore Ottawa and Gatineau. After our run of Walmarts we eagerly accepted their invitation! There is only so much Walmarting a girl can take! Ok, I will try to make a long story short. We have been having some trailer problems since leaving Cape Breton Island. After our first campground stay we noticed one of the trailer tail lights was staying on. After further investigation we discovered that the signal and brake lights were not working!
Oh mon dieu! (Hey, I'm in Quebec I've got to try and speak a little French!) So… basically we have driven about 1200 km waiting for a disaster to happen… worrying the entire way, trying to safely navigate to a T@b dealer and have the problem addressed. This is after we were told over the phone that it wasn't a trailer problem, and later being told by Mercedes that it wasn't a car problem. Of course! It's never anyone's responsibility when something breaks! Now, back to the Vaudreuil-Dorion Quebec Walmart where we met our Quebec friends Adele and Jean-Marie! Our saviours! We rolled up to their home 2 days ago where Jean-Marie immediately went to work disassembling various parts of our trailer and bringing out an assortment of tools and electronic gadgets! This guy is amazing! Did I mention he has a degree in computer science!? How lucky are we!? Yesterday they took us on a tour of Gatineau and Ottawa pointing out all of the recommended sights that we should visit the following day…. in other words an invite to stay an additional day…. and not in the trailer! We just spent night number 2 in the guest room! After our tour we went to an auto supply store where Jean-Marie showed us the parts to purchase in order for him to repair the T@b. After arriving back at their home he went to work addressing the light problem while Adele whipped up fabulous dinner #2! Seriously folks, we don't want to leave! LOL! Life is good! All righty! On to the picture show!
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| The town of Hudson Quebec. Apparently it is a Canadian bucket list city that one must visit. Beautiful little town! |
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| Spot the gnome! |
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| A quick swim at "Jack Layton Park". Hudson is where Jack was raised! |
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| Oh mon chérie! |
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| A fellow swimmer! Nice dive! |
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| A little rest and lunch at Jessup Falls Conservation Area in Ontario. Just south of the Quebec/Ontario border. |
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| How often do you see an old farm on the edge of a Walmart parking lot?! |
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| How strange to have 3 of the most modern trailers parking overnight at a Walmart?! On the left is Jean-Marie and Adele's "Earthbound trailer". The trailer in the background is an "Alto". So similar to our own, but slightly bigger. What a surprise to wake up and see that! |
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| It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A! |
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| Graham and Jean-Marie |
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| Jean-Marie doing some measurements for a possible solar panel addition in the future! |
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| Adele cooking up some comfort food! |
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| A view of old Gatineau and the Gatineau River |
