The Huffman's Maritime adventure: May 18 (day 15) to May 19 (day 16): Sturgeon Falls, Ontario to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec to Durham, Maine

Denny and Michael Greco

Test – what city is the capital of Canada? We guessed correctly – Ottawa. The treat for today was winding our way through the countryside around Ottawa to visit an old friend I had worked with on the board of the River Management Society (RMS), Michael Greco. Michael had a severe stroke many months ago and his recovery has been painfully slow. He was recently awarded the RMS annual award for lasting contributions to the work of the Society in managing rivers. It was a joy to visit with him, congratulate him on his award, and wish him well on his journey.

It’s been interesting to watch the countryside unfold as we travel from west to east. Temps have been below freezing in the west to the mid-80’s in Valleyfield where we boon-docked in a Walmart parking lot (a French Walmart!). We knew things were looking up when the managers of the KOA campground in Thunder Bay were thrilled that the next day was going to be 18 degrees! 18 degrees! Get out the heavy parkas! Oh, that’s Celsius - duh. To mirror the rising temperatures we have observed the deciduous trees flow from no leaves in Thunder Bay to full on here in Quebec and dark time thirty go from 10:00 PM to 9:00 PM. One complaint so far – we have seen hundreds of signs warning to watch out for moose and as hard as we've looked we haven’t seen a single one where the signs were. Go figure!

Tuesday we sprinted a short distance to the US border crossing near Champlain, New York, sliced across a small corner of that state into Vermont and on into New Hampshire and Maine. We learned that back country roads in Maine are narrow and rough, especially for a motorhome! The White Mountains are beautiful, as are the thick deciduous forests that cover these states, and lakes everywhere. Fortunately we entered the digital zone once again with cell phone coverage and wifi – for a couple of days!