Cruise Control

If I didn't have cruise control, I don't know that we would have made it.  Five hours is a fair bit of driving anytime, but the day after a race?  I was happy my legs could relax most of the way from Gananoque to Quebec City.

To start, though, there was breakfast at Beaver Hall.  Like everything about that place, breakfast was excellent: substantial, tasty, great-quality food, and delivered by the perfect host. At breakfast, we met another couple who were staying at Beaver Hall as part of their anniversary.  They didn't seem to be that much older than us, but they have 10 and 16-year old sons. Wow.  Different paths.

I've heard that rounding Lake Superior can drive you a little stir-crazy - water, rocks, trees, water rocks, trees, water, rocks, trees - I felt a little taste of that on the drive to Quebec City. Beautiful forest, autumn colours, and the occasional pastoral landscape. That was all. On and on...  Pretty much our only excitement on the drive was discovering a new flavour of Miss Vickies potato chips: Balsamic Vinegar and Sweet Onion. Seeing as we're in Quebec, I'm surprised they didn't have cheese curd-flavoured chips!

We got to our hotel - the Chateaux Frontenac - and took a look out our window:

That makes up for a lot of driving!

It was too late for lunch but too early for dinner, so we had a light meal in one of the hotel restaurants looking out on the St. Lawrence and Levis across the river. After that, we mustered up enough energy for a short stroll through the old city.  Why is it so cold and blustery? Though cold and windy, still picturesque.  I love the look and feel of old Quebec City!

To escape from the cold for a few minutes, we sat on a restaurant patio off the Rue des Tresors. Huddled around the fire, feeling the warmth of the outdoor heaters, and sipping on warm caribou, it felt like winter, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Caribou is similar to mulled wine, and I had to assure Mindy that it doesn't have any real caribou blended in.  She might not have doubted me except that the restaurant also served caribou stew, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't a mulled wine stew...)

Hopefully by tomorrow my legs will have rebounded, and my energy will be back to normal.  One of the hotel staff spoke of some great running through the Plains of Abraham, and I hope to take advantage of that!

In the meantime, good-night.