October 1
Van Tour
I have had some requests for a van tour. We didn’t think about it before so these are random shots. 2024 Mercedes Sprinter 21 feet long.
Day 10 September 30
The final day maybe…
It might sound like we are having a stressful and hard time with the missed turns and uncertainty about where we will be sleeping at night. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I LOVE the adventure of not knowing. Colleen loves the stress just as much as she loves zip lines. I’m so blessed to have Colleen put up with my adventures. The bottom line in 43 years I have never made her sleep in the car (there was that one time in Golden …) The backup “plan” was to park the camper on a back road or parking lot and really “van life” it. As we left the campground this morning we saw at least one van in the visitor center parking lot doing just that. We could have saved so much in camping fees!
The 1.5 hour drive to drop off the van took us 2 3/4 hours! We made it in time for our 10:45 drop off but only 15 minutes to spare.
We got all our stuff out of the van and were planning on taking Uber to the airport but Louis the van owner offered to drive us. He didn’t even want us to pay for the ride! We made it to the airport by about noon for our 5 pm flight. Here they allow you to check your bags only 3 hours ahead of the flight time (5 hours in Calgary) so we had to kill 2 hours before going through security.
We are stand by and the flight had 12 unsold seats yesterday. We were 9&10 on the standby list. As I write this the flight has been delayed and all 12 seats have sold. We have been bumped down to 11 and 12 on the list. We will see how things go but we may have to get a hotel for the night. More adventure. Does anyone remember the hotel we stayed at the last one we overnighted in Montreal? I just looked back in the Curaçao blog. Quality Inn Montreal Airport. I think we will avoid that one.
We made it on the plane, middle seats not together but we made it to Calgary. Our checked bags however are still in the Airport in Montreal. Air Tags are very helpful.
Ok here is our week by the numbers.
After:
6024 km in the air
1966 Km driving
56 Hours of driving (Sitting on our butts- we are not used to this much sitting)
73900 Steps
73.02 km walking
6 Provinces / states visited (Quebec, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine)
9 times Crossed National or State borders
5 Zip lines
3.694 km Zip line distance
9 Campgrounds
Too numerous to count Leaves of fall colors
3 or 4 Moments of incomplete knowledge of exact location and destination
We had a great week of exploring the back roads, getting lost and found, trying out a new way of camping, seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and all in the most spectacular fall colors – just as we imagined.
For 43 years we have been able to share our adventures, laugh and love, problem solve and we can’t wait to see where our next travels take us.
Day 9 September 29
Mont Tremblant Zippidy Do da
The roads here are a bit confusing and we wish we could turn on the English Subtitles. The Park signs are all really small and not well positioned. It is easy to miss a turn and end up on other side of the mountain from where we want to be, Cell coverage is spotty. This is great if you want to get away from it all. We were headed toward what I remembered Mont Tremblant would look like. Turns out Mont Tremblant is a pretty big deal around here. Everything is called that. The village, the resort, the ski hill, the mountain and the area are all called Mont Tremblant. Once we got to the right place and found the most awesomest parking spot, we were able to walk in to Mont Tremblant – just as I remembered. It is very similar to Whistler, with the walking mall down the middle and tons of hotels, condos, shops and restaurants on both sides. There is a 2 minute stand up gondola to take us from the bottom to the top of the village. We decided that we should have poutine for lunch – real Quebec food.
A the top of the village are all the activities – a couple ski lifts and the gondola. In the summer they have a luge run (like go carts) and they have zip lines. Colleen LOVES Zip lines, I had to work hard to make her wait until our 2 pm start time. We started at teh top of the Gondola and there were 5 zip lines (203 M, 930M, 1006M, 1067M, and 488M) and the highest was 76M above ground). All over the most beautiful forrest of greens, yellows, oranges and the brilliant reds of fall. Spectacular. The tour was 3 hours and included 2 hikes over a very challenging and rocky trail. That was definitely a highlight of the week – especially for a zip line enthusiast like Colleen.
I didn’t take too many flying videos as a drop of the phone in this area would mean the phone is gone. The zip lines are many km into the bush.
After our three hour tour of above the trees, we arrived back in the village and decided that we should go for dinner out. It was 5 pm and would still be light for a couple hours so we could find our camp site only 20 minutes away. We ate at the Crepe House and then headed out.
We were smart this morning and before we left the campground we stopped at the visitor’s center and booked and paid for tonight at a National Parc Campground 20 minutes from Tremblant Village. The girl picked what she thought was the best campsite in the park.
I’m not sure if it is the language barrier or if people on holidays don’t perceive time the same way but our experience in the last few days has been if we are told something will take 20 minutes – it is probably going to be an hour. It was about 20 minutes to the turn off to the campground (assuming we were on the right road – No cell phone coverage age here again). We watched the beautiful leaf colours a fade away as the sun set and we arrived at the campsite in the dark again. It turns out that our site 40 was completely uninhabitable. There was not a level square foot. I guess we should have asked the girl at the visitors center what her criteria were for best campsite in the park. We drove around and around the campground (this is turning into a nightly ritual) and finally found a level spot.
We spent an hour packing up all our stuff on preparation for the trip home tomorrow. It is supposed to be a 1.5 hour drive in the morning and we need to be there by 10:45. Should be a piece of cake.
Day 8 September 28. Saturday.
Headed North. Banbury to …
Yesterday was all photos. We drove from Hancock to Bradbury through the spectacular White Mountains of New Hampshire. There are no words so I didn’t try.
We have been trying to figure out the leaves and what makes them turn in the different places at different times – it is a combination of temperature, and amount of sunlight. If it is lower and warmer the leaves are later. Altitude makes a difference – the higher up the cooler and the more reds and oranges. The brilliant reds are usually the maples.
We have been pretty good with the timing. There are about 10 days from colour change to leave drop. Today we mostly drove on the west side of the Green mountains (Yesterday was through and then on east side of the White Mountains. )
There were lot of places, lower altitude, where the colour change hasn’t happened, but as soon as we get into the mountains again the colours start up again.
Today we were aiming for a place just south of the Canadian border, We figured a leisurely pace and 2.5 hours of driving would be great, We still have 2 more days to make it back to the van drop off North of Montreal. We stopped at a Market in Bristol NH and then for mini golf in Essex.
We had lunch – we bought turnovers at the market – and then called ahead to book the camp site at the Lake Carmi State Park. Turns out, it has closed for the season. Hmm. This is why we should “plan” our vacations.
No problem. We haven’t been driving long. Let’s just continue North. Back into Canada. Just after crossing back into Canada, we got a call from the van rental company confirming we could keep the van for another day. We also confirmed the daily km limits and it turns out we have enough to get all the way to Mont Tremblant. It was only another 2 hours to there so we decided to go for it as we would arrive around 5.
We moved from the back roads to the highway and set out North. It took an extra hour through the traffic in Montreal. It was brutal bumper to bumper on the freeway and bridges across the St. Lawrence – and there is no other way. We finally made it back out of the city and on the road to Mont Tremblant. We stopped in St. Agatha des Mont to get some groceries for the final couple days.
Here I made a big mistake.
Instead of programming the Mont Tremblant Village (30 min away), I put in the Mont Tremblant National Parc. (More than an hour away on a different road. As we got higher in the mountains the leave colors started changing again and the views were prettier. When civilization started thinning out, after about 35 minutes I started to question where we were. There were no places to pull over and check the nav system to see we were going in the right direction. And the cell coverage was poor. We finally made it to Saint Donat. It was getting dark soon and we didn’t have a place to park. The Mont Tremblant National Parc at Pimbina is only 20 min further so we headed there. We have a van and could potentially park anywhere, but we are not ready to be real van life people yet.
We had looked at Pimbiba as a potential spot when we had cell coverage but it was always full. We got there and the visitors center was closed. We drove around looking for a spot but it was not possible to see if the empty spots were booked or not. We finally came upon the campground maintenance guy and he said initially that they were all full, but then as we were deciding the next steps, he said site number 1 was open. We pulled in and were set for the night …
We made supper and were just getting ready to make up the bed when a car pulled into the site and told us that we were in their spot. They had been in 47 but changed spots just before the office closed. I guess the maintenance guy didn’t know. We moved spots in the dark. The other couple told us 31 was also available and finally after what was supposed to be 4 hours driving had turned into about a 10 hour day, we settled in for the night. One note about this place – the bathrooms are awesome – the nicest government campgrounds we have seen!
Day 7 September 27
Hancock to Branbury
Today …
Day 6 September 26
That’s what I’m talkin bout
We woke up this morning to dumping rain. We were expecting it. It pretty much dumped all day but we were dry in our home on wheels. We got up and got going to Portland. We decided that we like the forests and the trees much more than the city’s and the small glimpses of the ocean so we are going to change our “plans” and head back to the woods instead of trying to make it all the way to Bar Harbour and Acadia National Park. We’ll do that as a VBT bike tour some day in the future.
Not much going on in Portland. Finding parking was again a challenge. The big lots say no campers. We found street parking at one end of the Old Port. This is where all the cool coffee shops and stores are. It was all pretty much closed now that the summer tourist season is over. Not too many people braving the rain. We saw a couple of tourist busses – they were full of old people in their 60s. I don’t see us doing that any time soon, although having someone else find a parking spot would be useful.
We went out to the Portland Head Lighthouse and had a little visit. The lighthouse has some history – all on some signs we didn’t read. It was dumping rain you see. Longfellow apparently wrote about this lighthouse in a famous poem. The parking lot here was great! We liked it so much we stayed for lunch.
Then on to the highlight of the week so far. We drove from Portland north to the White Mountain Forest and the most spectacular display of fall colors we could imagine. It was about 3 hours of “wows”.
The trees line the road on both sides about 30 feet up and are all the colors of fall. Pictures are not great through the windows with the rain. Hopefully we can get some more tomorrow. We stopped at a waterfall along the way and got a park pass and took some pictures.
Tonight we are in Hancock Campground in the White Mountain National Forest. As usual, the campground is pretty empty. Tomorrow back to Vermont.
Day 5, September 25
Boston was a bust
This is exactly why we don’t plan vacations. We’d heard that driving into Boston was a nightmare—traffic jams and no parking. Our genius “plan” was to park at the end of a train line and ride in. Surely, no one in Boston’s 394-year history had thought of that!
My shower this morning was anything but quick. I decided to walk to the other washroom which I thought might be closer. It wasn’t. I was wearing my blue sandals that slide off my feet. I have to walk with a sliding gait that looks like bilateral equinovarus club feet. It took about 30 minutes to get to the bathroom. When I got there the lights were off and there was no obvious switch. I thought it might be on a motion sensor so waved my arms and danced around in the dark. I bet that happens a lot. I ended up showering in the dark which took twice the usual time. The walk back was just as bad so I was gone long enough that Colleen was about to call for a search party. Needless to say we were a little later getting out of there this morning.
We got to the train station at around 9:15. Surely we would still be able to find a place to park a 21 foot long, 9 foot high camper. For the next almost 3 hours we tried every way we could think of to solve the parking puzzle. I even asked a guy if I could park in his driveway. One house I asked thought I was there to pick up an Amazon return. Colleen found this great app where people rent out their driveways. They don’t give the address until you pay so we were trying to guess which driveway was the one. I couldn’t get the app to accept payment so it didn’t help us. I think it was just giving random addresses of nearby houses in the hope that someone would let us park there. We tried the next couple of stations toward Boston as well. If parking here is crazy hard for cars, parking a camper van is a lesson in eating humble pie.
Speaking of eating, the “plan” (note: plan will be written with quotes from now on) was to eat breakfast as soon as we got to Boston. It was almost noon by now and we still hadn’t eaten. We have food – we are in a well equipped camper van! We just need to find a place to park …
We finally gave up and realized that our side trip into American history in Boston would have to be a different trip. Good thing I didn’t pay for the walking tour app. We left Boston with our heads low, tails between our legs and hungry.
We decided to head north along the coast aiming for some camp grounds on the coast of Maine. Our previous strategy was to stick to the backroads off the interstate highways where the views were nicer and the traffic less crazy. The navigation systems are programmed to give the quickest, most efficient route. They have to be tricked into following the scenic route. That works well in rural areas like Vermont. In urban areas like the east coast, the little road along the coast (Highway 1) was last paved in 1632 (the road was full of pot holes and layers of concrete)and has become just a way to get people from their neighborhoods onto the freeway. We had to fight the nav system to stay on the “scenic route” . At one point we had three systems going at once – all telling us to merge onto the I-95. Colleen’s computer proficiency really shon through here as she was able to yell at all three nav systems at once. Maybe I should just pull over and park so I can program the nav system …
At one point I said that we needed a pick-me-up to change our outlook on the day. What would be great would be to come across an IHOP with a big parking lot. Not 5 minutes later we came around a corner and there was an IHOP. Breakfast was served! At 1pm.
We picked our way through the Massachusetts small coastal towns along highway 1 with our oversized people shaker loving every pothole and unfinished construction project, dishes rattling in the cupboards and food rolling in the fridge. At one point my backpack fell off the counter, (who put it there?) catching its strap on the tap handle, turning on the tap. The sink was covered for travel so the water just went everywhere.
Then we came across “The Hamptons”. Our neighborhood in Calgary is named after this area where every house is a huge castle. Actually the town started like a typical beach town with a long stretch of sandy beach with parking. The waves coming in from the Atlantic Ocean were huge. There were a few surfers today but it was cold.
Highway 1 separates the beach from the lines of beachfront hotels. In late September it is pretty dad here, the restaurants are closed. No lobster dinner tonight.
At the end of the beech we rounded a corner an up the hill to where the people pay their taxes. The road was last paved this morning and the landscaping around each of the huge mansions was amazing. We thought about going to ask to see inside park there and some of the houses but we needed to continue to our next camping spot.
We “planned” on camping at Odiorne Point State Park. The RV App looked like it had lots of spots. It turns out that there is no camping there. Not yet brave enough to just camp in a secluded back street, we searched for private campgrounds. We found Wild Ducks Adult Camping about an hour away (on the Freeway). This time I called and booked us in. I was a little worried that “Adults Only” would be a clothing optional camping experience but as I type this, I don’t see anyone naked. It is a little chilly today though.
We spent much of the evening “Planning” out the next few days so we can see how far we get into Maine and to look for campgrounds for each night.
Day 4: September 24 — A Cup of Coffee in New Hampshire
Our morning plans to hike up to Hamilton Falls fell apart before we even laced up our boots. A previous mudslide had washed out the trail, and there wasn’t enough water in the stream to make the falls worth the trek. Pivoting quickly, we set our sights on Vermont’s famous covered bridges. We found a few but only managed to stop at one; most of them were on narrow roads with little to no space to pull over.
Determined to stick to the scenic back roads, we plotted a route that should have taken us about two and a half hours to Boston. However, winding through the most picturesque, out-of-the-way roads—where pulling over was next to impossible—turned the trip into a leisurely four-hour journey, with a break for lunch. The narrow roads rewarded us with stunning views that our out-the-window photographs failed to capture.
Our meandering path eventually led us to the southeast corner of Vermont and into New Hampshire, where we stopped for coffee and lunch at TasteWorks Bakery in Keene. While I popped into the bathroom, Colleen was left to navigate the menu. The enthusiastic staff seemed to think we were in need of a tutorial on how to order a sandwich. She insisted that Colleen wait for me so she could explain the “process.” Spoiler: it was exactly the same as every other sandwich shop—read the menu, make your selection, order.
When it was finally my turn to order, I opted for a BLT on sourdough and a medium latte, but I felt like I had to phrase it perfectly for the staff to enter it into the computer correctly. For a moment, I half-expected her to channel her inner Soup Nazi and deny me a sandwich. But the food turned out great, and we left satisfied, albeit amused.
From there, we crossed into Massachusetts, and the leisurely pace of the back roads gave way to highways, where the van’s quirks became more noticeable. The wind sensitivity made navigating around huge trucks tricky, as the van swerved with each passing pressure wave. The mushy steering didn’t help matters, and the overactive lane departure system, which jolts the steering wheel and brakes if you so much as breathe too close to the lane lines, made the last leg of the drive anything but relaxing.
Tonight, we’re camped out at Loraine Campground in Harold Parker State Park, about 30 minutes north of the train station we’ll take into Boston tomorrow. The quiet woods are a perfect end to a chaotic drive, and we’re looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.
Day 3: September 23 – Exploring Vermont’s Scenic Beauty
This morning started with high hopes of a breakfast adventure at the top of the gondola. However, plans changed when we learned the gondola didn’t open until 10 a.m., and the restaurant at the summit wasn’t serving until 11 a.m., just in time for lunch. Oh well! As we waited, we couldn’t help but notice the dramatic shift in the landscape. The fall foliage seemed to be transforming overnight. Leaves that were green just yesterday had turned vibrant shades of yellow and red today, with far more reds than before—nature’s ever-changing masterpiece.
While waiting, I inquired about the skiing in the area. It sounds a bit sketchy. The locals told us they pray for real snow each year, as snowmaking equipment blankets the slopes starting November 1. The sheer volume of snow guns on the mountain—every 10 yards on both sides of the run—is a clear sign they depend on man-made snow for their winter sports.
Despite the delay, we made the most of our time at the top, soaking in the views from all angles. Then, we indulged in a delicious, albeit pricey, lunch at the Cliff House Restaurant. I couldn’t resist ending the meal with a Belgian waffle drenched in Vermont Maple Syrup and topped with vanilla bean ice cream. A perfect treat for a day surrounded by autumn’s beauty.
After lunch, we descended the gondola and hit the road again. This time, we took the famous Vernon’s Scenic Route 100. The drive was absolutely breathtaking, with forests ablaze in multicolored foliage. The road itself was narrow, with only a few feet of shoulder, and the trees often arched overhead, creating a natural tunnel that we drove through for most of the day. It was like being in another world, completely enveloped by fall.
As we neared our campsite in Jamaica, Vermont, we crossed an old trestle bridge—another picture-perfect moment. I’ve noticed something quirky about Vermont’s towns; they all seem to have English-inspired names—Manchester, Cambridge, Londonderry, Plymouth. And without fail, every town has a Main Street, an Oak Street, a Pine Street, and always a Maple Street. I’m still not sure why the town near our campsite is named Jamaica, but it adds to Vermont’s charm.
Day 2: September 22
Quebec to New York to Vermont
We left the KOA this morning, and in the daylight, we realized it was essentially just a field with a bunch of hook-ups—what some people call camping these days! After packing up, we made our way to the U.S. border, heading into New York. We tried using the Nexus lane, but figuring out how to get the camera to scan our Nexus cards turned into a bit of an ordeal. Ironically, I think it took us longer than the regular line. We eventually had to stop and speak to the border officer, explaining that it was our first time crossing with a vehicle. His reply? “I could tell.” Rookies.
Our first stop was in Champlain, New York, to get our new eSIM cards working. This time, Colleen took on the role of tech guru and had hers up and running in no time, while I spent the better part of an hour troubleshooting mine.
Once connected, we crossed the bridges at the north end of Lake Champlain and entered Vermont. We made a point of staying off the main highways, opting for a winding scenic route that eventually led us to Smugglers Notch State Park.
We picked the campground simply because of its name. (Although, at one point, I misread it as “Snugglers Notch” and thought that sounded pretty cozy!) The road leading to the park and ski resort was a series of tight, winding turns.
At one point, we encountered a traffic control system that forces you to navigate through a serpentine course to make sure your vehicle can fit. Luckily, our camper van made it through just fine.
We stopped briefly at the ski resort, which is like a mini version of Whistler, with hotels and ski runs spread across both sides of the road.
After exploring the cozy little ski village, a we returned to the campground, which was entirely surrounded by forest. Every campsite had its own shelter, so we picked our spot and got settled before heading back out to explore some more.
Next, we drove into Stowe to visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge—yes, that Von Trapp family. Naturally, we had to listen to The Sound of Music as we drove. After leaving Austria (as depicted in the movie), the family settled in Vermont and purchased a 2,600-acre farm on a hilltop that reminded them of their homeland. Today, the lodge is a popular tourist destination with accommodations, a brewery, and hiking trails. We also visited the family cemetery, where Georg, Maria, and four of their children are buried.
With the hills alive in our minds, we made our way back to the campground for dinner. Before bed, we had one last task: leveling the camper by driving it up onto some flat rocks. Once that was sorted, it was time to rest and recharge for another day on the road.
Fall Leaves Tour 2024: Day 1 – September 22nd – From YYC to YUL
Our Fall Leaves adventure started with a morning of familiar faces and anticipation. We arrived at Calgary International Airport (YYC) two hours early to allow Colleen some time to reconnect with her WestJet friends. As soon as they saw her, they all said, “We were just talking about you!” It’s clear that she’s missed in the WestJet family.
The flight itself was with Porter Airlines, and it was smooth overall—though the back of the plane gave us a bit of a bumpy ride while taxiing on the tarmac. Winter had already touched down in Calgary , so we had to de-ice before takeoff. But Porter has some perks: free Wi-Fi and no middle seat, which made the flight feel shorter than expected.
Once we landed, it was time to pick up our camper van. Uber got us to the lot quickly, and we were introduced to our temporary home-on-wheels. The van felt enormous at first glance, sleek and new. Louis, the owner, gave us a rundown of the van’s systems. He’s quite the entrepreneur, with 21 trailers under his belt and now adding two Sprinter vans to his fleet.
Next stop, a nearby IGA for groceries to stock up. By the time we came out, darkness had fallen, and we began our journey south through Montreal’s famously hectic traffic. Getting used to the van’s steering was a challenge—it felt a bit loose—but we eventually made it to the KOA campground, about an hour away.
When we arrived, the office was already closed, so we found a spot ourselves. We had a quick bite to eat before collapsing into bed. Though the bed was cozy, it was a bit noisy—the platform pieces rubbed against each other every time we moved. Not ideal, but after a long travel day, sleep came quickly.
Tomorrow, we’ll wake up to our first full day of exploring, with the promise of colorful autumn leaves waiting to greet us.
Coopers Travel Adventures 