CANADA MOTOR-COACH EXPEDITION!

I noticed this year that my passport was nearing its expiration date, and being the frugal person I am, I wanted to get one more "out-of-the-USA-trip" with it, so I would get my "money's worth".   My trips to Canada have always been enjoyable, and since I had never been to Canada's capital (Ottawa), I thought that would be a good destination.  Remembering that Diamond Tours operated tours to that area, I went to their website (www.DiamondTours.com), typed in Ottawa in their search engine, as well as the dates I had available to travel.  The results showed that a group out of Conway, Arkansas, was offering a tour that met my specifications, so I contacted the group leader (Dr. Stan Young, with Stay Young Tours) to get more information.  I learned that he was a retired pastor, and that several people were already signed up from the church where he attended, but there was still room for one more.  So I paid the deposit, and started looking forward to the departure day of September 27, 2024, in Conway, at 7:30 am.  It was reassuring when I saw the motorcoach pull up to the meeting place, with a big USA flag on it, with other folks with luggage, waiting to check in.

The meeting place was Central Baptist Church, in Conway, Arkansas.  Since I did not know what early morning traffic would be like on departure day, I arrived very early, and used the time to start working towards my goal of getting in 10,000 steps per day, (in spite of being on a ten day motorcoach trip.)

After Stan's wife had checked in all of us, and we got settled into our seats, Stan took the microphone to introduce himself and our driver (Mike).  He then sang a melody, put to Psalm 118:24, that says, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."  He then prayed for our safety, and especially for the well-being of our driver, Mike.  Each morning, thereafter, he led us in that song, gave a brief devotional, then prayed for all to go well on our travels that day.  It was a wonderful way to literally, "start the day on a positive note"!  The singing also serves as both a visual, and auditory, reminder of one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses, also from Psalms, that says, Come, let us sing to the Lord!  Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come to him with thanksgiving.  Let us sing psalms of praise to Him. (Psalms 96:1-3)   By the way, praying before driving my car is a regular habit for me, which I call "The Steering Wheel Prayer".  I grasp the steering wheel with both hands, and pray that God will steer me in HIS path, and put a "hedge of protection" around me, so that I do not harm myself or others.  The older I get, the more I need that prayer!

There was a variety of participants within our group.  Several couples were members of Central Baptist Church.  The wife of one of the couples from the church, had invited her sister that lives in Florida, and another sister that lives in California, to meet up in Conway, so they could have a "sister reunion" during the trip.  They even had matching tee shirts!

Diamond Tours requires a minimum number of participants to make the trip a "go", so our group of about 20, went north to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to meet up with a group of about 10, so that we had the required numbers.  We drove from Michigan into Canada, and stopped at a chain of rest stops along the Canada Interstate highway, called "En route".  They have clean restrooms, souvenir shops, and a variety of fast food choices, as well as this friendly moose mascot, dressed in the familiar black/red "Buffalo plaid" of northern woods attire.  (Originally, this was the official tartan plaid of the Scotland MacGregor clan)

A step-on guide got on the motor-coach in Ottawa, to give us a tour, and tell us about some of the iconic sights in the nation's capitol (www.visitottawa.com).  Our first stop was across from the National Gallery of Canada, and its architecturally-stunning, three-tiered cupola.   The guide then talked about the giant spider art piece (entitled Maman) in front of the museum, and that some Canadians thought its 3.2-million dollar price tag was excessive.  The guide mentioned that there are other Maman sculptures, around the world.   I was happy to share with him, that there is also a Maman sculpture at Crystal Bridges Art Museum (www.crystalbridges.org), in Bentonville, Arkansas!  (A museum started by Walmart heiress, Alice Walton,  where admission is still free, thanks to the support of the Walton Foundation.)  Architect Moshe Safdie designed both Crystal Bridges, and the National Gallery of Canada.  Our group was visiting Canada on a national holiday, called "Day of Truth", and that  is the reason the Canadian flag in the photo, is at half mast.  I will elaborate more on the "Day of Truth" events, in an upcoming blog that gives more details about Ottawa.

After a stroll through the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica at this location, our group walked through the gardens, in front of the Rideau Hall, where the Governor General of Canada resides.  The Governor General is the official representative of King Charles III, to the nation of Canada.  Part of the reason I chose this time and location to travel, was in hopes of seeing some autumn leaf color, and I was not disappointed!  A mapleleaf sculpture (in recognition of their national flag)  at the royal gardens, provided a nice backdrop for some real maple leaves.

Before I left for my trip, I had googled "#ottowa" to get an idea of what I would be seeing, and possibly give me inspiration for photos I wanted to capture.  That hashtag is where I found a photo of the giant letters that spell Ottawa.  I accidentally stumbled upon them, when I was wondering the streets during some free time downtown.   Since my initials are "T.T.", it seemed appropriate to pose for a photo between the two T's! 

 

Another place that was important to me was Parliament Hill, so I made the trek up from the Byway market (www.byway-market.com) where the bus let out our group, to check it out.  It was a Canadian national holiday, called "Day of Truth", so there were some special activities going on, that I will elaborate on, in a future blog. 

 

On my way back down from Parliament Hill, to the motor-coach meet up location, I (thankfully!) went across the Plaza Bridge, that overlooks the Ottawa Locks, of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Rideau Canal.

After getting thoroughly tired out from walking all over Ottawa, I boarded the bus again, to make the drive to a "Sugar Shack", or as it is known to Francophiles--"Sucrerie de la Montagne" , where we would have supper, and get a "class" on how maple syrup is made.  The proprietor was there, (who has his photo on all the products they sell), and so I got a photo of him with our leader, Dr. Stan Young. 

The following morning, we proceeded eastward to tour the city of Montreal, Canada.  (www.mtl,org). We went to the top of the mountain that is the namesake for the city, where there is a scenic overlook, and the former Olympic stadium (with its iconic leaning tower) is visible. 

The next day we took the two hour bus ride to Quebec City, with its story-book-looking cobblestone streets, and historic old town.   I had spent several days in Quebec City on a previous visit, and you can read about that, along with lots of photos, in a blog in the archives, dated November 15, 2010.

Quebec City, is the capitol of the Canadian province of Quebec, and the photo below shows the building that houses its government.  Being a graduate of the University of Arkansas, where the towers of "Old Main" serve as its logo, the first thing I noticed about the building was the similarity of its end towers, to the towers of Old Main in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Considering that mansard towers are a French architecture staple, and Fayetteville was named after French soldier Lafayette, the design of Old Main makes more sense to me now!

After returning to our Holiday Inn hotel in Longueuil, Quebec, (which is positioned along the St. Lawrence River) from Quebec City, we started the following day, with more touring in Montreal.  No visit to Montreal is complete without seeing the famous St. Joseph's Oratory.  This photo was taken from the bottom of the hill on which it sits. 

Still in Montreal, the bus let out its passengers at Jacques-Cartier Place, where there were a variety of restaurants and shops. Folks could have lunch on their own, and/or walk about the quaint shops along the pedestrian-only streets.

The shopping area is adjacent to where we would board our boat, for a cruise on the St. Lawrence River.  Many in our group were getting a photo on the steps of the boat, including this couple from South Arkansas, who won the prize for tallest man and tallest woman in the group!

After finishing up in the Montreal area, we started our westward drive, back towards Michigan. (I plan to write a more complete story about Montreal sights in a future blog, as this is just a tiny taste of all we saw!)  Along the way, we stopped to take in the views at the Thousand Islands Observation Tower , in Lansdowne, Ontario, for some 360 degree views, of this magnificent area of the St. Lawrence River. (In May, 2010 archives of this blog, you can read three blogs I published about the USA side of the Thousand Islands area).

After we had gone through customs, and shown our passport at the USA reentry location, we had time to make an unplanned stop at Indiana Dunes State Park (wwwindianastateparks.com).  I was thankful for the unseasonably warm weather, so I could stroll around the shores of Lake Michigan, to continue my quest to take photos, while simultaneously getting in my 10,000 steps per day!

On a previous trip, I went to Sand Dunes National Seashore , shortly after it was made a national park.  On the day I visited, it was raining, and there were no easily accessible views of the lake that I found.  However, the state park was a MUCH BETTER experience!

I usually end my blogs with the saying "MILES OF SMILES", so I was delighted to see that phrase painted on the back of one of the tour buses we saw.  Some might think that ten days on a motor-coach (aka, "bus") is not for them.  However, it worked out perfect for me, and I am very thankful I was able to spend that much time on a bus, and STILL get in my 10,000 steps per day, on each of the ten days!  This trip gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Trici