[Riley.]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

LOL! I have about seven generations of ancestors like that. It might help explain why Vermont is so rocky and cantankerous.

They can be a cantakerous bunch!!

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by BOORGONG

I totally get your drift, Champ!

I love Montreal, and have lived there all my life except a few bits in Vancouver and Dublin.
I now live closer to Vermont in suburban Chambly, and am happy just going to the coty on my terms, once a week to drive my wife to work. I take a long stroll with my dog for a couple hours, and get my fill of sights. Then, coming back to a quiet town on the lake is something I treasure more than the excitement of urban life.

Yes, the drive to Vermont is flat as heck, unless you are headed on highway 10, towards the townships, where it becomes progressively more hilly.

I also love living here because it is closer to Vermont!!!

I've actually been tempted to get off the highway in Chambly and look around, but I haven't yet. Sometimes I stop in St Jean sur Richaleau before crossing the border. I've always been a bit curious about Mont Ste Hilaire, it's such a monolith of a mountain sitting on its own and rising sharply above the plain. You can see it on a clear day viewed from St.Albans, VT coming up I-89. I've enjoyed exploring the Townships, they're lovely and have gone skiing up there (it's much cheaper than skiing Vermont).

I think next time I go up, I'll ride the new REM line in from Brossard. It's a nice option to park & ride before crossing the bridge and not have to find parking in the city.

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by Champ le monstre du lac

I've actually been tempted to get off the highway in Chambly and look around, but I haven't yet. Sometimes I stop in St Jean sur Richaleau before crossing the border. I've always been a bit curious about Mont Ste Hilaire, it's such a monolith of a mountain sitting on its own and rising sharply above the plain. You can see it on a clear day viewed from St.Albans, VT coming up I-89. I've enjoyed exploring the Townships, they're lovely and have gone skiing up there (it's much cheaper than skiing Vermont).

I think next time I go up, I'll ride the new REM line in from Brossard. It's a nice option to park & ride before crossing the bridge and not have to find parking in the city.

I pick up my wife from the REM Panama or Terminus station in Brossard once a week. She works on Viarail passenger trains, so she is gone 3 days a week. The REM has had a lot of problems with stoppages. I hope they iron out the bugs amd that this isn’t something that will cripple the system forever.

Mont St-Hilaire is a cute town. The drive is nice on the chemin des patriotes, older architecture there as opposed to up the hill which is more modern. Across the river from Mont St-Hilaire, there is the town of Beloeil (Nice eye) lol. It is cute too. In the summer, there is ample room to lounge on the water’s edge and take in the view from the other side. Both towns have big Catholic churches facing each other. Quite a lot of eateries and pubs on the Beloeil side. St Jean is bigger, and quite a bit rougher around the edges. It lost a lot of industry over the years, and the poverty is palpable.

Mont St-Hilaire is one of five mountains (hills really) that make up the Monteregian hills. Mount Royal is one of them, and they are scattered around the region, Northwest and Southeast of the island of Montreal. From my house, I can see Mont St-Hilaire, Rougemont, and sometimes, Mont St-Grégoire. There are massive apple orchards on all three. They are strange indeed, sticking up out of nowhere like Hanging Rock in Australia…