Cross-Canada: Day 12
Toronto to Montréal Distance: 565 Kms Time: Approx. 7.5 hours
We started the day from the east side of Toronto, where we again joined the 401. This stretch of the 401 all the way to Trenton, due to public demand, was recently renamed “The Highway of Heroes”. It is down this road that the brave fallen Lads and Lassies of our armed services travel when repatriated from Afghanistan. The motorcade starts at the Airbase in Trenton from there to Toronto, then onto their final resting place. The people, from all the towns that line this stretch of highway, cram themselves on to all the bridges and overpasses on the route to pay their final respects. It is a fitting part of this journey that we should remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we are actually able to make a journey like this across such a great nation!
The 401 was much less busy than Thursday due to it being the weekend, but this didn’t dampen peoples driving habits. Again, little cars with exhaust and speaker systems worth more than the car itself constantly cut us off. We didn’t know what was more annoying, the scream from the exhaust or the deep thudding from the speakers, surely driving such cars can’t be that comfortable after a distance? We did pop off the 
highway in Oshawa to take a picture at the Canadian headquarters of General Motors. We guessed that they must have been expecting us as the building just happened to be adorned with a 20” picture of our beloved Equinox.
The corridor between Toronto and Montreal has been set up for convenience rather than visual stimulation. We did stop off at a few nice towns along the way such as Bowmanville, Bellville and the hometown of our first Prime Minister- Kingston. Today the town seems to be better known for its prison and its infamous inmates than its former statesman.
We continued on the 401 until we entered the Province of Québec. Here things change dramatically. Gone is everything English and French becomes the dominant language on all road signs. One thing that I find rather confusing is the construction zones, all the notification signs are in French. I understand and respect the need to protect the French language in Québec, but this is a safety point. We 
understood that we were entering a construction zone but didn’t understand anything that was being relayed to us on the static or flashing road signs. We were a bit wary as we didn’t know if our lane was ending, if we had to detour or slow down, all of this during a time when cars were whizzing by us at a great rate of knots. We were more than glad when they eventually ‘Fin’. Thankfully we have Guy, our French speaking crew member, with us for the remainder of Quebec!
When we eventually arrived in Montréal the cityscape was hidden behind a rainy mist that made it difficult to make out any major landmarks. Hopefully the sky will be clear tomorrow and we will be able to see some of the famous sites that Montréal is famous for.
Don’t forget, if you see us on your route tomorrow give us a honk and a wave.
We will be stopping at the Shell gas stations in the following locations, so if you see us gassing up why not come over and say Bonjour?
Beloeil Sir Wilfred Laurier
Saint-Hyacinthe Boul. Laframboise
Drummondville Boul. St-Joseph
Levis Etienne-Dallaire
A big "hello" goes out to the people we met on route today!
Nicolas Defebvre in Coteau-du-Lac
