Mary had always wanted to visit Montreal, where the nun who had cared for her as an orphan had been transferred. That nun had since passed, but the desire to visit the province remained. And the kids, especially Karen, were eager to visit a place where English wasn't the primary language. And so, as summer came to a close, we took a quick road trip from our home in Reston, Virginia, through New Jersey, Vermont, and into Quebec before returning.

This was also an "old home week" trip for me, as we would be returning to visit my old homes in New Jersey and Vermont.

Day 1: New Jersey

	Occurred: 8/31/1985 Posted: 12/22/2025		Page Views: 396
Hashtags: #Places #CrossCountry #Travel #NewJersey #Garfield #HasbrouckHeights
A visit to see the kids' cousins, and my old haunts in Garfield.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (398 words)

It only took us about 5 hours to make our way from Reston to Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, where my half-sister Betty Ann lived with her husband, the Reverend John Dow, and his three grown kids Margie, Craig and Susie (who by then had a husband and baby of her own).

Day 2: Vermont

	Occurred: 9/1/1985 Posted: 12/22/2025		Page Views: 271
Hashtags: #Places #CrossCountry #Travel #PlattsburgFerry #Victory #Vermont #Lyndonville #StJohnsbury
A ride on a ferry, plus a visit to my old haunts in Vermont.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (301 words)

We began the day in upstate New York, waiting to board the ferry from Plattsburg across Lake Champlain, into Vermont.

Day 3: Montreal

	Occurred: 9/2/1985 Posted: 12/22/2025		Page Views: 267
Hashtags: #Places #CrossCountry #Travel #Montreal #Quebec #Canada
The kids' first visit to a foreign country!
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (57 words)

And so finally, after days of driving and sightseeing, we crossed the border into Canada, and immediately stopped at the first restaurant we found.