The next morning, I’m awakened at 6am by what seem to be rather large birds squabbling for territory as well as a pick up truck that keeps driving by every 20 minutes or so. I drift in and out of sleep and finally get up at 7:30. I find the showers but notice there is no heating! In addition, the screen door has been open all night.

That means it’s now about 3C (37F) in there. I close the door and stand there debating in my somewhat groggy state. On the one hand, morning showers are important to me. On the other hand, it’s going to be painful to come out of the hot water into the cold…Well, I quickly decide that it’s only going to hurt for a minute or two, then it’s back to my climate controlled tent. :)

It’s a great morning, sunny and crisp but still quite cool. I realize that I’m in no big hurry to get going as I wait for things to warm up. As I pack up I notice that I’m probably the only camper on the grounds. All around me are seasonal trailers but, being mid-week and late in the season, the place is deserted.

I’m ready to leave and stop by the registration office. I inform the lady that I’m a late arrival (she knows) and ask how much I owe her. She tells me her boss (the guy in the pick up truck) told her to charge me $10 instead of the normal $18! I thank her.

As I’m gearing up outside, the boss comes out for a chat. Not a tall man, early 60’s, a bit paunchy, a couple of teeth missing, colorful fellow. He says that he’s always liked Montreal because of the nice women; that his brother-in-law used to have a singles bar there.

I can tell that those memories brighten his spirit, so I give him a hot tip. I tell him that if he liked the women in Montreal, one day he might like to check out those in Quebec City! As he laughs, I can tell that this gives him something to look forward to and it brightens him up some. We say our so-longs and I’m off.

Bruno
Montreal, Canada