road trip quebec eastern townships A ROA

I could have easily and contentedly wiled away my last full day in Montreal last October with more city frolicking, had I not gotten the itch: the undeniable urge to get out, shake things up, and up the excitement gauge in my life. It’s not often enough that I get to escape city life for a 4-wheeled adventure. Renting a Zipcar for the day in NYC ends up costing about $140, otherwise I have to schlep to/from LaGuardia Airport via 2 subway trains and a bus to spend about half of that on a regular car rental. I just can’t justify the inflated price or the heartache and hassle of either rental option in New York. But while traveling, there’s another variable at play when I contemplate a splurge: the ‘now or never’ factor, i.e. I’m here now. Who knows if or when I’ll ever be back. Or, loosely translated: YOLO. I was in Montreal for the first time in 28 years, during prime foliage season – when was I going to have the chance again to go wine tasting and leaf peeping in Quebec’s Eastern Townships region? Uh, likely never. It was settled: a mini-roadtrip through Quebec was happening! #naturalwonders#summervacation#urbanexplorer