AARoads Forum

Hey everyone. I'm starting a new thread in order to run a poll for choosing the date of the Québec Road Meet this fall.

I think it goes without saying that Québec is a beautiful city with an European vibe that is unmatched in North America. Well, it is also full of highway stubs and scenic roads, not to mention that it has one of the highest amounts of freeway miles (er, kilometres) per capita.

Speaking good French is not required neither for the meet nor for visiting. Just bring a phrase book and be a tourist (they're used to having tourists).

So, pick your date while I try to cook up a tour of the city! 27 September was intentionally left out as an option because I'm unavailable that weekend.

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FINAL DATE IS 11 OCTOBER. Rendezvous at noon at the St-Hubert restaurant, 500 rue de l'Aréna, Saint-Nicolas, QC. Just off of R-116 and A-20.

Meet Itinerary (https://www.dropbox.com/s/t5n0t6dmpldv731/Quebec%20City%20Road%20Meet.pdf?dl=0)

Google Maps (https://goo.gl/maps/ipbWq)

I have already applied to get off from work from September 18-21, and I already have plans of going to "La Belle Province" anyway. If the meet is on the 20th, I would like to join you guys. :)

The last three dates definitely work for me, but Sept. 20 works best.  Oct. 11 would let me combine this with Duke87's Merritt Parkway meet the following weekend, though Duke87 indicated he'd prefer non-consecutive weekends for the two meets.

The first two September dates could work for me if the pick is made by August 19.  But I need to schedule a non-roads event for one of those two weekends, and I might or might not be able to move my event to the weekend not used for the Quebec meet.

I've done a lot of roadgeeking on previous visits to Quebec city (not the newer autoroute extensions in the vicinity), but have wanted to go back for more including the touristy stuff.

If I do my poutine run over Labor Day, I'm not coming back just for this. If I feel like combining them, then I'm in.

I can do any, though I would prefer it not be a consecutive weekend with either Labor Day or the Merritt meet.

As things stand now, I can make any of those dates listed.  However, my preference is for the 4th as the following week is a school break and I'll be slightly less distracted by schoolwork.

I'm sure Doug will chime in here, but he mentioned to me that he would be unable to attend any September dates.

I can make it to any of those dates although the 11th is the weekend before my Merritt Parkway meet and I'm assuming that causes inconvenience for more people than it causes convenience.

For me it'd be nice to do a smidge of scouting the weekend of the 11th although I can just as easily do that the weekend before. For the Merritt we're not dealing with major construction so I'm not too worried about intel becoming rapidly out of date (as was a problem with New Haven) and I already have an easy backup plan in case the one thing I know might be a snafu turns out to be one.

True, October will be easier for me to attend, as I have other travel plans that will take me out of attendance for any September date in question.  But please, don't feel that you have to pick a date that works best for me.

Either of the October dates would be better for me...I need to get a replacement vehicle before making the trip, and I still need to get my EDL, and we all know how long it takes Albany to do anything. :pan:

Have fun guys! Unfortunently I am out for this one, I will be in central PA around the weekend of the 20th but way too far for me to make in one day since I have my annual BIG toy show in Hershey on the 21, last years tom Tom meet on same weekend was my limit. Hopefully some day I would like to make a meet north of the border. :-)

I'll also take requests in case there are things you want to see. There's no guarantee that they'll be included in the tour, but it might be things that are close by and that I didn't think about.

Also, 4 October is leading. I'll close the poll on the 15th of August.

UPDATE - I just found out that I had prior plans that I cannot miss or reschedule for the 4th of October, which means that this date is out. So far, 20 September is leading.

Due to an previously-unforeseen deadline at work, I will not be able to get off on my birthday or the day after as I had first hoped. I might be able to take off the early part of the following week, but that won't work. I would have to leave the morning of the meet, and probably get in town around 2:00 PM or so. Unless I know about any post-meet activities, the hotels you guys would be staying in, etc, my chances to hang out with you are pretty much nil.

So is the 20th the date?

Doesn't look like he's made a decision yet.  For my part, if the 4th is out, I'd prefer the 11th.

My next vacation will be taking place just outside of the range of dates (October 30-November 2), and it's more than likely that I will be staying around Montréal and Gatineau rather than Québec City.
Please let me know if there will be a handout with the tour route, and I can check out QC on my own when I get up that way.

Hopefully we'll hear soon.  I need to (re) schedule something in September, and it would help to know when the date is.

So far, 20 September and 11 October are tied. Both work for me. If anyone has voted both but has a preference for one of them, speak up!

10/11 is better for me.

9/20 works better for me -- more daylight for the non-Interstate/Autoroute travel I'd take there and back.  Warmer temperatures too.

9/20 is my only hope.

Changing my vote.  While October 11 is right on top of the Merritt Parkway meet, has less daylight, and will have heavy border traffic due to the holiday weekend, the fact that I get off on Columbus Day means that I could spend an extra day clinching things, getting more highways at a more relaxed pace.

Quoteand will have heavy border traffic due to the holiday weekend

Not in my area... :nod:

Quote from: vdeane on August 20, 2014, 12:49:11 PM
Changing my vote.  While October 11 is right on top of the Merritt Parkway meet, has less daylight, and will have heavy border traffic due to the holiday weekend, the fact that I get off on Columbus Day means that I could spend an extra day clinching things, getting more highways at a more relaxed pace.

OTOH, isn't Columbus Day in the U.S. also Thanksgiving in Canada?  Maybe no direct impact on the meet, since it'd be the Saturday before, but could it affect availability of lodgings and other traveler services in Canada that weekend due to more Canadians traveling out of town?

In my admittedly limited experience, lodging during major holidays isn't much of a problem in large cities unless there's something else going on.

Quote from: froggie on August 20, 2014, 07:48:13 PM
In my admittedly limited experience, lodging during major holidays isn't much of a problem in large cities unless there's something else going on.

the availability isn't an issue, but the prices sure get jacked up.

I will be out of the office the week before the 11th, the new leading date got my attention. Unfortunately, I already have other commitments for that timeframe, and have already paid for a hotel room for the Halloween weekend.

Carl, when do you intend to make a decision?

When I'm back from vacation on Monday.

So the official date for the meet will be the 11th of October, 2014, with a possibility for a early second date on 20 September if there's enough demand.

I'll go scouting either this weekend or the next.

Like I said, have fun guys, will be sitting this one out, I have a small toy show in East Ridge, TN that day (2 hours from the house)  but I will be there in spirit :-) If by chance anyone is going to Cody's Guntersville meet, Steph and I will see you all there!

Good for the 11th.

Tentative on the 20th for Poutine Coma. May need a 3 day weekend to hit up all the places. (Hey, Thanksgiving is wide open.)

I'm a maybe for this one.

I'm good for the 11th.  I'm looking at staying in Trois-Riveries Friday and Saturday and Montreal on Sunday.  Since I still don't have my job situation confirmed I'll be making sure to get a hotel with free cancellation, but once I have the Trois-Riveries one booked I'll be able to say tentative/probable yes.

Any way I should prepare for the language situation since I don't know French?  I'm thinking about how hotels, food, and gas (will probably need to refuel in Quebec at some point unfortunately) will work.  Also, should I bother with converting cash?  I try to use my credit cards (Master Card and Discover) for everything and haven't had issues in the past, but I haven't stayed overnight on my own before in Canada either.

Quote from: vdeane on August 28, 2014, 12:53:47 PM
Any way I should prepare for the language situation since I don't know French?  I'm thinking about how hotels, food, and gas (will probably need to refuel in Quebec at some point unfortunately) will work.  Also, should I bother with converting cash?  I try to use my credit cards (Master Card and Discover) for everything and haven't had issues in the past, but I haven't stayed overnight on my own before in Canada either.

Discover rarely works in Canada.  Mastercard is fine and works everywhere that takes credit cards.  I've never had to whip out my Visa card, which (unlike the specific flavor of Mastercard I have) charges exchange fees and has a less favorable cashback bonus, in Canada once I acquired the Mastercard, except when I've temporarily misfiled my Mastercard.  If you don't have a "chip and PIN" card (most U.S.-issued cards aren't), you probably won't be able to pay at the pump and will need to go inside to the cashier to complete the transaction.

I've made multiple trips to Quebec, spending a total of about a month there, and have gotten by OK with about a dozen basic phrases (some of them specific to fast-food ordering, especially "sandwich soulement" to avoid paying for a combo meal you don't want).  Especially on the main roads, businesses can handle transactional English adequately, though you might get into trouble if you try to start a conversation rather than just complete your transaction and go on your way.  Also try to avoid drive-thru lanes, where language is more likely to be a problem if you draw the least-English-fluent worker on duty, and to aggravate the drivers behind you if that happens.  (Even if you've memorized your order, what if they tell you they're out of that item?)  Going inside to order lets you point to the menu item you want, use gestures, and even get help from other customers.

On accommodations, free cancellations are usually possible, though the lowest advertised prices are sometimes non-refundable, like for my recent stay at the Super 8-Yellowknife.  The gotcha to look for is where you can cancel only up to the day before your stay, rather than day of (that's sometimes an issue in the U.S., too).

When confronting language barriers, have subtle ways of revealing that you're American (such as by letting them get a glance at greenbacks in your wallet). People may be a bit nicer to you since then they'll be more understanding of you not knowing French, they expect Canadians to know some French regardless of where in Canada they're from.

If all else fails, don't feel like you need to communicate in complete sentences. Words and gestures may be able to get the message across. Point at what you want. Bring a pen and paper and draw what you want. Write numbers, they'll recognized those even if you don't know how to say them in French.


Feel free to use your credit card although be aware you will incur a foreign transaction fee whenever you do so. It doesn't hurt to have some Canadian cash in case the card isn't accepted at a particular establishment, but also bear in mind that you have a good shot at getting touristy locations or locations along a major highway to accept US dollars if you're polite about it.

Quote from: oscar on August 28, 2014, 02:47:17 PM
Discover rarely works in Canada.  Mastercard is fine and works everywhere that takes credit cards.  I've never had to whip out my Visa card, which (unlike the specific flavor of Mastercard I have) charges exchange fees and has a less favorable cashback bonus, in Canada once I acquired the Mastercard, except when I've temporarily misfiled my Mastercard.  If you don't have a "chip and PIN" card (most U.S.-issued cards aren't), you probably won't be able to pay at the pump and will need to go inside to the cashier to complete the transaction.

My Discover card has a higher limit, so being stuck with Mastercard is annoying but I can deal with it as long as I don't have to deal with cash only places.  I really don't feel like losing money to the exchange rate; the one I can get from the bank is significantly worse than my credit card's, and I don't travel to Canada often enough to justify keeping Canadian cash around.  Having to pay inside for gas is gonna be a huge problem though.  Higher prices plus prices in liters plus an exchange rate means that I have absolutely no clue how much it will cost to fill the car up (not that I ever have a clue even without those factors).  That, combined with my lack of French, could be problematic.  Unfortunately, it isn't an issue that will go away anytime soon, since Visa refuses to adopt chip-and-pin, and the other card issuers have decided that if Visa won't switch, that they'll just be chip-and-signature instead.

Quote
I've made multiple trips to Quebec, spending a total of about a month there, and have gotten by OK with about a dozen basic phrases (some of them specific to fast-food ordering, especially "sandwich soulement" to avoid paying for a combo meal you don't want).  Especially on the main roads, businesses can handle transactional English adequately, though you might get into trouble if you try to start a conversation rather than just complete your transaction and go on your way.  Also try to avoid drive-thru lanes, where language is more likely to be a problem if you draw the least-English-fluent worker on duty, and to aggravate the drivers behind you if that happens.  (Even if you've memorized your order, what if they tell you they're out of that item?)  Going inside to order lets you point to the menu item you want, use gestures, and even get help from other customers.

I don't even have that.  Fortunately, I don't use drive thru lanes (I don't understand the popularity; if the restaurant messes up the order, you're screwed, and who wants to make a mess in their car eating anyways?).

Quote
On accommodations, free cancellations are usually possible, though the lowest advertised prices are sometimes non-refundable, like for my recent stay at the Super 8-Yellowknife.  The gotcha to look for is where you can cancel only up to the day before your stay, rather than day of (that's sometimes an issue in the U.S., too).

Hotels.com makes it obvious which ones have free cancellation.  When is not the issue (I very much doubt the issue with my job will drag out that long, especially since the test results just came out today) at least as long as customs doesn't take issue with me staying in Trois-Rivieres for a trip to Quebec City (I'm not sure how to answer the "where are you going" question).

Also: I do not have any road maps of Quebec.  Does anyone have an atlas they can recommend?

seriously, just learn "bonjour", "au revoir", "merci" and "s'il vous plait" and the rest can be done in poor English, hand gestures, etc.

I've been to many countries where I don't speak a lick of the language (mainly Slavic-language ones... completely baffling to me) and gotten around just fine with those four. 

Quote from: vdeane on August 28, 2014, 07:56:26 PM(I very much doubt the issue with my job will drag out that long, especially since the test results just came out today)

Issue with your job? Are you wondering if you'll make your probationary period?

There was someone who was hired for the job I do in another office who started the same day I did. He didn't make his probation and I never heard why.

Only a few weeks before my probationary period was set to expire, I was responsible for a huge groundbreaking event involving the governor. Talk about nervous ... I was afraid that something would go terribly wrong, I'd be held responsible, and I'd lose my job. It was needless worry. The day went off without a hitch and I made probation.

Quote from: vdeane on August 28, 2014, 07:56:26 PM
Having to pay inside for gas is gonna be a huge problem though.  Higher prices plus prices in liters plus an exchange rate means that I have absolutely no clue how much it will cost to fill the car up (not that I ever have a clue even without those factors).

Just multiply liters by 4 to get gallons, and assume a 1:1 net exchange rate (after bank/card issuer fees) between Canadian and U.S. dollars, and you should be close enough.  I've been more precise when reporting here on Canadian gas prices, but the quick-and-dirty method is good enough to distinguish between merely high prices (not that your state is exactly a mecca of low gas prices, either) and the outrageous prices you can find far, far from the Autoroutes.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 28, 2014, 08:37:35 PM
seriously, just learn "bonjour", "au revoir", "merci" and "s'il vous plait" and the rest can be done in poor English, hand gestures, etc.

You can add "merci beaucoup" (thank you very much) and "toilette?" (where's the bathroom?). 

Quote from: oscar on August 28, 2014, 09:27:02 PM

Quote from: vdeane on August 28, 2014, 07:56:26 PM
Having to pay inside for gas is gonna be a huge problem though.  Higher prices plus prices in liters plus an exchange rate means that I have absolutely no clue how much it will cost to fill the car up (not that I ever have a clue even without those factors).

Just multiply liters by 4 to get gallons, and assume a 1:1 net exchange rate (after bank/card issuer fees) between Canadian and U.S. dollars, and you should be close enough.  I've been more precise when reporting here on Canadian gas prices, but the quick-and-dirty method is good enough to distinguish between merely high prices (not that your state is exactly a mecca of low gas prices, either) and the outrageous prices you can find far, far from the Autoroutes.

For reference, good Ontario prices are around 1.259/L, and Quebec is around 1.349/L.

For metric gasoline, know your car, do the math ahead of time, and just memorize the result. If I'm at 1/4 tank it's about 9 gallons to fill up which is about 35 liters. So if it's simpler to just request a dollar amount, and assuming your gas tank is similar in size to mine, go for 40$ and that will get you most of the way full but leaving enough room that you don't risk getting all the way full before you've reached that amount.

If you're looking to fill it up you can overestimate and then go back inside afterward to square away the difference, assuming the clerk knows enough English to handle this.

It's rare to have to pre-pay for gas in Canada anyways.  At most filling stations you can just fill with whatever it takes and then pay later.

I'm an almost certain "yes" for October 11, barring unforeseen emergencies in the next few weeks.

I'm already doing some preliminary scheming on how to get up there (probably finish up US 202 between western Connecticut and northern Maine), and what to do in the week between the Quebec and Merritt Parkway meets aside from touristy stuff in Quebec city.  From what I can glean here, and from the MTQ site without knowing much French, there are new freeway segments of A-73 north and south of Quebec city I haven't driven, as well as QC 185 (future additions to A-85) which I can cover coming up from Maine.  But more new km-age on A-73, A-20 (east of exit 527), and A-70 apparently won't open until next year at the earliest.  What about A-5 north of Gatineau, and also freeway extensions of 400-series highways and ON 69 in Ontario if I swing that far west on my way to the Merritt Parkway?  Anything else I'm missing?

The southern A-73 extension to St. Georges (most still under construction) seems a little far away to work into a meet itinerary, but otherwise could be a candidate.  The completed northern A-73 extension seems uninteresting, and other A-route extension projects are definitely out of range.  (Other projects, not picked up by the magic search term "prolongement", I don't know.)  I'd cover those on my own in any case, either before or after the meet.

There haven't been any openings in Ontario since 2012 on either the 417, 11 or 69/400 corridors.  By October, the 12km 404 extension up to Ravenshoe Road should be open, if you do swing that far west, and I'd think that the new A-5 alignment up around Wakefield should finally be finished, but I don't know anything specifically about that project since I was up that way last year.

Quote from: hbelkins on August 28, 2014, 09:04:18 PM

Quote from: vdeane on August 28, 2014, 07:56:26 PM(I very much doubt the issue with my job will drag out that long, especially since the test results just came out today)

Issue with your job? Are you wondering if you'll make your probationary period?

There was someone who was hired for the job I do in another office who started the same day I did. He didn't make his probation and I never heard why.

Only a few weeks before my probationary period was set to expire, I was responsible for a huge groundbreaking event involving the governor. Talk about nervous ... I was afraid that something would go terribly wrong, I'd be held responsible, and I'd lose my job. It was needless worry. The day went off without a hitch and I made probation.

I'm still provisional.  The civil service test results just came out yesterday (I got 100), so we've moved along and the likelihood that there won't be an issue is now much higher, but there are six people with veterans credits above me on the list, so we need at least four of them to say they're not interested in my job.  The way it works in NY is that someone who's provisional is basically a glorified temp with benefits whose only advantage over someone off the street is being able to bypass being interviewed for the permanent position if they're reachable on the eligibility list when it comes out.  My year long probationary period doesn't even start until permanent appointment, and I accrue no seniority for my time as a provisional employee.

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on August 29, 2014, 03:02:19 AM
It's rare to have to pre-pay for gas in Canada anyways.  At most filling stations you can just fill with whatever it takes and then pay later.

Lucky.  In the US you almost always have to pre-pay.  Is there just less gasoline theft up north?

Quote from: vdeane on August 29, 2014, 12:47:20 PM
Lucky.  In the US you almost always have to pre-pay.  Is there just less gasoline theft up north?

Probably. In Canada people tend to be more trusting of each other than in much of the US. And they can be because people are more honest. The US tends to have a culture of "It's okay to screw someone over so long as I can get away with it". Canadians aren't like that.

I'm in for the 11th. Looking forward to it!

I'm in for the 11th.  Just booked my Fri-Sun hotel in Trois-Rivieres last night (and ordered a MapArt 2nd edition Quebec atlas with a ridiculous shipping charge), but it doesn't look like I'll be doing Sun-Mon around Montreal due to cost.

My travel plans:
-Friday: I-87/A-15 north, A-20 east, clinch A-955, A-55 north (possibly to northern end with turn around if I feel like driving an extra hour), clinch the Becancour section of A-30
-Saturday morning: A-30 west, A-55 south, A-20 east, A-73 north, possibly travel around Quebec City to get stuff not on the meet tour
-Saturday evening: straight shot down A-40, A-55, and A-30
-Sunday: A-40 west, clinch A-31 and turn around, continue on A-40, A-520 west with turn around, A-13 north and A-40 east, A-15 south, clinch western end of A-10 and turn around, continue on A-15 and I-87 south, possibly veering over to US 11 depending on the border (which would replace my fudged clinch with a proper one)

Food plans are as of yet undetermined.  I'd like to stop at a Jreck Subs on the Northway at some point, but if/when would be determined by timing.  Saturday I'm thinking of getting dinner in Quebec City.  Friday evening and Sunday morning are the wildcards.  It looks like the timing will be more convenient for getting meals in Quebec than NY.

Facebook page, if you want to stay informed without checking this thread every so often! https://www.facebook.com/events/711878042220859/

Just curious, any ideas of what the tour will include?  I'm thinking about what I want to clinch before the meet.  I'm hoping to get all the Quebec City autoroutes and the county for Ili d'Orleans on Saturday one way or another, and of course there's no efficient way to do everything in one drive.

One thing that probably won't be on the meet tour, but people arriving the day before might want to do on their own, is a guided tour of the National Assembly building.  This time of the year, there are no official building tours on weekends (I don't know whether tourists are allowed to wander around inside the building, like I was for the territorial assembly building in Yellowknife), so I'm penciling that in for Friday.  Tours are available in English as well as in French.

Aside from that, I'll have an open schedule that day, and if needed could scout out stuff for the tour on Saturday (such as construction of a new A-73 segment south of the city). 

So I realized last night that this weekend is the meet, which happens to be a 4-day weekend for me for the Fall break. So, unless something really bad happens this week, I should be able to make it up from Orono on Saturday.

Woo!

vdeane, it will include a view of the two bridges, Vieux-Québec, the Dufferin tunnel portal (it's sealed and inaccessible and the ramps are gone but hey, it's still cool!), canceled autoroute alignments and extensions, the ÃŽle d'Orléans bridge (and a drive-by of the Montmorency Falls, while we're at it). And more stuff, hopefully. I'm still ironing things out on the itinerary.

If anybody is making the trek to Quebec City on Friday, and will be traveling during daylight hours, I'd strongly recommend the route through the eastern townships, as opposed to either A-20 or A-40.  Both 20 and 40 are located in pancake flat plains, and don't offer motorists much to look at.  Instead I'd take A-10, which is itself a delight, to A-610 and then onto either R-112 or R-108.  Both of these roads travel through the mountainous eastern townships, and will be alive with colour this time of year.  Both routes end in the vicinity of A-73, the southern-portion of which is itself a cool road.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asphaltplanet.ca%2FPQ%2FR%2F108%2FR108_fallcolours_aaroasd.jpg&hash=e8b60a02b6c369d978eb89e427f34b7616b93ebc)
http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/R/108/R108_fallcolours_24x16.jpg (http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/R/108/R108_fallcolours_24x16.jpg)

Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on October 06, 2014, 10:43:35 AM
Woo!

vdeane, it will include a view of the two bridges, Vieux-Québec, the Dufferin tunnel portal (it's sealed and inaccessible and the ramps are gone but hey, it's still cool!), canceled autoroute alignments and extensions, the ÃŽle d'Orléans bridge (and a drive-by of the Montmorency Falls, while we're at it). And more stuff, hopefully. I'm still ironing things out on the itinerary.

In that case I might be able to eliminate the U turn on my pre-meet clinch-a-thon for ÃŽle d'Orléans, depending on whether or not we'll get on the island.  Or just keep it "just in case".  It's not like it adds a ton of time.

I'm thinking I should be able to get by until the meet on a single tank of gas (after topping off at the border), so I'll probably place my refueling stop after the meet at the nearby Esso station (or maybe before to be safe).  I need to check some mileages first to confirm though.

Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on October 06, 2014, 10:43:35 AM
the ÃŽle d'Orléans bridge

Cool, that's a county that I (and probably most other attendees) need, so that eliminates it from extracurriculars.

One of the extracurricular activities that I'm hoping to (quickly) do is snag some photos of the Quebec City skyline from the other shore of the St. Lawrence either before or after the meet.  I'll also be driving up through one of the Eastern Townships routes as I'll be taking A-20 to Montreal following the meet.

Well, the itinerary is nearly finished (with documentation, stops and all)! Actually, it has been for a while, but I had to make some revisions due to planned roadwork and such. I'll put the final touches on it tonight and post it.

If you haven't RSVP'd here or on Facebook, now is the time. I'll make the reservation this evening.

Just reconfirming my own attendance.  I just arrived in the Quebec city area, where I'll be staying until Sunday morning.

Well everyone, here's the final tour itinerary for Saturday, after several revisions due to road work.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t5n0t6dmpldv731/Quebec%20City%20Road%20Meet.pdf?dl=0
Same thing on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ipbWq

The rendez-vous is at noon at the St-Hubert restaurant at 500, rue de l'Aréna, Saint-Nicolas, QC, just off of R-116 and A-20.

Cool.  It looks like I can cut down on my pre-meet tour and sleep in a little (and probably get gas before the meet).

Carl, how long do you think the tour will take?  I have doubts (based on past meet experience) that we'll be out of the restaurant by 1 if we're not starting until noon.

Quote from: froggie on October 10, 2014, 09:13:39 AM
Carl, how long do you think the tour will take?  I have doubts (based on past meet experience) that we'll be out of the restaurant by 1 if we're not starting until noon.

I estimate about three hours with stops, so it will hopefully be over before 5. What does everyone think?

Meet attendees who have time on Sunday after the meet might tour construction of a new A-73 segment in the Beauceville area, between A-73 exit 61 and the newest A-73 segment east of St.-Georges.  (That tour, earlier today, took me about four and a half hours round-trip from Quebec city, so you'd be really pushing it to squeeze this in Saturday morning before the meet.  That would mean getting up really early in the morning, which seems to be on nobody's agenda.)

I suggest three viewing sites, in addition to the south end of the main A-73 segment and the north end of the St.-Georges segment.  One is just south of A-73 exit 61.  There's a frontage road peeling off from the ramp to northbound A-73, which will give you some views of the construction zone, including a pair of new bridges under construction.  Second, Rue 20e south of Beauceville, east from QC 173 (which connects the two A-73 segments), takes you to a new bridge over a rough-graded part of the construction zone.  Third, Rue 34e east from QC 173 between Notre-Dame-des-Pins and St.-Simon-les-Mines takes you (after a ridiculous dose of traffic calming in a residential neighborhood) beneath an under-construction bridge high over Rue 34e.  The orange construction warning signs visible from QC 173 will help you spot both side roads.

QC 173 in Beauceville is speed camera-infested (there are ample warning signs showing a camera flash and the word "vitesse" -- French for speed), so don't try to beat my time by speeding through that town.

QuoteMeet attendees who have time on Sunday after the meet might tour construction of a new A-73 segment in the Beauceville area, between A-73 exit 61 and the newest A-73 segment east of St.-Georges.  (That tour, earlier today, took me about four and a half hours round-trip from Quebec city, so you'd be really pushing it to squeeze this in Saturday morning before the meet.  That would mean getting up really early in the morning, which seems to be on nobody's agenda.)

Except for those of us coming north from Vermont this morning... :D  Doug plans to check out A-73 on his way up...I'm vectoring over to Montreal and taking A-40 north.

I was only able to check out A-73 north of QC 112 in Vallee Jonction as part of my drive to the meet.  There is construction ongoing to twin A-73 through Sainte-Marie.  As for the meet itself, we really were able to cover a lot roads-wise in and around Quebec City.

Here are my group photos from the meet, with the Pont du Quebec (R-175) bridge in the background, and the newer Autoroute 73 bridge behind it.  The first two photos are from the same digital "negative", as are the last two, cropped differently to include all of the bridges or instead focus on the meet group.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2Fquebec-meet-group-photo1A_DSC5293.jpg&hash=f5b23ce2666989b979aad1b67191cdc79f51c6cc)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2Fquebec-meet-group-photo1B_DSC5293.jpg&hash=8f3104d13e3a6fb500e6e4101f06e12969eae15e)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2Fquebec-meet-group-photo2A_DSC5294.jpg&hash=a6c0ce8de91b48bb4c54a62060a127624732cccb)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2Fquebec-meet-group-photo2B_DSC5294.jpg&hash=c9322f1991c0971dbabcf006419623931d23e006)

The people in the last photo, from left to right:  Oscar Voss [oscar] (VA), Adam Froehlig [froggie] (VT), Valerie Deane [vdeane] (NY), Mike Tantillo [mtantillo] (DC), Carl Tessier [Dr Frankenstein] (QC - meet host), Doug Kerr [dougtone] (NY), Connor Lauzon [deathtopumpkins] (MA), Anthony Costanzo [Duke87] (NY), Serge [place-saint-henri] (NY).

One tidbit -- This meet continues the pattern of Mike and I, who live only a few miles apart, driving to meets separately via radically different itineraries.  We're pretty sure this is the most distant meet for which we've done this.  Since Mike is working, while I'm not, I can indulge in indirect, shunpiking routes that take more time than Mike can spare.  Indeed, I'm still in Canada, while I'm sure Mike has been back home for a few days.

As I recall, Mike didn't head back to DC...he's hanging around and working out of New England/NYC/Long Island until the Merritt Pkwy meet this Saturday.

Quote from: froggie on October 14, 2014, 10:24:37 PM
As I recall, Mike didn't head back to DC...he's hanging around and working out of New England/NYC/Long Island until the Merritt Pkwy meet this Saturday.

I'm replying to this from Bar Harbor, ME. I came here Monday after spending 2 days in Quebec City. Tomorrow I head to my parents' house on Long Island, and I'll work from there for two days until the Merritt meet.

As Oscar said, I still work (and will be for a few more decades) so usually road meets are quick "out and back" trips. But seeing how far Quebec City is from DC, and knowing it was a place high on my list of places to visit, I took 4 days off from work. If I didn't have a major deadline on Friday, i would have taken the whole week.

Corrections: Connor is 'deathtopumpkins' and Serge is 'place-saint-henri' from NY (and formerly QC).

Quote
Connor is 'deathtopumpkins'

Nice to be able to put another name and face to a username here.

Quote from: mtantillo on October 14, 2014, 10:41:05 PM
I'm replying to this from Bar Harbor, ME. I came here Monday after spending 2 days in Quebec City. Tomorrow I head to my parents' house on Long Island, and I'll work from there for two days until the Merritt meet.

Did you get to Bar Harbor via A-73/QC 173/US 201, and have a chance to look at A-73 construction between exits 61 and 48?

BTW, I noticed after the meet that the overhead signs on A-73 and A-20 at their junction, point to US 201 and Maine as A-73 destinations.  (A-73 stops 43 km short of the border, and AFAIK there are no plans to push A-73 south to the border from its current southern end in St.-Georges.  Nor is there any move by Maine to freeway-ize US 201 south of the border.)

Quote from: mtantillo on October 14, 2014, 10:41:05 PM

Quote from: froggie on October 14, 2014, 10:24:37 PM
As I recall, Mike didn't head back to DC...he's hanging around and working out of New England/NYC/Long Island until the Merritt Pkwy meet this Saturday.

I'm replying to this from Bar Harbor, ME. I came here Monday after spending 2 days in Quebec City. Tomorrow I head to my parents' house on Long Island, and I'll work from there for two days until the Merritt meet.

As Oscar said, I still work (and will be for a few more decades) so usually road meets are quick "out and back" trips. But seeing how far Quebec City is from DC, and knowing it was a place high on my list of places to visit, I took 4 days off from work. If I didn't have a major deadline on Friday, i would have taken the whole week.

Any Bar Harbor tips?  Thinking of going there today for an unexpected couple of days off.