Bon Chance! (Good Fortune)
Once again, the "worry fairies" woke me up during the night and kept me company for several hours. Despite the peace and quiet of the beautiful Vignoble L'Ange Gardien (The Guardian Angel Vineyard), I didn't sleep particularly well.
I'm usually not much of a worrier, but sometimes when we're traveling, those mischievous little fairies whisper in my ear. Before long, they have my rapt attention, and we're holding a full-fledged committee meeting in the middle of the night.
This particular meeting was remarkably productive. We had quite an agenda!
First on the agenda was the previous day's adventure navigating the congested highways around Montréal and Québec City, culminating in our somewhat traumatic encounter with the Costco petrol station.
Janice has already chronicled that misadventure, so I'll spare you the gory details. Suffice it to say that maneuvering a 29-foot motorhome through a chaotic maze of impatient motorists, while struggling with a language barrier, had left me a bit rattled.
My French vocabulary consisted primarily of one word: "Merci!" I used it enthusiastically, but I felt badly that I couldn't communicate more effectively with the people around us.
We were trapped in the Costco petrol vortex!
My entire working French vocabulary consisted of one word I could reliably remember and pronounce: "Merci!"
I used it enthusiastically.
But I also felt badly that I couldn't communicate more effectively with the people around us. I enjoy connecting with people wherever we travel, and the language barrier left me feeling unusually isolated.
So, back to my meeting with the worry fairies.
We concluded that perhaps it would be wise to escape the urban congestion before sunset the following day, lest we find ourselves in another predicament. I searched Harvest Hosts and discovered what looked like a wonderful place in New Brunswick, just across the provincial border. Better yet, it had availability for up to three days.
Problem solved!
Next on the agenda was our journey home, now only about ten days away.
Should we continue across Canada? Return through the northern United States? Or take a more southerly route?
I had hoped we could travel across Canada because we've driven the American routes several times. More importantly, I wanted to spend time in this beautiful country as an expression of our admiration and support for our Canadian neighbors, especially given my profound disappointment with the current U.S. administration's treatment of Canada.
But time, distance, weather, and the practical realities of getting home all needed consideration.
The fairies and I couldn't reach a consensus on that one. We tabled the motion for further discussion with Janice.
Several other matters were discussed, although their significance apparently evaporated with the morning light.
Finally, at approximately 5:30 a.m., after three hours of deliberations, the committee adjourned.
I stumbled back to sleep.
An Unexpected Invitation
Janice got up before 7 and took Tad out for his morning constitutional. I managed to sleep until 8:30 and awoke with renewed vigor.
Janice was diligently working on finishing her blog from the previous day, so I volunteered to take Taddy for a long walk and give her some uninterrupted time.
The vineyard was absolutely beautiful in the morning light. People were beginning to gather, and it was apparent that something special was happening.
When we returned from our walk, there were 15 to 20 cars parked near our motorhome.
I remembered reading on the Harvest Hosts website that the vineyard occasionally welcomed volunteers to help with the grape harvest.
Hmmmm...
I approached a gentleman who appeared to work at the vineyard and asked whether they might like some help.
His English was somewhat limited, but he smiled and replied, "Oui!"
Fortunately, a couple standing nearby spoke English very well. They warmly invited us to join them.
I hurried back to the motorhome to share the exciting news with Janice.
Now, imagine an enthusiastic Irish Setter who has just discovered that someone is about to take him for a walk. His tail is wagging furiously, his eyes are sparkling, and he can barely contain his excitement.
That was me.
Janice, meanwhile, was still trying to finish her blog.
After a little deliberation, and perhaps some consternation with her puppy-dog husband who was practically panting and wagging his tail at the prospect of another adventure, she finished her work and agreed to join me.
And just like that, our carefully considered plans began to unravel in the most wonderful way.
Harvesting Grapes Along the St. Lawrence
Our new friends were Marielle Parent and Michel Riendeau, partners for 37 years, who could not have been more gracious or welcoming.
We climbed into their car and joined a caravan of vehicles traveling about half a mile uphill to the vineyard's harvest area.
There, a vineyard employee, Jean-Francois, handed us clippers and two buckets apiece: one for collecting grapes and another for sitting on.
We were officially grape harvesters!
The setting was idyllic.
From our position high above the winery, we could look down toward our motorhome and beyond to the majestic St. Lawrence River. The morning was pleasantly cool, the vineyards were beautiful, and the surrounding hills were dressed in their autumn finery.
About 25 to 30 people, mostly retirees who had organized the outing, dispersed into their assigned rows.
Soon the vineyard was filled with the gentle sounds of people working together. Conversations drifted through the vines in French, punctuated by laughter and occasional enthusiastic exclamations.
It was peaceful, communal, and utterly delightful.
Janice and I settled onto our buckets and began clipping clusters of grapes from the vines.
Clip, clip, clip.
Into the bucket they went.
Every so often, our vineyard supervisor stopped by to check on our progress.
"Vous vous débrouillez très bien!" he assured us.
You're doing very well!
Sometimes he collected our full buckets and replaced them with empty ones. Other times, we carried our harvest to the end of the row and emptied the grapes into larger crates.
We sampled a few grapes along the way, naturally. Quality control is important!
As I sat among the vines, enjoying the cool air, the magnificent view, and the camaraderie of our fellow harvesters, I turned to Janice and announced that I had discovered my new vocation.
After two wonderful hours, we had harvested a combined eight buckets of grapes.
Not bad for a couple of rookie grape pickers!
We rejoined Marielle and Michel and headed back down to the winery.
The other volunteers had brought lunches, and Marielle suggested we retrieve something to eat from the motorhome and join everyone for a complimentary glass of wine.
Janice quickly assembled our lunch, and we joined the group inside.
Marielle and Michel had thoughtfully saved seats beside them.
While getting wine for Janice and me, I asked one of the vineyard owners whether we might stay another night.
"Of course," she replied. We had helped with the harvest!
Wonderful!
We could stay another night, relax, and enjoy this beautiful place without rushing off to New Brunswick.
Everything was falling into place.
But wait! There's more!
Bon Chance!
As we continued talking with Marielle and Michel, they surprised us with an extraordinary invitation.
Why not bring our motorhome to their home in Old Québec, about twelve miles away?
We could park there and spend more time together!
We didn't need much convincing.
We enthusiastically accepted their invitation, thanked the vineyard owners for their hospitality, and explained that our plans had changed.
Again.
We arranged to arrive at Marielle and Michel's home around 3:30 p.m., giving us approximately three hours to get organized and allowing me time for a much-needed power nap.
I collapsed into bed and slept soundly for about an hour.
When I awoke, I looked at my watch and was momentarily convinced it had stopped. For some reason, I thought it was morning!
Nothing quite like waking up from a deep afternoon nap and having absolutely no idea what time, or perhaps even what day, it is.
Eventually, my brain caught up with reality.
We prepared the Chariot of the Dogs for departure and headed toward Québec City.
Our first challenge was simply getting back onto the main road.
The turn from the vineyard access road was approximately 75 degrees. We had managed it coming in, but getting out was another matter entirely, especially with traffic.
Rather than attempt an impossible maneuver, we continued straight ahead.
A few wrong turns later, with Janice expertly navigating, we were back on course.
And then came Québec City.
The Chariot of the Dogs Invades Old Québec
Québec City is extraordinary.
With its historic stone buildings, narrow streets, steep hills, and distinctly European character, it felt as though we had somehow transported our motorhome across the Atlantic Ocean.
Unfortunately, our 29-foot Chariot of the Dogs was not particularly well suited to negotiating the narrow streets of a centuries-old city.
It was around 3:30 p.m., and the streets were alive with cars, buses, bicyclists, pedestrians, and schoolchildren.
I felt as though we were playing one of those old arcade games where obstacles suddenly appear in your path and you have to maneuver around them before something disastrous happens.
Except this time, the stakes were considerably higher than losing a quarter!
We attracted quite a few curious looks.
Tad, sensing that something exciting was happening, joined us up front to supervise the operation.
As we passed a group of schoolchildren, they pointed and laughed at him.
Or perhaps they were laughing at the ridiculous sight of an enormous American motorhome squeezing through their neighborhood.
Either way, we provided some afternoon entertainment.
At last, we arrived at Marielle and Michel's home.
One final challenge awaited us: backing the motorhome off a narrow street into an even narrower driveway without clipping the roof of their beautiful house.
Janice guided me with her usual expertise, and somehow we managed to tuck the Chariot safely into its temporary home.
Whew!
It was about 4 p.m.
And Michel was ready to take us on a bicycle tour of Québec City!
No time to waste!
We changed into our riding clothes, unloaded our e-bikes from the motorhome, and were ready to roll just eighteen minutes after arriving.
A Magical Bicycle Tour of Québec City
What followed was one of the most exhilarating bicycle rides of our lives.
Michel led us from their neighborhood high above the St. Lawrence River, down through the colorful autumn landscape toward the waterfront.
The fall colors became a kaleidoscopic blur as we wound our way downhill, navigating streets and connecting with an impressive network of bicycle paths. It was twilight and the city lights were starting to wake up.
It was thrilling!
Eventually, we reached the river and rode for several miles along a beautiful parkway.
To our north, the dramatic cliffs rose above us, crowned by the historic walls and buildings of Old Québec.
Towering over the city was the magnificent Château Frontenac, looking like a castle plucked straight from the pages of a fairy tale.
The entire scene was breathtaking.
Along the waterfront, Michel showed us a wonderful new public space featuring a large pool beside the river, where people can enjoy the water while looking out across the St. Lawrence.
I was impressed by how thoughtfully the space had been designed. What a marvelous example of creating public places where people can gather, relax, and connect with their surroundings.
From there, we continued toward the historic walled city.
A light rain had begun to fall, but it did little to dampen our enthusiasm.
Michel generously offered to watch our bicycles while Janice and I spent about twenty minutes exploring the old streets on foot.
We eagerly accepted.
Walking through Old Québec was enchanting.
The historic buildings, stone walls, narrow passageways, and lively streets made us feel as though we were wandering through a European village.
We could easily have spent days exploring.
But our time was limited, and Michel was patiently waiting with the bicycles.
We rejoined him and began our ascent back toward his home.
On our descent, we had followed a steep bicycle route down toward the river. Fortunately, Michel selected a longer, more gradual route for the return trip.
The light rain continued as we pedaled through the beautiful city, its autumn colors softened by the mist. We turned on our bike lights on and followed our gracious host who rode his non-electric bike with the ease of an experienced cyclist.
It was magical.
I could hardly believe that just hours earlier we had been sitting in a vineyard harvesting grapes with people we had never met.
And now one of those people was guiding us through one of the most beautiful cities in North America!
An Evening of Friendship and Hospitality
When we returned to Marielle and Michel's home, we took Tad out for a walk, changed into dry clothes, and went inside.
We gave them a bottle if wine to chill from Spire Mountain winery from the Umpqua Valley.
Their home is gorgeous, with a beautiful dining area featuring a vaulted ceiling that opens toward the second story.
The property is surrounded by lovely trees, shrubs, and plants. Their backyard includes a garden and swimming pool.
It is a home that clearly reflects their love of nature, beauty, family, and gathering with friends.
Marielle had prepared a delightful charcuterie board, accompanied by wine, which was waiting for us when we arrived. It included watermelon and citrus lime cucumbers from their garden that were delicious. I don’t usually care for radishes but these are definitely going in the garden next year.
What a welcome!
Marielle and Michel were preparing to leave for an extended trip to Ecuador in just four days, and Marielle apologized that she didn't have anything elaborate planned for supper.
Then she proceeded to prepare a delicious spaghetti dinner, accompanied by bread, a fresh salad from their garden, and wine.
For dessert, she served a wonderful homemade apple crisp.
Some apology!
Oh, did I mention that Marielle is a chef?
She regularly prepares meals for gatherings of up to seventy family members and friends.
No wonder our supposedly simple dinner was so spectacular!
But as wonderful as the food was, the real feast was the conversation.
We spent the evening talking, laughing, sharing stories, and learning about one another's lives.
Marielle and Michel have traveled extensively throughout the world.
As a young woman, shortly after high school, Marielle ventured all the way to Australia, where she lived for several years.
Fortunately, she eventually returned to Québec, where she met Michel.
They have been together for 37 years and have three children, approximately the same ages as mine.
And Michel was born in 1958, just like me!
Another connection!
The more we talked, the more we discovered how much we shared: a love of travel, family, adventure, friendship, and the remarkable experiences that come from opening ourselves to the world.
We were completely at ease with our new friends.
It felt as though we had known them for years rather than hours.
Good Fortune, Indeed
As I reflect on this extraordinary day, I struggle to find words that adequately express what we experienced.
Consider how it began.
I spent much of the night worrying about the previous day's challenges, our route home, and how to escape the congestion of Québec City.
The worry fairies and I had developed a perfectly reasonable plan to head east toward New Brunswick.
And then...
A morning walk.
A chance encounter.
An invitation to harvest grapes.
Eight buckets of grapes and a glass of wine.
Two wonderful new friends.
An unexpected invitation to their home.
A breathtaking bicycle tour through historic Québec City.
And an evening filled with delicious food, laughter, stories, and extraordinary hospitality.
Not one bit of it was planned.
Had we departed the vineyard that morning as originally intended, none of it would have happened.
Instead, we found ourselves immersed in one of the most memorable days of our Grand Adventure.
Perhaps that's the lesson the worry fairies needed to learn.
We can spend hours fretting about what lies ahead, attempting to anticipate every obstacle and control every outcome.
But some of life's greatest gifts arrive when we loosen our grip on our plans and allow ourselves to embrace the unexpected.
And sometimes those gifts come in the form of two strangers named Marielle and Michel, who welcome a couple of wandering Americans and their Irish Setter into their lives with open arms.
We are profoundly grateful for their kindness, generosity, and friendship.
And grateful, too, for the people of Québec who welcomed us into their community, shared their harvest, and helped turn an ordinary travel day into something truly extraordinary.
Bon Chance! Good Fortune!
Life is indeed great, and we are grateful for every precious moment of this Grand Adventure.
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