We left Almonte at ten o’clock this morning en route to Vaudreuil-Dorion which we calculated to be a mere 2 hours away.

Vaudreuil-Dorion is a suburb of Greater Montreal, in the Montérégie region of southwestern Quebec, Canada. The result of the merger of two towns, Vaudreuil and Dorion.

Overnight last night – during those fleeting moments of conscious reasoning – I contemplated what might possibly happen on our trip to PEI and Nova Scotia. The aim this morning was to get out of town but close enough to permit us time to familiarize ourselves with Tesla Superchargers (which we felt would expedite our journey).  Accordingly we diverted off the highway to a Tesla outlet. We plugged in the car (using the prescribed adapter). But nothing.  A young man – charging his Tesla nearby – recognized our difficulty and ascended upon us to assist.  He informed us after preliminary enquiry that certain of the Tesla outlets are called “Classics” (the older installations). This one was a Classic and accepted only Teslas (even if you have an authorized adapter).

I called OnStar (the Cadillac CAA). The agent put us onto a fast charging station. It was located about a half hour away in a car dealership near Ottawa. We figured we had lots of time. But when we got there the entry to the dealership was barricaded. Today is Sunday. The online information had said the charger is 24/7.  We turned around and headed back towards the hotel.

When we got to the hotel we discovered a bank of fast charger pumps. We plugged in; then downloaded an App called Electric Circuit to pay. It worked! In an hour we were charged to 100%. Then we removed the car from the pump and proposed to park in front of the hotel for the night. But when we realized a Poulet Rouge was only meters away, we parked by it instead. Inside the noisy beanery we quickly ordered takeout and headed back to the hotel.

We are now re-imagining all future EV charging stations along our proposed route (first to PEI then to Nova Scotia).

Meanwhile – that is, throughout these exploits – we spoke at length with our friend in Nova Scotia (who has arranged a dinner engagement on Saturday evening with him and his wife); and we also spoke at length with my sister and her husband (whom we treated to today’s dirt).

In conclusion, it wasn’t how I had imagined it to be. Such is the nature of adventure. We are now braced for the morrow!