On my way from Ottawa to Montreal I took a little detour north into The Laurentians, or Les Laurentides as the French speakers call them, the low jumbled mountain range northwest of Montreal. Still along the Ottawa River, though, I made a short stop at Chateau Montebello, said to be the world’s largest log construction building, now an opulent Fairmont hotel but once a private club for Canada’s elite. Think here on Yellowstone Lodge, what I would have guessed to be the biggest log cabin type building, on steroids, with multiple wings reaching out in different directions from a huge octagonal entrance hall with a soaring ceiling. It makes me nostalgic for the days of grand old hotels, each architecturally unique, before the days of mass tourism and cookie-cutter chain hotels/motels. What would it cost to build again on a grand scale?  Well, I’m guessing several hundred dollars a night for a stay rather than the $50 or so I’ve become used to in the U.S. as a road warrior.

As far as mountain ranges go, the Laurentians area gentle one with only a few higher peaks sticking out from otherwise rolling jumbled hills.  In my mind they’re more of a plateau like much of the Adirondacks in New York than a real range of mountains. Mont-Tremblant, one of the biggest ski areas in eastern North America, takes up most of the tallest peak in the region.  I actually went skiing at Tremblant and the surrounding Laurentians on a week’s road trip from New Jersey back in 2005. It actually turned out to be a great week with generally good weather, a couple days skiing Mont Tremblant itself, a day of snowboard lessons (never again!), a day of skiing at a nearby ski hill named Mont-Blanc, and some cross-country skiing. Being winter, sleeping outside naturally wasn’t an option, and I may have chosen Tremblant partly because of the nearby youth hostel.

There’s, of course, much less going on at Tremblant in summer (technically late spring despite the summery weather since it’s still May). Maybe if I were traveling with someone recreationally inclined I might do mountain biking or other warm season activities on the mountain accessible by the ski lifts, but when I’m alone hiking trails are my preference. I spent the evening in what is often ranked as one of the best ski villages in North America, a purpose-built pedestrian town in faux Quebecois architecture. The microbrewery Microbrasserie La Diable (the devil) was highly recommended and turned out to have good food as well as beer. I have to admit, though, drinking is expensive in Canada since alcohol is taxed very highly. What is it with taxes on booze in northerly countries? It seems to be the case in Europe too that the farther north you go the more highly taxed is the alcohol.

The day I had planned to tour the Laurentians turned out overcast and drizzly, so I skipped the hiking in Mont Tremblant Park and made a few stops in towns along the way on my leisurely drive to Montreal – Saint-Jovite, Saint-Agathe-dos-Monts, Val-D’Or, Sainte-Adele, Sainte-Sauveur. The towns are rather cute but mostly serve the recreational needs of Montrealers without much specifically in the way of sights. OK, ready for another city now!