Friday 12 April 2024--Farewell to St-Jovite...I wish I might have stayed longer, to get more of a taste of village life. I often feel thus, and vow to spend longer periods of my travels in fewer places, a vow I promptly forget when it comes time to plan my next trip. There are too many bases to touch.

I'm headed to Ottawa. The fastest route is south on route 323 to the outskirts of Montebello, on the Ottawa River, and then west on Autoroute 50 to Gatineau. I've decided to divert at Namur onto route 315, which meanders southwest, just because I like to travel back roads. And a back road it is, mostly through forest, unpaved for some miles, and rough in spots. In one short stretch, it rolls down a steep hill alongside a rushing stream, which has eaten away half a lane's worth of road. The few other vehicles I see are all four-wheel-drive trucks. When I stop at the crest of a hill to photograph a remote farm, a local pulls up alongside me and asks if I'm okay. I give him a thumbs up and thank him for stopping. I suppose in territory like this, looking out for one another is a given.

Eventually, I emerge into civilization again, passing through the town of Buckingham. I take the slower route 148 toward Gatineau instead of the autoroute--there's no point in arriving in town before check-in time. I'm staying at the same hotel as my last visit here in 2021. It's not the cheapest place in town, but it's reasonable for the location, and the rooms all have kitchens. I still have half of my St-Jovite sausages, so have dinner in, before popping over to the Manx Pub for a pint.