Kelledstyle

Are you the type of person who enjoys driving? If yes, let me tell you that we have that in common! When Ford invited me for a weekend road trip to Mauricie to try out some of their 2018 vehicles including among others, the EcoSport Titanium, the Escape Titanium, and the Explorer Platinum, I was so enchanted!

In addition to testing a selection of Ford cars, the theme of the weekend was the serenity. The environment and the activities were in line to help me to reach a state of quietness. Read on my adventure in Mauricie to find out the interesting things I learned during this weekend.

Day One

On Saturday morning, I met with the Ford team and the other guests in Downtown Montreal. We shared a light breakfast together while the Ford team introduced us to the weekend schedule. We were dispatched in several cars to reach our first destination located in Yamachiche.

Aboard the Escape Titanium, I was so comfortably seated that I did not realize that I drove for 1 hour and a half as we arrived at Café La Bezotte. I was quite familiar with the Escape Titanium 2018 since I had already tried the 2017 model last year when I went to Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. That being said, I clearly noticed the new features such as having access to Waze with the SYNC 3 smart software. It was more enjoyable to visualize the roadmap directions on the large car screen rather than on my phone.

We were warmly welcomed at Café La Bezotte, which opened its door earlier in May. Located in one of the traditional red houses on Ste-Anne Street, La Bezotte is a gathering place for visitors and residents of Yamachiche and the surrounding area. We were served a tasty and creative local cuisine including vegan options for me. If you visit this restaurant, do not hesitate to ask for seasonal vegan options.

Before leaving Yamachiche, I traded the Escape Titanium with another guest and I received the keys of the Fusion Energi, which is a hybrid sedan car. I’m not used to driving sedan vehicle I would say that I’m more into SUVs.

It was my first time driving a hybrid vehicle and I can assure you that the feeling was very different compared to regular ones. When I started the car, the engine did not vibrate and it was so quiet. Moreover, thanks to the SmartGauge with EcoGuide I was able to enhance the efficiency of the car while driving. It provides real-time information on the screen so you can adjust your speed when needed.

From Yamachiche, it took me approximatively 45 minutes to reach L’Auberge du Lac-à-l’Eau Claire located in Saint-Alexis-des-Monts. I was lodged in a comfortable suite in the Pavilion II situated on Lac Bienvenue a few steps away from the main building. My suite was equipped with a fireplace, a large living room, a kitchenette, a modern bathroom, and a queen bed with a pretty frame. In the balcony, I had a stunning view of the lake and the forest.

 

Later in the afternoon, we had a yoga class with a certified instructor. I was ready to stretch my muscle but the class was not about doing yoga poses. Instead, we focused on the theory and learned about the 8 limbs of yoga as shown in the picture above. The most known limb is Asana which is the practice of postures. Somehow each limb is helpful to drive without stress and here are a series of simple gestures that you can apply:

Before leaving:

• Set your roadmap
• Take a good posture
• Verify your level of gas
• Clear your mind

On the road:

• Stay focus on the road
• Listen to relaxing music
• Rotate your neck when the vehicle is stopped
• Take deep breaths

At destination:

• Meditate for at least one minute before leaving your car
• Rotate your spine
• Stretch your psoas

In the evening, I had a 30-minute Swedish massage at the hotel spa. It was excellent to release all my muscle tensions accumulated during the week but let me tell you that 30 minutes went really fast.

Before the dinner, we had a wine tasting featuring wines from Italia such as Prosecco and Chianti, and from Canada. The sommelier introduced us to Tawse Chardonnay 2015, one of the best Chardonnay in Canada produced by Tawse Winery in Niagara Peninsula. This Chardonnay made my tasting experience a bit more intriguing because I’m not used to drinking Canadian wines excepted when I visit vineyards.

We had a tasty 3-course menu to conclude the day and I would like to mention that the chef did an excellent job in the kitchen to come up whit vegan options for me. I always feel so honored when a restaurant made creative vegan options. It was delicious!

Day Two

After breakfast, we had a workshop presented by a coach specialized in time management. We did a series of exercises to help us find how to be more productive and achieve our daily goals. If I had to summarize I would say that planning is the key to success. Moreover, we had to be dedicated to reach our objective otherwise we will be always distracted and counter-productive.

Before returning to Montreal, we had a tasty brunch at the hotel as shown in my stories on Instagram. I did not have the chance to drive the Ford Escape Titanium on my way back to Montreal but there are 3 features that I enjoyed the most about this car.

The first one is the active park assist suitable for parallel and perpendicular parking spaces. This function has been improved compared to the previous version and could now be activated to leave a parking space. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, I was able to connect my iPhone to SYNC 3 software and use Waze on the car screen while driving. Finally, with the FordPass app, I had access to useful information such as a comparison of the gas price at proximity. All those features really help to worry less and to enjoy the ride with more confidence.

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