Canada Archives - Page 6 of 9 - Our View From The Road

North Cape and Twin Shores

Another quiet night and I’m early to go for a walk. Yep, for the first time in a few days it’s dry enough and warm enough to convince me to get out there. I complete a short 4km loop outside of the park on local roads and am passed by 0 cars during the walk. Quiet country roads are so nice early in the day.

Breakfast, shower, prep for the road. And we’re off. Today we will visit the North cape lighthouse and then make our way back toward the center of the island on the North shore to the campground we will be staying at for the next three nights.

We take the scenic coastal road along the west side of North cape and see some stunning vistas across the Northumberland strait to New Brunswick. The road dips and turns as it follows the red cliffs and hidden coves.

We arrive at the North cape and take a walk around the lighthouse which is over 150years old. As you can see in the following photos, the sun has finally made an appearance.

We drive south along the eastern shore of the cape towards Tignish Shore where we stop to take a look at the decommissioned lighthouse that stands there. We also take the time to enjoy a quick lunch in the van before heading further south where we pass over several inlets where we see oyster farms in the quieter waters.

After passing Summerside we turn North towards the Twin Shores campground. A few miles before arriving we pass the following church which has, for its size, an enormous wind vane balancing on its steeple.

Twin Shores campground is easily the largest campground in which we have yet stayed, and yet our campsite is quiet and yet close to the beach.

After setting up we take a late afternoon walk down to the beach. It is a huge red sand beach with shallow water that would be perfect for younger children to play in. Barb has to take off her sandals and wade into the water, it is cool but not frigid as she expected.

We find a flock of swallows nesting in the cliff tops and they dart above our heads, clearly not happy that we are there.

As you can see below, the beach is not busy, one of the key advantages of visiting ahead of the main summer camping season.

Barb revisited the beach after our hamburger dinner and caught the following sunset. This will do nicely for the next couple of days.

Cedar Dunes Provincial Park

It’s still grey and overcast when we wake, the forecast is for better days ahead, will today be the day we find the sun? Or it finds us?

The morning is the typical routine, awaken slowly and too early to be of much use for anything ahead of the morning coffee. Coffee, banana and a yogurt and we’re feeling the day. Clean up the interior of the van, disconnect the electrical service, remove the leveling blocks and we’re away. Today we head to Prince Edward Island, or PEI we are used to referring to it as.

We head toward the Confederation Bridge, the 12.9km (8miles) long concrete structure that connects mainland Canada to its smallest province. Opened in 1997 the bridge has made it significantly easier to visit (and leave) PEI. The toll is $50.25CAD (in 2023) which is paid upon leaving the island.

You can above that from our van we had a very good view from the bridge, those driving cars will barely see above the concrete wall that forms the edge of the bridge deck.

We stop at the PEI visitors center at the far end of the bridge and pickup a lighthouse map and few souvenirs as well as a few alcoholic beverages from the liquor store.

We head to the West across the island stopping in Summerside for groceries. The potato crop is just being planted and we take note of the fact that trees are 3-4 weeks behind Ontario. The same is true of people’s yards as the garden centers are doing a booming business and people are busy planting their gardens.

Leaving Summerside we drive westward towards West Point where we will camp for the night at Cedar Dunes Provincial Park. We get setup on our site and after a short rest in the van take a walk to the West Point lighthouse.

This is our second time here, the last being in 2000 when we visited with our children and camped in a tent that we carried in our minivan. The park was damaged quite extensively by hurricane Fiona in 2022 with many of the cedar trees being uprooted. There are still some around but the damaged areas are easily spotted and will take many years to recover. As you can see below, our site had a spruce tree on it but it was one of very few. The beach is beautiful and in the summer the water very warm as it faces south. A very nice smaller park to stop at with family for some beach time.

Parlee Provincial Park

We spent Thursday relaxing and reading in the van whilst the rain showers continued. We did get out for a walk from the campground to the bottom of the ski hills (they don’t allow hiking up them for some reason) and I’ve include a few pictures below.

Sugarloaf Provincial Park, Campbellton,NB

Friday we packed up and headed out of Campbellton towards Cap-Luminiere, NB. We had no planned stop for the night but there are a couple of campgrounds right on the shore that we felt should have some space.

We stopped at near Bathurst at a Tim Horton’s for a coffee and sandwich before heading on to Mirimichi where we pulled into town and stopped by the river next to the marina. It was raining again. The town claims to be Canada’s Irish Capital, something that I will need to research as this was news to us. It was while stopped by the river that we changed our plans for the night and decided to continue on to Shediac, NB. It is only a little further than our original destination and we’d get to see the worlds largest lobster!

A short drive later and we’re pulling into Shediac, and there’s the lobster! It is rather large. We stop to take the required photos. It’s stopped raining but is windy and cold.

The town of Shediac is clearly very popular with summertime tourists and the town has some very nice looking stores to browse through. We cross town and pull into Parlee Provincial Park. They have lots of camping sites available and decent, clean restrooms and showers (although it takes a $1 coin for the shower to run for 5min). Shower skipped as we showered at Sugarloaf.

We got setup and walked about 1.5km to a nearby restaurant where we enjoyed bacon-wrapped scallops, clam chowder and a lobster club sandwich each. Yummy! The walk back to our campsite was welcomed to allow dinner to settle before tucking in for the night.

The weather forecast is for sunnier days ahead and we’re about to drive over to Prince Edward Island so fingers crossed that we can spend a little more time outdoors in the upcoming days.

Sugarloaf Provincial Park

Good morning. Power at the campground is still out but we have full coach batteries and so are fine. By 10am we have eaten breakfast and organized the van. It is a till raining but we have reservations in PEI for Saturday and so need to move along a little in order to keep the driving days reasonable.

We’re aiming for a campground in Percé, QC with views of Percé rock. It’s one of the most picturesque places along this coast and in the Summertime can become quite crowded with tourists. We’re hoping the weather eases somewhat as per the forecast.

The drive along the coast is slow and relaxing, albeit wet. We arrive in the town of Gaspé and stop for some lunch. We enjoyed homemade soup and seafood at the Brise Bise restaurant before heading to the Oh les Pains bakery for a few baked treats to take on the road. A quick stop for fuel on the way out of town and back on the road.

Any hopes of the weather breaking are coming coming to an end. The clouds are so low that for most of the drive we can barely see the shoreline or treetops from the van. Corners on road appear out of nowhere as do the hills. We arrive in Percé and it becomes clear watching those outside that it is not a day to sightsee. The campground with a view has none and we decide not to spend money on something we couldn’t see. The weather is not supposed to improve much here over the next 24 hours and as such we decide to push on. We will have to return another year when it’s drier and warmer.

I think there’s a lighthouse somewhere out there.

We aim for Sugarloaf Provincial Park in Campbellton, NB. The forecast looks to be better with only light drizzle, let’s go find out.

The drive along the South shore of the Gaspé peninsula is completely different from the North shore. It is far more populated with many small towns along the way. Agriculture is much more prevalent and the terrain is flatter and not as high. Carleton-sur-mer appeared to be the main touristy center along the coast with a large harbour.

Boutillier Brothers museum, Pasbébiac, QC

A couple of hours along the coast and we’ve turned South to cross into New Brunswick, Canada’s only officially bilingual province. We stop to top off the fuel tank and head just out of Campbellton to Sugarloaf Provincial Park where we plan to stay for the next couple of nights. The campground is only just getting going for the Summer and there is lots of room for us even without a reservation. The site is level and treed, a good place to kick back while we wait for the last of the rainy weather to move out.

Although we grumble about the rain, our thoughts are with friends and family in Ontario suffering with the smoke from the Quebec forest fires. Hoping that everyone is OK and staying safe.

Forillon National Park

It’s OK gang, you didn’t miss anything, I just chose to combine two days into a single post.

Grand Vallée, QC. The day starts with a beautiful morning, although not clear, the sky is bright and we awake to the view across the St. Lawrence river. Our drive to Forillon National Park is only about 90km and so we enjoy a relaxing morning at the campground with showers and a nice breakfast.

Shortly before noon we head into the town to pickup coffee creamer. The sun is still shining but we know the forecast calls for changing conditions as the day goes on.

Heading East we skirt along the coast rising and falling with the river valleys and mountains. Nearing the easternmost point of the Gaspé peninsula, Cap-de-Rosier, the terrain smooths out and there are clearly fewer trees able to survive what must be a very windy existence. Fishing and tourism appear to be the lifeblood of the area and as the skies become more threatening I suspect that the community will see little income from either in the upcoming days.

We slow to look at the Cap-de-Rosier lighthouse, the tallest in Canada, and continue onwards to Forillon National Park. We’ve decided to stay for a night before continuing to Percé tomorrow.

The campground is really very nice with fairly level sites just off of the beach amongst the trees. The rain has started but at present it’s light drizzle and so we go for an exploratory walk to the beach. The clouds are getting lower and the waves are increasing with the winds now blowing onshore. There is a heaviness to the air that makes me think the forecast is probably right. The rain will be heavy tonight.

Back in the van we settle in for the night with dinner and some online videos. The rain is now steadily drumming the roof.

Sleep did not come easily as the rain continued it’s incessant drumming all night and is persisting this morning. The forecast is for it to continue throughout the day and so we decide to extend our stay here for another night before continuing along the coast.

We spent the day reading and relaxing while the rain fell. The forecast had been for 50-75mm, things were pretty wet outside.

Later in the afternoon there was a break in the rain and I managed to get in a 6km walk along a trail that parallels the beach. The ground is saturated and I get wet feet but it feels good to be out and about. I stop on the beach and watch the now angry looking waves crash into the shoreline. The sight and sound of the ocean clawing at the shore takes me back to my childhood and the many English beaches my family visited. I could have sat on beach watching for a while but the rain was starting again and I didn’t need to get soaked as drying clothing in the van is not easy.

Nighttime came and we settled in warmed by our small ceramic heater, that is until the middle of the night when the campground power went out. We were now ‘wild camping’ and as it was single digits outside decided to run the propane furnace to get through the night.

All for now, come back again to see how we make out and what we do next.

Into the Gaspé

A crisp 6C start to the day. The winds have dropped quite a lot but it’s still breezy coming off of the water. We packed up and prepared to leave, no shorts and tee shirts today.

We were about to pull out of our sight when I looked across the road and spotted a colleague from my work days. They too are traveling towards the East and so we may cross paths again over the next few days. Quite a surprise to bump into someone you know so far from home.

On the road we decide to take the quieter backroads as opposed to the autoroute. This has us meandering along the shoreline through small quaint villages each with their own character and charm.

We drive through Rimouski and then stop in Pointe-au-Père to look at the exhibits set up for the lighthouse, the Empress of Ireland and the submarine ‘Onondaga’. First, it’s still 8C with a stiff wind off the water making it feel much cooler than this. We decide for a simple walk about and did not go into the museum that commemorates the collision and subsequent sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 with the loss of over 1,000 immigrant lives. This remains today, the worst maritime disaster in Canadian waters.

Arriving in Matane we stop for fuel. This turns out to be important as the smaller towns past this point do not all have gas stations. We also stop at the Poissonnerie Bertrand Desbois where Barb picked up lunch (Lobster roll & chips and fish & chips) as well as a seafood pizza for later. Mmm.

Poissonnerie Bertrand Desbois, Matane, QC

Barb takes over the driving for the afternoon and the roads become much hillier as we drive further East with at least one hill being posted at a 14% grade down with sharp curves at the bottom (of course).

Our day concludes at the town of Grande-Vallée where we stop at the campground ‘Camping au Soleil Couchant’. The campground is quiet, the lots are grassy and level and each has a wonderful view across the St Lawrence.

We enjoy our pizza and watch some online videos before enjoying the sunset. Good night one and all.

Notre vue depuis la route

Bonjour! As you might be able to guess today we set-off on our East coast trip to the Maritimes & we are starting in ‘la belle province de Québec’. (Oh, the title of this post is ‘Our view from the road’ for those of our readers that do not read French.)

Restless night, so am tired this morning but managed to go for a 6km walk before completing prep to leave. We drive out of the laneway at 9:30am and head into town to top off with fuel and then onto Winchester where we stop at Tim Horton’s for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Hwy31 takes us to Hwy401 where we turn East towards Cornwall, ON. We cross into Québec and cross the St Lawrence river at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield before joining the Autoroute30 that takes us across the southern side of Montreal. At Boucherville we join Autoroute20 which we will follow to our destination in Rivière-du-Loup.

In all the drive takes about 7.5hrs including a stop for lunch and another for fuel. The day started overcast; however, by the time we got past Montreal the skies had cleared and were a beautiful blue. The only thing that detracted from a relaxed driving experience was the wind. Coming from the East it was blowing across the highway at times gusting above 60kmh. It made for a very tiring day of driving and I was really glad to pull into the “Camping municipal de la pointe” campground.

We have a site overlooking the St Lawrence and will get to watch the sunset from the van. The temperature is only 10C and so sitting outside in the wind would require a braver constitution than I have.

Tomorrow we continue along the south shore of the St Lawrence as we begin our exploration of the Gaspé region. Bon nuit.

Nothing to declare

Awake at 6:30am following a nice night in the park. I head off to the shower hoping that I find hot water. I am mostly satisfied as the water is warm and pleasant enough to enjoy. Barb reports from her slightly later shower that the system was now up-to-speed and supplying plenty of very hot water. Just my luck to have been the first of the day. Showers get a 8/10 loosing points on general cleaniness and age. Security and privacy were very good as each shower is in its own room. Water supply was also very good, not a dribble as can be found in some campgrounds.

We depart our site at 8:45am and head to the dump-station. It is clean and well equipped with rinse hose. Heading out of the park we head East long US-5 and I turn to head toward Fredonia, NY only to find a railroad underpass with a signed 10’-1” headroom clearance. STOP! At a supposed 10’-0” height for the van I was not about to test either the factory spec or accuracy of the sign so I turned about and headed into Dunkirk, NY where I crossed over the railroad tracks in order to return to the I-90 East.

The drive into Buffalo and through the city is uneventful and before long we are heading East through Western New York farmland. As the long weekend is over the highways are busier with truck traffic than we have seen for the past day or so but in general everyone behaves themselves and before we know it we leave the I-90 and join the I-81 North towards Watertown, NY where we stop for fuel and a sandwich in the van. Barb drops into Walmart and picks up a set of new melamine bowls that she has not been able to find in Canada since returning from the US Southwest a few weeks ago.

We decide to not cross back into Canada using the Ivy-Lea crossing, but instead turn onto US-37 and head towards Ogdensburg, NY and use the quieter crossing. This allows us to slow down and enjoy the day more and avoid having to drive on Hwy-401. At the bridge I learned that having dually rear wheels costs $9.00CAD instead of $4.25CAD to cross the bridge. I’d not noticed this in previous crossings over the past year or so, but had read online that others had experienced an up charge for the same reason on other toll roads and bridges.

Canadian customs was not busy and the staff efficient and much more pleasant than their US counterparts that we engaged with just a few days ago. Yay!

Driving home along Hwy-416 we both agreed that it was once again nice to be home in Canada and that, at least for now, we were both USA’d out for a while. We are looking forward to the Maritime leg of this trip which we plan on starting in just a few days, so check back soon for more updates from the road.

Arriving in Indy

After enjoying a beverage and slice of pizza at our hosts last evening, we enjoyed a long and silent night.

The views across the farmland this morning were serene. Windmills on the horizon quietly turning about their business whilst a few early farming types were up and running about getting a jump on the days chores.

We get going at about 8:45am and head back towards highway 401. The border crossing at Windsor is only about 45 min away and so we are hoping to beat the Saturday rush. Not quite.

US Customs is busy with many lanes open for traffic each having between 6 and 9 vehicles waiting. We join a line of 6 cars and 1 minibus. Mistake #1. The minibus takes a while for all passengers to be processed and then the lane is closed temporarily while there is a shift change of agents.

Our turn comes and it isn’t long before we realize that we have inherited the badass agent out to prove something to someone. We’re grilled. We’re boarded. We’re released. Phew. 25 minutes in all to clear US Customs. Argh.

Detroit driving is actually very good and the I-75 South towards Toledo flows smoothly. Potholes, lots. Construction, also lots but as it’s Saturday we pass right through without any delays.

Before we know it we’re driving around Toledo and onto US-24 towards Fort Wayne, IN. This is a beautiful road. Quiet, smooth, relatively flat.

When we arrive in Fort Wayne we head towards town and stop for fuel and groceries at a WalMart. Whilst stopped we made ourselves lunch in the van.

Back on the road we head now towards Indianapolis. Traffic builds as we get into the city as there are lots of construction zones we need to slow down for. We head around the city on I-465 and then take I-65 towards the Speedway. A few more turns and we’re driving down Georgetown Road towards IMS Lot 1-A where we are camping whilst in town.

A friendly campground host sets us up in a really nice spot at the edge of the camping field away from the rowdiest of campers. Excellent!

We’re meeting friends while here and they pick us up in their truck shortly after we arrive. We go back to their hotel which is next to the Indianapolis Colts football stadium and enjoy a couple of drinks while catching up on everyone’s travels from Ottawa to Indy.

We take an Uber downtown to Fogo de Chāo a Brazilian Steakhouse where all enjoyed a wonderful meal while telling tales and laughing at ourselves and the escapades enjoyed throughout our long term friendships.

Barb and I took an Uber back to the campsite to end the day and fell asleep to the thrum of generators, music and fireworks.

Tomorrow, the Indy 500. That’s it, that’s all, a motor race. Sleep tight everyone! Vroom, vroom.

Heading West to go East?

Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we will share with you a trip to the Canadian Maritime provinces. We’re traveling in our 2022 PleasureWay OnTour 2.2 camper-van again and plan on staying at a variety of campgrounds along the way. It’s late May 2023 and our plan is to complete this trip over the next four weeks arriving home ahead of Canada Day (July 1st). We hope you enjoy reading about our travels and will check back often as we add to Our View From The Road.

It’s Friday. It’s early. It’s day one of a new adventure. We’re excited. We’re off…. But wait, why are we heading West? I thought this was a series of posts about going to the East coast? Remember I said, it’s late May? That can only mean that it’s time again to head to Indianapolis for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 !!!!! That’s right, we’re heading back for a 2nd year.

7:00am and I’m out for my 5km walk, a beautiful morning. 8:40am and we’re out of the laneway. Towards Prescott and Hwy-401. Our first stop was the Mallorytown OnRoute service center for fuel and breakfast. Not a huge Tim’s fan but it does fine for this morning. The driving is good for a Friday, the usual compliment of trucks setting the pace whilst impatient drivers try to carve around them.

Toronto comes and goes. Early Friday afternoon traffic slows us a little but soon we’re cruising past the airport and on our way out of town.

Our next stop is the Cambridge OnRoute this time only for gas. $1.709 / litre for regular, ouch. We’re getting hungry but decide to push on.

Woodstock OnRoute and we stop to take a break in the picnic area. This is a wonderfully quiet, shady spot to take a break and enjoy a sandwich in our van. Not much further today so we finish up and get back on the road.

Past London, West Lorne and finally we pull off of the highway at Blenheim. Our stop for tonight is the Red Barn Brewing Company. As a Harvest Hosts location, we stay for the cost of trying some of their goods. They are fairly new based upon the nice barn structure in which they are situated. They have a nice outdoor patio and some activities to enjoy such as the game of cornhole. The beer selection is quite good and we buy a few to enjoy whilst traveling about.

Tomorrow we cross into the US of A. Sleep well everyone.

Sorry but there are no pictures from today, we were just to focused on our destination and forgot to pickup the camera.