This campground is amazing. It is quiet and the sites are so far apart that it feels as if we’re camping in park by ourselves. A must try if you have not.
No pictures from these last two days, we just took it easy visiting with friends and doing a few odd jobs to the campers. We were spoiled rotten as our campmates had Starlink internet which they shared with us as the campground had almost no cellular service and no WiFi. It allowed us to stay in touch with family and watch the odd YouTube video.
As with other trips, I provide the following stats for this that might be interested.
– 1534 total km – 14.552 l/100km average fuel economy – 67 km/hr average speed – total drive time of 23:00 (hh:mm) – approximately 223 litres of fuel consumed
Home now and the van is parked in what will be its new home on our property. We had a gravel pad installed while we were away and we have moved the ShelterLogic structure onto this pad. This frees up space in front of our garage and allows for easier parking and backing-out of the van when we need to use it. As you can see below we are waiting for the replacement cover to be delivered.
New home for the van
All for now, check back again for another exciting adventure.
A cool morning awaited as we prepared to leave for the day and head back toward Ontario.
It was cold walk to the showers which were passable at best as they were tiny and old. Lots of hot water but no room to disrobe or move about easily while washing. A quick breakfast and then the tanks are dumped and garbage disposed of and we were on our way shortly after 9:00am.
We stopped a few km down the road at the Chez Marie Boulangerie. Built in 1652, the house is now home to the fourth generation of the Mercier family. The bread oven is now over 160 years old. We picked up a fresh white loaf and a few cheese danishes for a naughty snack along the road.
Built in 1652 the home of Chez Marie boulangerie.
Across the road from Chez Marie is a small stone structure that had a plaque on it indicating that it had been built in 1649 as a root cellar dug into the hillside.
We returned to route 40 and headed towards Quebec City. This time we were traveling around the city and that led us through a large construction zone in which we almost took a wrong turn. Phew.
On the correct route, we head towards to the Pierre Laporte bridge that crosses the St. Lawrence to Levis, QC.
Joining route 20, we turn towards Drummondville and encounter yet more construction. Only slight delays as the traffic is narrowed into a single lane and we pass a few paving crews. After an hour or so we arrive in Drummondville where we exit to fill up with fuel and groceries for the weekend ahead.
Returning to route 20 we pass through another construction zone before rejoining the highway. Construction seems to be the topic of the day.
More construction zones await us as we head towards Montreal, again not long delays just annoyingly more frequent than we would have liked. We leave route 20 and head West around Montreal on route 30 towards Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. We cross the St. Lawrence River again and pay the toll ($5.80) before rejoining route 20 and turning West towards Ontario.
We cross back into Ontario and join Hwy401 towards Cornwall, ON. However, yet more construction slows us again just 10km before our exit into the village of Long-Sault.
We drive onto the Long-Sault parkway that takes us to our destination, McLaren campground one of the parks of the St. Lawrence where we are meeting friends and are staying for 3 nights.
We enjoy a hamburger for dinner and enjoy the sunset before a campfire and then settling down for the night.
Today we start a new trip into Quebec. It will be a short trip this time with us planning only 11 nights being planned.
After completing the loading of our gear, we head out shortly after 9:00am heading toward Montreal. We are traveling with Mr & Mrs Milddogs.com for the first few days and so it is a small 2 vehicle convoy that travels South towards Hwy401 and then turns East towards the border with Quebec.
On the road again
Each vehicle decides to take a different route to Tori’s-Rivières with one heading through Montreal on Autoroute 40 and the other skirting South of the city on Autoroute 30. We took the Southern route which would be slightly longer but we were hoping for much less traffic. After paying the $5.80 toll to cross the St. Lawrence River, we turned East across the southern edge of the city. The route was turning out to be as expected with light and fast moving traffic. As we approached Autoroute 20 the traffic increased and we were slowed for a few minutes with one or two cringy brake applying moments just before the exit from the 30. Autoroute 20 took us further East and the traffic again lightened and the driving was easy. The weather was perfect with clear skies and mild temperatures, we were enjoying the passing scenery as we trundled towards Drummondville wondering how our traveling companions were doing in Montreal.
Crossing the St. Lawrence River (twice)
We turn North from the 20 and head towards Tori’s-Rivières. Stopping briefly to stretch our legs we head once again over the St. Lawrence and join Autoroute 40 East towards Quebec. We stopped at a small Fromagerie where we met up with Mr & Mrs Milddogs.com. Their route had been a few minutes faster as the GPS had predicted and like us they had no major traffic issues crossing Montreal.
The Fromagerie des Grondines has a nice selection of cheeses and artisan jams, mustards, quiches, beers and wines. We got a little cheese, a quiche for breakfast and a couple of beers for later.
After returning to the highway, we stopped again briefly to fill up with fuel before heading into Quebec City where we plan on camping for the next couple of days.
Shortly after 3:00pm we arrived at our camping destination the Stationnement Bassin Louise VR – Port de Québec. Yep, we’re camping in a parking lot next to the Quebec marina located a short walk from Old Quebec City.
Quebec City
After setting up and paying our fee for the night, we head out for a walk and end up at the Chateau Frontenac. We enjoy a beer and charcuterie on a patio enjoying the afternoon sun and watching the tourists walk by whilst catching up on life events with our friends.
Beers and charcuterie enjoyed here
The beer consumed we head to the Dufferin terrace where we enjoy a wonderful view down and across the St. Lawrence River before heading to an ice cream shop. The walk back down to the van took us past the train station and onto the marina.
We spent the evening outside of our vans enjoying a beverage and watching the lights come on and illuminate the city. In all, it was a great start to the trip and I’m sure we’ll really enjoy the next week or so.
This is it, our last day on the road as part of this adventure. There is a sense of sadness that it’s almost over yet we are looking forward to being home and enjoying Spring around our home.
After a quiet night we awake fairly early and begin to prepare the van for the drive home. We enjoy a light breakfast with Kath & Al and set off shortly before 10:00am after thanking them for the wonderful hospitality they’ve extended to us over the past couple of days.
We head through Meaford and proceed onto Collingwood before turning slightly South towards Barrie and then onto Orillia, ON. It’s Friday before the 3-day Victoria Day weekend and as such there’s more traffic on the roads as many have taken the day off work so that they can get to their weekend destinations ahead of the main thrust of traffic later in the day.
Leaving Orillia, we head towards the Kawartha Lakes region and then onto Peterborough where we pick-up Hwy-7 and head East towards Norwood, ON. We stop for fuel and then a quick picnic lunch that empties the fridge of the last of our groceries.
Back on the road we head towards Sharbot Lake Provincial Park where we pay a day-use fee to allow us access to the tank dumping facilities. A little while later we leave Hwy-7 and head through Perth and onto Hwy-43 towards our home.
We stop to pick-up Shawarma for dinner and then head home where we are greeted by Mr. Milddogs who captures our return in the following picture.
Arriving home
And with that our Spring 2024 adventure comes to a successful conclusion. It’s been a blast and we’ve seen some wonderful places and enjoyed visiting with friends and family. Until next time, thanks for following along.
P.S. There will be a summary post for the journey in the coming days once I’ve had a chance to catch my breath.
