QC Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Our View From The Road

Day 04: Tadoussac dunes

We awake at Camping Tadoussac on a fairly small site (albeit level) just a few feet from the follow view across the Saguenay River looking out into the St. Lawrence River.

There is no doubt that this view (from the fence line) cannot be beat. However, the campground was not really our ‘cup of tea’. Noisy, crowded and full of kids. There is no sense of any privacy or quiet solitude and so we decided to leave for the day and spend it a short distance from town in an area known simply as ‘the dunes’.

Tadoussac was hosting a large trail-running event today and thus the town was bursting with all sizes and shapes of humans wearing spandex and goretex. Most of the town was closed to vehicular traffic and we are stopped a couple of times to explain that we are just passing through to the dunes and not trying to sneak into town to get the prime parking spot near the waterfront.

Arriving at the dunes we are in awe of the views across the St. Lawrence as the dunes are huge 100m tall piles of sand left by a glacier many years ago that now perch on the edge of the river. This was a perfect place to setup our camping chairs and hopefully spot some whales.

There is lots of parking and space for people, most of whom descended the steep slopes down to the waterfront while we remained at the top overlooking the water.

We had arrived mid-morning, the sun had marched relentlessly across the sky, the wind had come up and now gone down. The shadows were now getting long and yet, we had not seen a whale. Not one. We saw whale watching boats head out to the East and return but did not see any whales. It was however a spectacular day to relax in the outdoors.

We returned to Camping Tadoussac and setup again for the evening. We had brought Chinese Egg Rolls from the Wing Lee Take Out in Manotick, ON for dinner which we enjoyed with a glass of red wine while the sun set.

Before heading to bed I took a photo of the same view from this morning but with the moon and share this with you now. Good night.

Day 03: Driving to the Côte-Nord

Our fear of being blocked-in due to street closures associated with the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec caused us to awake early and get ready to go. As it turns out we had nothing to fear and our route was not impeded.

I had drawn the ‘short’(?) straw and was to lead us out of the city, so I entered our destination into my GPS and we set-off. The first few corners went well & then it came time to access the highway and I was directed to turn right where there was no right turn lane. I checked my mirrors and saw that our traveling companions were in the left turn lane so I swung across 3 lanes and we made the turn. A few hundred yards later we were on the highway and my GPS told me to turn left and take the pedestrian underpass!!! I then realized that my GPS was still in walking mode and not driving mode. Yikes! A quick adjustment and we were back on track. Phew.

As the highway narrowed from four lanes to two we passed Montmorency Falls and the Sanctuaire de Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, neither of which we stopped at as we visited them both when we last visited the area in the early 1980’s. A little further East we turned off of Highway 138 to visit La Ferme Québec-Oies where we bought some Foie Gras and a Tourtiere pie.

Venturing back to Highway 138 we travelled a little further and then at Baie-Saint-Paul we turned onto route 362 which would take us along the north shore of the St. Lawrence. It was on this stretch that our companions passed us to lead the way as they prefer to hurl their 3.6l non-turbo van at the uphill sections of the road (quite a few of these and steep) whereas I prefer to use the power and torque of our 3.5l turbocharged engine to pull us up the hills in a less aggressive manner.

We soon arrive in Saint-Irénée-les-Bains where we stop on the roadside and take a walk out into the river on the pier. The girls paddled in the water from the sandy beach and then we enjoyed a sandwich for lunch at one of the many picnic tables.

As we continued along the coast the scenery became more breathtaking and the hills steeper. Before long we were waiting in-line at the ferry that would take us across the Saguenay River and into the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. While waiting (only a brief wait) we saw a pod of beluga whales swimming in the river, our first whale sighting of the trip!

The ferry is free as it is considered part of the highway system, it takes about 10minutes to cross the river and we arrive in the village of Tadoussac. This is a popular seaside resort destination in the Summer months and the nice weather had drawn people here again this weekend. We drove down to the waterfront expecting to park near the marina only to be told that as we are in RV’s we would need to go the municipal RV parking lot near the entrance to the village. Hmmm.

So we did and we walked back down to the waterfront through the trees on a shady trail. We set ourselves up near the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre and looked across the river looking again for Beluga whales but alas they had moved on. Barb & I decided an ice cream was in order and so bought a soft serve and enjoyed it on the boardwalk that overlooks the beach and marina. We then head back up through town to the van. Our day ended with us driving the short distance up route 138 to Camping Tadoussac where we had booked in for 2 nights.

Bon nuit!

Day 02: Walkabout Quebec

For the middle of the city, our camping location was quiet and we slept well. I took a walk around the marina to stretch my legs before everyone readied themselves for a day of walking.

We followed a self-guided walking tour that we had downloaded and headed up into the old city learning about some of the older buildings as we passed them.

The tour took us up to the Citadel (fort) that overlooks the river and guarded the city in the 1700’s and is adjacent to the plains of Abraham where the French army failed to defend the city from the English.

We walked down along the Dufferin terrace towards the Chateau Frontenac and then found a patio on which we enjoyed lunch and a beverage.

The entire city is readying for an elite bicycle race tomorrow and many of the sidewalks already have barricades setup in preparation. We started to check whether our planned exit from the city would be impeded by these blockades tomorrow morning, but all looks like it should be OK.

After visiting a patisserie to pick up some croissants and chocolatines we returned to our vans with legs and feet being very tired and sore. In all we walked a little over 6km most of which was either up or down as there is very little in the way of flat land in Quebec City.

Having enjoyed a large lunch out we decided to eat at the van and enjoyed a lighter meal whilst talking the evening away.

I ended the day by taking a short walk to the train station and taking a few pictures. Barb and I arrived in the train station in 2018 when we met with our friend Mark to sail his yacht down the St. Lawrence to Newfoundland.

Day 01: Heading to Quebec City

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Recap and Statistics

It’s been a month or so since we arrived home after our 18 day East Coast tour and it’s about time I shared some statistics from the trip.

The first question tends to be about where we stayed each night. Did we find suitable camping locations? So, here are the stats for that.

1 night free camping (Harvest Hosts).
8 nights at private campgrounds (serviced).
1 night at a municipal campground (serviced).
6 nights at Provincial parks (serviced).
2 nights at a National park (serviced).

The next question is about where exactly did we go? Here’s a map that shows you our route.

Lastly, given the price of fuel, how much fuel did we use and what did it cost. Here is a table for you to review.

So there you have it, a few statistics about the trip. Hoping you find them interesting.

A Long Day

It wasn’t supposed to be a long day but it turned out to be the longest of this trip. Here’s how it all came to be.

The day started with us enjoying a slow start to the day. We had a light breakfast and then went to the beach expecting to see the tide in but it was out again exposing a long stretch of beautiful beach sand. The pictures below are taken 15min apart and show the influx of elementary school children on the beach enjoying what we assume was an end-of-school outing.

We left the campground at 10:30am and headed West towards St. Stephen where we turned North towards Fredericton. The pictures below show some of the backwoods beauty of this province.

After joining Hwy 2 and driving North for a few minutes, we decided to leave the highway and drive along the side of the Saint John River on the old highway. This led us to seeing a black bear cub as he climbed over the guardrail towards the road in front of us. Yikes! 😳 Brake hard, he sees us & returns to the safety of the trees. Phew. No pictures as it was all over in a second. We stopped in Meductic and ate lunch in the van overlooking the river.

Shortly after lunch we stopped in Hartland to look at the worlds longest covered wooden bridge. It was closed for construction and as no traffic was able to cross it gave me an excellent chance to view the inside of the bridge by standing in the roadway.

Just North of Hartland we passed a more modern crossing of the river and then we rejoined Hwy 2 towards Edmundston, NB.

Saint John River crossing, Perth-Andover, NB

We pulled into the Grey Rock Casino in Edmundston at about 3:30pm. We were supposed to end our day here and camp out in the parking lot for the night but decided that it was too early to stop and so just picked up a cup of coffee and rejoined the highway.

Our initial thought was to return to the campground in Rivière-du-Loup; however, as it was only 90min North and we were going to cross back into Eastern time, we would arrive at 4:00pm EDT so we looked towards Levis and found a Craft brewery near St. Pascal that welcomes campers. New destination entered into the GPS.

It was a short while later that I realized that rather than stop just to sleep and then continue, why not simply continue? Home was only 7hrs away. We stopped in Levis for fuel and then continued to Drummondville where we stopped at a rest stop and had a quick meal in the van. Still feeling awake and energetic, we continued onwards towards Montreal where we left autoroute 20 and joined autoroute 30 which would take us around the south shore of Montreal. Below are a few picture of the sunset that we saw shortly before Montreal.

By the time we get around Montreal and cross the St. Lawrence River we were just 90min from home. We turned West onto autoroute 20 towards Cornwall, ON. After Cornwall we continued to Hwy31 where we turned North towards Winchester. At this point we were almost home and would arrive by 11:30pm. It turned out to be a 12 hour day with time taken out for stops and eating. In all I figured we drove for about 10 hours in which time we left the Bay of Fundy and returned to Eastern Ontario. A distance of about 1100km.

This concludes our East Coast Tour for this year. We have places we want to go back to as well as places yet to visit, as such we will make the drive again, when? We’re not sure yet, maybe a year or so.

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.