Perce, Quebec. July 31

Roche Perce
 

Bonaventure Island Gannets

We had a great day today.  The sun was lovely.  We drove to Perce.  This is quite a commercialized little village, but you can see why.  Very unique scenery.  Rocher Perce is made out of sandstone, so a soft rock so there are pieces falling off on a regular basis.  You can walk to the base of it at low tide, but they warn you not too so you don't get hit.  We had lunch there, Fish soup, Clam Chowder, Fish cakes and Smoked salmon, all very good.  Then we got on a boat around the island and around Bonaventure Island, which is a bird sanctuary for the Gannet, a very interesting sea bird.  They dive at 90 miles an hour into the water to fish.  It is something to see.  


Gannets nesting in the rocks

We also saw seals and a whale, but it came to the surface so quickly we did not get a picture.  It wasn't a small whale, but we couldn't see what kind. 
Considering all the food we had at lunch and the rough boat ride, I have decided I have outgrown my tendency to seasickness.  Yea!

By the way, Chris just did a calculation.  We have traveled 6310 kms.so far by motorhome.  That doesn't include the day trips by car everywhere.  It will be interesting to see the final number when we get home this fall.  Ha.

By the way, we will be in provincial campground the next couple of nights, so don't know what kind of internet we will have.  So if you don't hear for a day or two, we will be back!









 

Construction:  Summertime travel given!

Gaspe, Quebec, July 27th to July 30

Monument to Jacques Cartier

We are still in Gaspe, at the Fort Ramsey Campsite.
 Sunday we drove to Gaspe, did some groceries and went to the Museum of Gaspe.  They had a monument for Jacques Cartier as he discovered this area in 1534.











We spent yesterday doing chores, laundry, Vacuuming, Shopping for supplies, reading. I started the latest Louise Penny book, which is very appropriate because she is a writer from Quebec and writes murder mysteries that occur in rural Quebec.  If you haven't read any of her books, I recommend them.  It was a steady rain all day, not cold or windy, just a nice rain.  Good to have a down day. 

Cap Gaspe Lighthouse

Today started much better, with occasional sunshine, so we toured the Forillon National Park at the end of the Gaspe Peninsula.  It was a lovely day.  We did some walking to a lighthouse.  When we got there the fog had rolled in and you couldn't see anything.  Then the wind blow it away and it was gorgeous.  We got back to the campsite before a little rain fell again.  It looks like tomorrow will be a good day, weather wise.  We have our fingers crossed.

Gaspe, Qc. July 28

Take note of the sign!  Would you drive here in a storm

interesting sign!

Hi all,  We are in Gaspe, Quebec.  The weather yesterday was not great.  Rain, Fog, low cloud.  Sorry, the pictures aren't clearer.  The scenery we drove through would have been fabulous in the sunshine.  So we have decided to stay put until the weather clears, which is supposed to be Tuesday or Wednesday, and retrace our steps a little with the car, and visit Perce Rock, etc. We drove to Gaspe town today, saw a museum of the Gaspésie.  Jacques Cartier landed here in 1534 and planted a cross and claimed the land for France.  So history is quite long here.  We are in a campsite along the edge of the bay, overlooking the water, so thought we might as well stay.  We even have good internet connections, so its a win win.  Tomorrow will be laundry, vacuuming etc. and if the weather clears, a walk in the Parc National Forillon. 



a fishing village along the way.

Bonjour, Mes ami, We are in a town called Ste. Flavie, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.  It is cool, 53 degrees and windy, it has been cloudy all day, but we have enjoyed the countryside anyway. We happened upon this little place called Capitaine Homard (Lobster), which is a camping place and a restaurant.  It isn't a fancy campsite, but the view of the St. Lawrence is great.  We ate at the restaurant, and it is all fresh seafood at quite reasonable prices.  Lobster was $18 / lb., which I believe is quite good.  We each had a seafood cassrole type meal, very good.  The weather is supposed to be on the iffy side the next few days.  We hope it clears up before we get to Gaspe.  In the meanwhile, we had a great view of the sunset over the St. Lawrence tonight.

I have some addendems to Montreal.
1)  They were not kidding when they said there are problems with the concrete in their bridges and overpasses.  We drove under overpasses where the concrete had crumbled so much that the rebar was showing.  I would have taken pictures of one bridge we went over (Mercier) but it is hard to take pictures when your fingers are all crossed!  All the bridges we drove on in Montreal were construction zones.  So I should mention that part of the reason my fingers were crossed was that the lane we were driving on was 9 ft. Wide.  Chris didn't hit one pylon!  Pretty impressive.

Bixi bicycles in Montreal

2) Bixi - you can rent bikes in Montreal for $7 per day or $15 for 3 days.  They are parked all over the downtown area and we saw many people riding them.  I would not be comfortable in the downtown area as they drive pretty fast.  But there are bike lanes all over the place, so very bike friendly place.






Hotel Frontenac

 Then we were in Quebec City.  What can I say?  This is my second time here.  If you have not been, put it on your list.  It is charming!  The old town is just like you are in Europe, well, France, actually.  Lots of quaint shops, many outdoor restaurants, There were entertainers on the street, singing old French songs, or playing the Harp.  One couple played a classical Guitar and Accordian playing classical music.  We took the On - Off double decker bus again, which we find very convenient.  We had a fabulous lunch and dinner in outdoor restaurants.  We walked and walked.  Thought we would return to the campsite late, but ran out of steam and got home around 9.  It was getting quite cool outside and besides, that was 11 hours, so enough for us.  We did find that many of the shops etc. were closed by then anyway.  I'm sure there was entertainment around, but we were too tired to find it.  Ha Ha.  One thing we saw, right on the Plains of Abraham, was the outdoor concert stage etc. from when Paul MacCartney played a couple of days before.  It was still set up as Celine Dion was going to be performing there on Saturday Night. 

View from the Citadel

Montreal

In front of Notre Dame Cathedral, old and new side by side

Montreal from Mount Royal

Bonjour, from Montreal.  We have been here for 2 days now.  The weather has been better since the big storm Friday night.  Less humid and a little cooler.  We took a hop on, hop off bus tour of the city and they picked us up at the campsite, so we haven't had to drive for 2 days. Yippee.  The bus was a double decker and we spent our time on the top. The second day we walked and walked.  Montreal is a great city, cosmopolitan, a mixture of old and new,  a mixture of French (Mostly), English and many other cultures.  There are a trillion Churches, outdoor restaurants and cafe's, There is modern art and old world statues and buildings from before the 1800's all mixed in the same block sometimes.  The people have been very friendly and English is spoken everywhere.  We loved Old Montreal!  There is also an underground shopping area that I tried out today, as it was raining this morning  (good enough excuse for me!).  But the rest of the day was lovely.  Chris was kind enough to give me his cold, but I believe I have fought it off already.  Tomorrow we head for Quebec City.

 

Kingston, July 19'th

Hi all.  We are just outside Kingston, spending time with a girlfriend of mine from high school days.  We just received a note from a friend asking if we were alright, so Chris checked the weather news and found out we were in a weather watch area.  Yikes.  Knew those clouds didn't look good.  It has been very hot and humid here, so the air conditioner has been going non stop.  Tonight, we were close to a black and ominous cloud when we were having dinner out.  When we got back to the camp site, a tree had come down on the little shack that is the campground office, and shortly after we got settled in the wind, rain and light show started.  But all is well.  We haven't even lost power and the air has cooled significantly.  Don't have wifi here except for the phone, but just wanted every one to know we are alright.

Southern Ontario, July 13th

Stratford Festival Theatre

We arrived in St. Mary's at the campsite on Tuesday at around 4, but they had had so much rain, everything was very soggy.  We found the best answer was to park our rig at the very back of a campsite, the highest ground, so we wouldn't get stuck.  It was 30 plus in the shade and 100 % humidity, I think.  Chris' brother Pete, Denise and Sarah arrived for dinner, but the mosquitoes were finding us, so we went inside to eat, with the air conditioning on.  Very comfortable, a pleasant evening. 

Avon Riverbank Swans.

Wednesday, we went to Stratford upon the Avon,  got tickets for the matinee of "Fiddler on the Roof", then walked around near the theatre, along the river.  Saw lots of swans.  The show was great!  Very well done.  Then we went out for dinner and some window shopping.  Stratford is a nice town, the area has lots of trees, older brick and stone buildings.  The humidity has mostly left, but during the show, you could hear a downpour happening outside.  There was threatening clouds around, but it didn't rain on us. 

Thursday was family day.  We went to see Chris' sister Evelyn, then took her to our campsite, then went to celebrate Nephew Brennan's 30th Birthday in Guelph.  They have just purchased a house as well, so it was a double celebration.

Friday, we headed to Brantford to visit with Chris' brother Matt.  We are still there, parked on his driveway.  One neighbour was teasing that he thought the Griswalds were here, so we thought we should wash the rig!  Ha ha.  Went to see our nephew Lucas lives today as well. Weather is great.  We head to another family gathering in Mississauga tomorrow, then will head on to more family in Oshawa, Peterborough area.  We aren't doing any sight seeing in the area as we have been many times before, and will be here again as well.  But we are enjoying the time we can get with family.

July 9

Coastline, Georgian Bay

Well, we have to leave our little piece of heaven here on Miller Lake.  Our thanks to Vicki again, for letting us camp here.  We went on a walk yesterday to see The Grotto, a rock cave at the edge of Georgian Bay.  Beautiful.



Camped at Vicki's Cottage

It has been humid, but low 20's (70's, Val) so comfortable enough.  We had a little rain yesterday evening, but the sun is trying to break through today.  I understand terrible rain has hit the Toronto area, but we have missed all that.  We are probably staying at a Conservation campground the next few nights, so if you don't here from us, we have an excuse.  No wifi!  Will add pictures the next time we are online.



July 7th

Yes, I can drive it, and I do at times to give Chris a break.

Lake Superior, sandy beach but cold water

Sunset in Sault St. Marie, Mi, on St.. Mary river.

Hi all.  I have not been good at keeping you up to date.  3 days with iffy internet, then 3 days of having too much fun.  Am I forgiven?  Anyway, we drove south of Lake Superior for almost 2 days.  That is one big lake!  In the Canadian Shield, so trees, lakes, rocks and repeat. Some very beautiful areas.   Roads quite good, although once in Ontario roads tend to have gravel shoulders.   So no extra room to let folks pass or to pass bicycles.  We found one campsite in a small town.  $10, including water and power and free dump in the morning if you stayed there.  What a deal!

















 Then decided to stay n the Michigan side of Sault St. Marie, as the campsites in the USA average at least $10 cheaper.  Nice spot.  Walked along the river in the evening.  I even got a doggie fix as we ran into a fellow with a collie about the size of our dear Maci.  Then in the morning, drove across the river into Canada.  Good to be home, but the USA treated us very very well.
We headed for Manitoulin Island in Ontario.  Found a lovely campsite on Manitou Lake, the largest Lake on an Island, on a fresh water lake (did you get all that) in the world.  Manitoulin Island is quite flat, lots of trees, lots of farms and cattle.
Next day we explored the island, then took the ferry  to Bruce Peninsula.  It's a 1 3/4 hour ferry ride

 We had unhooked the CRV and I drove it on separately as it is cheaper that way.  Arrived at Vicky's cottage on Miller Lake by 8 pm.  Had a surprise there, Chris' sister Dorothy was there as well as sister Liz and friend Vicki, so Chris had a harem that night!  Then the following day, niece Val and her boyfriend John and Amigo, his dog, showed up as well.

John, Val, and AmigoHere's to a great Weekend,  Many thanks to Vicki!!!!

We spent a fabulous weekend at the cottage, parked in the front yard with our RV, visiting, in the water, beer and wine by the lake, fabulous steak dinner at night.  Bonfire and Marshmallows.  What can I say?  It was fabulous.

July 1st

Well, Happy Birthday, Canada

We have been in St. Cloud, Mn. now for 3 days.  I have seen my friend Val for the first time in 45 years.  We talked and talked, for 3 days, got caught up in each others lives and I believe I can truthfully say we are friends for life.  It has been such a thrill for me to spend time with her, I hated to say goodbye. 
You will all be pleased to know that I wore my Canada T-shirt today, and we had a Canadian flag on the RV and the CRV. 
Tomorrow we leave here, heading towards Ontario, driving south of Superior.