Travel and adventure don’t always have to be found in faraway places, as a journey to our western neighbor illustrated. Quebec lies about 4 to 5 hours driving time from our home in Maine. Quebec City is a lovely historical town on the St. Lawrence River and the base from which we expanded our driving tour. While in town, we paused at a tourist information center to ask for a road map of Quebec and found that they didn’t quite exist in the format in which we are familiar. The reason we were told, “You can’t get lost; there’s only one road.” Sort of true! Quebec is vast with most land undeveloped, and not many roads exist.
Our first stop, after having crossed the St. Lawrence River, was the beautiful Jacques Cartier National Park. Getting out into the fresh evergreen scented air for a hike and viewing countless varieties of wildflowers and flowing rivers, streams and lakes was a feast for the eyes.
Next on the itinerary was the St. Lawrence Marine Park, which is home to many different species of whales in the summer, including the elusive beluga. On a whale watching trip from the quaint town of Tadoussac, we were able to watch a pod of fin whales, second in size only to the blue whale. Their size was truly magnificent. There were also some minke whales, one of the smaller species. The white belugas are found in the Saguenay fjord nursing their calves; we quickly skimmed the area but saw none. They are an endangered, protected species, so best not to linger and disturb them. They have not been having much success lately, and scientists are studying the effects of climate change on them.
After leaving the Marine Park, we drove for 2 days to reach and explore the Mingan Archipelago on the north shore of Quebec. If we’d driven much farther, we would have run out of road and found ourselves close to Labrador. The Mingan Archipelago is a series of islands with stark, unusual and photogenic monoliths poking out of the land and sea. This land is some of the oldest on earth, and erosion and uplifting have revealed many fossils that were formed during the Ordovician Period, circa 400-450 million years ago. The rocks are peppered with fossils of cephalopods, gastropods and other ancient specimens. One of the islands, Ile au Perroquets, (Island of the Parrots), hosts bird colonies of puffins, razorbills and murres.
We spent several days visiting the islands, photographing them, the birds, fossils and unique and beautiful plant life. At the end of our stay, the plan was to take a ferry across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to visit the Gaspé Peninsula. We made ferry reservations well in advance and looked forward to the trip. As we settled in for the night before the ferry trip, we noticed that the present day’s ferries had been suspended due to high winds and our next day’s trip was doubtful, too. We so hoped to catch that ferry, because if it was cancelled, it would mean a 12 hour drive all the way down the river until we could get a bridge at Quebec City and then travel up the coast to the peninsula, roughly straight across the water from where we were presently.
Lady Luck was with us with calm skies as we left early the next morning and arrived at the ferry terminal well in advance—well, well in advance as it would turn out. The schedule revealed that the boat sailed at 8:00AM, and arrival at the terminal should be at 7:30AM. Since there were no accommodations close to the ferry, we left our rather distant hotel at 6:30AM to catch the ferry. When we arrived, it seemed we were the only ones there, except for a line of campers that had camped out the day before because of the cancellation. Upon checking with the office, we discovered that the ferry left the other side of the water at 8:00AM, arriving on this side at 10:30, and sailing at 11:00. Oh well, miscommunications do occur, though despite the language difference, not so often. We wondered, ahead of time. If our inability to speak French would be a hindrance. As it turned out, not many residents of Quebec speak a lot of English, but we were always able to communicate. Most would lament that they didn’t speak good English, but we always told them, “Your English is better than our French.” We’ve always thought that the responsibility should be ours to speak their language. Renée took a French course recently to familiarize herself with some common words and phrases, but to not much avail. Oh well, we made it!
Arrival on the Gaspé Peninsula was a bit nostalgic for us. We visited the area about 48 years ago in our mini home camper. At that time, the roads were just being built, so we lumbered over boulders and rocks, traveling adjacent to the dynamite crews. We saw roadside vendors of souvenirs who looked like Jacques Cousteau in their wooly hats and fishermen’s sweaters selling sailboats made of fishing crates. Things change mightily in 48 years. Now, the roads are modern and scattered with fishing towns on either side. Homes are neat, well kept and colorful, and tourist parks and campgrounds are everywhere. Up to this point in the trip and until our very last stop, tourists were all from Quebec. We almost never saw a car with U.S. license plates, or for that matter, from any of the other provinces in Canada. It’s true that most of these beautiful sights are off the beaten path, but still it was surprising. The scenic drive around the peninsula is worth the trip, even without the stops at the national parks. Lighthouses, seascapes, and quaint towns perched on cliffs above the sea are just some of the attractions.
We decided to visit the Gaspé National Park, the only destination on the peninsula not on the water, but in the mountains. It’s another of Canada’s beautiful national parks, well-kept with knowledgeable park employees. More hikes, this time to a lake and a waterfall while observing fresh moose tracks on the paths. We never saw a moose or very much wildlife, but we knew they were there. This park also has a resident herd of Caribou, but they were high up in the mountains.
Next destination, Forillon National Park, still on the Gaspé. We stayed at a small motel located right on the water. Going to sleep at night with the window open, the sea breeze wafting across your face and the sound of the waves was very relaxing. Again, hiking and observing were key. We went one night to a location where there was a possibility to see beavers at work. There was a beaver lodge, but the only wildlife was swarms of mosquitos.
The last stop on our itinerary was the most dramatic—Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island. Percé Rock is a monumental rock structure sitting in the water with a hole through it. On the top rests a bird colony of mostly cormorants. From the dock nearby, boats ferry passengers out to Bonaventure Island which houses a huge colony of Northern Gannets, about 200,000. The gannets come here to breed and raise their chicks, after which they spend the rest of the year at sea. On ledges around the island there are other sea birds, mostly razorbills. Gray and Harbor seals laze on the rocks and hunt fish in the water.
After landing on the island, we took the hike to the other side and stood mesmerized looking at the huge numbers of gannets. We felt like we were in a National Geographic documentary, as the birds flew in, greeted each other, fed their chicks and flew out again, in search of food. One thing a TV documentary doesn’t give you is the multisensory of smell and sounds. It was an extraordinary experience!
So, in the title of the slide show, we mentioned “our excellent adventure”. I think that’s a good way to sum it up. We left feeling that we had a wonderful time, and we thank the good people of Quebec for being so warm and hospitable!
Au Revoir,
Renée and Dave
(To see slide show click here or the caption below)
Quebec Summer 2019
