Category: Uncategorized

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49℉ at 4:00, high 82

Monday, September 5, 2016

On a day of perfect weather, we went to Anse Saint-Jean. An Anse is a cove and a Baie is a big bay. Driving through town to the end we parked next to a Fjord National Park sign for a hike. While reading, a couple walked by heading up the trail. The lady stopped and gave us all kinds of information about the area, where to go, what the hikes were like as they had been here a few days. Speaking perfect English, they were from Montreal. The husband was obviously a seasoned hiker – very fit with legs that could walk for days. We took her excellent advice, heading across the covered bridge to the top of the hill for spectacular views. Then we took a short hike to a waterfall, but the real story is the houses of this town. They are so incredibly planted with flowers and plants. The style is so quaint, and I love the colors, the shutters and porches. Many have signs explaining the history or the style. You sometimes feel odd photographing someone’s home, but I could spend a lot more time taking pictures of them in this lovely little town. My favorite is the one that sort of looks like a small train station. I have always loved that design.

Back at camp Martha assigned me to cooking beats in a fire. It takes a long time to cook beets in a fire!! Just stick them in the hottest part of the fire and turn them every half hour for two to three hours! Thankfully the local termites stayed in their house. We had bought some things at a tiny shop on the way to the plage (beach), so we had an appetizer of red deer patè on baguette and a great salad with salmon, three kinds of sprouts and mushrooms. Yum!

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It was a cool, overcast day for a trip on the Saguenay in a rubber boat, so we dressed warmly. It was also sprinkling rain. Arriving at the visitor’s center at 1:30 we filled out our paperwork, relieving anyone of any responsibility. A young man introduced himself as our guide, asking where we were from as we walked down to the boat. He lives just the other side of Mont Valin. So here we are in Quebec with a very nice guy who lives nearby, and what’s his name? Rafael! I meant to get the rest of the story, but never did. He did an outstanding job of explaining all the intricacies of the Saguenay and the St. Lawrence that makes this place so special. It is difficult to comprehend all of the water in Quebec – all those lakes and big rivers, but add to that the Great Lakes. All of this water drains into the St. Lawrence River! It is 25% of all the fresh water on Earth. As the glaciers formed this area, they cut what would become the river as deep a the mountains are high, and it is pretty much a vertical drop off. As all of this formed, there was a huge pile up of rock, like a huge bull dozer might make an underwater dam in the Saguenay. The Atlantic and Arctic Oceans are flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and into the river, bringing huge amounts of plankton, krill and other foods that whales and other mammals like to eat, but this food source can’t move past that pile-up in the Saguenay. Therefore, the whales and dolphins don’t come either. Most of this water is also fresh water, with some sea water staying on the bottom layer. But past that pile-up where all that fresh water meets that huge flow of seawater filled with food is a very special place. We can’t wait to take that whale cruise!

There is a story about a man driving a wagon on the Saguenay in the winter where the river freezes 12 deep. He broke through the ice. Praying to the Virgin Mary to save him, he managed to escape. So indebted, he had a huge statue of the Mother Mary carved from pine. It was shipped in pieces up the river, then cut further into 14 pieces so it could be hauled by hand to it’s resting place on the Saguenay where it has survived through sometimes brutal conditions for over 100 years!

As Rafael took the very quiet and smooth -running Yamaha around the bay, he stopped to look at a big vertical rock where climbers were working their way to the top. Apparently it takes about three days for them to make the climb, sleeping on the cliff. I thought walking that ledge was crazy enough! Then along to what looked like a very deep cut in the mountain, Rafael pointed to the other side of the river where there was an identical one. This is a fault where two tectonic plates meet. I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite quotes by Will Durant in the book Krakatoa, “Civilizations exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice”.

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50℉ at 5:30 am, high of 62 and cloudy

Saturday, September 3, 2016

This is a great campground, spread out nicely with grass, two services, WIFI, very clean bathrooms and a nice office. There is an area across the street with the cutest cabins, right on the river. For $100/night you can sleep four. It has the feel of a very nice fishing camp, which it really is. The big draw is salmon fishing, which of course is all over now. July is the big month when 90cm salmon are caught. That’s a three-foot salmon! You can only hook two for the day and you have to turn them loose. Every pool is named, and I’m sure someone is fishing every one. I’m not sure what kind they are, but they happily don’t die, but go back to sea. It looks like it will cost a non-resident about $100/day for the privilege. Just down the road toward town is a spring where you can fill your water bottles.

50℉ at 5:30 am, high 67

Friday, September 2, 2016

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Moving from Camping Lac Jolly, we stopped for roadwork and who happens by coming the other way from playing cards in Chicoutimi, but  Paul and Diane Tremblay! We chatted a few minutes in the middle of the road. I commented that there are a lot of Tremblays in Quebec. Paul said he has written a book on the Tremblays of just this area. It is 97 pages long. What a nice couple! It wasn’t bad driving through Saguenay. You just have to be so alert so you don’t take a wrong turn. Driving a trailer, you have to stay in the right lane, but it is always the bumpiest, and we got caught in a right turn lane, but I went straight anyway, cutting off a couple of motorcycle riders – sorry!

Then driving along the Saguenay is lovely with beautiful farmland and cute little towns. We wanted to stop in one, but there was nowhere to park with the trailer. You can drive the entire length of the Saguenay River in an hour though, so it’s easy enough to drive back. We drove into Parc National du Fjord du Saguenay. It’s a very narrow road leading to the Information Center and follows the most beautiful trout stream, with places to park and fish. We learned at the Information Center that it was now closed for the season as the limits had been met. We signed up for a Fjord zodiac tour tomorrow at 2:00, choosing the warmer part of the day. 

Then we walked down to the bay and took a few pictures. Behind us was a huge rock face, and Martha spotted people on it. They were just dots. We talked with a nice gentleman whose daughter was doing the 6-hour climb up the trail, up a ladder, across the first rock face, across a swinging bridge and on to the other rock face. This is a very popular thing in several parks, and they are always booked. It’s only $77. If someone paid me a million, I might give it a go. The gentleman said he would go, but he was too heavy, so he was proudly watching his daughter. 

We felt fortunate to have any campsite for four nights since it is a big holiday weekend, but now driving to Petit Saguenay, we were apprehensive. Four days in a campground you don’t like is not good. Making the turn to Riviere Petite Saguenay, we got a look at the beautiful river. The water is pretty low. We stopped at what we hoped was the office and went in. There was a big salmon mounted on the wall, and there was a case with flies for sale. Upstairs there were rods for sale. I began to smile. The pleasant lady didn’t speak much English, but with our poor French, we worked it out. Yes, we were booked four nights – whew! Yes, there are two services – tres bien! There is WIFI – yippee. There were people waiting, so I didn’t ask about fishing, but I read a sheet on the wall similar to La Faunique that lists fishermen, what they caught and how much they weighed. I went out to look at the campground as Martha paid the bill. It is nicely-set in grassy, shades sites with plenty of room. I couldn’t stop smiling. 

It took a bit of wrangling to get around the trees and get the trailer straight, but it was worth it. This will be a great spot to spend four days. Maybe we should stay longer. As we studied the brochures, we saw a salmon chute and decided to take a drive to it. A beautiful spot with a fall and a fish ladder, we walked up and down looking for salmon, but saw nothing. Martha said the campground closes in two weeks, so I think the run is over. The scenery driving back is really pretty, with farmland, little mountains and deep valleys gouged out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Back at camp we studied the area over a beer and glass of wine. There is a lot to see and do in this area.

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While setting up camp, I noticed two guys in the middle of the road putting golf balls around. I thought boy, these guys are avid! Later a group of four came around putting and laughing with lots of chatter in French. Then I saw them putt into a hole made from metal or plastic imbedded in the road, so we went over to see what was going on. They were really friendly, and one of the guys spoke English. They play golf every day, and there are serious tournaments. An 18-hole course winding through the streets of the campground, people came through all evening, most commenting to us in French. Little did I realize we had a prime spot overlooking the 11th hole! We talked with our friendly foursome for 15 minutes. One of the guys, Rene (?), is a retired auto mechanic teacher, who trained in Troy, Ohio and had traveled in the States. They wanted to know where we came from and why, and they admired our Airstream. We told them where we had been and that we would be Quebec three more months, which got some oos and aahs.  Rene said he was just up at Lac Saint Jean to get blueberries, saying he bought 15 pounds! His wife, Diane, makes blueberry pies, and Rene eats them three times a day. We let them go on with their game, and settled in for dinner at the picnic table.  Later we saw them walking across the open area. Diane was carrying a pie! I had some coffee cups made for special people, and I scrambled inside to find the last one. They wanted to look inside the Airstream and got a big kick out of it. After hugs and thank you’s, they headed home. After dinner we had a piece of wonderful, not-too-sweet blueberry pie. Four boys came out to play after their dinner. They were having a ball, waving to us as they went by. I wish I could understand what they were saying.

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56℉ at 4:00 am and a high of 74

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Fred told us about a great Zoo near Saint Feliciene, this was our destination today, but first we stopped at a boulangerie, La Maison Gourmande,  to buy some bread. Of course we then bought some bruschetta and muffins. Then off to the zoo. I cannot capture the beauty of the miles and miles of farmland we see when driving. Fields of wheat, oats, barley, potatoes in full bloom, blueberries and canola go on forever. They are perfect fields, uninterrupted by rocks or dips. All are ready for harvest now. Stopping by a wheat field to take some pictures, I knew I was pushing my luck with Martha. We had passed an incredibly beautiful farm several times, and this time she suggested we stop and get some pictures. The barns and the buildings are so pretty and well-kept, I can only imagine the expense. Their fields stretch to the horizon, and a beautiful river wanders along it’s border. There are so many blueberry fields, it seems they could supply the world. The colors of the crops are wonderful when the sun hits them just right rival trees in the fall. Many of the fields have perfect lines of trees, perhaps serving as wind breaks.

The zoo is a great one, built in a beautiful setting along a river and countryside. Walkways lead you around viewing areas, telling you about the animals, the trees and plants. Then you can board a little train on wheels that takes you around the grounds. There are too many deer, but we also saw virtually everything that lives in Canada – Elk, Moose, black bears, Musk Ox, buffalo, geese and ducks. You would drive right through buildings representing they way frontier life was, and drive by farmer and trapper’s cabins. There is an indian settlement and a fort. It gives you a good feel for how it was in those days. 

Not far from the zoo is a fromegerie, Chez Perron,, one of the last family-owned fromageries in Quebec. The girl in the shop spoke some English, but translations were difficult. We ended up buying three cheeses which turned out to be excellent. Once there were about 2,000 family fromageries in Quebec, but commercial operations have closed most of them. 

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60℉ at 5:00 am and high of 77

Pointe-Taillon National Park is a peninsula  jutting into Lac Saint-Jean and bordered on the north by the Peribonka River. There are no cars allowed in the park, but is set up best for bikes. My pictures don’t do it justice, as it is an incredibly beautiful park. We had a good wildlife-viewing day, seeing a Ruffed Grouse, Willow Ptarmigans, red squirrels, what I think were Flickers and our first sighting of a moose. It is a bit more difficult taking pictures while biking. I took a lot with the iPhone because it was faster and easier, but they don’t do the park justice. My friend, Mark Zablotsky, takes incredible pictures with his iPhone, but I haven’t gained the skill. I carry the Nikon with only one lens in a backpack, so you have to stop and remove the backpack, snap a few pictures, put it all back together and try to catch up with Martha. 

The Beaches are popular and beautiful, and we were looking hard for wildlife, although we biked between 11:00 and 3:30 – not good wildlife spotting time. There were tracks all over the roads. I guess they were moose, but they looked smaller than that. It would be so much fun to come back in the early morning or late evening and sit at one of the picnic tables and watch for moose. There is one moose bog with a big, camouflaged and screened blind. There is a huge moose bog close to the entrance. However, the center of attraction are the trees and ferns. The stands of Beech and Birch trees surrounded by a floor of three-foot tall ferns are just magnificent. You could ride the main loop of 25km in two hours as it is flat and easy going. However, if you go fast you will miss the beauty. It is more of a place to take all day, or camp and take a few days. It was almost hot enough to go for a swim, but the wind was blowing and it was 75 degrees, so it wasn’t quite warm enough. 

On a slight uphill, I pointed out a snake, a garter snake, to Martha. A couple of bikers came in the other direction, and she somehow jammed the bike chain down below the sprockets. It took a while to see what the problem was, but we couldn’t unjam it. Of course we were at the opposite side of the park from the truck. We pulled on the chain and tried to move the wheel back and forth to no avail. I had two tools in my bike bag, and after working for half an hour, was finally able to pry the two jammed links from their wedged position. Fortunately Martha had a wipe in her backpack to clean the chain grease from my hands. Maybe it was providence that made us stop. We suddenly saw that we were surrounded by perfect blueberries – everywhere! Emptying one water bottle into another, we filled it with blueberries in 15 minutes. You pay $10 for two quarts of blueberries. Picking these, we realized this is a good price, but then there is something to picking wild, fresh fruits. Later, Martha would make desert of Greek yogurt, blueberries and honey – yum!

Now we felt we needed to ride with more pace. I kept seeing things I wanted to take pictures of, but couldn’t. We came upon a ptarmigan that stood like a statue beside the road while I took pictures. As I rode away, I thought surely someone has carved this decoy and left a camera to video people like us taking pictures of it. Then we came across two more. They let me get just a few feet away and kept right on eating!

This is a wonderful park that could be explored many times in all seasons. I can only imagine it when the leaves change.

55℉ at 5:30 and high of 60.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

It’s nice to have a rainy day every now and then to catch up on things, so we did some laundry and did some research on where to go next. By afternoon we had had enough! We drove around looking for a bakery (boulangerie) and discovered a mall. We would never have seen it as it was well-disguised, but saw a few people going in. I think half the town was in there. Then across the street was a movie rental place, so we rented two movies and bought three that were on sale. After dinner, we settled in to watch a movie in bed for the first time. What a luxury! It was pouring down rain, so we had to turn the volume up. The movie was “Concussion” with Will Smith. He is so good, and it was a great movie based on a true story, but I had to stop it half way through. With this really hard rain and sitting next to a huge river, right beside a monster rapid, I remembered being in Banff when the Bow River Falls flooded with an amazing amount of water. No one seemed concerned and there were no sirens, so I went to sleep. By morning I could see little difference in the already awesome water flow. Monday is supposed to be very nice, so we will go ride our bikes around Pointe-Taillon National Park, almost an island on the north side of Lac Saint-Jean.

The options for biking in this region are amazing. They have done everything possible to make this a destination biking area with camping areas, picnic areas, overlooks and big bike lanes. You could ride here for weeks and weeks! I love the signs for $200 fine if you leave trash. We need those in the US!

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65℉ at 4:00 am and high of

Thursday, August 25, 2016

There was a 60% chance of rain, and it was raining when I got up. Martha suggested I go fishing again and she agreed to go with me. We decided to go back to the same spot since there was a nice parking area overlooking the river, and there was a picnic table. On the way over, Martha spotted a black bear eating blueberries about 600 yards away at the big overlook. After taking a few pictures, Martha was ready to go fishing.  It was quite windy and cool, so I gave Martha my rain pull-over. I fished the big hole first to no avail and then worked my way upstream along the path. The river is deeper here, with big rocks that make it difficult to wade. It’s probably easier to fish this section with a spinning rod, but I didn’t bring it this time. I caught a few little ones, but no keepers, probably because I wasn’t fishing it very well. Martha walked along the path to the bridge that was out, enjoying the scenery. She watched me fish a while and then returned to read her book. Maybe it’s not a good book for this trip – a scary story at a cabin in the woods. 

Above the bridge I found a spot where I could work my way around in the river, but it was a little dicey. Knowing I probably wouldn’t have time to find another spot to wade like this, I worked it hard, but there wasn’t much action. On the other side of the river, I climbed up on a big rock and changed my leader. A flight of 8 ducks landed right in front of me, but I didn’t recognize the type. They were medium-sized with red heads, but they weren’t Mergansers or Redheads. I moved my head once and they took off. There was a deep pool in front of my rock, and I worked it hard, but no luck. I didn’t want to work my way across the river again, so I decided to walk back to the bridge and cross. It was only 100 yards away, but it took me 20 minutes to get there. How do Moose and Caribou get around in this stuff? There was a lot of deadfall and thick bushes and you can’t walk a straight line. I thought there might be a path on this side, but there wasn’t. I even thought about going back to my rock and crossing, but decided to continue. I remembered stories of people getting turned around in thick woods and getting lost, but I kept close enough to hear the river. I was glad to see the old road at last, and the bridge was strong enough to walk across. Two fishing lures were stuck in the trees. I don’t know how you would lose lures in those spots, but they were huge spoons looking like something you might use for salmon. 

We got back to camp and had to move the trailer back to site #50. The person who reserved the site for one night never showed. Oh well, we are getting more efficient at moving, and site #50 is a perfect site. Once settled in, I showered, and we went to the Visitor’s Center to do emails, post and chart the course for tomorrow. A couple sat across from us with a baby and a three-year old girl. The girl was a terror, who screamed to get what she wanted. The parents had no concern for anyone else. We decided to go north from here since we were half way to Saguenay. A very nice lady, Danielle, told us about biking around Lac Saint-Jean and a Blueberry Route. We had told Fred we would come to see him this week in LaBaie on the St. Lawrence, so I called him. I only had one bar of cell service and I was surprised to hear his wife answer. I wasn’t sure I had called the right number when the little terror started screaming again. I got up and walked to the door, but lost the connection. I hate telling someone I am going to be somewhere, and then not making it. I could only hope they didn’t go out shopping for a nice dinner we wouldn’t be there for, but I imagined they did. I emailed Fred telling him the change of plans. Of course he replied in a totally nice way, telling us where to go and what to see around Lac Saint-Jean. The kid was still screaming as Martine came over to the couch to go over their reservations, patiently explaining the park as she had probably done 100 times that day. Just like Genivieve, she is amazingly patient. I had to get out of there! We couldn’t settle on a campground in Lac Saint-Jean, and that kid kept screaming for attention.

Back at camp I poured a glass of wine and sat under the awning thinking about Martine. Driving back to the Visitor’s Center just as they were closing, I gave Martine a coffee cup with our logo on it and a bottle of wine. All I had to put it in was a plastic grocery bag, but it still brought a big smile to her face at the end of a very busy day.