Travel Blog #2 - Allo et Aù Revoir Gaspésie PQ

After an unforgettable month in some parts of north eastern United States, we returned to Canada. We crossed the USA border at Maine into New Brunswick without a hitch. We stayed the first night in Nasonworth NB, near Fredericton, at another great Harvest Host location called Designs by Lukas. Lukas is a florist and a horse breeder, a unique combination, I think. He boards 17 horses and a few are older horses whom have been rescued and just living out the rest of their lives in peace. When Lukas bought the farm, a blind 35 year old horse came with it. The horse just wanders freely around the farm grounds looking for green grass, and occasionally bumps his head into things as he eats. We watched him bump his head into the barn a few times, poor thing, but happy nonetheless.

35 year old blind horse

In Moncton New Brunswick we spent four days visiting with family; many laughs, reminiscing of memories past, delicious home cooking, fried clams and fish and chips at a popular restaurant and yummy ice cream at the roadside ice cream shop and lets not forget daily showers. At a fish market, we saw an 80 year old lobster. At that age the poor thing needs to be able to live out the rest of his life in the sea, not be sold to be someone’s dinner. We took advantage of our stop in Moncton and gave Roadie (nickname for our Roadtrek) shiny new shoes - new tires - and a much needed service, new oil etc.

Family in Moncton

80 year old lobster

For the moment, forest fires on Quebec’s part of the Labrador highway has caused partial closure of the highway. This just happens to be our next travel destination after the Gaspe Peninsula. One of the quirks of traveling though, or living on the road, is that sometimes you need to divert or change plans while moving - always be open to a plan B. Our Plan B this time is we have booked the ferry from Nova-Scotia to Newfoundland just in case the fires are still burning when we get closer to the date. The big question then is do we take the highway or ferry to Newfoundland - go right or go left?

Well we finally scratched off one item from Guy’s Bucket List: The Gaspe Peninsula. For as long as I have known him he has talked about coming here and we kept saying “one day we will”. Well that day is finally upon us and we will be spending the next 10 days driving it’s shores, smelling it’s air, admiring it’s beauty, meeting it’s people, and eating it’s food.

Just crossing into Quebec (Gaspe) from New-Brunswick is the Chutes a Picton supposedly the most beautiful falls in Quebec. We drove on a bit of a dirt road to get there, much to Guy’s dismay again, but still a very beautiful 4 kms drive. We passed farmlands and fields full of dandelions, yellow bursts  along the road. Still can’t figure out if the dandelions were a planted crop or if the ground was invaded by these beautiful yellow blossoms. I think the people of Gaspe have decided to embrace them and just let them be, there are dandelions blooming in abundance everywhere. Try as we might, we didn’t complete the hike down to the falls though. It was quite steep and there were many many stairs and our dog Treme does not do well with stairs. We climbed down most of it and turned back still satisfied with a beautiful heart pumping trek - the compromises we make for the ones we love. Treme is our traveling companion so we do have to keep her in mind for the many things we do along the way. I must say here that Treme has been a wonderful traveller. She loves all the walks and smells and spending lots of time in bed.

Our precious Treme

Gravel road to the waterfall

Stairs leading to the falls.

Trail to the Waterfall

Countryside with fields of dandelions

We finished our first day on the Gaspe Peninsula at a wonderful Harvest Host site, Festival Bluegrass New Richmond PQ. This site has approximately 10 acres of fresh mowed grass and we were the only ones there for the night. Nice short walk to a lighthouse and beach with many bank swallows flying about, seagulls squawking, and crows snacking on the beach. Our very own small paradise for the night.

Harvest host site for the night

Pathway leading to beach

Pathway leading to beach

Guy and Treme enjoying a moment of serenity on our private beach

Bonaventure is a small town in Gaspe Peninsula full of Acadian history. There we were treated to the most wonderful Almond Croissant (thought of my sister Michelle, I know how much she  loves her croissants).

Delicious Almond Croissant, yum yum

We have noticed the weather here in Gaspe Peninsula is quite diverse. One moment its foggy and cold, then it turns to sunshine only to start raining then back to fog. There will be a warm breeze blowing one minute and it changes to cold for a while where we need to zip up our jacket, only to change again to warm….

Just outside Bonaventure is Banc de Paspébiac, a Historical Site. There are 11 restored buildings here and they tell the story of the local fishing industry over the last two centuries. We cannot imagine the harshness of the lives these people endured. As the story goes, the workers were quite abused by the bourgeoisie there. The fish factory owners gave the workers loans, food and shelter so they could survive the winter. The workers then, having to pay them back, were at the mercy of the Bourgeois during the fishing season. The whole family, including very young children worked to repay and restart the cycle. It really was a form of slavery.

The tent like wood covers were used to protect the drying cod from the rain

Splitting boards are set up for the various stages of cod processing: throating , heading, and splitting.

Barrels the cod where stored in and shipped

Cod laid out on the beach for the final drying before being shipped. Children at work here.

Cod processing factory building. Supposedly the tallest structure in Canada at the time.

Driving the coastline of Gaspe Peninsula towards Perce we are in awe. The landscapes and sceneries are magical. We are driving so close to the water in some areas the water spray hits our windshields. It really is spectacular - almost impossible to describe. As we are getting closer to the village of Perce, we still don’t see the Rock, then all of a sudden, we turn a corner and there it is in front of us. Even though our first glimpse is in the rain and fog it is absolutely magnificent.

First glimpse of Perce RockTraveling along the coast

Typical Gaspe house along the roadway

Scenery along the highway

We decided to stay 4 nights at Camping de la Tête d’Indien Campground. Our site has its own deck and beautiful views of the water. There is even a private beach to walk along. We can hear the waves crashing day and night. Each morning at 4 o’clock 2 fishing boats come into the bay to check their lobster traps. This four day stop was meant for us to catch up on our travel blog and prepare for the remaining of our travel on the Gaspe Peninsula, and our upcoming Labrador Highway travels. We succeeded in somewhat accomplishing all of these and more. Although it has been raining, it has been our most favourite site to date - beauty is all around us.

Campsite with our own deck, raining.

View from our campsite

4 am lobster boats arrive in the bay

The Tête d’Indian or Indian Head has quite a story. The story, in a nutshell, goes that when a large sailing ship of European crew landed on shore, they saw a young native princess playing with children on the beach. Entranced by her beauty, they captured the young woman onto their boat and took her to sea never to return. The woman’s lover, the Indian head, has been waiting for her ever since with his back turned to the sea - forever waiting for his lover to return.

Indian Head Rock

We spent the day in Perce. Along the way we stopped at Coin-du-Banc for a short walk along a 6 km beach. There are salt marshes here, known as barachois home to a diversity of birds and other animals. The Malbaie salt marsh is the largest one in the Gaspe Peninsula. Like everything else in Gaspe, it is a stunning walk. We continued to Perce via a secondary scenic road, the Route des Failles which was recommended by our camp host at the Tête d’Indien Campground. The winding road is approximately 10 kms and has beautiful mountainous views. At the top, we passed by a lone standing fireplace and chimney, all that remains of the Chalet Perce Mer-et-Montagne. According to our campsite host, this is where our provincial ministers met to discuss political matters until it burnt to the ground. Karma?

Coin-du-Banc walk

Coin-du-Banc walk

Guy being Guy. Not as bad as the wolf den in New Hampshire.

The lone fireplace all that remains of the Chalet Perce Mer-et-Montagne.

In Perce, we walked up a hillside that gave us close up views of Perce Rock. It’s hard to stop taking pictures. It’s so magnificent. It stands mighty and powerful, yet serene and calming. With hundreds of pictures taken, we have tried to capture the impossible, that feeling of awe and strength that Perce Rock exudes.

Perce Rock

Trail to view point of Perce Rock

Perce Rock

On our way back to our campsite we stopped at a Poissonnerie and bought two fresh caught and just cooked lobsters of the day. At our campsite, on our private deck, we enjoyed a bottle of white wine and fresh lobster. We ate our fill while enjoying the view and each others company.  A beautiful ending to a wonderful day.Yummy Lobster - 2 Lbs each and we ate the whole thing!

Yummy Lobster!

Leaving our campsite, we continued our travels heading towards the village of Gaspe. This is, according to our history, where Jacques Cartier first set foot on the North American continent in 1534. Our first stop was at the local Tourist Information Office. The lady there was a bundle of knowledge. Interesting  enough, when we informed her we would be traveling onwards to Labrador and Newfoundland after Gaspe, she told us she felt Newfoundland was even more beautiful than Gaspe. At this time we both find that a bit hard to believe. Gaspe, since we have arrived here has been nothing but beautiful and awe inspiring at every turn of the road.

Village of Gaspe

Village of Gaspe

We visited Berceau du Canada (Birthplace of Canada). This is a historical site along Gaspe Bay where there are a few reconstructed buildings and each one has staff who are more then willing to go into great detail of the history. The buildings include a general store, a tavern, a warehouse, and the original home of Horatio Le Boutiller. Horatio Le Boutiller’s house was built in the 1850’s, and moved across the water over the bridge in 2012 to this historic site to ensure its preservation. There is also a Mi’gmac (the native people of Gaspésie) birch bark house and a concrete cross as a monument to Jacques Cartier. When you walk along the water pathway there are beautiful wood carvings displayed.

Concrete Cross Monument

Plaque on the cross

General Store Building

Original items inside the General Store Building

Mi’gmac birch bark house.

Wooden carving along pathway

Wooden carving along pathway

In Gaspe, we stopped at the Christ Roi Cathedral (Christ the King Cathedral)  This cathedral was built in 1969 and made almost entirely of cedar wood. It is the only wooden cathedral in North America. There are also beautiful stained glass windows. Inside it is astoundingly quiet and peaceful. Évêque (Bishop) Francois-Xavier Ross served here from 1923 until he died in 1945. In 1997 they dug up his grave (we were never explained as to why?) and discovered that he was as preserved as the day he was buried, even his clothes were intact. They have made a shrine at the back of the church and display a coffin (closed) with him in it. The Catholic religion is now trying to canonize him, make him a saint. According to the gentleman with whom we spoke in the church, the Bishop has 2 healings to his name and the Catholic religion requires the proof of 5 healings before one can be named a saint - may take a while.

Outside the Christ Roi Cathedral

Stained glass windows

Inside the church

Interesting art piece inside the church

Évêque (Bishop) Francois-Xavier Ross

Our next 3 days and nights are spent in The Forillon National Park camping at the Cap des Rosiers campsite. On the way there we did explore Fort Peninsula. This is an interesting piece of Canadian history neither of us knew about. It was constructed to protect the Bay of Gaspe from German submarine attacks during WWII, among other things. This is the only WWII shore battery that has been completely preserved. We were able to walk around the site and go down a dugout trench area where the shore-based coastalguns and ammunition were located. Two (non functional) cannons still stand today facing the water.

Trench area

 Inside area where (non functional) cannon still stands

View of (non functional) cannon facing the water

Our campsite in Forillon was amazing, it’s a short walk to the beach and we can hear the thunderous roar as the waves hit the beach. Another amazing stop in Gaspe. Our first day here we did the hike to Cap Gaspe Lighthouse and Lands End. The hike is about 4kms return and is not too difficult. We set off early to avoid the heat of the day. It’s a beautiful coastal hike with many picturesque views. We were told to be on the lookout for whales, unfortunately we did not catch a glimpse. When we arrived at the top is was foggy, cloudy, and windy. We waited awhile on the Canada National Parks Red Chairs hoping for it to clear but it never did. We took a few pictures and headed back down. Well worth the hike.

On the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail

View along the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail

View along the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail

Trail to the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail.

Trail to the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail.

View along the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End trail. A bit foggy.

The Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End Trail

The Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End

Canadian National Park Red Chairs at the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse & Lands End.

Today is our 21st wedding anniversary,  we celebrated by visiting Cap Bon Ami, another scenic spot in Forillion National Park. We hiked the Mont Saint-Alban trail to the view point tower at an elevation of 285 metres. It’s a 7.8 kms trek with a whole lot of up and up only to go down than to go up again - with many stairs. Well worth the sweat and heart pumping as the views were amazing, spectacular and so on and so on. There are so many incredible views here, that we are running out of words to describe them. This hike is a bit reminiscent of our honeymoon in Peru along the Inca Trail 21 years ago. It’s well worth the effort and I highly recommend it to anyone who can. The Inca trail though was 5 days long.

Hiking along the Mont Saint-Alban trail, mostly climbing.

Hiking along the Mont Saint-Alban trail, mostly climbing.

Hiking along the Mont Saint-Alban trail

Hiking along the Mont Saint-Alban trail

View along the Mont Saint-Alban trail

View along the Mont Saint-Alban trail

Almost at the top!

View Point Tower - just a few more stairs to climb…….

View from View Point Tower on the Mont Saint-Alban trail

View from View Point Tower on the Mont Saint-Alban trail

Along the beach on the Du Banc Trail is Monument Le Carricks. This a memorial to honour the memory of those who died in the 1847 Carricks Shipwreck. The ship left Ireland carrying 180 passengers who were fleeing during the Potato Famine. It sank off the coast of Cap-des-Roisers in Gaspe killing almost everyone on board, fewer than 50 people survived. The Memorial displays an Ireland flag, a Canadian flag and a Quebec Flag. There is also the Carricks bell which was found in Blanc-Sablon in 1966. Along the trail further is a graveyard overlooking the water. Patrick Kavanagh, his wife and son survived the shipwreck but they lost 5 daughters in the wreck they are buried here.

Monument Le Carricks.

The Carricks Bell

Graveyard overlooking the water along the Du Banc Trail

Our last few days spent on the Gaspe Peninsula have been filled with glorious coastal drives and lighthouse visits. The Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse is near to our campsite. It stands 112 feet and is the tallest Lighthouse in Canada. Unfortunately it is closed right now so we were only able to glimpse it from behind a fenced area.

The Pointe-a-la-Renommée Historic Site; in 1997 this lighthouse was returned from the Port of Quebec after 20 years in exile. It’s claim to fame is the “most travelled” lighthouse in the world.  It is also where North Americas first Maritime Radio Station - Marconi Station (1904) - is located.

The Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse (1908) has beautiful views and stands 55 feet tall and has stood overlooking the St Lawrence for more than a century. When we visited the museum was closed.

The La Matre Lighthouse is one of Gaspes Iconic Landmarks as the lighthouse is painted completely red with the exception of a white stripe down it’s north side, also the staircase is straight up instead of spiral.

The Cap Chat (Cape Cat) Lighthouse is built atop a 100 foot cliff. The name comes from a large rock formation near by which is shaped like a cat sitting on top a rock (We found this difficult to visualize but we eventually saw it - we think). The current lighthouse is only 31 feet tall but because of its position on the cliff-top it’s light at the top makes it 133 feet above the sea.

Our final lighthouse to visit here in Gaspe is Manate’s Lighthouse. This one was built in 1907 and sits along the St Lawrence River. The keepers house is also located here as well.  It’s interesting to note that originally the lighthouse keeper had approximately 150 feet of land in front of the lighthouse where he could plant a garden. Today most of the area has eroded- claimed by the sea. There is information nearby that details “The Keepers of the Light” that mentions the lighthouse keepers who have worked here over the years.

The Eole Project in Cap Chat is another interesting stop. This is home to the worlds tallest vertical axis wind turbine, which stands 360 feet, unfortunately it is no longer operating. This experimental power project was built in the 1980s and shut down in 1993. It was started by Hydro Quebec and the CNRC (National Research Council Canada). At the site we met the gentleman who now owns the Wind Turbine. He has turned it into a museum and shares its history of not only this wind turbine, but wind power in the area as a whole. According to this gentleman, the main Bearing on which the vertical shaft sits and spins has broke - some of the rollers in the bearing have shattered. It would cost multi millions to repair and since the turbine is now very outdated, it is not worth the repair. For these reasons, it was sold at a very low price. As part of the tour, we were allowed to enter the lower room where the giant alternator is housed and see the mechanics up close. We also climbed up to the observation deck to view the now active three blades wind turbine farm in the surrounding areas. On the grounds, there are paths to walk along as well, even a garden has been planted growing raspberries and vegetables. According to the owner, he planted this garden to demonstrate that wind powered turbines do not cause damage to the surrounding environment. We walked to the base of one of the working three blade turbines and for its massive size emits only a low tone humming sound. There are 76 wind turbines in Cap Chat and another 57 in Matane.

 World’s tallest vertical axis wind turbine - stands 360 feet

Inside the turbine

Stairway to observation deck

Closeup of 3 blade wind turbine

3 Blade Wind Turbine farm

As we approach our last days of the Gaspe tournée, we have a decision to make. There are now 7 forest fires burning in Labrador, 6 of which are out of control. The highway between Labrador City and Wabush had been temporarily closed and is reopened for now. Due to the active fires in the areas where we would be driving, it is now time for plan B. The whole point of us traveling the Labrador highway was to make it a trip with many stops and adventures along the way and enjoyment. We feel to travel the highway now would be just the opposite. We would drive it only to get from point A to point B - from Baie Comeau to Blanc Sablon 1,700 kms. We would worry all the way and not experience the enjoyment we seek. So after many discussions, checking  the news, contacting the authorities, we have made a very difficult decision to retrace our steps (drive) back to New-Brunswick onwards to Nova Scotia and take the ferry from Sidney Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. We will be turning left instead of right,  ferry instead of highway.

Deciding at the ferry terminal in Matane to go with Plan B

Our last camping night in Gaspésie behind a Super C store.

Our last night in Gaspésie

So for now, Au Revoir to the Gaspésie, it has been more than a pleasure. Now many unknown adventures are still ahead of us. We will be crossing to Newfoundland from Sydney Nova-Scotia. Newfoundland, here we come.