Beth looked for whales one last time as we crossed the Saguenay River for the last time on this trip. And yes, we saw whales again!
Trucks, trailers, busses, and all sorts of vehicles easily roll on and off these big ferries. Our sprinter van looks tiny next to the big semis.
A glass enclosed whale watching boat passed behind a ferry as it came out of the Saguenay Fjord.
One more look up the Fjord as we bid farewell to this beautiful area.
Today and tomorrow we will explore the Charlevoix Region as we head southwest towards Quebec City.
By lunchtime we were parked on the quay in Saint-Siméon. We backed into a parking spot where we could have a great view of the water.
RV’s line the beach while the town sits up on the hill, protected from the St Lawrence.
Beth remembered passing this unique horse barn on the way north, so I slowed so she could snap a picture on the way south. If it wasn’t on a curve and a hill, we would have pulled over since there were big horses, possibly Clydesdales, in the barnyard.
At this fork, we veered south onto the Route Du Fleuve (River Route), to experience different towns on the way home.
Stopped at the info center in La Malbaie where they gave us several ideas for places to visit. As you can guess, the tide was out.
We stopped at Villas & Camping des Érables to insure we could get a site. After reassuring the owner that we had no pets he agreed to rent us a spot.
The campground sits on the side of a hill, with terraces each having a few campsites. Lots of lovely flowers are planted on each terrace, so that maybe why they don’t want dogs.
A site with 30 amp service is 35 CAD. Credit cards are not accepted, so bring cash to stay here.
Fun metal sculptures designate which side of the bathhouse are for which sex. The bathhouses were clean, had good showers, and shared a common laundry room.
From our campsite we could see freighters pass below us on the St. Lawrence.
With our campsite secure, we headed back out of town to Champignons Charlevoix. Champignon is french for mushroom. Here they grow Oyster mushrooms in aspen sawdust, wheat berries, and coffee grounds, all mixed together using a cement mixer.
Eventually the mushrooms move to a clean room where they grow on the sides of 5 gallon pickle barrels. The farmers were kind enough to give us a personal tour in english. We now have several jars of oyster mushroom pesto, and a couple of different mushroom laden sauces. Taste testing is dangerous to the wallet!
Beth asked the campground owner what we should “not miss” in our overnight stay here. He sent us to the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu.
As we rounded the corner revealing this beautiful front lawn, we spotted a little robotic mower keeping things trimmed. I’d bet the original builders would be amazed.
This five star hotel dates back to 1899. Their riverfront walkway had great views of the St Lawrence on one side and the hotel on the other. An added bonus along the walk was a set of proportionately spaced models of the planets in our solar system.
Beautiful plantings divide the hotel from the casino across the street. The G7 meeting will be held here this coming spring as Canada is presiding in 2018. The campground next door, where we are staying, won’t be available when world leaders are in town.
Back in town, we walked the waterfront promenade named after the explorer Samuel de Champlain.
Looking for an ATM, we found a pretty church…
and then a sinful bakery still serving fresh pastries at 4:30.
Guess we better do some more walking!
We swung into the parking lot of the
“Astronomical Observatories and Charlevoix Meteorite Crater” but they were closed for the season.
Heading south the next morning, we spotted the little two car Train de Charlevoix.
The train runs from just outside Quebec City up to La Malbaie along the river from June through September. It travels places where there isn’t room for roads and is now on our list of trains to ride!
Lunch was in St Irenea where we parked in front of modern sculptures.
This gatehouse marks the entrance to Le Domaine Forget music and performing arts academy.
The academy might be a good place for me, since I struggle to not “forget” the words to music we sing bakc home with Heart of Carolina A Cappella.
Across the street lies the small train station and a waterfront park and pier with picnic tables and signs explaining the history of the town.
A victorian home has been repurposed as a drug store in this small town.
Steep grades make this a very interesting route.
We planned to park at this rest area to get another view of the river from the top of a large hill.
We were treated to a roadside seat for a set of gravity races.
All sorts of vehicles took part in time trials to try and set new non-powered speed records.
Curves and an increasing grade awaited the racers. We didn’t go to the bottom, since it was closed for the race. I imagined racers ending up in the river if they couldn’t stop at the bottom of the hill.
Some of the signs in Quebec are more descriptive than those back in the US.
The sign was appropriate as the rode really did drop out of view.
Passing this snowblower on the side of the road reminded us that summer is replaced here by a season with a little more snow than we experience back home in North Carolina.
Approaching Quebec City, we stopped at the huge
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Cathedral. There is plenty of parking here for even the largest campers.
Details abound on the towers of this catholic shrine. Next door is a Cyclorama depicting Jerusalem There aren’t many of these old entertainment shows left in the world.
Just past the Cathedral, we resisted stopping at Montmorency Falls again. The falls really are impressive as they drop 276 ft over the escarpment. Beth snapped this view of the busy park as we drove by on the highway.
Not the most beautiful sight, but necessary, Beth found an RV dump station on the north side of Quebec City. We have been impressed that many towns and cities here provide free dump stations. We wanted to have empty tanks before boondocking in the city.