Officially heading north to find whales, we were up with the cows at six, and on the road at seven. In just a few minutes we were crossing the border into Quebec. We had no trouble once the customs guard understood why we stayed on a farm last night.
Wound our way through little towns until we hit Route 20 where the pace increased. We looped around Quebec City just before lunch without any traffic snarls.
A tourist information center provided maps and brochures for areas around Quebec City. Quebec is divided into tourism zones and each has a visitor’s center specializing in their zone.
Made our lunch at Chute-Montmorecy where the Falls were gushing. We wandered around a little in the rain and mist. It would be fun to come back on a sunnier day. Gondolas take visitors from here to the restaurant and suspension bridge at the top of the falls or you can climb the (many) stairs to the top.
We kept pushing until we stopped at the Marine Park Info Station and the ranger filled us in on places to camp and see the whales. Right off the Route 138 in Saint-Fidele, we highly recommend stopping here if you aren’t familiar with the area.
Drove down one very narrow road recommended by the ranger and found a glorious little bay. Unfortunately, it was posted as no overnight parking. Our van was large for the end of this road. Don’t attempt it with anything larger than a Sprinter.
This waterfall feeding the bay was capped by a wooden foot bridge.
Leaving the small bay, we drove north until the road ends at a ferry dock. The ferry system is part of the highway across Saguenay Fjord. There are three ferries, they run 24 hours a day, and are big. No fees are charged for passengers or vehicles.
The operation looked highly efficient. Another ferry was waiting to pull in as we departed.
Despite the rain, I climbed up to the top deck to take a few snapshots.
Rain and low clouds claimed portions of the shoreline.
A wall of fog blockaded the mouth of Saguenay Fjord.
The ferries have plenty of room for RV’s busses and trucks. The large blue arch can be lowered across the bow in stormy weather.
Acting again, on the ranger’s recommendation we booked a site at Camping Paradis Marin. Perched on a hill, we are sitting in the front seats with binoculars, staying out of the rain.
No whales as the sun goes down, but a freighter went by lit up like a horizontal Christmas tree.
Looking at the chart, the depth just offshore is 1,040 feet!
The blue triangle shows where we are camping.