This morning we’re off to explore more of the area. Although we love this campground, we felt we should see some of the nearby Provincial Park.

But first, we wanted to find “La Petit Cochonne”, a tiny bakery we learned about from the campground.

Directions said to drive to the airport. Plenty of parking is available in a field by this, the only, hanger!

The lady at the counter only spoke french, so we don’t know what we bought, other than a loaf of bread.

A sign described the pastry in french and we understood enough to know honey, maple, chocolate, and caramel were ingredients. Why shouldn’t we try that too?

From the bakery we drove to Tadoussac. We parked in an old dry dock with wooden doors holding back the bay. It made me a little nervous as we climbed the steps up past the 14 foot marking. The Marine Mammals Interpretive Center was worth visiting.

Life size beluga sculptures illustrate the size of these small whales. Did you know that Beluga whales are the only whale species that can turn their heads independently of their bodies?

Whale skeletons dominate the main hall. On this example, baleen are easy to see hanging from the upper jaw.

Thinking about the NCSSM Unicorns, we took turns lifting a real Narwhal tusk. These are not light!

The center was interesting, though all in french. If, like us, you don’t speak french, be sure to request the books that translate each of the exhibits. The docent was bilingual and answered all our questions. We watched a documentary with wireless headphones that translated the commentary into english.

Located with a great view of the Saguenay river, whales and ferries can be seen from the center grounds.

Across the street lies the town marina where floating docks make the 14 foot tides manageable. With the sun out we actually got hot. A parade of people walked from the dry dock parking lot to the marina looking like firefighters, wearing yellow coats and pants, to board big zodiacs headed out in search of whales.

Walking up the hill brought us to the  historic red-roofed Hotel Tadoussac. Opened in 1864, it has been welcoming tourists here for over 150 years.

The petite Chapelle de Tadoussac was open to visitors. It has been a part of the town since 1747 and claims to be the oldest wooden church in North America.

Walking back to the van, we passed a reproduction of the Chauvin Trading Post. Canada’s fur trading business started here in 1600.

Leaving the Route of the Whales, we turned onto the Route of the Fjord.

Le Bleuvet is in the Parc National Fjord-du-Saguenay adjacent to Bay Saint Margarite. Quebec calls their Provincial parks, “National” parks, but is not participating in the free entry 150th anniversary like Canadian National Parks.

Cell coverage fades in and out here. Phone service connects to a recording saying “try your call later.”

Sites are large and separated from one another by trees.

We walked 3 km out to an observation point where Beluga are supposed to congregate.

This modern footbridge spanned the rocky river.

Cliffs show clear evidence of the tidal change.

Families played on this beach revealed by the low tide.

Signage encouraged us to come back in July or August when Beluga visit the bay more frequently.

Beth saw one Beluga in the distance when a couple of German girls pointed it out.

The sun was close to setting, so we didn’t stay long.

Ants were visiting these interesting white growths on a small tree. I don’t know if they are fungus or some kind of insect egg cases.

A lumber mill and small town once prospered here.  This smokestack from an old boiler lay rusting just off the trail.

Birches lined the trail back to the campground.

We were tired and hot by the time we arrived back at our campsite, especially after carting the big lens and tripod out to the point.

With a daily entry charge, the site came to $64 a night. We both agreed we should have stayed another night at Paradis Marin for $35 where you get 5 minutes of hot water for your loony instead of the four they give you here.

The air had cleared and the bay looked completely different the next morning.

A little bit of color was starting to show in the trees.

The visitor’s center rented bicycles, sold supplies, and took payment for campsites.

The park website is confusing as there are two campgrounds, on opposite sides of the Fjord. Make sure you understand which one you are reserving if you do it on-line. Even our favorite campground app, Allstays, doesn’t have the campground mapped correctly.

This sign intrigued us, so we followed it to find “Huttopia.”

There were very large tents provided by the campground.  This site even had a view of the water.

With four beds, cooking gear, refrigeration, and everything but food and bedding provided, this might be a fun way to camp.