We departed the Schoodic Peninsula and said good-bye to Acadia National Park and left there with fond memories of our first trip there and talking about plans to return some day...take more time and slow down to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere it provides. Seems like when you visit these places for the first time your adrenalin drives you to go, see, and do all you can in the limited time available and you leave there somewhat tired. We vow to return!
Now we are headed to an overnight stop in Jackman, Maine just south (17 miles) of the border crossing into Quebec Canada. It proves to be a pretty drive, now headed away from the coast, and into some pretty hilly terrain. The drive was great but the roads were not the best and then we took what looked like a short-cut on probably one of the worst paved roads ever....it was 25 miles of very bad driving conditions. Ed and Kay had taken a different route so they didn't get to enjoy the pain we did!
Early afternoon we arrive and set up in Moose River campground and meet some of the neighbors in the campground....very friendly people. Most of the folks in that camp ground seem to be seasonal (versus overnighters, like us) who set up for the entire summer and bring in four wheelers and other ATV vehicles to ride the rural mountain roads. We talked a bit about the winters there and they said that was actually their busy season as people bring in snow mobiles then. Sounds like fun but we didn't sign up - yet.
On the way in we had seen multiple signs warning of moose crossings on the highway so we decided to go moose hunting....with the camera set on "ready" we followed the recommended directions that they said "might" offer a moose sighting but it was not to be. We figure since we are headed to Canada there will be other opportunities to see them. The folks in the campground told us that many folks get killed each year when they hit a moose on the highway....since they are so tall, when you hit one it just takes their legs out and their huge body comes through the windshield and well, it doesn't have a happy ending for either of you. They also informed us that the eyes of a moose do not shine (like a deer or dog) as a reflection of the headlights - therefore making them harder to spot until it is often too late.
We ease on back into the campground and enjoy a dinner before retiring for the night.
9 Sept (Moving day - Moose River to Quebec City, Canada)
We head out in the direction of Canada and reach the border in pretty short order - this border crossing was probably the easiest we've had. Only asked several questions and didn't bother looking in any of our gear in the camper or the truck. That did not slow us down much so we are off into Quebec, the French speaking province of Canada.....road signs are now in French so everything is getting much more interesting....fun & funny at times!
Learning French - In preparation for this trip I began watching YouTube videos on speaking French and I downloaded a translation app for the phone but I quickly learned that the phrases I worked on left me and I really know very little. In fact when I called the KOA in Quebec City to make our camping reservation the young lady answered in French and to that I replied "parlez vous anglais" - luckily she said "yes, I do speak English". That is when I confessed to her that I just used the only French phrase I could remember!! We both laughed.
As we continue the drive into Quebec the roads are better and the countryside is really pretty....hilly terrain with beautiful (and very large) farms. We are laughing as we try to guess (in some cases) what the different road signs mean and wonder if they are important. Most are easy to translate and the most important ones come with internationally recognized pictures. We were happy to learn that our trusty GPS (google maps) understands French and translates the directions and street names for us. Getting around is not a problem so far.
Weather - my co-pilot is tracking the predicted weather for the three days, actually three nights and two full days, we plan to visit Quebec City and day three is looking like a complete rain out. Based on that we begin planning to do/see as much as possible in the first half day (arrival day) and the next day expecting the last day to be lost to weather.
We arrive at the campground around noon and get set up. The KOA is on the south side of the St. Lawrence river from Quebec City in a town called Levis - but not too far away in miles. After getting set up, we begin looking at the different tours offered and try to get on a guided city walking tour for that afternoon but there is none available - all booked up as the day is Sunday and heavier tourism traffic. With that, we load up in Ed's truck - him driving and me navigating and we head off into the city to explore on our own and check parking options, and hopefully book a tour or two for the next day.
Driving in the city (especially in a pick-up truck) proves to be challenging but we manage.....and we were not the only full sized American pickup truck in town. Finding a parking spot was difficult but again we eventually found a spot and then we set out on foot exploring the city. Quebec is a very old city (1608) with a lot of history and some history that ties back to the American Revolutionary war....very interesting as I am reading a book "1776" and had just read about that connection to Quebec. The old part of the city is a walled city high on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence river with lots of narrow (some cobblestone) streets that is much like the older European cities.....a lot of stone work and buildings with murals, etc....really beautiful with an exciting vibrant atmosphere.
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| Quebec City |
European bathroom experience - while walking the city we needed a restroom break so we began looking for signs and found one. Turned out to be a co-ed bathroom, yes, men and women using the same bathroom with all the toilets privately secluded by the stalls your normally see and sharing the sinks for hand washing. Kathy was not impressed and said she could not make eye contact with any of the men in there at the same time. When you gotta go, you gotta go!
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| Chateu Frontenac - Old (but beautiful) Hotel in the city |
We had obtained some city maps for walking and we walked, and walked and then walked some more - enjoying the sights but really wishing we had a guided tour to learn more about what we were seeing. So, for the next day we booked a narrated (in English) bus tour of the city for the morning and with a short break for lunch then a narrated walking tour of the old city area in the afternoon. Now the next days plans were set and we could just continue to enjoy this day - more walking and exploring with plans for a dinner in town before heading back.
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| Shop window - Quebec City |
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| City Scene - Quebec City |
Later in our walk we find (and I had read about) a ferry that runs between Levis (where we are camping) and Quebec City. I always enjoy trying to use the public transportation where/when possible and with the traffic and parking challenges this really seems like a good idea so that becomes our plan for the next day in getting to and from the city.
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| Ed & Kay at the Petit Champlain shopping district |
Very tired and getting hungry we begin searching for a restaurant among the many that are here and they all look and sound so good. We ended up having dinner at a French restaurant called Bistro 1640 at their outdoor sidewalk cafe seating. There was a street performer playing music close by that really made the evening and meal nice. Only challenge we encountered is as the sun went down, so did the temp and by the time we were done we were nice and cool. A nice ending to a very nice day.
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| Bistro 1640 |
10 Sept
Two tours scheduled for the day in Quebec City so we are off to the ferry terminal to catch a ride over to the city. In spite of heavy morning work traffic we manage to make the ferry terminal, get parked and arrive in plenty of time...just as the city is waking up.
The first tour was a narrated bus tour of the city that included some inside the old city but also went well beyond with information about the local people, government, culture, history and lifestyle. We rode through the town, some neighborhoods, some parks and were entertained by a tour guide that was pretty comical at times. The tour began at 10:30 and ended at 12:30 so we had an hour and a half to get a bite to eat before the next walking tour begins.
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| City Scene |
The second tour was two hours of walking and being entertained by a young man in era clothing that was also quite entertaining. He went into much more detail about the historical buildings and their significance in the history and also alot of information about the famous people of that time. We were pretty worn out when it ended and were glad that it ended at the bottom of the hill from the city (near the ferry terminal). But as tired as we were, we embarked on another short walk to a farmers market that had been pointed out to us and bought some produce to take back to camp.
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| Tour Guide - walking tour |
A short ferry ride and then a short drive home and we were done for another day.
11 Sept - rainy day
We knew it was coming and we had done so much the two days prior I think deep down we were all glad it was raining as we needed the rest. We declared a rest/maintenance day. After sleeping late and lounging a bit we did laundry, filled propane, filled up with fuel, and other maintenance related things in between what was a steady light rain and not the down pour that was predicted.
By early afternoon we were all caught up on chores and the rain was trying to lift but still a little misty/gloomy. We decided to take an easy afternoon visit to the Montmorency Falls that are here in Quebec City - not in the old part of town though. We declared we would go and see it and just take it easy....in keeping with our restful day plans. We arrived there and the park was bigger than we expected with viewing platforms near the top of the falls and the ability to walk down a staircase all the way to the bottom....many steps.
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| Montmorency Falls |
The falls were really cool - very tall, in fact they say taller than Niagara Falls but not near as big (wide). There was a zip line set up that would let you ride (or zip) across the gorge right near the falls...it looked really cool/fun/scary and Kay and I had just about talked ourselves into trying it and wouldn't you know it they closed for the day....maybe next time.
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| Lady ziplining - no, not Kay |
As we looked at the staircase and contemplated climbing to the bottom we all agreed that the day was intended to be restful so we decided to take the cable car ride back up from the bottom. This was a good choice.
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| Stairs down - cable car back up! |
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