Oh Man!!!!! What a tour. I have visited Quebec a few time but the closest I have ever gotten to the Gaspe was the ferry at Riviere Du Loup, man did I miss some beautiful scenery. Yes I missed it then but not this time. This story started, not in any of our usual starting points, but in a small town where finding a bathroom is hard to do, Tatamagouche. Paula and I spent the weekend in Halifax and Barc and Carol stayed with Nina and Haylett at their beautiful cottage in New Glasgow, so Monday we met up in Tadamagouche for a grand tour of the Gaspe. Wouldn't you know it, the meeting place was the N.S.L.C. and just down the road where we fuelled up had a N.S.L.C. Oh man! Talk about setting the stage. Already now. time for the big adventure for 2010.

Boy was it hot. We weren't to far along on our way when Paula had to zip out the back window and retrieve some refreshments from the cooler. The roof up and the rear window out surely cools down the car but Barc and Carol forged  on with their roofs down ... I am not surprised. Running through New Brunswick towards Bathurst only has a two lane highway and passing is difficult but the speed is always close to 100k. Throw someone in the mix who likes to drive a little faster and you could very well have a disaster... like we almost did. Barc had the lead and Carol was between us as we drove along when all of a sudden a car was coming down the shoulder of the highway beside us at high speed. I guess he pulled out in front of Barc to pass a line of cars and couldn't get back in in time and had to take the shoulder on our side to avoid an accident. Now one's first reaction when a car is coming at you is to hit the shoulder and if Barc did that Carol would have been creamed, what a tense situation. On the subject of tense, along the highway there were berry pickers everywhere, also along the highway was a black bear strolling along. Sorry no pic... 

Over the bridge that spans the Miramiche and then after lunch in Dalhousie, where I took the lead, we crossed the bridge in Campbellton New Brunswick that crosses over the Restigouche River into Quebec. At this point 523 k are behind us and just a few more to go to our hotel in Matapedia Quebec. Click on the link because, I guess this is one heck of a popular fishing destination.

Motel Restigouche was our stop for the night and what a great place. Yes the hotel is on stilts. I guess over the years, the mighty Matapedia River overflowed it's banks flooding the town. The stilts prevented the river from causing any damage to the motel and within the last number of years a dike was built between the motel and the river protecting both the motel and the town.

This is what it's all about, laughter, and we did a lot of that. I was informed along the way that the date was August 2nd and it was our wedding anniversary. I know there is no excuse but I knew our anniversary was August 2nd, I just didn't know today was the 2nd, oh well. Barc and Carol saved the day by taking Paula and I out to supper, and what a supper it was. While I ate crow the others dined on some great food, what a great experience. Afterwards, a nightcap on the patio to end a long day driving. What will tomorrow bring?

Barc made up an Itinerary and today the mileage was just under 300k. Our first stop was Carleton, what a lovely tourist town. Here we rested and took in the sights for about 45 minutes. I love scenes where the mountains meet the sea, so picturesque. A little ways away from the dock were we parked, there was a small lookout tower, here, we climbed the stairs for a better view of the region, just amazing.

Just before leaving Carlton I snapped this pic of Carol's car, it caught my eye and trust me... this car caught the eye of many. We stopped off in Chandler to get our rooms straightened away and then we went down the road to Perce. Perce.. pronounced per-say .. what a spot. We all seen pictures of this rock but seeing it in person is something I thought I would never do but thanks to these cars and a great club such as our BCCCB the opportunity had presented itself.

This very small town is full of life, there isn't a parking spot to be found but search we did and finally a spot was discovered. Thousands of people were milling about taking in the sights and the small shops that lined the streets. Walking down to the dock, where by the way, there were a lot of site seeing boats, we stumbled on some entertainment. Some first nations people from the Saguenay region were doing dances and telling stories, in French of course but I did manage to make out a little of what they were saying. Here they are doing the fire dance. The story of some of the first sightings of Perce Rock dates back to 1603 when Samual de Champlain wrote "We came upon Isle Perce... a very tall rock with two steep sides and pierced by a hole through which longboats and ships may pass at high tide".

We enjoyed a better portion of our day here, seeing sights and listening to some music. The P'tit Bateau Bar Terrasse was the place to be, the beer was cold, the music was great and we had a chance to witness line dancing, which cracked us up. This is the place to visit if doing the Gaspe, a day doesn't cut it, there is so much to do and see. Parking was $9 a day in most areas and in some, if you were a patron they allowed you a certain amount of time to park but if your willing to walk a bit, public parking was near the edge of town.

If you look closely at the first photo you can see that at low tide there is a spit of land visible between the mainland and the rock. Here a few people were brave enough to walk out to explore the shores that surround the rock. One would have to be careful of both the tide and the fact that erosion is occurring all the time, and they say tons of rock fall each year off the rock and it is very dangerous along the shores.

We agreed that the next morning we would have breakfast at the local bakery and we did just that. Man oh man what a treat. The things we bought here I have never seen before, what a way to start a day. We sat watching the early birds walking by as we enjoyed some great treats before hitting the road on day three of our exploration of the Gaspe. Lodging for tonight was in Rimouski. A lot of miles and towns between here and there so we had to cast off early.

   There were no particular stops between Perce and Rimouski, if we felt like stopping, we did. The first of many attractions was Gaspe Harbour which has to be the centre of commerce for the area, man another busy spot. This area must be the crossroads to the most eastern peek of the Gaspe. From here you can head inland west, north to the north shore of the Gaspe or visit the National Park that is close by. Here we had a coffee at Tim's and headed north to the coast. 

I am truly a lover of the Cabot Trail and the Gaspe is much the same, just longer. The picture opportunities are endless. Each town was separated by a very steep mountain which pretty much pushed my B to the limit. If I didn't get a run at the mountain, in some cases I was down to second gear to keep the RPMs up.. we'll talk about the braking on the way down, later.

I couldn't imagine driving a tractor trailer over these hills, and like I said, there is a town at the bottom of the other side, a town with a speed limit of 50k. There must have been time when someone's brakes failed, as for me, I must have heated the rubbers pretty good, one of my rear wheel cylinders started to leak. Not a big deal if you continue to fill the reservoir and I didn't. Rolling into Rexton two days later I had very little brakes. I filled the reservoir and after awhile all was well.

Next stop Grande Vallee for a double P ..... Pee and Picnic. We purchased bread, pâté and cheese in Perce and now was the time to manger la nourriture. Next to the tourist information booth there was a picnic park and here it was that we relaxed and stretched our legs, not to mention eat. I noticed further down the river that there was a covered bridge, I think after we eat we must have a look. We did just that.

La Pont Galipeault built in 1923..... 1923 oh man! We crossed back and forth getting a few pictures. The sign said one vehicle at a time and a weight restriction but you know, for a bridge this old it was in very good shape. Time to hit the road to Rimouski again

Climbing the mountain just outside of Grande Vallee a look-off presented a view like no other. This was beautiful. There is a picture at the tourist bureau of the church and the cliff in front lit up in the night. The picture was amazing and to see it for ourselves wasn't in the cards but from this angle, I am sure it would have taken your breath away. Oh by the way, It was here that after turning a corner on the highway, that a wall of highway that looked like it shot straight up was in front of us. Paula and I at the same time said WHOAAAAAAA! We made it, no problem. Lets talk about rain for a second. Just before leaving Matapedia the skies opened up but by the time we were ready to actually pull away the rain stopped. We never had anymore rain until this cloud burst. Perhaps for 10 or 15 minutes the rains came. Paula and I with the roof up again were comfortable but the other two ran the rain with their tops down. They were praying I wouldn't stop, they said, they were dry as a bone as long as they were driving. If I had stopped we all would have been soaked to the bone. Both were happy we didn't stop.

There were endless miles of seawall that sat between the St Lawrence and the mountains protecting the road that ran along the coast. I couldn't imagine the cost to build this. Along the way there is a sign that basically says that waves will wash your car off the road, I am thinking that the seawall will help keep the crushing ice from spilling out over the road as well. A very interesting drive indeed. Finally ... our motel in Rimouski.   

I had to take a picture of the grand house/restaurant that was next to our motel just outside the city of  Rimouski, very unusual. I was looking for Herman Munster when I walked past. Getting settled and having a relaxing drink time passed quickly and we had to get something to eat before everything closed down. A local Chinese restaurant was just what the doctor ordered. We couldn't eat it all, what was left was put in the fridge in my room for later, I mean after all this great location demanded we stay here two nights.

We had to be at the Rimouski Ferry at 7:15 and we were there, along with the heavy fog. The fog was gone shortly after we reached the otherside so it wasn't an issue just it would have been nice to see the docks as we parted and landed on the otherside. This boat is a high-speed catamaran style vessel made locally and at each table on the passenger deck, there is a book with pictures and facts of the boat and when it was built.. very interesting

A new technique to load a boat. Put a car on rollers and push it in the corner. The deck hands made use of every inch of the deck space. The passenger space was very comfortable and we sat a chatted for an hour.

Look at the roaster tail from the motors, man were we boogying across the St. Lawrence River, I hope their radar is working because you can't see a thing. Barc looks very disappointed that  the visibility was so poor, you will always see him with binoculars in hand but today there was nothing to see.

Leaving the Ferry in Forestville our next stop is the jewel of Quebec, at least I think so, the town of Tadoussac. Still with the sun shinning and plenty of heat, we explored the town.

We did a drive through to find a parking spot but again places were at a premium price and we did find a place on the main street. From here we went directly to the Tadoussac Hotel where we relaxed with a beverage sitting under a wooden umbrella shading the hot sun and watching the sights before us.

The fog you see at the head of the bay came in and out within a 10 minute period bring with it a moment of coolness. As if beckoned, it came in and left as quickly. What a great day sitting here, there was many other things to do but we were quite content sitting here watching.

Watching the countless tour boats come and go on their search for the white Belugas. I am sure each boat left full of people, there surely was no shortage of them, this place was booming. We had to get a picture or two of the cars in  front of the Hotel. People were just as taken by the cars as they were the Hotel. Folks this is the place to visit.

Leaving Tadoussac, there is a Ferry that crosses the Saguenay River. These ferries are running flat out trying to keep the traffic flowing and they did a great job. There are three ferries and they never stopped. Unload, reload and go. It sure was hot when we waiting, Paula and I had our roof up and we were somewhat comfortable while the others waited with their roofs down, they must be baking I thought but before we knew it we were on the boat.

Just after you get off the Saguenay River ferry, there is a look off up the steep incline where one will see the Belugas in the river below, if there are any at low tide that is , which I believe there isn't, I think thy are only there at high tide. Anyway, I was looking at the time on my GPS and I knew time was running out to catch the St. Simeon Ferry, so stopping wasn't going to happen. We made a B-line to the ferry hoping for the best. We got there and yes there was a line up, the longest I have seen here. The young fellow who wrote up the ticket didn't give us much hope to get on but we lined up anyway. Here we had to wait about 40 minutes so we had ourselves another picnic using the Jersey Barriers as a picnic table. Some of us didn't think we would make it on the boat but I was confident and if we didn't, well it would have been a great supper at a local restaurant while we waited for the next boat.

My positive attitude paid off. When the Traffic director flagged me on, I said, in french, There is 3 cars, he held up 1 finger. Carol's heart sunk thinking that we had to wait 3 more hours for the next boat. The traffic director called on the radio and he then flagged the three of us on. After we were in position, one more was let on and they closed the ramps. Phew! We made it! I believe our numbers were 94, 95, 96 and the check in guy didn't give us much hope of getting on but here we are. The power of positive thinking, try it.

An hour on the St Simeon Ferry allowed us the time for a cool drink on a hot day, or perhaps it was celebratory drink to celebrate getting on the boat. Either way it was surely refreshing, Thanks Carol. Leaving Rimouski the next morning, we had a long journey before us to get to Rexton for the car show. Our route to New Brunswick took us along the Matapedia River Valley. This place is gorgeous to say the least, there was even a helicopter hovering over the river scoping out fishing spots for the rich and famous. I am not sure if it's fish, spruce or money I could smell along this region, whatever, the scenery was worth every long mile before this,

What reason would one have to come here to the Gaspe other then to explore. With everyone's lifestyle such as it is who would take the time to do this. The BCCCB gave us the opportunity to do this and to miss it would have been a shame, and many did. I try to take in as much as I can when it come to these BCCCB road trips because normally I would never go to some of the destinations we as a group had visited. I have never been disappointed on any of our trips, all have opened up so many new sights and culture that I may never have seen without the BCCCB. Every trip makes me want to make my car more trustworthy so there is never a break down. The leaky wheel cylinder is a fluke, they are two years old and anything can happen at anytime but the key is to change out the old 30 + year old parts with newer ones to keep your car safe. This trip ended up in Rexton New Brunswick for British Car Days and that's a whole other story.... stay tuned.