Storyline: Atlantic Canada, Take 2
After three days drowned in water, the rain finally abated us as we readied to leave Montmagny. I had finished the 2 containers of bourgots (whelks) the previous day and on the way out we stopped by the Poissonnerie Donald Lachance for more. I also bought some frozen turbot, cod, and other fish. Enough for a few days. Shortly afterwards, we were on the road. On QC 132 to be exact.
It is extremely picturesque. Every little village, of which there are many, is so very pretty. With poorly maintained potholed roads. There are campgrounds around every corner. That early in the season they are probably empty as were most we camped in so far.
The road is lined with trees getting dressed for the summer parade, decorating themselves in all hues of green and blossoms.
Leaving Ontario with first heat waves, I thought we may have taken way too many warm clothes, but things changed faster than expected. It is early spring here or something like late winter at times. We left Montmagny at 9°C and stopped for lunch in Kamouraska at balmy 10°C. I did not take my coat off in the restaurant. And jumping ahead we are now in New Brunswick (comes in a later post) and woke up this morning to 3°C and frost on the ground. Doranya’s heating system is being well used.
Kamouraska, a small town on the Saint Lawrence River is our favorite stop on QC hwy 132, although we’ve only been there during the summer. We had to check it again.
Despite the cold, the winter and early spring have not taken away from its charm. It is as pretty as always. Just missing the flowery gardens, but their boundaries are well marked and ready to bloom. One would think that the cold would scare visitors away. Not in a million years! It was busy.
There were a few campervans parked at the designated RV (motorhomes) parking area by the museum. Some had European registrations. Apparently shipped to Halifax for their summer tours, something we dreamed to do with Doranya, just in the opposite direction.
Every corner was filled with crowds, be it waiting for fresh bread, lining up in the chocolatery or lunching in the cafés and restaurants.
We’ve walked by the colourful blue Bistro L’amuse-Bouche before, mainly taking photos of it, but never really stopped for a meal. It was noon. An appropriate time to give it a try.
Once inside we explained Alex’s immunocompromised situation. Some of the staff spoke some English and I think they offered us a room somewhere away from the main one. However, we were confused with their instructions (they didn’t have printed menu and we had to take photos of it, etc.), spotted a table at the corner and took it. They shrugged.
The place was empty. Apparently, they told us that a big group was arriving later when they offered us the other room down or up (judging by what we saw there wasn’t much up, so it must have been down). Happy with our corner table we ordered the wine and had our meal selection ready.
At that moment a huge crowd of women stormed in and took all the tables around us. Still there was enough space, Alex wore a mask between servings and sipping and we were glad that there were other people with masks as part of the group.
The meals were exceptional. I had salmon tartare and Alex had his favourite scallops.
According to him these were the best scallops he has ever had.
We arrived at our last Quebec campground close to 5pm and by the time we set up and had dinner the day died down. Next to us was a hippy couple with a school bus converted to an RV.
At first the campsite, called Le Bic, looked pretty with all the layers of green up the hill. The mosquitoes and other bugs were vicious though. In no time I was (b)eaten all over.
We didn’t like Le Bic for many reasons I’ll list shortly. Next day the school bus departed and new neighbours arrived. They were much friendlier and open to communications. They’d had their small class C RV for 5 years and usually begin their travelling in April. So, they’ve been on the road for almost 2 months already. During the years they’ve been to almost every campground in QC and east. They too didn’t like Le Bic. But they recommended a campground on Miscou Island, New Brunswick (NB) that we called and have booked for 2 nights.
The next two days we hiked in the surroundings and had fires during the evenings with a hope that the bugs would be discouraged by the smoke. Looked like they were used to campfires, though.
Perhaps second worst to the vicious bugs was the RV campground location. At the bottom of a valley right by the busy hwy 132! It was noisy. Constantly. Heavy trucks. Brakes squeaking on descents followed by engines straining on subsequent ascents. Even at night.
There are other campsites away from the road, but they are for tents, yurts, cottages.
The showers were really bad, too. Free, but hard to say functioning. The start button is outside the shower stall in the change areas with dimmed light. Once the button is pushed it ran for 30 sec and then one had to get out and push it again. I usually shower fast, but found that by the time I shampoo my hair I had to find the start button with soap in my eyes and start it again. So, one can’t have much of a shower either. There was a note “4min is enough”, but I thought it was for the shower. By the time I dressed and luckily had my glasses on, the room went completely dark. So, the 4 min were for changing (undress, shower, dry and dress). Did I say you better think there were no shower facilities in this place? No wonder they were free. Thank you very much. (Alex: things were slightly better for me. The shower had a second button in the stall, so I could turn off the water while soaping and back on for rinsing. Also, I learned from Diana’s experience and made sure the motion sensor for the lights was activated just before I hopped into the stall. Water was a nice temperature and I was in and out before the room went dark.)
The other annoying thing was the park admission charges. Check-in time is 3pm, but by the time everyone checks in it really is 5pm. At 5pm they charged us for a full day in the park. Really?! So this adds to the camping fees and makes it a lot more expensive than it should be. We paid for their park as much as our annual fee for the National Parks of Canada. Don’t get fooled by the name “National Park” in Quebec.
Most of these are the QC provincial parks, which for some strange reason we all know about (separatists) they call national. Your Parks Canada pass won’t work in QC locations (nor in other provinces’ locations – but at least these are identified as Provincial not national). I’ve ranted about QC separatists before. I am neither English nor French. I came from Europe where everyone speaks at least 3 languages and often more.
With their new legislation they do a great disservice to their own population. On a predominantly English-speaking continent with second language Spanish, if any Quebecer wants to visit outside QC or God forbid take a job in Corporate America very few will understand their language which is not even the French as understood elsewhere in the world.
Have to say though that everywhere in QC we’ve been most people speak at least some English. But how the new bill will affect the younger generation is an enigma to me. For sure they won’t be federal politicians or get any federal job unless they are rich and pay for private English language lessons.
And as I write this we are again in NB, a truly, and the only bilingual province in Canada. And NB has not lost its French language or Acadian culture – although this has not always been an easy task. Ontario has French services, has French immersion in schools for those who want to enrol. And where there is a significant French population, services and road signs are in both official languages. If there is a will there is a way, as they say.
Leaving Le Bic, we tried to sweep the dirt with a Dollarama broom, and decided that perhaps we should buy a small portable vacuum. Doranya, although full to the brim, always makes room for something new. And so, we ended up with a small vacuum from Canadian Tire at Rimouski.
The windy road 132e took us by Lac Matapedia and later on by Lac au Saumon following the meandering Matapedia River with its deep canyons and stunning views.
Until the Matapedia flowed into the Restigouche.
At that point we crossed the bridge into NB. The drives are truly beautiful. If you get off the restricted highways of course. See you again on our way back La Belle Provence.
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