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Sept.3rd - Leaving this morning we passed some of the hikers we met last night and tooted the horn and they waved their hiking sticks. At Sainte-Anne-des-Monts a visit was made to the info. centre for information on a mine in the interior. As much as the coast is loved it was great to get into the hills again. Due to our fiscally responsible ways, the $30 fee was decided against and we went off exploring ourselves. Some bits were found in an old quarry, where a lunch stop was made. Returning to the coast the library was now open so off went the blog and some emails sent and received, even though the computer screen was in French.Pat and Jenny both regret not knowing French, however our French/English dictionary is helping out with words such as 'bibliotheque', the library of course.
As it was way past wine and cheese time, an emergency stop was made down the road at a town called Cap-Chat so that's home for tonight.
Sept.4th - The good weather continues thankfully. Continuing west along the St. Lawrence Seaway, it was late in the day before land was spotted on the other side. Supplies were needed so shopping was done at Matane. Later on a roadside veg/fruit was spotted so an even bigger shop was done there. Those Quebec strawberries, are they ever good! Marcel Gagnon folk gallery was certainly different. The art consisted of the remains of pillars from an old dock. These were reworked into human or animal forms and then concreted over. Hopefully a picture will explain better. Another place visitedwas the gift shop at the Reford Gardens, at Jardins de Metis.
Pat brought his radio with him and 'we try' to rely on CBC for news and weather. Reception is very spotty though and it's difficult to figure out what time the news is on depending on the time zone, and tonight there is no English channel at all. Tonight's camp spot is lot 7 of a housing development overlooking the St. Lawrence. There's a beautiful view looking out over two little islands, and we're the only prospective 'buyers' so far, as the whole area is vacant.
Sept 5th. - The decision not to buy here was made and it was off to Levis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River across from Quebec City, or so we thought.It was a longer drive than anticipated, so tomorrow will be the day to visit the old historic part of Quebec City, just a short ferry ride away.When we arrived at the tourist info centre next to the ferry in Levis, can you believe that it was closed for the rest of the year as of Sept 1st.!!This on Quebec City's 400th. anniversary where they are supposed to be putting on a big show for the rest of the world.Hopefully tomorrow when we cross over, there will be something open.Luckily there is a Walmart here and Marigold is squeezedbetween huge motorhomes.One said they had come from Toronto that day, about 800kms - that's three times the distance we manage in a day.They must just stick to freeways which is against our principles.Pat enjoys watching them set themselves up for the night.Hydraulic leveling jacks are deployed, towed vehicles are unhitched, actual rooms come out of the sides, satellite dishes shoot up, and generators start to hum, no doubt to make the ice for their cocktails.Upon seeing the leveling procedure, Pat remarked "We've got that - they're called blocks of wood".One chap said it cost anywhere from $22 to $100 to park a big rig at a campground!So far it has cost us $5 in camping fees for the whole trip, and that was a donation.
Sept 6th. - What a day!One of the ones we have been looking forward to with great enthusiasm - that was to spend a long time exploring old Quebec City.It rained overnight just a little and continued for an hour or so, but then it cleared up quickly.Yesterday we had searched out a little private parking area run by an older couple.They only charged $5 for the whole day and it was right next to the ferry terminal.For $2.50 each and a ten minute ride we were in the heart of the city.What a fantastic tourist experience - a completely restored inner city going back three to four hundred years.No cars allowed added to the freedom to wander up and down narrow, cobbled streets all flowing into each other.Pat and Jenny commented that it reminded them of old Edinburgh, but with a French flair. They have never seen anything like it in North America.Thank goodness no street planner was around in those times, otherwise there would not have been the disorganized charm of one shop on top of another with addresses like "Twenty Four and a Half".All were brightly coloured quality filled shops, each doing its best to have its own individual welcoming entrance.We walked and walked until our feet fell off, and then took a free shuttle bus that gave a grand little tour.Unfortunately the locals were using it too, although it was meant for the tourists, and so it was pretty crowded.Jenny, being the last to leave at the terminal, had a hard time exiting the bus as people forced their way on.Buildings visited were Notre-Dame Basilica-Cathedral, Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec parliament and the ramparts etc.Lunch was had in a beautiful little restaurant.The waiter gave us a table overlooking the street and the windows opened inward which was a nice feature.One of the reasons we chose this restaurant was because the menu was written in English as well.There is a lack of this sort of help for tourists - Vancouver take heed in 2010.
Sept 7th. - Yesterday was such a great day which fulfilled all we had hoped for, and so the gypsies moved on.For a while we retraced our route that was taken going east as it went through such interesting places.At Gentilly we headed south and inland, trying to get a feel for the "Eastern Townships" of Montreal.As most evenings are at a new and different site, each place brings a fresh area to explore.On a river, it's the rocks; in town, it's the buildings and shops; while a beach stop brings mutterings about lack of shells; Walmart brings out the human trait of nosiness as to what the neighbours are up to; wilderness means looking out for animal activity and plant varieties; and so on.As mentioned before, the fall colours are slow to come due to the fair weather.A good frost is needed, although this will bring plenty of grumblings from the female crew member.
Sept 8th - The Eastern Townships turned out to be quite entertaining.A variety of large and small towns where one could easily while away several hours, set amongst rolling countryside of farms forest, and lakes.The lunch stop turned out to be a poor choice at East Angus as it had a very busy, but smelly pulp mill.Other villages had names such as Bolton East, Bolton Central, and South Bolton.They reminded us of a neighbour!!The route currently taken was to avoid Montreal and all its freeways.This is taking us just north of the U.S., bordering New Hampshire and Vermont.
Sept 9th - Jenny saw an old dead tree where we camped last night.It stood in a jumble of dying vegetation and she was eying it as a possible photo opportunity.A thunderstorm this morning took off a large limb, which put an end to that idea.Crossing the St. Lawrence at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield got us into Ontario, just east of Cornwall and the area known as "1000 Islands".Pat's chair has broken again, so Jenny insists on buying him a new one because she is fed up with the old mechanic fixing it over and over again.
Salut!Quebec. -----'ello Ont.
Mr. Ted.
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