Shediac New Brunswick

Shediac is a seaside resort town about 20 kms north of Moncton. It is known for its excellent beaches and the warmest water north of Virginia. Shediac claims to be the lobster capital of the world, and having the huge statue of a lobster when entering town may help to prove this point. This is the first place we have actually had trouble finding a campsite. But find one we did and went out for a wonderful lobster dinner to celebrate our 37th wedding aniversary.

New Brunswick

This morning we left Perce and Quebec behind as we entered New Brunswick at Cambellton and drove on to Bathurst spending the night at the Wal Mart 'campground'.

The Maritime Provinces

The Maritimes consist of the 4 most Easterly Provinces of Canada. This summer will see us travel through New Brunswick, on to Nova Scotia and then by ferry to Newfoundland, back to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. After crossing to Prince Edward Island we will once again cross New Brunswick to enter the United States. Cape Breton Island off the northern coast of Nova Scotia is joined to the mainland via a causeway. The ferries to Newfoundland leave from the northern end of Cape Breton Island. The Maritimes are a wonderfully diverse and beautiful part of Canada.

Perce, around town

Low tide was in the late afternoon, so this gave us a chance to explore the town and surrounding area's. The area is rather steep but this affords some wonderful views over the town. The main street is a very busy tourist area with an active wharf taking tourists by boat to the off shore islands as well as fishing trips.

Perce Town and Rock

Perce was our home for 2 nights at this campsite and this gave us a chance to take the escorted walk, at low tide out to the rock. The vertical rock face is all shale and is very unstable, consequently they are very careful where they let the public explore.

Perce

The hill above Perce with it's 'serious' grade of 17% gives us a wonderful view of the Perce Rock and town below. The rock and it's arches is one of the best recognized views of the Gaspe area and Quebec. We were lucky to have a campsite with a beautiful view of the rock.

The lighthouse, at the Campground du Phare was out on a point of land at the bottom of our campground.

Town of Gaspe

Today we visited the Cap des Rosiers Lighthouse with the high cliffs and very rocky shoreline, thought about walking to the lookout on the top of the 1,000ft cliff but decided against it in the heat. We had packed lunch and drinks in the cooler for a day of exploring in warm (30 degrees) and sunny weather. A circle tour of the Forillon National Park was followed by a visit to the town of Gaspe as we saw the square rigger 'Belem' out of Nantes France coming into the dock just outside of town. She is a sail training ship and has arrived in the St. Lawrence River to help Quebec celebrate the cities 400th anniversary. The local yacht club was out in force to welcome the 'Belem' in. It seems funny at times to see yachts with the Canadian Flag on their sterns, and then we have to pinch ourselves and say, 'yes, we are still in Canada', even although we are so far from the west coast.

The Gaspesie Route

The Gaspesie circle trip is a beautiful drive with lighthouses, wonderful seaside highways and suddenly wind generators appearing over the next hill. From the signs you can see that the highway can be subjected to the sea crashing over in storm conditions. We were somewhat concerned when we saw road grades from 14 to 17 percent. While out for a short drive in 'Granny' we were hit by a large rock, thrown by a passing truck that left an orange size 'bruise' on our windshield. The windshield was replaced in Moncton.

Lighthouse Trail

Quebec is home to 43 traditional lighthouses most of which stand along the coastline of the St. Laurent River. Our 1st Lighthouse was at Pointe-au-Pere where we climbed the 128 steps to the top and learned how a lighthouse of 150 years was constructed and operated. Near the lighthouse is the pavilion to the Empress of Ireland. In 1914 after sailing from Quebec City she was struck by a 'collier' and sank in 14 minutes with the loss of 1012 people.

Leaving Quebec City

On leaving Quebec City we crossed the St. Laurent River to the South shore. While stopped at St. Jean-Port Joli Kath really enjoyed a visit to a wood carving museum. Shown here are a couple of Norman Rockwell's carved paintings as well as Rene Levesque and the seagull 'Johnathan Livingston Seagull'.

Orleans Island and Quebec City Harbour

On the following day we did a circle tour of Ile d'Orleans, a beautiful island just down river from Quebec City. An ocean sailing race from Quebec City to France had left the day before and we were able to see the yachts moving down river in very light winds and at times adverse tides. Parked beside the road, was a very early (1930ies) snowmobile built by Mr. Bombardier, the forerunner of the current Bombardier Company. On returning to the city we had a quick tour around the harbour/yacht basin.

Quebec City

....................We were invited to a concert by Paul McCartney on the Plains of Abraham along with about 200,000 other people. A walking tour of the ‘old city’ is one of the best ways to enjoy the cobblestone streets and building dating back several hundred years. To say the city is alive and jumping is an under statement. Quebec City is the only walled city in North America. The 'wall' and the entrances to the city are very well defined. Close to the Hotel Frontenac areas are being excavated reveling some of the oldest buildings and fortifications from the 1600's.