La Belle Province

Greetings loyal blog followers!

We left you off at the end of our first leg of the trip as we took a rest stop in Montreal. We left the city on July 24th on our way to Quebec City. We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon there starting off with a picnic lunch at the port. We then strolled through the old city viewing the citadel and walking along the promenade. From there, we drove around the picturesque Ile D'orleans in search of a beautiful view of the Montmorencie Falls which we found after a few short detours. We then drove up the north shore and ended up in Baie Sainte Catherine (which is in a fjord!) for the night. 

The next day we got up bright and early to see us some whales. We boarded the zodiac (small yellow inflatable boat that didn't have enough seats for Talia) and ventured out into the estuary (where salt water and fresh water meet). We saw tons of seals, minke whales, long-finned whales, the smallest whales in the world (we deem them dwarf sperm whales because our guide didn't know the name in English), and a sleeping humpback whale. Due to some misunderstanding about the schedules ferry times to get over to the south shore, we ended up driving back through Quebec in order to cross the St. Lawrence. This pleased Hailey as she got to visit the copper museum she was dying to see. On the south shore, we made it up to Rimouski where we stayed on a rather steep campground. 

The next day, we went to cap chat where we saw a rock shaped like a cat (if you squinted and used your imagination really hard) as well as a rose garden. We then drove to the Gaspé Peninsula which was a breathtaking drive along the water and provided amazing views of beaches, cliffs, and tall churches. We then reached Forillon Park where we first visited L'Anse-Aux-Sauvage. We walked down to the beach and skipped some stones while taking in the stunning view. We then went to the southern section of the park where we saw Grand Grève. We then headed to Percé where we were hosted by Talia's neighbours who also have a house there. 

On July 27th, we spent the morning in Percé where of course we saw the rock from all angles. We walked on the boardwalk along the water and enjoyed some authentic Québécois pastries and a real café au lait. We then headed to Miguasha Park where we saw a museum about fossils found in the area. These fossils represent the transition from water to land vertebrates. We also got to walk along the beach where archeologists work tirelessly throughout the summer uncovering more fossilized sea creatures and plants. They also have a large collection of 3D fossils which are quite rare as the animals often get squished before they are fossilized. From there, we drove on to New Brunswick! There we stayed in the Miramichi campground. 

See you in the maritimes!
Tal, Val, and Hailey