Ile d'Orleans and Le Trait-Carré

This is a view of the Shrine of Ste Anne de Beaupre from Ile d'Orleans

Today our destination for sightseeing was Ile d’Orleans. This large island was settled in the mid 1600’s and runs from approximately Vieux Quebec to past Ste Anne de Beaupre (measuring by mainland). It is a very pretty island with all different sorts of houses, all well-kept and reminded us in spots of New Hampshire. It’s a very artsy island with little artisan shops but also lots of roadside stands of fruits and vegetables and a lot of farmland. We stopped at the Information Bureau as soon as we crossed the bridge onto the island and picked up a booklet of the island then headed west on the highway stopping here and there to take photos. I didn’t take many today as yesterday had me pretty much photographed out.

This guy drove his truck down onto the rocks in the St. Lawrence River with his boat trailer to pick up his boat. There are some guys there in hip waders to guide the boat onto the trailer. Not something I'd want to try!

This is a view of Old Quebec from Ile d'Orleans. There are two more cruise ships in the harbour today.

We spent the better part of the day there and on our way back took a detour to Charlesbourg looked for Le Trait-Carré. This area was founded by the Jesuits in 1665 and was the first colonization not centered on water. Following the signs led us to an area of older homes and a church but I’m still not certain that we found the actual place we were looking for. We’re finding the signage in Quebec rather lacking for those of us that don’t know where we’re going.

We got home just before 4:00 p.m. in time to get the heater on before the sun goes down. It gets pretty chilly inside once the sun leaves us even with the heater and the furnace running. We run the furnace when the inside temperature reaches 64F.

I’ve uploaded some photos to my Yahoo photo site over the last couple of days. They are under Quebec 2006 and Jacques Cartier National Park for anyone who’s interested.

My camera card failed a couple of days ago and I was lucky that Gordon was able to retrieve the photos I had taken so looks like I will be in the market for a new one. Hope the camera doesn’t give up the ghost as soon as I buy a new card! I really like my little Sony.

Jacques Cartier National Park

This morning when I woke up, Gordon had turned off the water as it got to -2C (29F) overnight. Lots of frost on the ground this morning but was bright and sunny. It was 1C (34F) when I ventured out for my walk.

There are still people here from all over. I saw 1 from British Columbia, 1 from Florida, 1 from Nevada, 1 from Michigan, and 2 from Texas.

Since it was such a pretty Fall day, we decided to go back to Jacques Cartier National Park that we had tried to go to last Saturday but it had too much traffic trying to get in. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that today was FREE! We stopped at the Interpretative Centre but didn’t stay there long preferring to continue along and take some photographs. The road was paved but narrow beyond the Interpretative Centre for a few kilometers then after we crossed an old bridge it became a dirt road and with the air that we have to have in our tires for towing it was also very bumpy. Anyway we went into the park to the 18 km. mark, taking photos along the way. It is a very pretty park but has the usual problems for photographers – too many trees and plants in the way and nowhere to pull over to take the shots you want.

Photos in the Park

By the time we headed for home, this being the Friday of a long weekend, traffic had started to back up and it took us over ½ hour to get across the bridge to the south side where we are parked. The photo below was taken out the windshield on our way south on Hwy 73.

Tonight Gordon is going into the Old City to take nighttime photos. Since my camera doesn’t take nighttime photos, I’ve elected to stay home and keep the place warm!

A Tour of the Local Chutes (Falls)!

Wow! Sun! What a concept! It was beautiful, bright and sunny this morning. I hardly recognized it, its been so long since I've seen it! I would have thought that with all the rain and heavy winds last night that the leaves would be gone but they aren’t.

Today we had to make up for four days of being housebound and waterlogged so we headed out to see some places that a photographer from Quebec had recommended to Gordon via pbase.

Chaudiere Falls (Chutes de la Chaudiere)

Jacques Cartier Beach Park

Kabir Kouba Falls on the St Charles River

All three spots were very pretty at this time of year and all of them except for Jacques Cartier Park had lots of stairs so we got exercise! I said that I’ve climbed more stairs in Quebec City than I did in the 11 years we had the house!

All our stops had very beautiful places to walk with the trees and water all around. I probably liked the St. Charles River itself the best with all the rapids just above the Kabir Kouba Falls. The Falls themselves were hard to photograph with my camera as we were too close to them but you can see them on Gordon’s pbase site at www.pbase.com/merriwolf. The Chaudiere Falls were very pretty too and the pathways were really nice for walking, lots of pretty leaves.

St. Charles River above Kabir Kouba Falls

Jacques Cartier Beach Park

Chaudiere Falls

More Rain and More Rain and More Rain.....

Photos around the park taken in the fog this morning




It was very foggy this morning so I took some photos while on my walk. Late in the morning the sun tried to shine.

After lunch we went out to the grocery store. I wanted to try Maxi as the Super C here isn’t like the one I usually go to around Ottawa. I wasn’t all that impressed with Maxi either. When I went into the store it still hadn’t started to rain but when I came out it was raining. They had called for heavy rain this afternoon and heavy rain we had and high winds as well. I swear that if it rains tomorrow I’m going to the mall and not coming out. It was rainy and windy enough to knock out the satellites, Gordon got the internet back on but not the TV so now I’m going to miss the season premiere of Lost. Having just missed the season premier of Desperate Housewives, I’m getting supremely ticked off! Today I’m ready to pack it in and go back to living in a stick house!

Another Crappy Day Weatherwise!

Some scenes from around the campground

It wasn’t raining this morning when I got up but about half way through my walk it started, not very hard so was able to finish my 20 minutes.

This morning I got the freezer defrosted, some gluten-free cornflakes put through the cuisinart for making coating for chicken for dinner tonight, watched TV, read and did some surfing.

It remained cloudy all day with a bit of hazy sunshine here and there along with a few sprinkles of rain. We’ve definitely not had good weather here so we’ve decided we’re not going to the Gaspé this time but will have to come back and take the fifth wheel somewhere closer. It’s quite a distance to go from here all the way around the Gaspé.

Today we decided to do something we’ve never done before and use the pay showers at the campground. It costs a quarter for 3 minutes. We thought that was probably cheaper than heating our water with propane. Gordon’s shower took 2 quarters and mine took 3 (I have more hair on my head, that is). All in all, it wasn’t wonderful. The water wasn’t that hot and the pressure wasn’t that good. Our own shower is probably better but it was different being in the shower with shampoo on your head and the water stops, then trying to get the quarter to work. Definitely easier at home!

Gordon had planned to go into the city tonight for night photos but the rain has foiled his plans again. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are supposed to be nicer.

We also have to decide on a campground at Montreal for next week. They recommend Camping Alouette here and have brochures. I emailed them and they want $200 plus tax for the week so definitely more expensive than here! It’s on the south side of the St. Lawrence and looks like a fairly easy drive into Montreal from there so maybe we’ll give it a try. Camping Transit is a really nice campground so if they recommend Camping Alouette, we hope it is as well.

Housework

I thought I heard rain on the roof when I woke up this morning but it was only wind so away I went on my walk. It felt good to get out again. I’m really starting to miss walking if it’s nasty weather. Walking in the mall yesterday just didn’t do it. I have to walk first thing in the morning while my back is rested.

After breakfast, I got the laundry ready and went over to the laundry room. No one else there. BONUS! After that and lunch, I did the vacuuming and cleaning, then cleaned out the storage area under the bed and in my closet and disposed of a few things and rearranged other items.

The sun started to come out around 1:30 p.m. but was very short-lived.

Nothing much happened today.

The photo today is one that Gordon took this morning of one of the ducks in the park.

More Rain and What A Difference Another Day Makes!

Rain again today and from the looks of the forecast for the foreseeable future! Sure glad we got out and did something yesterday.

Around noon I got up the energy to go into town to pick up some groceries. While I was there I did a tour of their local WalMart and their shopping mall. I didn’t see much that I wanted or needed but it put in the afternoon for me. I thought it was going to stop raining at one point but it didn’t and as the day progressed it just rained harder.

I don’t expect much else to happen today other than rain, rain and more rain so I’m posting early!

No photos taken today so I’m including some I took yesterday.

The scenes below were taken in Canyon Ste Anne

This guy instead of crossing the bridge over the gorge on foot was taking a more exhilarating route

The scene below was taken westbound on Hwy 138 of the St. Lawrence River

The scenes below were taken along Hwy 138 east of Quebec City

What A Difference A Day Makes!

Today dawned bright and sunny although cold. It was about 6C (43F) when I went for my walk.

Since it was a nice day we decided to head out for Jacques Cartier Park which is north of the city. As we drove north it got cloudy and as we got into the mountains there wasn’t much colour as the trees are mostly evergreens. We were going into the park but there was a long lineup so decided it wasn’t worthwhile since the sun had left us so we decided to head east of the city again. We went through Ste Anne de Beaupre and then headed northeast on Hwy 360 for a while. We went through some little towns and obviously quite a few ski hills in the area. We saw a sign for Sept Chutes so drove there and were told it would be $19.72 for the two of us. Since we had no idea what to expect we decided not to go in.

We met up again with Hwy 138 so headed west again and came upon Canyon Ste Anne which Gordon had read about somewhere. We decided to spend the $19.00 to see what was there. It was very pretty with a beautiful falls complete with rainbow, beautiful scenery and not an over abundance of people even though it was a Saturday. There are a lot of stairs so we got our exercise. Two of the bridges over the falls are suspension bridges. I went out part way on the high one, then changed my mind with kids running back and forth and the bridge swaying, it didn’t seem like something I wanted to do. To get to the lower bridge you go down 187 steps. There’s no other way back than to climb those 187 steps so we got our exercise too! All in all, I think we got our money’s worth there.

On our way back we stopped again at Ste Anne de Beaupre and took some more shots of the shrine.

We left around 10:00 a.m. and got home about 6:00 p.m. so it was a long day and we’re both pooped!

Since this is the last day of the month, here are September’s expenses:

1. Campground Fees - $672.30
2. Groceries - $351.07
3. Laundry - $28.00
4. Wine/Spirits - $41.90
5. Entertainment - $43.15
6. Snacks - $8.52
7. Eating Out - $75.60
8. Fuel for Truck - $368.25
9. Propane - $21.20
10. RV/Truck Repair/Service - $109.00
11. Misc - $854.17
12. Insurance - $1203.30
13. Internet/TV - $53.57
14. Phones - $107.85
15. Medical/Dental - $221.22
16. Gifts - $34.20
17. Total - $4193.30

Campground Fees weren’t bad even though we were using weekly or daily this month rather than monthly as we’ve been doing most of the summer.

Misc was high this month as we made a few purchases like the tripod for the TV dish and the satellite finder, the chair massager, the new hard drive and card for PDA, We also purchased our US travel insurance which is why the insurance category is so high.

RV/Truck Repair/Service is actually the plates for the truck.

They didn’t charge us for internet again this month so that will be double next month.

So even with paying over $1100.00 for our travel insurance for the winter, we didn’t do too badly this month.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today I woke up to rain on the roof, lots of rain, so no walk. No walk all day. No going outside all day.

It poured all day. No let ups. The campground is starting to look like a lake. I feel like we’re back in the west last winter.

The photo was taken from the living room window so you can see raindrops on the window and the water in the campground.

This morning we had some sun, not bright sun but since I was expecting rain it was great. It was 11C (52F) compared to the low single digits C (40sF) it’s been for the last few days.

It turned into a beautiful day so I sat outside from about 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lots of RVs started pulling in early this afternoon and I met some people from Ohio who are here to visit the Old City and then heading back to Ohio through Maine. They had just come from the Maritimes. It started to cloud over mid-afternoon. Too bad we were too tired to do any sightseeing today as tomorrow sounds like a write-off!

I haven’t done a ‘view from my lawnchair’ for a while so here it is!

I’m also tired of dreaming up titles for my blogs so today’s doesn’t have one.

We 'Ferried' to Old Quebec

This morning was bright, sunny and cold. Gordon left to go and take photos at dawn. His plan was to go to the Old City on the ferry but instead he just went to the Terrace (park overlooking the St. Lawrence and Old Quebec) and took his photos from there. I went on my walk but there wasn’t anything interesting around to look at as most of the RV’s have gone.

We went into town to get groceries this morning and after putting them away with the sun shining, I sat outside and read for a while. After we had naps, we decided to go into Old Quebec for a while so we took the ferry over and went our separate ways as Gordon wanted to take photos and I wanted to take a tour of the shops. There were still lots of people around even though the cruise ship was gone. The weather was beautiful and it was warmer today than it has been in some time. We stayed for about 2 ½ hours then took the 6:30 p.m. ferry back.

Shown are a couple of photos of Chateau Frontenac. The one taken from the ferry shows the wall that surrounds Old Quebec.

We Play Tourist!

This morning when I woke up I heard pouring rain on the roof so I stayed in bed until 8:30 a.m. I think I could have slept all day but I got up and went for a walk around the new campground. The rain had stopped by then. There are people here from all over, 2 from California, 2 from North Carolina, 1 from Florida and 1 from Tennessee. There is also 1 each from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and Nova Scotia as well as 3 from m Ontario. I was quite surprised. People must be up here to see the autumn leaves.

Me standing in front of mural featuring prominent people in Quebec City's history

One of the streets in Old Quebec

Late this morning we decided to go into Quebec City. I thought we would take the ferry but we were on our way west on Hwy 20 in the truck when I realized we were driving instead. We found a place to park on the street and walked around Old Quebec and took some photos. Old Quebec is a really interesting place with cobblestone streets and lots of quaint buildings and little shops. Quebec's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. There were lots of people there and we wondered why until we looked down at the St. Lawrence River and there was the Queen Elizabeth II sitting majestically in the harbour.

QEII in the harbour

Gate to Old Quebec

Ceiling in Ste Anne de Beaupre Basilica

Another ceiling in Ste Anne de Beaupre

Ste Anne de Beaupre Basilica

Front doors to the Basilica

After we left Old Quebec we drove around in circles for a while trying to get east of the city to go to Ste. Anne de Beaupre to visit the Shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre. Saint Anne is proclaimed patroness of the province of Québec and is also supposed to be that grandmother of Jesus. The present Basilica was built in 1923 after a fire destroyed the fourth church. The first one was built in 1658. This is a beautiful church. I would say it’s even nicer than Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England. I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. We spent some time at Ste Anne de Beaupre, took photos inside and out and then headed west to go home but stopped at Montmorency Falls on the way. We went in at the base of the falls and took some photos, looked at the prices for the cable car, decided not to take it (I’m not much for heights anyway) so drove to the top of the Falls and walked along the walkway. Gordon walked part way over the bridge that goes over the top of the falls but I declined. While there we had a really pretty rainbow.

Montmorency Falls

Gordon waving to me from the bridge over Montmorency Falls

Rainbow over the Falls

We started to head home about 4:30 p.m. thinking we were probably going to get tied up in rush hour traffic but it wasn’t bad even going south on Hwy 73 and we arrived home around 5:30 p.m.

It’s been a long day but we saw a lot!

Now Near Levis, Quebec

Our site at Camping Transit

Photos I took this morning on my walk

This morning when I got up it was cold but bright and sunny. I went for a little walk around the park and looked at the beautiful views over Lac St-Augustin. It really is a beautiful setting, just too bad us techno folks can’t do without our communications gear. After breakfast both of us walked up to the office and got our refund for the rest of the week, then back and packed up. We left Camping Juneau shortly after 10:00 a.m. and with very little traffic on Hwy 73 proceeded to cross the St. Lawrence and arrived at Camping Transit within ½ hr or so. We were set up by about 12:30 p.m. complete with internet and TV so we’re here for a week at least. The good thing about this campground is that it’s $99.00 plus tax for a week. There are no scenic views but it’s a nice clean open campground with a nice laundry room.

Thanks to Carolyn for putting us in touch with this campground.

I got the laundry and vacuuming done and made a pot of stew. It’s supposed to rain tonight and except for this morning, its been mostly cloudy with some sunny breaks. Sure hope it’s a nice week. We’ve got a lot to see here!

We’re hoping to take a side trip to the Gaspé so will probably stay a couple of days there. It will be different to stay in a motel for a change. We were in the Gaspé in 1994 and wanted to go back so since we’re so close we may as well go. This is something we wouldn’t have been able to do with Bib.

We Arrived in Quebec City

We left Ottawa Municipal Campground at 8:15 a.m. Sunday morning, crossed the border into Quebec at 9:55 a.m. and were through the worst of Montreal around 11:00 a.m. We arrived at Camping Juneau near Quebec City at about 1:45 p.m. We checked in but it didn’t look like the site she had allotted to us would access the internet so she said she had one down by the lake and we should be able to get internet there as it was south-facing. NOT! This was a tight squeeze and not easy to get into but Gordon did a good job backing into it. He tried to site in the internet satellite but there was no way, just too many trees. We were mostly set up at this point however back to the office we went and told her that we couldn’t get our internet signal so she suggested other sites but the place is surrounded by trees so I asked her if she would refund our money and she said she would. We told her we would stay tonight and look for another campground. It’s really too bad as the view is very pretty from our back window which overlooks Lac St-Augustin. I would say that next to Double M in Lindsay this is the best view we’ve had from right out our back window.

This is our site

This is our view

One of my internet friends who reads my blog had suggested a campground at Levis, QC so off we went in search of it. We found it and Gordon thinks we shouldn’t have any problem accessing the internet and TV satellites from there. It is quite a ways outside of Levis and the only road across the river is under construction and backed up forever but there is a ferry that runs from downtown Levis to Old Quebec so we’ll probably use that to get across the river while we’re here. We’re scheduled to head to Camping Transit tomorrow.

We drove around Levis and found the ferry terminal but were unable to find any open wifi networks to post our location so everyone will have to wait with baited breath for tomorrow.

So no internet tonight and we’re using the aerial for TV and they don’t get CTV so I miss the season premiere of Desperate Housewives! We get CBC and Global in English only. I’m tired anyway so will probably have an early night. I kept waking up last night every hour as I wanted to get up early so we could get on the road early. I did get up at 6:30 a.m. which is why we got away so early today.