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Eastern Canada
On to Quebec City
Godbout to Quebec City via the Saguenay
A huge thank-you to Fabien Dachicourt for all his great tips! We're falling in love with traveling again!
We have to admit that on July 4, we hit rock bottom in terms of overnight stops: FORESTVILLE.
An unlikely campground (not in any guidebook, by the way), where the locals (village folks who spend their vacations in leaky "trailers") sport pink hair and seriously questionable hygiene. (William, we were thinking of you that night!)
Juliette, without the slightest embarrassment, asks our neighbor: "Why do you have pink hair? Is that the style around here?"
The beat-up tents are surrounded by mountains of beer cases (at least 6 feet high!). It's 7 p.m. and we're exhausted. We have no choice but to stop!
We won't tell you about the night we spent there. We still laugh about it today! It was... epic!
"Hey Fab, it's Henri calling"!!!
"I need to find some good spots!" Help me!!!A huge thank-you to Fabien Dachicourt for all his great tips! We're falling in love with traveling again!
We have to admit that on July 4, we hit rock bottom in terms of overnight stops: FORESTVILLE.
An unlikely campground (not in any guidebook, by the way), where the locals (village folks who spend their vacations in leaky "trailers") sport pink hair and seriously questionable hygiene. (William, we were thinking of you that night!)
Juliette, without the slightest embarrassment, asks our neighbor: "Why do you have pink hair? Is that the style around here?"
The beat-up tents are surrounded by mountains of beer cases (at least 6 feet high!). It's 7 p.m. and we're exhausted. We have no choice but to stop!
We won't tell you about the night we spent there. We still laugh about it today! It was... epic!
July 7: Pourvoirie du Capauleste (outfitter lodge) - www.capauleste.com
We arrive in Tadoussac, a nice little town where we enjoy an espresso on a sunny terrace.
There we meet Alex, a town employee whose job is to tell us we're badly parked.
As it turns out, Alex is French, from Armentières, and married to Isabelle, a Quebecer. He gives us the best local tips. Following his advice, we spend the night at the La Ferme 5 étoiles campground (the 5 stars are in name only!) in the town of Sacré-Cœur.
We arrive at the Auberge du Capauleste in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, one of Fab's tips!
C'est fun ici! ("It's fun here!", as they say in Quebec).
The view of the Saguenay Fjord is spectacular. The place, run by a Frenchman in his thirties, belongs to French people living in Dubai.
We spend one night here, in the lodge's parking lot.
We take the lighthouse trail, a nice walk (an 800-foot climb), to admire the fjord from the water's edge.
We notice white streaks in the water — it's actually where the salt water meets the fresh water.
The kids meet other little French kids, and Alex gets hit on by a little French girl: "Alexandre, do you want to come to my house and play Captain Hook?" she says, twirling her brown curls!!!
We're all dying of laughter — except Alex!
We treat ourselves to our 1st date night! Dinner at the lodge restaurant while the kids watch a DVD in KIFONS — though Alexandre does show up in his pajamas on the terrace at dessert time... "Juliette asked me to come check that you were still here..."
We arrive in Tadoussac, a nice little town where we enjoy an espresso on a sunny terrace.
There we meet Alex, a town employee whose job is to tell us we're badly parked.
As it turns out, Alex is French, from Armentières, and married to Isabelle, a Quebecer. He gives us the best local tips. Following his advice, we spend the night at the La Ferme 5 étoiles campground (the 5 stars are in name only!) in the town of Sacré-Cœur.
We arrive at the Auberge du Capauleste in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, one of Fab's tips!
C'est fun ici! ("It's fun here!", as they say in Quebec).
The view of the Saguenay Fjord is spectacular. The place, run by a Frenchman in his thirties, belongs to French people living in Dubai.
We spend one night here, in the lodge's parking lot.
We take the lighthouse trail, a nice walk (an 800-foot climb), to admire the fjord from the water's edge.
We notice white streaks in the water — it's actually where the salt water meets the fresh water.
The kids meet other little French kids, and Alex gets hit on by a little French girl: "Alexandre, do you want to come to my house and play Captain Hook?" she says, twirling her brown curls!!!
We're all dying of laughter — except Alex!
We treat ourselves to our 1st date night! Dinner at the lodge restaurant while the kids watch a DVD in KIFONS — though Alexandre does show up in his pajamas on the terrace at dessert time... "Juliette asked me to come check that you were still here..."
July 7 and 8: Saint-Félicien Zoo
On July 8 and 9 we stop at the campground in St-Félicien and visit the wildlife zoo, a well-designed place where it's the humans who ride around in a cage, on a little train among the free-roaming animals.The zoo is huge. The sun is blazing. We make the most of it. The kids love it, and so do the parents — especially the polar bears!
Pourvoirie du Lac Moreau - www.lacmoreau.com
Route 381. Turnoff at kilometer 55.
9 miles of dirt road. 31 square miles. 32 private lakes. A top-luxury lodge. Welcome to the Pourvoirie du Lac Moreau!
Super warm welcome. We're treated like royalty here and spend the evening with Noël, the manager, whom we'll later meet up with again in Quebec City when he invites us to dinner at his place.
On tonight's menu: bison for the parents, elk for the kids, with homemade fries cooked in duck fat... So much for the diet!
We're having such a good time that we splurge: a 2005 Croix de Carbonnieux red. Absolutely delicious.
Noël takes us out in a 4x4 to see the wild bears roaming the property.
Stuffed moose heads hang on the walls. The woodwork is gorgeous. The place is... exceptional!
Here, electricity comes from a mini turbine that generates the power. The Internet connection is via satellite. We're at the end of the world.
We leave the next morning and drive the gorgeous Route 381, which takes us through Charlevoix to Quebec City.
Noël, thank you for your hospitality! See you soon at your place.
Route 381. Turnoff at kilometer 55.
9 miles of dirt road. 31 square miles. 32 private lakes. A top-luxury lodge. Welcome to the Pourvoirie du Lac Moreau!
Super warm welcome. We're treated like royalty here and spend the evening with Noël, the manager, whom we'll later meet up with again in Quebec City when he invites us to dinner at his place.
On tonight's menu: bison for the parents, elk for the kids, with homemade fries cooked in duck fat... So much for the diet!
We're having such a good time that we splurge: a 2005 Croix de Carbonnieux red. Absolutely delicious.
Noël takes us out in a 4x4 to see the wild bears roaming the property.
Stuffed moose heads hang on the walls. The woodwork is gorgeous. The place is... exceptional!
Here, electricity comes from a mini turbine that generates the power. The Internet connection is via satellite. We're at the end of the world.
We leave the next morning and drive the gorgeous Route 381, which takes us through Charlevoix to Quebec City.
Noël, thank you for your hospitality! See you soon at your place.
