Jun 28 - Métis-sur-Mer on the Gaspé, QC
We were on the road shortly before 9 a.m. Today's drive will take us along the shores of the St Lawrence via Hwy 132 to Rivière du Loup, Rimouski, and finally Métis-sur-Mer.
There is one thing we noticed very quickly as we drove the coast route – the size of the Catholic churches in each community.
As we wandered over to the river, the heavens opened. This is the first rain we've had on a drive for a long time. Most times it rains, it rains at night, or when we are set up in a park.
So in the rain, I shot this video.
After a few kilometers of bumpy road (and a RPITA driver in front of us), I gave up and turned south to catch Autoroute 20, the 4-lane highway. We have close to 300 kms to drive today and I didn't fancy bouncing along on all 300 kms. Of course the Autoroute 20, in spots, wasn't much better. Winter sure takes its toll on the roads in the east. We in the west really don't appreciate how nice our road surfaces are.
We stopped for a coffee break at L'Isle-Verte.
The river here is very muddy and flows over a disused dam. Further up the river, there are rapids.
We found the information on these plaques interesting. Here is that house today (the red one).
There was a thriving industry here years ago that we also found interesting.
Imagine, back at the turn of the 20th century, manufacturing 35 mattresses a day stuffed with sea moss!
After coffee, and after meeting Ron and Nancy from Ontario (who were heading to Gaspé today), we got back in Alfie and continued our drive east. Of course as soon as we started driving, the sun appeared but with clouds still around.
We drove past a market with three smoke houses out front.
You may not realize, or might not have thought about it, but the St Lawrence is a tidal river. Can you imagine how close the water would be at high tide? Yep, pretty close to the road.
We arrived at Camping Annie just west of Métis-sur-Mer and set up camp. This RV park has the usual amenities, including a pool, but wifi is only available in and around the office area.
It will only be a matter of time, but I sure wish all RV parks understood the importance of providing decent wifi. It's kinda like a cell phone – it is something that travelers need and expect in today's world. And while I am ranting a bit, why do RV parks, like this one who charge a pretty penny to stay, insist on charging for showers?! Like you spend, $45 to camp, and then they want a buck just to have a shower!! Talk about "nickel and dime'ing"!! Okay, rant done.
While Jen had her afternoon "recharge-her-batteries" rest, I hopped on my bike and pedaled across the highway to the "beach". Such as it is, here it is at low tide.
The St Lawrence river valley is very lush and as mentioned earlier, each community has a very large Catholic church with spires reaching to the heavens. Jen and I continue to be amazed at the size of the churches in relation to the size of the community.
We rolled along the shoreline in the sunshine looking out at the tremendous views.
Further along, we got closer to the water.
