Today we are sad to leave PEI and our friends, but we have to get a move on.
We are trying to get the 490 km or as close as possible to Campbellton NB. This is a good starting point for our tour out on the Gaspe Peninsula.
We headed to the Confederation bridge, stopped to get stickers, and paid our toll. It is a spectacular day and the forecast this week looks good.
We did alternate between the small coastal roads and the secondary highway.
The Acadian spirit is alive and well here with all the flags, banners, and homes painted in the Red/White, and Blue with the gold star.
We decided to stop for the day just after 4 and found a nice camp site on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the village of Belldune. This camp is on a cliff above the water, but with easy access to the beach. There was a dairy bar down the road and we opted for ice-cream for dinner! The sun was an amazing blood red globe at sunset. So nice to be back in our tent. It was 28-32 degrees all day, but after sunset it was nice and cool for sleeping.
We slept in and set out after 9 north again and still on the Acadian coastal drive (11). We stopped for fuel in Cambellton (.10$ a liter cheaper than Quebec). Got to love it in rural Canada where you can pump your gas and THEN pay for it!
We rode across the bridge to Quebec, stopped at the tourist info for some maps, and then hit a local grill for a hearty breakfast. You know you are in Quebec when this is the ad on your place mat.
This is the gateway to the Gaspe peninsula and we spent the rest of the day going east and north on the 132. This winds on and off the coast and thru small towns and First Nation villages.
We never really figured out what they meant by the “slippery for motorcycles for the next X km” signs.
There are a huge number of bikers mostly Harleys and an insane number of Can Ams.
A common sign here.
We stopped in Perce for a view of the rock arch and then around to Saint-George-de-Malbaie from where you can actually see the arch from the back side.
Our goal is to get close to the Forillon National Park today at the tip of the Gaspe. We managed to get just past Gaspe town and to the Fort Ramsay Camp ground. The motel here like most in Quebec and for sure on the Gaspe are fully booked and this dive is 165$ per night! Camping is 25!
We had been told by the camp office lady there was a place to get dinner “500” m back towards town. Well we arrived back to the ESSO where we had just bought gas 1.4 km back and asked for directions to the place that was actually 2 km from the camping. Oh well at least we had a good walk to justify the juicy Montreal smoked meat sandwiches we had at La Bannquise!
We had to get in the tent at dusk as the mosquitoes were driving us crazy (Welcome back to Canada).
We had a great night as it cooled off nicely and we packed up just as the sun was burning thru the clouds about 0830. We set off north and east again on the 132 thru the Forillon National park to the end of the Gaspe Peninsula and then finally made our turn WEST on the 132 at the Cap-des Rosiers lighthouse (tallest in Canada).
There were no services at all for the 50 km since we left the camp site until we hit L’Anse-au-Griffon, where there is a nice cafe for a very hearty breakfast. The ride until the light house is thru dense forest, but after is much closer to the coast and winds thru villages until Cloridorm where the road is adjacent to the sea.
We stopped again at La Marte to see the all red lighthouse.
The road continues to snake along the coast and we stopped for fuel and groceries in Matane.
Here we continued on the 132 to just before Metis-sur-Mer, where we took the secondary road east and then the gravel roads to get to the village of Padoue, where we had booked the only room left on bookings within 200 km.
This is at a nice Gite (B&B in Quebec) for a reasonable price.
The forecast is for rain tonight and we don’t want to deal with that in the morning and then having a wet tent for a few days in Quebec City. Now QC is another massive problem as it is 99% booked and what is left downtown is 400-600$ per night. We finally found a place outside the city that is still a bit expensive, but has a free shuttle to the old city and with the forecast for rain we are not camping.