San Simeon to Notre-Dame-du-Lac

San Simeon to Notre Dame du Lac
Well we left the RV park at Municipale’ du San Simeon and got in line to get on the 9:30 ferry. I really had to rush Bev because I saw the ferry boat coming in to dock and I knew that there was not much time to get in line and pay our fees.
Well we were in line on time but the loader (longshoreman) came by and checked my rear clearance and because it was low tide said that we would have to wait for the 2:00pm ferry for high tide. So, no problem but now we have left the campground and I can either go back or just leave the RV in place and go with the Jeep exploring. So that is what we did.
I am having a problem with the retractable steps on the motor home it seems that the magnetic switch on the door does not want to operate when the weather is damp, or cold. I have to give it a few whacks and then it seems to come to life. I would replace it but do not know where to go here and with French being the language it makes it difficult to get what you want. I also spent some time with the generator and cleaned all of the electrical posts to no avail, it still will not start. So those are two things to get fixed on the list when we reach the US and an RV store/repair facility.
We did take a nice long drive in the countryside and took lots of pictures of the trees which are the most beautiful reds and yellows at this time of year.
The weather is still plaguing us with overcast and drizzle I think due to the hurricane that is coming in off of Nova Scotia. We may get some sunshine in two days and that is what I am hoping for. We will stay in the Municipale’ RV Parke du Notre Dame du Lac which is right on the lake (Lac) and we have a great view of the shoreline and the trees on the other side of the lake.
I hope that the pictures ore showing the color of the fall for you who are reading the blog and just remember you can click on them to enlarge any one of them.

1 Ferry boat in the fog
2-4 Fall colors
5 Campground in San Simeon

San Simeon

A day in San Simeon
Today was spent in the Jeep going around the area of San Simeon. We have been waiting for the weather to clear so that when we take the ferry boat across the St. Lawrence River we could possibly see some whales. So off we went to see some fall color.
We drove east on Hwy 138 toward Tadoussac where we had to cross the Saguenay River. There is no bridge so we took a ferry boat which in this case was free. It took only about 15-30 minutes to load the ferry and transport us across but the trip was in total fog. We have had nothing but fog for the last two days and that combined with drizzle does not make for a great sightseeing day.
Next we went north on Hwy 172 hoping to escape the fog that might only be close to the river. It was better but still overcast making the pictures of the fall colors rather dull. The trees really are changing quite rapidly now and you can see the really great reds and yellows. We traveled along the St Margerite River and had lunch in a really neat little picnic area on the river. There were some salmon fishermen along the shoreline and there was a suspension footbridge that I tried to walk across but unfortunately they had it locked and blocked off.
We did go over a really neat covered wooden bridge that was on an old road that we came across. We stopped at a national park (Saguenay I believe) and that is where I saw my first red fox in Quebec. He was running across the green field area there and I missed a photo of him there but then he turned when he reached the road and I was able to get a picture of him there.
Tomorrow I believe we will take the ferry boat across the river as the weather forecast is for about 5 days of the same as it is today. I do not feel like spending five days in this fog and overcast and I still think if we are farther from the river it will disapate.
1-3 Fall colors
4 Covered bridge
5 The fox

Quebec City to San Simeon

Quebec City to San Simeon
We left Quebec City and our campsite on the lake this morning. It had rained all night long and this morning it was somewhat overcast, so all in all our nice sunny days in the city were great for sightseeing.
You can really see the trees changing color now all over there are colors of red, burgundy red, yellow and a golden kind of yellow. It seem that the fall colors have finally arrived. We stayed to the north side the St Lawrence River (so wht’s one more ferry crossing) and went up Hwy 40 and then over to Hwy 138. Now, at Baie- St -Paul we took what was supposed to be the scenic route along the river to San Simeon.
Well if it were not for the fog which was as thick as any we encountered in Oregon maybe you could see the coastline and the wonderful tree colors. Then there were the mountains. Although the Laurentis Mountain Range is not supposed to be high (in fact it is supposed to be well worn down) we encountered as much as 13% grades. I have not seen that since British Columbia and Alaska. This is however supposed to be the oldest mountain range in the world.
We stopped at the town of Ste-Anne-de –Beaupre so that Bev could see the Basilica there. It truly was probably the largest Basilica that we have seen so far. Dedicated to Ste Anne and purported to have hundreds of miracles for the sick and infirmed it is really impressive with chapels on the main level and then another chapel in the basement. They even had a complete campground style parking area for RV’s for the millions of pilgrims who come there yearly.
Well now we are in the Campground du Municipale du San Simeon. This is nice in that it is right on the water of the St Lawrence River and next to the ferry dock. I want to ask the weather report from the campground people when they arrive at 6:00 pm and we may stay here a day or so if the weather is going to improve.
Now the St Lawrence River has widened so much that we can not see to the other side.
Well so far no internet but that may change by tonight, so stay tuned folks and I may yet be able to get a blog out.
Lorne
1 St Anne de Deauprie
2 Inside the basilica
3 Baie Saint Paul
4 Inside the Basilica of St Anne
5

Quebec City Day 3

After visiting the Parliament Building we went next door to visit the Biblioteque or Library of the Parliament. You could literally go into the stacks and find the laws pertaining to the province dating back over 100 years and the statutes that were signed into laws.
Next we took a stroll down the Grande Allee and onto the Battlefield Park where the Plains of Abraham are. Now a lovely park with lawns and flowers this is where Wolfe met Montcalm for the battle that decided that Quebec would be British and not French. It’s strange to see a statue of Joan of Arc there. Also there were some Roundhouses that were built by the British to defend this area in case of an attack from the US. These as well as the Citadel were never used.
Now it was time for some lunch and we stopped at a little outdoor café and I had the French Canadienne dish of French fries, and topped wit ha gravy or sauce and a hot dog or sausage sliced on top of that. Not bad really and you could make a whole meal of this.
Now it was on to the Musee de Art of Quebec which was really quite close. It is housed in the old prison of the city and they have since that time added more modern buildings to it. It seems strange to enter an old prison cell to view a really great piece of art. What made this a great place to visit now is that they had an exhibit there from the Louvre in France. Ideal pieces of antiquity from the Egyptian Period, marble statues from the Greek period and of course paintings and drawings from the French Renaisance.
It was really a great afternoon and now we must contemplate moving on to another location. We have already overstayed our visit here by two days but it was well worth it. Next we must decide if we are to continue going north of the St Lawrence River or switch to the south side. Quebec City is the last bridge over the river and from here on we will have to take a ferry if we stay to the north side. Not that we have not taken our share of ferry rides on this vacation.
Well we will probably leave the country of the cour de voyeurs or voyageurs (these were the names given to French fur traders) and begin to think of heading east.
Quebec City is impressive in its history having the second oldest university in North America (La Salle University), the oldest Catholic Seminary in the New World and being one of the oldest cities in North America as well as the only walled city left in North America. Only Mexico City is the only other walled city.
1 Parliament Building
2 House of Commons room
3 Grande Allee
4 Color Change
5 Stained glass in the Parliament

Quebec City Day 2

Quebec City Day Two
Today we visited old Quebec City again only this time we concentrated on the homes and streets in both the enclosed city (walled) and also the shoreline area which was not the defended part of the city. This started with a walking tour and the tour guide was very good explaining not only the history of the different buildings but also the styles of architecture.
As you know this was originally a French City in 1608 with the coming of Champlain and then it was mostly a fur trading town. Later as furs were depleted and they were a British city (after 1759) the city became a great exporter of lumber. Because the ships carrying lumber to the old world needed ballast when returning they would carry bricks in their holds. These bricks upon arriving in Quebec would be used for building homes.
So originally you have French homes with their metal roofs and stone walls with small planters in the windows. Next you have British brick homes with their small flower beds out on the stoops and you can see how the architecture evolved. The other thing that you see is how the homes were added on to vertically over the years. It was of course cheaper to go up and add more floors to the houses as time went on than to build new homes because originally there was only so much area within the fort walls.
The next thing that is evident is that many of the homes originated shortly after 1759 because the British bombarded the city for two months before the final battle that led to the capture of Quebec.
One final note on the original settlers. Champlain cam with 28 men in 1608 and only about 8 survived the first year. After some time the settlement had about 1000 men and almost no women or families. These were traders as you may recall. To rectify this the French King Louis emptied one of the orphanages of 700 women and sent them with dowries (the promise of land) to the City of Quebec. It seems that all were married within two or three weeks of arriving here.
The area of the city below the cliffs was a wonderful place to explore and sightsee. The shops and restaurants were everywhere and the streets narrow. There was a church for the sailors and the stevedores and this was the center of business activity for the city for many of its early years. We walked around and went to the Farmers Market and bought some blueberries and smelled the bread. Lastly we took the escelar (something like the Angels Flight in Los Angeles ) up to the top of the cliffs and into the walled city. It is easy to see why with those cliffs they did not need to fortify that part of the city.
We have again decided to stay and extra day and visit the Parliament Buildings and the Musee de Art. Ah the life of the unencumbered.
1 Anglican Church
2 Typical French home
3 Brick home
4 City Hall
5

Quebec City 400 years old

Quebec City Day One or 400 Years
Well today we traveled to the old city of Quebec and have arrived here on the 400 year anniversary of the founding of the city. Imagine being here in 1408. The city was founded by Msr. Champlain who was a French businessman. Little is said of the financier of the expedition who was Champlain’s brother in law Pierre Dugus because he was a Huguenot and many of them came to settle this area also. They however were French protestants and not catholic and were later persecuted by the Catholic Church which was a predominant influence in the area. Today unfortunately you can not find any of the protestant descendants of them because the church made them either get out or become Catholics.
But then the French Acadians who settled in Nova Scotia where later evicted by the British because of their French Catholic back round and the fact that they would not swear allegiance to the King of England
Quebec City is the only fortified (walled ) city in North America and we had to go in thru one of the gates in the wall to enter the inner city. The wall extends 4.9 Km and is only on the side of the city away from the river. It was thought that the cliffs by the river were sufficient to ward off any enemies from that direction.
The town is quaint with many again narrow brick streets, large stone buildings and a seminary and Notre Dame Cathedral as well as many other churches.
We took a guided historical tour of the wall and the and the Citadel which is still used as a barracks and home for the Canadian Army. Soldiers still are housed there and perform their duties.
The Citadel was actually completed by the British after they captured Quebec from the French, but the French built the wall (actually at different times three walls ) around the city.
The British made more than one attempt to push the French out of North America but it was in 1759 (?) that General Wolf met General Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham to the west of the walled city that the British won the battle. Actually they faked an invasion to the east of the city and Montcalm’s forces were there and then attacked on the west side by climbing the cliffs. Montcalm then met the British outside the walls of the city and the whole battle was over in 20 minutes. Had he stayed behind the walls the outcome might have been very different.
The French tried one year later to regain the city and won the battle outside the walls of he city but the British retreated into the walled city and were able to withstand any further onslaughts.
It is hard to imagine but the French had control of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River at one time virtually surrounding the British in the New World. Had they persevered we might all be speaking French at this time.
The Americans later tried to take the city but were also defeated in their attempts.
It really is a beautiful old city with lots of cute restaurants and shops and we had a really grand time seeing them.
Tomorrow we will go on a walking tour of the old city itself and some of the old buildings. Then the next day if we are up to another day in the city it will be a tour of the parliament buildings and the Musee de Art.

1 Seminary
2 The wall of the city
3 Street scene
5 Saint Louis Gate to the city

Montreal to Quebec City, Almost

Montreal to Quebec City Almost
We were set to leave Montreal yesterday and the Tepee RV park. I had unhooked the electrical and water and told Bev to start up the engine and take up the jacks (leveling for the RV). Well click, click it did not start. What to do now? Well first off check the battery connections to see if they were loose or corroded. After much work under the coach (you could not believe that they had placed these in such a remote and isolated place) and now dirty from grease and grass and other unmentionable things the vehicle stood steadfastly immobile.
Time to call for a tow truck (plans for leaving are not looking too good). Well after several calls it seems a tow truck has been dispatched but they will only be able to try to start the vehicle and not to tow it (that requires a larger tow truck). Ok so we wait and the vehicle arrives and the driver who speaks French really well tries to jump start the RV. Well guess what duh, it’s not the battery that is at fault.
After many phone calls to his office it is decided that he can not start the RV and he can not put it on his truck. So off he goes with my understanding that another larger vehicle is to be dispatched. That is when Michael comes along to tell me that the driver stopped him to tell him that I must call the insurance company to affect another tow vehicle which is larger.
SO another phone call and they are going to send another tow truck (when is another question). Meanwhile I am checking fuses and then remembered that in Quartzsite the mechanic who had worked on the generator had told me of a solenoid switch down by the steering wheel that had locked up once and all you did was poke the wire down. So after several poking tries the engine somehow revived itself and started. By now it is 3:30 and I am in no mood to travel the 200 miles to Quebec City so the decision is made to spend another night in Montreal and do some long needed laundry.
In the morning Tigre started right up and has performed valiantly since. The drive was uneventful save for the constant road construction and the GPS unit which again sent me down a road I did not want to go. But after ignoring it I did finally get to the north side of the St. Lawrence River at Trois Riveras instead of the south side of the river. This was important to me as I did not want to come across the river into Quebec City and then go west thru the city fighting the crowded traffic in the RV.
So here we are at Juneau de Chalets on Chenin du Lac ( on the lake in a really nice little RV park). The weather has definitely taken a turn for the colder at night and I went up in the storage pod to get down the extra blanket. This means that the leaves are beginning to turn also and that is why we are here. Now you begin to see the bright scarlet colors of some of the early maple trees in a sea of green. In two weeks time it will be a sea of reds and yellows and browns with just some green from the evergreens interspersed.
Well that should be all for now.
1 Campsite in Quebec City
2-4 Fall colors
3 Across the lake

Hats

Hats, Caps, Chapeaus, and other head adornments
Well it is time for a theme on what covers the old beaner or head. Needless to say thru the blog you have seen that I have consistently worn my old hat that seems to keep out the sun and sometimes the rain and the wind. Now this hat has seen better days but then so have I and therefore I am quite comfortable in it. Sort of scruffie and I don’t have to worry about it having a perfect shape.
Now in the east you see fewer hats I have noticed. Out west every cowboy and gir has a Stetson hat or 10 gallon version. Some are high and others not so high but the do seem to do the job. When we were at Fort Erie did you notice the tall garrison hat worn by British soldiers at the turn of the century. Black wit ha large brass insignia on the front.
The Indian Sikhs wear a turban and I spotted several of them here in Canada among its immigrants. The modern day cowboy even though he is older still prefers his large hat and to be really cool it has to be somewhat battered up in my opinion.
The cap or baseball cap is also popular especially among younger people but to me it does not cover enough of the head (but that’s just me).
Well I hope that you enjoyed this little diversion into the coverings that we put on top of ourselves. Maybe next time I can add a few more pictures.

1 The baseball cap
2 The semi fedora
3 The cowboy
4 The turban
5 The floppy

Montreal Day 2

Montreal Day 2
Well we spent our second day in the Old City area of Montreal. Much easier getting there this time and now I was aware not to park on the street because I did not have a residante sticker. That on cost me a parking ticket yesterday.
For you history buffs I was wrong when I wrote that the great French - English battle for Canada was fought here on the Plains of Abraham between General Wolfe and General Moncaulm. Actually this was fought in Quebec City where we are going next. Montreal after the defeat at Quebec City and facing superior British forces gave up with out a shot.
Now to the history of Montreal itself. As you know it was formed by an order of the Jesuits the Suplicants. The whole island was given to the church by the King of France and therefore ruled by the elders of the church originally. After the church could no longer manage the town which had spread its borders beyond the original fort the land was turned over to the Signateurs who took control of the island and its development and the city. Still the church was the overwhelming influence in the order of the day with people being ridiculed form the pulpit if they did not abide by the rules.
The first settlers only numberer about 54 and the colony was in jeopardy because of constant Iriquois Indian attacks and lack of people to defend it. Fortunately, 100 more settlers mostly tradesmen were enticed to come to the colony due to a bequest of money.
The city was beset with several disasters as were most of the early settlements. There were two great fires that befell it ( like Chicago and San Francisco) . After these fires it was declared that all new buildings must be made of stone and have copper or metal roofs. Thus the splendid architecture of the city was developed and it today looks very much like a European city.
The city was beset with several plagues (typhoid, etc) due to a lack of proper sanitation. After this plans were adopted to complete a sewage and water system for the city.
The main Cathedral of Notre Dame is still the largest but another smaller church was started by a young woman Marguerite Bourgeoys who started an order of secular nuns.
She founded a school and a chapel which is one of the first and oldest in North America the Notre Dame de Bon Secours which tended to the needs of the poor, the sailors, the Indians and the sick.
We visited this church and it is indeed a fine stone structure just as it was in the early 1700’s on the waterfront in Montreal.
Our second visit was to the Architectural Museum or Offices. This is located on the original site of the Customs House for the city. Montreal became an important port and trading center because ships could not travel upriver from here due to the rapids. Therefore they had to unload their cargos here and goods (furs, and fish and later grain, ) were loaded onto them here for export. The New World was originally explored and settled here by France for its rich fishing grounds (just thing all those Catholics needed fish every Friday). Europe’s fishing grounds were being depleted but the fishing grounds of North America provided rich catches.
Well we spent our last day exploring the rich history here but tomorrow it is onto Quebec City. The fall colors are just beginning to turn and it should be quite an adventure.
1 The old Customs House and the new Center for Architecture
2 Time for lunch
3 The inside of Notre Dame de Bon Secours
4-5 Views of the city from the bell tower

Montreal day one

Old Montreal
We made it to Montreal and our campsite despite having put the wrong address into the GPS and the closure of one freeway. After setting up Micheal gave us directions to the old town and historic area of Montreal. Did I mention that it sits on an island and was originally settled in 1642 as a French missionary outpost.
Well the directions were great except for the closure again of out off ramp because of construction. You really must come here in 1 year and do this trip because all of this road construction will be finished (only to be replaced by new road construction).
The old town is great and the historic buildings are all within walking distance. First stop was the Basilica of Notre Dame which was closed for weddings that day. And they must do about a wedding every 15 minutes judging from the number of brides we saw walking around. But we got tickets for the light show inside for that evening at 7:00pm.
Next was a tour of the old architecture and buildings. The Montreal Stock exchange which is now a theater, the Bank of Montreal, the Center for Architecture, the Muse of Montreal, the home of the first Governor of Montreal, the homes of some of the other famous people. The old center of the city is really quite marvelous with its cit rock streets which look like bricks but are actually rock. The streets as you can imagine are quite narrow and they have many small parks everywhere on the boulevards. The main street on the river has a parkway all the way along it and lots of things to see.
We did not get a chance to see it all and will go back tomorrow to see the Center for Architecture and the Muse de Montreal. I think that we will skip the Science Museum. Another thing that we did was a really fantastic dinner at a really great French Bistro. Bev loved the Coq o Vin and I had Pork Tenderloin in a win sauce. Mmmmmmm good and topped off with cheesecake.
Well folks that is all for today so stay tuned for the next episode.
1-5 Street scenes and the front of Notre Dame de bon Secours

Toronto to Montreal

Toronto to Montreal (your in the Land of Oz)
We left Toronto and its busy freeway system and traffic for the east and Montreal. Paralleling Lake Ontario for some time we finally made it to the St Lawrence River. All laws well and then we crossed the line into Quebec Canada. As you may know Quebec is Canada’s French speaking province. All of the rest of Canada has signs in English with French subtitles such as Exit- Sorite. or Stop- Arete. Needless to say this makes travel rather easy for the non linguist in either language. Here in Quebec they have only French and for those of you that do not speak French well this is a real adventure in highway driving.
Another seemingly small surprise is that when you cross the line is that the Freeway you were on 401 Fwy has now changed to the 20 Fwy you are still on the same road but now you must acquaint yourself with a new set of numbers and you did not change your map from the Ontario map to the Quebec map.
As Bev said “we are in a different country”. Well we have been in a different country for some time we were just all on the same que card.
The next thing that you are well aware of is everyone is speaking French. It is somewhat attuned to going to Mexico for the first time and knowing no Spanish and then you need help for directions or something else and the people you encounter look at you as if you are a Martian.
Well we did make it to a campsite just across from the St Lawrence River and we are now about 35 miles outside the city. We will move to a campground closer to the city for sightseeing but as you can imagine none of them are within the city proper because of the congestion. I just hope that we can find a parking garage for the Jeep as that was a small nightmare in Toronto.
The weather has been great the last week with sunny skies and nice days with some chill at night but not bad. Last night we found that there is something wrong with the generator so I will have to see to fixing it or having it fixed. We have not had to rely on it too much but as we pass out of the East I know that it will be needed.
So today it is onto looking at the old city and where General Wolf Beat the French General to claim Canada for the British on the Plains of Abraham, after climbing the Cliffs of Mount Royal.
Montreal is located in the St Lawrence River and is on an island so that we must traverse several bridges to get to it. I hope that this is not foreboding in a large RV with a toad vehicle.

1 Notre Dame outside
2 Hall of Justice (courts)
3 Notre Dame inside
4 Notre Dame at night
5 Street scene