The Nomads

Sainte Luce sur Mer PQ
Fog with sun struggling through

It rained off and on all night but was clear when we woke.
We had a leisurely breakfast while waiting for the tent to dry.
Sue managed to find a wireless connection (wandering around, laptop in hand) and got some bad news from George Burgyan, the young rider from Cleveland who was trying to get to Goose Bay with his moto. We parted ways at Red Bay, Labrador…. Good thing we decided to turn around…
George totalled his bike and destroyed his new digital SLR. He salvaged what he could off of it and had to buy a $2000 plane ticket home.
Our hearts go out to you George. We know how you feel after experiencing the same sort of thing last summer on our way back from the Panama Canal.
We were anticipating rain for the day so we suited up for it and covered the gear on the bike and headed for Gaspé and Forillon National Park. No sooner on the road and we were into cold temps with very heavy fog as wet as rain and by noon we were alternating between fog and rain or showers. I had on double rain gear and Sue had on five layers of warm and dry….
We had a short respite from the elements an hour into the ride and stopped into a “Fromagerie” to load up on real cheese curds and great cheddar! You know you’ve got the “real” curds if they squeak while you chew them! As far as I’m concerned, anything else is just “cheese”…..
The northern coastline of the Gaspé is quite scenic and rises to impressive heights! It has it “all over” the Cabot Trail! Many picturesque little villages that you first see from a distance, looking down as you crest a headland. They typically are clustered along the curve of bights and coves like mussels on a rocky shore.
Cresting one high climb we came across a “castle in the mist”…well, in the fog, yeah, and okay, not a real castle but whimsical and amusing none the less!
Another interesting stop was a shore side art gallery and restaurant that is a testament to the old adage that art is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. A lot of elbow grease was involved in the construction of the buildings and displays!
Unfortunately the weather was horrible by the time we got to Forillon National Park. We were not in the least inclined to explore it to the extent we should have. Add to the mix the fact that the roads were almost all under construction and we did many, many kilometres in mud and loose gravel in the pouring rain with again more fog than enough!
We set up the tent in pouring rain and went to sleep without supper.

La Rivière des Roches, PQ
Raining

We had heavy rain all night and hurriedly packed up very wet gear and headed for Sept Isles to find a hot coffee, gas up and head out for the ferry to Rimouski from Forestville. We drove through the rain all the way to Forestville and arrived twenty minutes before the last scheduled departure that day; and fortunately the rain let up so we didn’t get wet waiting….bonus! And we were the first on the boat!
The crossing was fairly calm but fast as the ferry was a catamaran that fairly flew across (55mins.).
Once on the Gaspé shore we went east from Pointe au Père to Sainte Flavie to camp for the night. We had no sooner gotten into the tent and the rain started. Lucky us!

Natashquan, PQ
Sunny

Disembarked the Nordik Express around ten after stops at the out-ports of La Romaine and Kegaska, the latter being the larger of the two with beautiful views from the high point near the port.
From Natashquan, a small but unremarkable town/village we headed west towards Sept Isles. There were some very nice views along the north shore of the Gulf of St L awrence notably around the Mingan Archipelago but for the most part the road is well inland , of no great interest except that as we progressed westward the vegetation became more mixed forest than bog or black spruce forest.
The rain started just as we finished putting up the tent at La Rivière des Roches Campground.
So, cold supper and early in to the tent to read and sleep.

Aboard Nordik Express
Gulf of St Lawrence

The barking and howling of pets in the on deck kennels had us awake around six in the cabin.
Today we have docked at La Tabatière and Tête à Baleine , and Harrington Harbour so far and are continuing up the coast of the gulf.
We had a chance to go ashore on Tête à Baleine and wandered on the rock and tundra for an hour or so and tasting the partridge berries and bake-apple berries. There was a desolate sort of beauty to the place.
At Harrington Harbour we walked around the village on roads made of timber and rock, no cars here, just boats and ATVs to get around on the land or water. Like most places up here the houses are built right on the bedrock.
Back on the boat there isn’t much to do besides read and sleep which makes a nice break from always being on the go.

Gravel pit
Anse au Clair

BLACK FLIES, BLACK FLIES, BLACK FLIES!!!!! Gawd, what a time trying to pack everything up and get it on the bike this morning! Had to fight with a black fly trying to drag my granola bar away! Swarms of the little demons….every time I took a breath I inhaled three generations of “the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl the face of this earth” (apologies to Mr. Swift).
Off to the local restaurant to splurge all the money we saved on accommodations for a delicious breakfast then off to Red Bay and hopefully Battle Harbour. The road up the coast was good, to bad. to worst. to better. To ?????!
Forteau Bay, Anse L’Amour, L’Anse au Loup, West St Modeste, Pinware, and finally Red Bay.
Battle Harbour was definitely a no-go! Hard packed red dirt covered in loose stones the size of marbles……
Red Bay used to be a big whaling stop back in the day. Lovely little town….
We left there just as the rain was starting and by the time we were to West St Modest we had to be in full rain gear!
Suzie scuttled the trip down to Old Fort because “I don’t want to ride 79 kilometer down there through the wood in the pouring rain just to turn around and come back again!” Made good sense when I think of it,,,,,
Back to the terminal in Blanc Sablon. to verify our reservations for the boat to Natashquan and a long wait on a rainy day for the midnight sailing!
Okay, tickets are in hand and we’re good to go!