A cruise and a ride down "La route des baleines"

The ride along the river from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Matane Friday was short and free of traffic. Though the sky was threatening at times, the rain held off. At one point a large wind turbine installation appeared and so I stopped to take a few pictures. as it turns out it was at the sight where the National Research Council had erected the then largest experimental turbine in the world. You may recognize its distinctive shape.

The modern ones are just as tall, are clustered in farms, and are much more efficient at generating electricity.

Having arrived early for the ferry between Matane and Baie Comeau I stopped at a promising looking establishment, La Poisonnerie Bertrand Desbois, for lunch. However, the establishment had recently changed ownership and while there was an impressive array of fish, crab, shrimp, and live and cooked lobsters in the showcases and freezer chests, the restaurant part of the business had not been reopened yet. But things worked out well; they had lobster and lemon and young salesperson offered
to find a plate and utensils so that I could feast on a rather large crustacean that they would prepare for me. I ate it all at one of the hightop tables by the window. Sorry, no melted butter, or anything to drink, not even water; but it was great, and another small episode to store in the Retirent Rides files.

The two and a half hour crossing of the nearly calm river was very relaxing. I met two motorcycling brothers from Iles-de-la-Madeleine and they convinced me that I should make a trip to their part of our magnificent country one day.

Friday night I stayed at the Hotel Le Manoir in Baie Comeau where I watched the Redblacks win over the Alouettes by a score of 28-18.

Yesterday I rode the Routes des Baleines from Baie Comeau to Mont Ste-Anne. This involved tkaing the short ferry across the Saguenay at Tadoussac.  The next two pictures show the river looking upstream and the ferry terminal on the far shore (Hint: you can click on any of the pictures in the blog to enlarge them.)

 
Last night's dinner, the last on this trip was a perfectly done bavette of Angus beef with a shallots and green peppercorn sauce, served with a nice salad of different lettuces, tomatoes, radish slices, and micro greens. with a nice glass of red wine. For desert I had "tarte au sucre et quinoa" and it was superb. My compliments to the chef.

Today, as soon as I'm packed it's back on the bike for the home stretch.

Percé to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

Everything started off well yesterday. I was up early, had a good breakfast (not included in the room rate, "mais à ne pas manquer",

finished loading the and set off for the relatively short trip to Sainte-Anne-des Monts. 

While the highway on the Baie side of the Gaspé is relatively flat and straight, the same cannot be said of the same road on the stretch from Percé to where I am now. There are steep climbs and descents, and may curves, or at least enough to bring a smile on the face of serious motorcyclists. I can just see Pierre-Alain's as I write this. All of this would be perfect were it not for the weather; first a few drops as I arrive in Gaspé, and then, after I've put on the rainsuit, a steady rain all the way to Mont Louis. While I do not mind riding in the rain, I can't say it does much for the view. 

After lunch which consisted of a nice salad with tons of small shrimp and smoked salmon, and a small local ale, I continued to the Auberge Château Lamontagne where I had a fantastic dinner in a dining room full of customers, many of whom were local residents. Ici, comme ailleurs au Québec on ne mange pas pour vivre mais plutôt on vit pour manger. Not having an option, ;) I ordered a half bottle of Bourgogne Aligoté to accompany the delicious gratinéed coquille (really a soup plate full) of scallops, shrimp and salmon in a delicious white wine sauce. 

For dessert, something I do not usually indulge in, I had the creme brulée with small forestier cakes flavoured with curry.

I am beginning to think that I need to change the name of the blog. How does Meals on Wheels

 sound...

Bathurst to Percé

The ride from Bathurst to Percé had me following the shore of the Baie des Chaleurs on both the New Brunswick and the Québec sides. The views out onto the Baie are often quite beautiful. 

As I have mentioned in past postings one of the interesting aspects of riding a motorcycle for long distances over extended periods of time is the way the rider experiences the environment through which he is passing. For example you actually feel the changes in the temperature rather starkly. Today the temperature ranged from 22 at 7:30 when I pulled out of the hotel parking lot in Bathurst, to a high of 32.5 at lunchtime in Bonaventure, and to a low of 19 just before I arrived in Percé. Sometimes the sudden change in temperature, up or down, can be startling as it can happen over a matter of hundreds of metres. And you can smell the salt water, and the freshly mowed lawns. There's nothing like this when you're in a car.

As is my wont when I am in this part of the country, I stop at the cemeteries in Nouvelle and St Simeon to look at the tombstones of my ancestors and wonder how their lives might have been.

The Rocher Percé and Bonaventure Island are huge tourist attractions and the tiny town of Percé is all about meeting their needs with tour boat operators, restaurants, motels, and souvenir shops.

My dinner at Mathilde's, the restaurant next to the Trois Soeurs Motel, where Jane and I had eaten on a previous motorcycle trip around the Gaspé, did not disappoint. The salmon mousseline and local smoked salmon entrée was excellent; and the scallops presented on a Pineau des Charentes flavoured cream sauce, with rice and vegetables were superb. The Crawford Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect pairing. As I paid for my meal I was reminded that breakfast was served starting at 7:00. I just might have to start my day there tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures from today's segment. The first is looking out onto the Baie des Chaleurs in St Simeon, my dad's birthplace.

And this is Rocher Percé as you first see it from the road leading into town,

and again from my motel room window.

The governments are together spending $37 million to improve the shoreline in town and the results are impressive.

Here are pictures of my dinner at Mathilde's. Enjoy!

On the way to Bathurst

Yesterday was the hottest day riding so far this trip; the temperature reached 35.5 by late afternoon. I made a side trip up to Miscou Island Lighthouse, the second lighthouse to be erected on the north shore of New Brunswick at the easternmost end of the Baie des Chaleurs. To get to the island you drive over this bridge where sudden wind gusts can surprise less attentive bikers; but not me.

The ride to the tip of the island is nice and the views from the top of the lighthouse are spectacular. According to the guide on a clear day you can easily make out details on the Gaspésie side of the Baie des Chaleurs.

The new mercury vapour light can be seen from over 40 kilometers away, nearly 4 times more than was the case with the old light.

As a total aside, you all know that deer are called 'Prudence' in Québec. So what are moose called in New Brunswick?

How appropriate for Canada's only officially bilingual province, n'est-ce pas!

No news on meals means no news on meals; hoping to do better in the Gaspé where I am now.

Shediac to Miramichi and to Bathurst

Sorry; I was unable to connect to the internet and post from the B&B in Miramichi where I stayed last night. So I have some catching up to do. Here are a few pictures from Shediac. Something that I think all of my retired federal bureaucrat friends are grateful exists.

The two-pound lobster and Moncton-brewed beer I had for dinner on Canada Day.

And the world`s biggest lobster; at least that's what the sign says.

It was fairly cool, around 15 degrees when I left the very pleasant B&B to ride along the Acadian Trail to Miramichi. The owners of the B&B are a young couple, he an anthropologist, handy man, musician and she a musician and mother of two beautiful little girls. They are joined this summer by two nieces from Calgary, the youngest of which, Lauren 13, is an entrepreneur who set up her company, Robots Are Fun, when she was 8, and has a keen interest in space. Her uncle asked if she could meet a past-president of the CSA and I was pleased to oblige. We were both thrilled and impressed; I more so than she was.

There is a lot of shellfish aquaculture all along the coast with large oyster farms as seen in the next two pictures.

These guys are setting out with floating platforms from which are suspended a series of stacks of platters on which the oysters grow. It's quite an operation.

I stopped for a short visit at the Irving Bouctouche Dunes attraction. There is a 12 kilometre walk onto the Dunes and a really nice interpretation centre where one can learn about the local fauna, flora and marine life, including descriptions of oyster farming.

I made my way to Miramichi and had a club sandwich for dinner at a pub within walking distance of the B&B where I stayed.  Of this dinner, and lunch of deep fried breaded scallops and clam strips
in Rexton, as they say, nothing to write home about.

The neat thing about B&Bs is how, over a nice breakfast you hear a fair bit about the hosts, how they got into the business, what`s going on in the community, and anything else you care to ask about. For example the owners of the B&B I stayed at last night are a couple from Toronto who bought this property as a retirement project expecting that they would be able to operate it about 8 or 9 months a year and travel for the rest of the time. Business is so good, including from cross-country skiers in the winter months, and business people year round that they are open year round.

 And now, signing of from Tim Hortons on the way to Caraquet and Bathurst.

St Andrews to Shediac

Happy Canada Day!

When I got up this morning it was raining and it looked like it might last. But I was wrong, by 9:00 the sun was out, I had packed and wiped down my motorcycle, bought a Canadian flag from the All-Canadian Dollar Store across the street, and driven off to take a few pictures before heading along the Fundy Trail towards Shediac. The first picture is of the Shediac pier from the back patio of my hotel room.

and this is All Saints Anglican Church that was consecrated in 1867;

this is the beautiful Greenock Presbyterian Church;

and this is the famous Algonquin Resort where yesterday I had dinner on the porch to the left of the entrance in the middle of the picture. If you are paying attention you get bonus points for recognizing my motorcycle in the foreground.
 

The Fundy Trail loosely follows the contours of the bay, except where it doesn't, which seemed to me to be most of the time. That being said it's a nicer ride than the divided 110 kph highway. I arrived in Saint John in time for a nice lunch, lobster roll and cup of chowder, at the Reversing Falls Skywalk Restaurant. Here are two pictures that somewhat show the change in the water level over the 45 minutes or so I was there.

After lunch I rode to Shediac at times through some back country roads that Irene led me through, no doubt trying to get back at me for the criticism of her french language pronunciation,  and nearly running out of gas at one point.

I arrived at Le Griffon B&B early enough to have a shower and set out for a lobster dinner at the Auberge Gabrièle.


 

It's all about the meals

Really; I'm very happy about the meals I have had so far starting with last night's excellent dinner and this morning's lovely breakfast at the Auberge sur mer in Notre Dame du Portage.

The dinner consisted of an appetizer of 12 delicious oysters nestled in coarse salt on a rectangular piece of dark grey slate with freshly grated horseradish, lemon wedges and a nice mignonette, and a glass of french fumé blanc. This was followed by medium rare grilled Québec lamb chops in a small puddle of just barely maple-scented gravy accompanied by a variety of perfectly done vegetables, and herb roasted baby potatoes; and a lovely glass of french red, a Languedoc I believe.

This morning's dinner in the dining room overlooking the river consisted of great coffee, a poached egg on half an English muffin, home fries, bacon, cretons, toast (with homemade strawberry jam), and fresh fruit. Just enough to get me going for the uneventful 472k ride to St. Andrew New Brunswick.

St Andrew is a beautiful town with many old houses, nice churches, and the famous Algonquin Resort where I had a dozen oysters and a bowl of plump juicy mussels in a white wine, cream (oh and maybe just a little butter), and garlic, with a glass of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. A bit pricy, but well worth it as a lunch and dinner.

À propos of yesterday's comment about Lucille, I listened more carefully to how she was interpreting "Est", and as it turns out she is actually saying "Estate". So, "Aut 20 Est" comes out as "Out twenty Estate". Now aren't you all glad I've cleared that up?

Tomorrow it's on the Shediac to find some Acadiens, and maybe a lobster roll.

2018 Retirement (not really) Ride

Or I could have called it "fake" Retirement Ride.

In any event it's going to be an abbreviated ride this summer; only 10 days instead of the 3 or 4 week journeys of the last years. But I will try to pack in the maximum number of kilometres and sights  during my time away.

The weather was pleasant enough; well except for the heat, especially when the traffic came to unexpected and unexplainable stops on the 30, or the sudden downpour that caught me in a totally confusing  exchange on the Levis side of the Quebec Bridge. I decided to ride on the 132, a much more scenic road that runs through many small towns on the south shore of the Fleuve Saint Laurent. Problem is that Irene (the lady in my GPS) didn't agree with the plan and continuously tried to get me back to Autoroute 20. By the way her french isn't very good. Whenever there was an Est (as in la 20 Est) she would say "20 Establishment". I kid you not, very disconcerting.

Anyway it was a great day of riding, 689 k, and I'm just waiting to go down to the dining room at the Auberge sur mer in Notre-Dame-du-Portage.

Saturday's ride is to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick.