July 27- 28 – Making our way to Gaspésie – Trois Pistoles, QC

After basically driving in a big circle to avoid Quebec City and road construction, we finally stopped in Thetford Mines. Leon pronounces it differently from me, saying the TH. But for us Québécois, it’s Tetford. We were lucky to find a Harvest Host to accommodate us for the night. This is free camping with no services, as long as you encourage the merchant or farmer who is hosting you. This particular host was Microbrasserie Les Haldes. We stopped around 5pm, ordered a couple of beers (gluten free for me, my first ever) and ate a lot of salty popcorn. Needless to say, dinner was never served at Chez Leon’s (our camper). After setting up for the night, we went for a short walk to the local store. I could hear music and singing. We investigated the source to find a lovely community arts center where an outdoor concert had drawn in a good number of locals. We found Thetford Mines (however you pronounce it) to be very charming.

Trois-Pistoles, a little town north of Rivière du Loup was our stop for the night.  I worked with a teacher who retired here, her hometown.  I did try to contact her, but was not able to, however we spent the night at the local campground and enjoyed the Bas St.Laurent vibe.

This part of the province is likely my favourite.  I love the views of the River, more like an ocean, then clean smell of the salt air, and the whole maritime vibe.  I can imagine our ancestors settling here.

There were a few roadside stops along the way to just walk on the shore, gaze at the water and generally slow our pace down.

Here are some pictures from a stop along the Fleuve. The town of St. Flavie has suffered the effects of climate change through high tides and strong winds in recent years, prompting the removal and destruction of 22 waterfront homes. I also found a treasure on the beach which Leon thinks might be a baby seal skull. I left it behind for someone else to discover.