WEEK THREE – ONTARIO AND QUEBEC
JUNE 30. With a “broken” wing, actually awning brackets, we continue our journey eastward. WD-40 and duck tape are mainstays in our toolbox. You know that WD-40 is mostly a mix of baby oil, Vaseline, and the goop inside homemade lava lamps and not fish oil, right?
We stayed an extra day at Soo Locks Campground, did a thorough cleaning of our cabin on wheels and a big load of laundry, the mundane stuff we do wherever we are.
JULY 2. Filled out the ARRIVECAN app a day ahead, stopped for fuel just before the International Bridge and then got in line with 8 cars and another RV and the line moved quickly. We presented our passports, the agent checked them, asked where we were from, if we had any firearms, how long we would be in Canada and off we went. First stop was the Ontario Welcome Center where we picked up maps, campground lists and recommendations. After a grocery stop we picked up RT 17 east toward Sudbury and stopped for the night at a remote spot next to a river on a dead end road about a mile or two off the highway. The picnic areas do not permit camping or overnight parking and the Provincial Parks are mostly full.
We are immersed in a green forest adjacent to the Vermilion River next to a hydroelectric generating station of which there are over 15,000 in Canada. This one is being renovated and updated and we can see it around the corner to the right, similarly with the dam upstream to the left. A maintenance guy from the station stopped by last night to say hello and said we were welcome to camp here overnight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabagishik_Dam_and_Generating_Station
JULY 3 – En route toward Ottawa, there is a sign that says “Ferry to Quebec” Exit 180 and we say, yes, let’s find it and cross over. We make several turns and there it is, from the Ontario side of the Ottawa River to Quyon, Quebec. A ferry that carries 21 cars, or trucks of any size. We arrive just as it is leaving so wait until it crosses, unloads and comes back for us and a few others. The ferry runs on a cable back and forth all day until late at night and starts again at 5:30 AM. We drive off and right there is a public park on the shoreline, free camping and we set up for the night.
JULY 4 – We wish a Happy Birthday to USA from north of the border and head toward Montreal and Quebec City, the latter our destination for a several day visit.
Stopping at an IGA Plus grocery store, we are surprised by their large and varied inventory including many produits biologique. We put down for couple of nights in Campground Alouette Parkbridge, south of Montreal, and look at projected routes farther northeast.
JULY 5 – Rain is predicted for most of today so just as well not to be on the road. Visited a large RV dealer and store next door to the campground, VR St-Cyr, much larger and better than any Camping World in the states. Missing our camping in the more remote, isolated and beautiful natural environments. S. picked up her favorite camp toaster, the kind you put on top of a stove burner with wires to hold the bread.
JULY 6. Drove along the Richelieu River past farms and villages this morning before getting to Sorel-Tracy and the St. Lawrence River, then on to Quebec City and Camping de la Joie. This is a view of Mont St. Helaire along the Richelieu.
JULY 7 We take a shuttle into Quebec City for a day long visit. We are dropped off in front of Chateau Frontenac and take a good walking tour called The Heart of Old Quebec.
There is an app called Voice Map which enables you to go along at your own pace with a great narrator pointing out the historic sites and buildings on the narrow streets in the city. The app is good in over 350 worldwide locations. Quebec’s strategic location on the cliff above the St. Lawrence River contributed to numerous battles over several centuries between the French, British and Americans for control of the river and the trade route. For anyone interested in a detailed history, the link below tells the story.
The city retains the French culture, and cuisine, and the government of Quebec has emphasized its uniqueness among the provinces of Canada. The early Catholic influence begun by the Jesuits is quite apparent although there are traces of an Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist presence as well, a tip of the hat to English and Scottish settlers.
Highlights, besides the history, are the architecture, the view of the St. Lawrence, the walls around the old city, the upper and lower sections connected by many steps or a funicular railway, and of course the many shops, bistros, restaurants, and hotels, most of which are good quality. One of our favorite meals is petite dejeuner or breakfast with a bowl of café au lait.
https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/quebec-city/history-quebec
Off we go tomorrow to Isle de Orleans, just 5 mi east of Quebec City.