Waking up in Cap Seize, it was dark and grey and it was time to hit the road again. The winds had finally died down from the last 2 days, and we felt it was good to work our way back down along the seashore. The main route around the Gaspe Peninsula runs basically along the seashore with just a few roads that cut through the very middle.
Go back down into Saint Ann de Morts with the intention of getting fuel, and also finding a laundromat. Good old Google pointed us to the only laundromat in town. So we really didn't have a choice of all clean or dirty it was... we really needed to do some laundry because we've been on the road for 13 days.
Usually when we travel, we bring along this Costway washer/spinner unit. It is so handy and portable. It only weighs 30 lbs. And it doubles as a laundry hamper while traveling. Just put our dirty clothes right inside of it as it sets in our shower stall. When it's time to do laundry, we just fill it with hot water from the shower head and let it agitate right there in the shower stall. We let it drain right through the floor drain in the shower. Then for rinsing we move the clothes to the side and refill with rinse water with fabric softener. Once that is done, a smaller batch at a time is loaded into the other side where they spin. They actually spin almost dry! Then we hang them on hangers to finish drying by the end of the day. It's so handy.
But sadly, this time we decided to not bring it along. We had figured that we would be doing a lot more boondocking, thus limiting our access to extra water. Onboard water is precious when you don't have a lot of places to fill it like at campgrounds or dump stations. So when planning our trip we decided to bite the bullet and not take it along and hit the laundromats instead.
In retrospect, we found out that Canada is very welcoming to travelers and almost every town has free access to safe portable water to fill up for travelers like us. If we had known that, we would have brought it along for sure.
Have I mentioned that
I hate laundromats!!!
Ugh!
We gathered our Loonies and Toonies, which are $1 and $2 coins in Canada. Steve grabbed the hamper and I grabbed the soap and dryer sheets. We trudged on in and looked around. This was not very promising. The first three beat up avocado colored machines by the door didn't even have coin boxes in them. We assume they are out of order.
We walked down the row of washing machines and only ONE machine was available. All of the rest were filled with people's clothes, but they were already done running through their cycles. Just sitting there. There was not a single solitary person in the place to unload them! There was one machine that was empty but it was jammed and we couldn't put money in or shake the jammed coins out. So that left us to only one single machine to do two loads of laundry.
The place was definitely stinky, the floors look like they hadn't been mopped in ages. The bathroom, which was moldy and filthy, stunk to high heaven. This was not going to be fun. But we had already put our money in the first machine and had it filling with water to do our first load.
This big huge extractor machine in the back would have been great, except it had a sign on that said out of order. The sign appears that it had been there for quite some time...
Someone came in and removed two loads of wet clothes and left. So now we had a second machine accessible to load in our second batch.
While the machines were running, we did have the opportunity to go back in the parking lot and Steve was working on cooking us breakfast. Now it was time to access the dryers. The first two big turquoise ones didn't look very clean. I think people use them for work clothing? The other six white ones were being used by four other people. So fortunately we have two available for ourselves.
We have learned that laundromat machines either heat up too hot that they burn everything and set in the wrinkles as well as dissolve some of the elastic rubber in clothing. Either that, or the machines don't heat up enough and it takes you three times the coins to get your loads finished. It's really the luck of the draw?
This was kind of a dreary and desolate place. As our clothes were drying, we didn't even want to fold them on the tables. Bit by bit we picked out the dry items and carried them back to the motorhome in stages.
Yes, this is my "laundromat waiting face" for the rest of the loads to completely dry.
Eventually we had everything trekked on back out to the motorhome. While I finished up the breakfast dishes, Steve brought out the last few items. Some damp things were hung up on hangers and suspended them from the cabinetry to dry while we went down the road.
Soon we were back on the road and working our way along the shoreline. The amazing cliffs and the beautiful sceneries soon took away the ickiness of doing our laundry in a laundromat. We just know next time, we won't second guess ourselves and leave the Costway unit at home!
Even though it was raining, the weather kind of fit the scenery. The salty sea air, and the blustery winds, and the crispness and the cold were all a part of the experience. This is what we were looking for, something different than what we were used to. Traveling along through these tiny villages was a real different environment. We imagined what it would be like to live here, but we knew we really wouldn't want to.
The raw beauty of the land surrounding each of these little villages just reinforced in us the fact that it was very rugged and difficult to live in this part of the country. It takes special people to survive out here. They may have the basic amenities, but they are so far from any large cities including medical and industry, as well as competitive shopping and fuel. So they pay what they have to in these small villages just to get by. I am sure many of them rely on the passing tourists to help their little businesses.
And speaking of businesses, we were told in this little tiny town of CLORODORME-QUEST that there was a little food place down on the quay.
(A quay is a man-made structure jutting out into the harbor. It is used for loading and unloading of boats for the fishing industry. It is usually made of dirt and rocks).
This little adorable place called Cantine du Pecheur was said to have the best food in town. Not only that, it would also allow you to spend the night on the quay in complete comfort and silence. Next door there was a little ice cream shop.
Now this was going to be our FIRST restaurant food of the entire trip. We don't often eat out. But we decided to splurge because we read that their crab and lobster rolls were the absolute best...
What an adorable little place! They have a takeout window, as well as a few tables off on the side and an outdoor public restroom building detached from their tiny business. We noticed a lot of locals coming to pick up their orders and leaving, so we know the food must be good.
We went up to the window to order and three of the staff people inside only spoke French. They did ask us to wait for the fourth person who was English speaking to come up so we could ask about staying in the lot. He came from in the back where he was preparing food, wiped his hands on his apron, and spoke to us in perfect English. And yes, of course we could stay in the lot.
We decided to order crab rolls with onion rings and a big pan of poutine! Steve had never tried poutine before and he was very anxious to sample this traditional Canadian delight.
They even said they would bring it to us out in the motor home in the parking lot because it was starting to rain. We walked back along the quay, among the piles of fishing nets and lobster pots and crab cages. This was really a working fishing quay, and we were fortunate to be granted the permission to stay here overnight.
We parked off to one side,
so we wouldn't block any trucks
that would be coming and going.
Colorful fishing nets piled up, as well as what are known as lobster pots. They are stacked up together when not in use. But when they are submerged out in the ocean, they are stretched out like long cages to capture the lobsters and the crabs.
Just like this:
Soon we had a little knock knock at the door. The gal working inside had graciously brought out our meal to us. When Steve handed her a tip, she seemed genuinely surprised. I guess she didn't think bringing our meal out to our motorhome was service? It sure was nice of her...
We unboxed all of our goodies, and boy did it ever smell good! Extra special treat was that neither of us had to cook anything for dinner. There was actually enough food here for two meals each.
We were also surprised to see that our crab roll also included french fries. We were already having quite a bit of food here. So we scooped up the french fries and stowed them away in our freezer for later. We reheat french fries in our air fryer, and they are just as good as the day that they are made. The crab roll was so big that we had to cut it in half to share it between us. Plus we needed a fork to eat up all the extras that fell out because it was overloaded with crab meat.
And now for the POUTINE!!! For those of you who don't know, this is a famous comfort food made with hot french fries, fresh cheese curds, and a rich brown gravy.
Steve had never had poutine before. I did because sometimes traditional Canadian foods wander their way down into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. So this was something that can be found from time to time in the states. Or people just make it at home because they love it after visiting Canada.
I could eat some of it around the edges, but I can't do the cheese curds. (lactose intolerant). But the gravy is such a rich gravy with a almost red sauce taste texture rather than a regular brown gravy made with flour and meat drippings. It has a little "zing" to it's flavor.
We also ordered some onion rings on the side, and they were probably some of the best onion rings we've ever tasted. The homemade breading was just perfect as well as the rings inside. I think they were made with Vadalia sweet onions. We really enjoyed them and saved half of the pile to reheat later for another meal. They came with little dipping containers of honey??
Once we were done eating our fill, we put the leftovers away for another day. I had had enough and was stuffed, but Steve saved just a little bit of room to wander over next door to this little ice cream shop also situated on the quay. We loved the brightly colored buildings which look so attractive against the grayish environment of the harbor buildings. It really helps to stand them out as a business rather than just someone's house.
He brought back his cup of ice cream for dessert, and that was just the sweet treat he was looking for at the end of such a large meal.
Plus, Nick got to lick out the bottom of the container, so he didn't feel left out.
With full tummies, we curled up in the comfort of our nice cozy warm motor home to watch a little TV before bedtime. We have our star link along so we can watch anything we want with our Roku stick attached to the tvs. Believe me, there aren't any broadcast television stations way out here on the Gaspe Peninsula.
It was raining on and off through the night. But we didn't care, we were cozy and warm and well fed. Thank you Clorodorme Quest for hosting us.
Here is the YouTube that goes along with today's blog post:
93 miles travelled today
1,560 miles travelled so far
I think this was also the highest price that we paid for fuel which after converting it to US currency was $8.84 a gallon for diesel!!!
Waking up in Rimouski, we were peeking out to see where we had pulled in the night before in the dark. It was early in the morning, and kind of cloudy. But we could see out around the surrounding spots in the parking lot of the different RVs that had situated themselves for the night. All three sides of the lot were facing the water. So everybody got an "Oceanfront View".
Steve hopped out of bed to take Nicholas outside to do his morning routine. The only problem was, there was no grass! Nick sure didn't appreciate that. Took him quite a while to decide where to go because it was only gravel. I think the bladder pressure finally won out over the indecision. He did his thing and they were able to come back inside.
Now it was time to start the coffee. Steve gets out the tea kettle and starts to heat water up for us every morning. We don't perk coffee anymore, we just have a little silicone collapsible cup, paper filters and our wonderfully ground coffee from Magnum Exotics Blue Mountain Blend. Steve does "pour over" coffee into each of our mugs.
On travel days I transfer mine over to this metal thermal DC powered travel mug. It allows me to plug it in and keep my coffee warm. There are different settings on the readout display to choose your preferred temperature. It even beeps when it reaches the right temperature!
While we were putting things away and getting ready to make breakfast, the clouds are starting to clear away and beautiful blue skies were now overhead. The winds were picking up as well, and we were noticing quite a bit of wind buffering against the side of the motorhome as we were putting things away. It was getting time to hit the road and do a little traveling?
The museum wasn't open yet. Otherwise we would have left a donation for their overnight hospitality. But we weren't going to wait for them to open just to say "thank you". Next time.
We drove past the submarine on the way out of the parking lot. It looks kind of interesting, but nothing that we'd really want to spend an extra hour and a half waiting for them to open to be able to take a tour.
As we drove along the northern edge of the Gaspe Peninsula, the winds were increasing a lot. We did pull over at a cute little park to make up some lunch. It's quite handy to have all of our stuff with us, and make lunch when we want to, rather than going to a restaurant, waiting for a table, waiting for our food, and then waiting to pay. Not to mention, much cheaper!
And the views were pretty darn good out the windows as we ate our lunch...
Heading along the shoreline, we were continuously going up and down and twisting and turning. It was so beautiful. Every turn you never knew what was going to be next. I know I said this on the previous blog, but so many of the houses were just prim and proper and established and well taken care of. It seems like everybody takes great pride in their homes and keeps things neat and beautiful.
The sky was still pretty blue, with some clusters of clouds here and there. We looked ahead at the weather reports and things were going to get windier and COLDER!!!
It was getting so windy that even these windmills had stopped turning. They locked them down in high winds to make sure they don't get damaged.
We checked ahead on some of our apps, looking for maybe a nice spot to stay for the night. We decided that we wanted to get away from the seashore, as the heavy winds would flap the awning slide toppers and could cause damage. They flap in the wind and make an awful racket, sometimes making it hard to even sleep. So we decided we were going to look inland and head up into the hills!!
Yep, up into the hills we went out of St Anne De Monts. There was a little tiny village up in the hills called Cap Seize. They had a beautiful little Park that they are working on improving and updating. They only asked for a donation to be able to spend the night. No hookups, but that's okay, we didn't need anything other than a nice safe spot to park out of the wind.
We pulled in, and this was our view!
Storm clouds were rolling in and we wanted to get settled before dark. We opted to park right in front of the bathrooms near the park area. Down further deeper into the park there was one other rv. We got out and walked the path up to another area but the entrance way between the trees was too narrow and steep for our motorhome to get through. So where we settled for the night was good enough right here...
The temperatures were dropping fast and it was going to get down to about freezing overnight. You wouldn't believe it for how beautiful it was in the afternoon. But we could feel it getting cooler as each minute passed.
These picnic areas all have new tables and benches and this really cute little gazebo. I wonder if people hold weddings here?
All of the grasses and the weeds are turning brown and getting ready for winter. We can feel Fall is in the air as it is crisp and tangy. From the last few days of being warm and even us needing air conditioning, this was going to be a big change in seasons.
Here's the little path we walked down to the last camping area. The area was really beautiful overlooking the other end of the pond. If we had a smaller vehicle, off-road setup, or even a Transit van, this would be an ideal place to camp.
The brightness of the leaves were utterly amazing. This photo in no way is retouched or put through a filter. It is straight out of my cell phone. Yep, it truly feels like autumn.
Just look at those beautiful colors!
We walked back up through the well-kept park. Someone had recently mowed the grass, and it was so pretty to just sit for a few minutes and look around. I would be getting supper started soon, but we took out our chairs just to relax and enjoy.
The original red and white outhouses are totally adorable. But they have upgraded with these brand new cedar outhouses. They smelled wonderful going inside, we peeked in just to see what was going on. Of course, we have our own bathroom in the motorhome and don't need to partake of their services. But it is nice to see such a beautiful upgrade.
We do admit, the original red and white ones may have been cute, with their artistically personalized doors, but they were rather stinky and I think quite full...
New playground equipment is staged nearby. There are some concrete foundations that are poured for mounting the climbing structures soon. There were also more unassembled park benches that needed to go in. I'm not sure if the area we were in was specifically designated as a camping spot. We decided it was the most level place we could find, so we took it. There wasn't anybody around to ask anyhow.
The temperatures dropped quickly and we moved inside. It really felt like Fall weather, so it was time to take out my favorite felted wool clog / slippers. I made these a long time ago when we were camping with our friends Lisa and Kennis. They were very difficult to knit, and Lisa kept cracking the whip at me to finish knitting the second clog. I was going to just quit after the first one. She told me I couldn't go to bed until I finished the second clog! We knit these while I was sitting out around the campfire at Golden Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Once they were knit, they were very large in size. Then they needed to washed vigorously three or four times in agitation mode. Then they needed to be put in a hot dryer with tennis balls until they were felted up into the clog shape. I love them, they are all wool and very cozy. But they sure were a lot of work!
It was time to get supper going. Earlier we had stopped at a grocery store. Of course everything is in French, including all the clerks and anybody standing around to ask a question. I wanted to get some stewed tomatoes or chopped up tomatoes for making chili. I didn't have any of my jars of home canned to tomatoes with me. I question whether or not they would be allowed across the border. So into the store I went trying to find stewed tomatoes.
I saw a can with a picture a full solid tomatoes with skins on and French writing on it. It's been a long time since I had French class in about 1976. I didn't remember tomatoes or what it meant to be chopped or stewed. So I took a chance and bought this can.
Silly me--- when I took it out of the cabinet to make the chili, I noticed the back side of the label was written in English. Awwwww!
They were absolutely perfect for what I needed, and I whipped up a heartwarming pot of chili. Good almost to the last drop. There was enough left for lunch the next day.
Like I said, the temperatures were dropping quickly. It was time to put our Reflectix panels in all of the windows and hang a heavy quilt across the front of the motorhome, separating the cockpit area from the rest of the living space.
It really helps to keep the heat in and the cold out. They are each cut to perfect size by Steve, who patiently measured each window to prepare these panels for us. When not in use, we roll them all up together and store them in a box in a compartment underneath the motorhome. They make a big difference in our propane use, and the furnace isn't running constantly trying to keep up.
When it gets this cold, we let Nick hop up on the bed with us. We have electric mattress pad heaters that make it pretty darn cuddly warm. So he hops up with his little blankie and his stuffed reindeer toy. All ready for bed.
We told him it was too early yet. With the Reflectix on all the windows it looks like it's night time inside. So he chose instead to curl up between us on the love seat to stay cuddly warm while we watched a couple YouTube's.
The next morning dawned beautifully sunny but also very windy. We decided that we were going to stay one more day in the protection of the trees up in the hills. It really wouldn't do good to be battling the fierce winds along the coast for the next 300 or 400 miles. When we have such a nice place to stay here, why not hole up for an extra day until the winds die down?
We drew our batteries down overnight about 50% by running the electric mattress pad heaters and the furnace, as well as the TV and the Starlink. We really don't care to fire up the noisy generator if we can help it to recharge things. Steve brought out our foldable 400 watt solar panel from Renogy. It really works well to plop it open on the ground or suspended from heavy duty suction cups on the side of the rig or the cargo trailer. We have even laid it across a picnic table at times for recharging, depending on the angle of the Sun.
The roof of our cargo trailer also has a 325 watt solar panel. We can run the cord from that right down to our Bluetti power station and it charges everything up back to 100%.
A few people had come to enjoy the park for the day. We had the solar panel laid out and a little toddler ran right across it! So we decided to move it closer to the motorhome and set our chairs on each side. I'm glad that he didn't damage it, he was so lightweight that it didn't hurt anything.
After the people had left, we took out Nick's toy and let him run up and down the grassy hill fetching his toy while on his long leash. We never let him off leash. And we only use the long one if there's nobody else around. He sure enjoyed romping and frolicking around on the grass. It sure beat the gravel lot that he had to pee on the morning before...
The sun was out all day, and our solar panels charged up in very short time. But the winds did not die down so we were glad we had made the choice to stay another day. Plus, it was the weekend, and we didn't want to have to struggle to find a place to stay if there were crowds out looking at the colored leaves around the Gaspe Peninsula.
Just look at that happy boy...
Here is the video to go with today's blog:
Hang around for our next blog, where Steve is going to try his very first Canadian dish of POUTINE!!
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