Days 10 & 11 Canadian Maritimes - Head For The Hills - Cap Seize, Quebec

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...

Hang around for our next blog, where Steve is going to try his very first Canadian dish of POUTINE!!

132 miles traveled today

1,467 miles traveled so far

Day 9 Canadian Maritimes - Gaspe Peninsula - Sleeping By a Submarine at Rimouski

 Ahhhhhh things sure are looking different now! We made it past Quebec City without too much trouble. The eastbound lanes had construction and were narrowed down to two lanes, but we weren't nearly as bad as the westbound. They were stopped at a standstill or moving only at a snail crawling pace. 

I know some people would say we needed to tour Old Quebec and tour the city and tour the museums etc but really, we like to avoid the crowds and the tourists and the traps. We prefer to get out and see natural beauty and lovely things and peace and quiet. So our goal was to scoot around the city as fast as possible, and hopefully on the south side of it, so we could avoid the major snarled up traffic. And we did!

Now we were cruising along the shoreline of the St Lawrence River. It's getting wider and wider and there is definitely more of a sea salt smell in the air coming from the Gulf of St Lawrence at the end.

The views are spectacular even though it was a cloudy day. We wound our way along the shoreline. Sometimes the roads were rough and patched, other times they were smooth like a silken ribbon. This is the traveling that we like to do.

Things were unfolding before our eyes. I kept the camera ready to snap some quick pictures. Otherwise we would pull over if the road allowed and absorb and enjoy the terrain and the scenery.  This is the first of many lighthouses that I was able to take a picture of. The entire waterway of the St Lawrence River needed lighthouses to guide the ships and keep them away from the craggy rocks.

As we wound along route 132, we are heading north and east to loop around the edge of the Gaspe Peninsula. Life, I am sure, is pretty rugged here with the seasons. We admired the little villages with stout homes and sturdy old buildings.  

One thing we noticed is that almost every single solitary home was neat as a pin. There was evidence of pride of ownership and taking care of what you own. It didn't matter what it was worth, it was worth keeping up. Very, very rarely was there a "dumper" house in need of repairs or clean up. You know what I mean. 

As we drove onward, we just noticed how perfect and neat and well-kept these little homes were. And I'm not talking about it just a touristy section of a little town. I'm talking about every house whether it was in town or out in the country. We could see that every one was well maintained and taken care of. The yards were neat and there weren't weeds or scraps all over. Even in the common areas around businesses or agricultural buildings, everything was neat and groomed and maintained. No weeds or junk! 

Some areas were rolling farmland, and other places were craggy rocky shores. I think winding our way along the southern shore of the St Lawrence was a good choice.

Almost every little village or town had a single large stone church. Almost every one had silver steeples. We admired the structure and the rock work of some of these buildings. I can only imagine the craftsmanship and artistry involved in making them. This one is dated 1768.  That is over 250 years old.

Many of these little towns had Inns or boarding houses for travelers.   I think by the size of them, that is what they were. Now later turned into multi-unit housing or airbnbs. Towns were so well kept and felt so "established" with their older structures instead of newly constructed fabricated stuff lining their roads.  Bountiful flowers and hanging baskets were everywhere, even at this time of September.

We admired a lot of the construction and carpentry put into these older homes. Not only that, the maintenance to keep them looking just as beautiful must be an ongoing task. Just look at the brickwork and the columns on this beautiful home. I think it's called a Mansard?

We are seeing all different types of architecture mixed together in these tiny villages. I can only imagine it's from immigrants who came from different countries. Each one brought along their own familiar style or construction that they were comfortable with. What a beautiful mix of homes that are I'm sure between 100 and 200 years old or maybe more?

Even the ones that are getting worked on, look neat and clean during the process. The shutters on this one are really really cute. We have seen some of the other homes that have actual working shutters that close up and batten down during the heavy storms. We are mostly seeing those along the shorelines.

The rough cedar shingles on the sides of the seaside homes are all grayed out from the salt air. It really gives a feeling of "seaside" when you see these weathered looking gray shingles. Very steep roofs are to help with the snow loads, I am sure, on the heaviest winter months. A lot like in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I grew up.

This one really caught my eye! Not only is it cedar shingles, but it's in my favorite colors. As most of you know, our house is white and red. But it's the opposite, we have white siding with red trim. But I really do love the combination.

After a long day of driving, we decided to stop off on this little beachside resting area that was near a trailhead in Rimouski. The name of the road was Rue Macaroni! I kid you not... 

ON EDIT: LONG TIME READER MAEBEME POSTED:

MaebemeMonday, September 28, 2026 at 1:50:00 PM CDT

I chuckled at your comment about Rue Macaroni, then thought, I think you may have misread the sign. It's actually Rue Marconi named for the inventor of the wireless telegraph. There was a station built in the area.

The little parking area was for a trailhead and nature preserve called Réserve nationale de faune de Pointe-au-Père. Even this far inland of the St Lawrence river, the tide goes up and down. Leaving behind tidal pools among the rocks and some really squishy areas. We didn't dare walk down there because you never know if you're going to lose a shoe in the muck.

We weren't allowed to overnight there but we figured it would be a great spot to spend the rest of the afternoon for a nap and then cook our dinner in the evening. Later we knew exactly where we would move over to sleep for the night.

While putting together the evening meal, I took out our precious jars of pickles. These are from our neighbor Sheryl who makes the most awesome dill pickles and also bread and butter pickles. Steve likes the dill, and I like the bread and butter. So we are slowly rationing them out, one pickle at a time, as we travel. We had to make quite a bit of space in our tiny RV fridge just to bring along these pickles. So you know how good they must really be if we are going to give them that much of our precious square inches on the small refrigerator shelves. 

Even though it was a cloudy day, the shoreline was rugged and beautiful. We really do enjoy looking at the scenery, but I don't think I'd ever want to live here. I'm sure the winter is brutal and lasts a long time.

I'm not sure what the orange colored lichen is growing on the rocks but it adds to the contrast of the dark gray stone. How beautiful...

We watched the sunset, and a few other people came to sit on the rocks of the shoreline and watch it as well. It was a beautiful treat with a sky dotted with clouds. It really illuminated the gorgeous orange colors as the sun went down below the horizon.

As it was just about done with the orange tones, but suddenly flared into a bright crimson red. If you didn't know any better, you would swear the shore line on the opposite side was set aflame in wildfires! But it wasn't. It was just a great tone of the lights playing off the undersides of the heavy dark clouds. What an amazing view.

Before it got totally black, it was time to turn our attention towards the submarine in the background. The light was reflecting off of it's bright silver shiny exterior. What a sight to behold. This submarine is part of a museum, and they allow RVs to park overnight in their lot. The next day if you wish, you can tour the museum and leave a donation. So we knew where we would be staying for the night... It was only a slight distance away from the beach where we watched the sun set.

By the time we got there, it was totally dark. Because of the clouds, there wasn't any moonlight to guide our way. Our headlights illuminated the main route around the building, but we didn't want them shining in the windows of the various RVs that were already parked there. Steve turned down our headlights to just the running lights so we could kind of see our way. In the dark, we picked a spot and pulled in for the night. You can watch that part on our YouTube video link below. We just knew we were level and safe for the night. It was good to put out the slide and crawl into bed. 

We did more driving this day than any other day so far. We usually try to keep around $200 miles or less. Today was actually 318!!

We sure slept good.

The next morning was dreary and dark and gray again. I did get out and take a few photos. This is how the RVs were parked around the edges of the large parking area. There is water on all three sides. It's a wonderful thing that they allow the free RV accommodations overnight.

Nick was not too happy about his bathroom situation this morning. It was all gravel parking lot or big rocks of the rip rap along the shoreline. There was no grass to be seen. He finally had to give up and do his business on the rocks. It was not his first choice, but he had to make due. Or "doo-doo"? 

We started making some coffee and cooking breakfast. A breeze had kicked up, and by the time we were done with breakfast the sky was all blue and the clouds were all blown away! 

It was too early for us to leave a donation at the museum, they weren't going to open until 10:00 a.m. we wanted to hit the road before that. We drove down to the end of the parking lot to loop around and get a view. This big motorhome was at the very end and had a great 360° view over the water. We waved as we drove past and headed on back out to the road.

Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père (SHMP) Sous-marin Onondaga. 

The submarine was probably very interesting, but we aren't so much the museum type people. We're out here looking at natural beauty rather than the historic features of the area. But we appreciated their hospitality.

Here's the video that goes along with today's blog: 

318 miles today 

1,335 miles so far