Our next destination was Tadoussac, Quebec, on the north side of the St Lawrence River beside the Saguenay Fjord, one of the largest fjords in North America. This area was suggested to us by friends who came here last year for whale watching. This is our third time driving out East but our first time on the north side of the river. The drive was unbelievable. If you are driving out East, consider taking the north route. You can take a ferry across to Riviere du Loup to connect to New Brunswick. The south side is flat and not as scenic although you are driving most of the time with the river in your view. We never expected the north side to be so beautiful. The downhills are so steep they have runaway lanes and every 50kms there are areas for larger vehicles (including Maje) to pull over and check their brakes. These exist out west as well, but in Quebec it is the law for vehicles over 3 tonnes to pull into these lanes. Failing to do so means you can be pulled over and given a fine. There is a ferry which crosses the Saguenay Fjord, which you need to take in order to reach Tadoussac. The ferry runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the wait is not long at all. We crossed 4 times during our 2 days in the area and did not wait longer than 5 minutes.
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| On the ferry |
We stayed in the campground in Tadoussac which is at the top of a large hill overlooking the river. Some more fabulous views! We all loved this campground. Abby and Parker loved biking and the WiFi was the best – great reception right from our campsite! Our goal was to see some whales and there are many tour companies in the area. Early the next morning, we crossed the ferry to take a 2 hour zodiac tour. We got suited up for the cool temperatures and loaded into the zodiac. When we were seated, another tourist got aboard and quarters were tight, so he slid past the helm with the motor going. I guess he didn’t know what instruments did what and needed to lean on something to get by. Sure enough, he pushed on the throttle, hard, trying to get to a seat. People were in the process of boarding the boat and the captain had to jump onto the boat, knocking people over people in order to take control and keep the zodiac from taking off. Seeing as the boat was in full throttle the zodiac shot forward taking the Desormeaux’s and the dock with it. It was a moment of chaos as we just sat there careening forward and then backwards while the captain tried to get control. Everyone spoke French so I’m not sure what was being said, but of course, I couldn’t contain my laughter and I’m sure they all thought I was an annoying, rude Englishwoman, but I couldn’t help myself. Once everyone was on board the captain gave his speech, in French, about where we were going, how long we would be, what kinds of whales we would see and some safety procedures. My super French skills picked up this information. In English, however, the captain simply said, “Enjoy your cruise”. This just made me laugh more, which was followed by, “Mom, you’re so annoying.”
I’ve been on one other whale watching tour in Newfoundland. We got a lot of interesting information on the tour in Newfoundland, but we definitely saw more whales on this trip. Being in a zodiac helped and Tadoussac is one of the best places in the world to whale watch. Tadoussac sits at the mouth of the freshwater Saguenay River and the salty St Lawrence River. Three undersea currents meet here and cause an abundance of plankton and other whale food, which in turn attracts the whales. On this day, we saw belugas, fin whales and I think a baleen that came out of the water and turned over. I didn't want to ask the captain in case he was upset with my annoying behaviour.
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| Very cool that we saw belugas |
After returning to the campsite we decided to explore the river side town of Tadoussac. This is quite the tourist town with lots of hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts. Many restaurants and stores are found here as well. The family wanted to bike down to the town, but I decided against it, I wanted to shop and didn’t want to worry about my bike. So off they went on the bikes and I set out on foot. It was a steep walk! I was sure that Abby wouldn’t be biking up it and I wasn’t even looking forward to walking it. I made a stop in the liquor store as my Smashed Tea supply was getting a little low. Keith had been asking me to let him try it and I kept changing the subject. I decided to stock up on some Bud Light Orange so maybe he would forget about my tea. Of course, no Smashed Tea this far away from Georgian Bay, but I picked up some Twisted Tea which doesn’t exactly compare to my fav but I was starting to get desperate. I found my biker family and it was decided that Keith and Parker would bike up the hill to the campsite, unhook all the lines and come and get the girls in the RV. So off they went and I told Parker to take it easy on his dad. Abby and I waited at the town dock and ate some salt water taffy, hoping that Keith would climb the hill without too much trouble. Parker climbed the hill with no issue. Keith didn’t fare as well but Abby and I told him, at least he tried. I gave him his Bud Light and that seemed to make things ok. It was an early bedtime that night after a quick campfire. Another adventurous day done.
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| Loved this old hotel. It reminded me of Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing. |
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