We left Tadoussac in the pouring rain. It poured for the entire day and it just so happened that this was our big travel day. We felt very lucky that the good weather was continuing. It might as well rain if you have to drive all day. We needed to take the ferry from Saint Simeon to Riviere du Loup so we left early to make it on the 9:30 ferry rather than having to wait until midday. Some people take this ferry to see whales but that wasn’t going to happen on this trip. The fog was so thick you could barely see a few feet beyond the boat.
Once in Riviere du Loup we connected to the TransCanada highway and headed into New Brunswick. Keith was tired of driving so I took over and plugged in my audio book for 5 hours of hard core driving. It was the BEST. My mother likes to watch the weather network when we travel and texted to inform us that there were tornado warnings in central New Brunswick. We drove through a few bad thunderstorms but no tornado sightings.
We pulled into Parlee Beach Provincial Park about dinner time and the rain was still coming down. Our campsite had turned into a lake and we decided sinking into a bog was not a good idea so we requested a different site. The new site, while surrounded by water, had a high area where Maje could sit. We spent the night inside, unwilling to brave the weather. The next morning, I opened my eyes and saw blue sky. We definitely have lucked out in the weather department. We came here for a beach day and it looked like that was going to work out for us. We decided to head into the town of Shediac on our bikes to see what we could see and get some groceries. I knew the world’s largest lobster was in town so that was on my to-do list. We didn’t end up find the largest lobster but we did find a pretty large chicken.
Maybe I was mistaken?? As well, we found a great farmers market and a grocery store. Back at the campsite we packed up for the beach. When I go to the beach, it’s a whole day event. On our bikes, we had 4 folding chairs, an umbrella, 4 beach towels, water and snacks. We must’ve looked pretty special biking with all that gear, but who wants to drive 2 minutes to the beach and pay $13? Not the Desormeaux family! We drag our bikes and gear through the sand, set up camp.
Just as I’m happily thinking I could watch the waves forever, Keith looks at me with a look I’ve grown accustomed to, which means he’s bored. For real?? We just moved ½ of the motorhome contents to the beach for an hour! Keith bolts and the kids and I stay longer. Parker decides he needs to tan his white skin. Do I fight the sunscreen fight today? This is how sunscreen and parenting goes: there’s a time when you get the best sunscreen money can buy and apply it liberally and make your children wait the appropriate amount of time before they head into water. Then, you relent and purchase spray sunscreen but you still apply it and the waiting process is the same. Then, you allow them to spray themselves or each other. I’ve done the speeches and the cajoling and today I take a back seat to see how my parenting has fared. Parker proceeds to spray himself with a puff of sunscreen and falls asleep on his back. This was going to be goooood. I know this lesson is going to end in my favour. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the surf. Abby found a hermit crab she named, Gary. She and Parker tried to convince me to let them keep him, but I was pretty sure that going to be a hard no from Keith. I convince them that Gary needs to remain a part of the ecosystem and back into the ocean Gary goes. We finally decide that we’ve had enough of the beach and Parker wants to know what we think of his ‘tan’. When you turn red on the beach you know it’s going to be a good burn. Parker’s plume of sunscreen means he is now striped like a candy cane. Awesome.
Later, during our seafood meal of salmon and cod, Parker informed us that the basketball family we saw in Quebec City was in our campground again. What are the chances??
After dinner, we got comfy to watch our favourite camping show, ‘Watch the Married Couples Back up Trailers into Campsites'. It’s our favourite. We are sure we’ve seen a few marriages dissolve this past week. Backing up a trailer can’t be done without something bad happening. I challenge you to back up a 30ft trailer with your significant other and see if I’m right or if I’m wrong. After the show was over (one couple gave up trying to get into their spot and went to a different site) we had a few games of cards and it was time for bed again. Next stop – Nova Scotia!
We pulled into Parlee Beach Provincial Park about dinner time and the rain was still coming down. Our campsite had turned into a lake and we decided sinking into a bog was not a good idea so we requested a different site. The new site, while surrounded by water, had a high area where Maje could sit. We spent the night inside, unwilling to brave the weather. The next morning, I opened my eyes and saw blue sky. We definitely have lucked out in the weather department. We came here for a beach day and it looked like that was going to work out for us. We decided to head into the town of Shediac on our bikes to see what we could see and get some groceries. I knew the world’s largest lobster was in town so that was on my to-do list. We didn’t end up find the largest lobster but we did find a pretty large chicken.
 |
| Not the World's Largest Lobster, but a pretty big chicken |
Just as I’m happily thinking I could watch the waves forever, Keith looks at me with a look I’ve grown accustomed to, which means he’s bored. For real?? We just moved ½ of the motorhome contents to the beach for an hour! Keith bolts and the kids and I stay longer. Parker decides he needs to tan his white skin. Do I fight the sunscreen fight today? This is how sunscreen and parenting goes: there’s a time when you get the best sunscreen money can buy and apply it liberally and make your children wait the appropriate amount of time before they head into water. Then, you relent and purchase spray sunscreen but you still apply it and the waiting process is the same. Then, you allow them to spray themselves or each other. I’ve done the speeches and the cajoling and today I take a back seat to see how my parenting has fared. Parker proceeds to spray himself with a puff of sunscreen and falls asleep on his back. This was going to be goooood. I know this lesson is going to end in my favour. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the surf. Abby found a hermit crab she named, Gary. She and Parker tried to convince me to let them keep him, but I was pretty sure that going to be a hard no from Keith. I convince them that Gary needs to remain a part of the ecosystem and back into the ocean Gary goes. We finally decide that we’ve had enough of the beach and Parker wants to know what we think of his ‘tan’. When you turn red on the beach you know it’s going to be a good burn. Parker’s plume of sunscreen means he is now striped like a candy cane. Awesome.
Later, during our seafood meal of salmon and cod, Parker informed us that the basketball family we saw in Quebec City was in our campground again. What are the chances??
After dinner, we got comfy to watch our favourite camping show, ‘Watch the Married Couples Back up Trailers into Campsites'. It’s our favourite. We are sure we’ve seen a few marriages dissolve this past week. Backing up a trailer can’t be done without something bad happening. I challenge you to back up a 30ft trailer with your significant other and see if I’m right or if I’m wrong. After the show was over (one couple gave up trying to get into their spot and went to a different site) we had a few games of cards and it was time for bed again. Next stop – Nova Scotia!
