Quebec City to Rimouski

Tuesday, August 28 - Today we left Quebec and headed Northeast, along the Saint Lawrence Seaway.  It was a pretty drive and reminded me of the Skagit Valley in Washington.

This is where we've been since Niagara Falls and our planned route for about the next 10 days.  We are currently near Rimouski, which is 200 miles NE of Quebec City (first dot).

We are staying at Capitaine Homard's, which is a restaurant and campground.  In English, Capitaine Homard is Captain Lobster.  The restaurant has good reviews, so Mom and Dad decided to go there for dinner.  Mom had Seafood Fettuccine that had crab, scallops, and shrimp.  Dad had Lobster Thermadore. 

Dad's Dinner

A nice sunset over the Saint Lawrence, taken from our campsite.

Wednesday, August 29 -  We woke to a beautiful sunny morning, so we decided to take a walk on the beach.

That's me with Dad.  The sign says Bersimis 28 miles.  Mom 

checked a map and Bersimis is the town on the north shore of 

the St. Lawrence, directly across from us.  I knew the river 

was wide, but WOW! 28 miles.  That's BIG!

It's been a long time since I've been to the Beach.  I may be an old dog, 

but I've still got a little spring in my step.  It may be partly due to the fact 

that it's FINALLY cooled off.  It's in the 60's today.  Notice that Dad 

is wearing jeans?  It's the first time he's had them on this trip!

Another shot to show off my Beach Body.

OK, one more with my Mama.

After all that exercise, I was ready for a nap.  Mom and Dad decided to go explore.  Their first stop was the town of Sainte-Luce-sur-mer or Saint Luce by the Sea.  It's just a few miles from here and a really cute little town.  Apparently they have a chain saw carving contest every year and the winners are displayed around town.  Mom particularly liked this one:

    

There were lots of colorful houses and vacation cabins.

Also a very interesting cemetery next to a church.  This is a fence post, 

made out of concrete and covered with some sort of orange lichen.

This chain saw carving/memorial to the Empress of Ireland, which was a 

passenger liner that sank 4 km off shore in 1914, about two years after the 

Titanic.  There were about 1,400 people on board and more than 1,000 perished. 

Next they went to the Pointe-au-Pere' Maritime Historic Site.  There are three parts.  There is a  museum about the Empress of Ireland, a light house, and a submarine.  They said that it was very interesting and highly recommend it.

The Lighthouse was built in 1909 and is the 2nd tallest 

lighthouse in Canada at 108 feet.  It's the 3rd one to be built on this site.

The lens at the top of the lighthouse.

Back in the day, the lens was turned by a clockwork mechanism.  

It took the lighthouse keeper 45 minutes to wind the 400 lb weight and that would

 turn the lens for 6 hours, then he'd have to climb the stairs to the top of the tower 

and crank it up again.  This is the crank and cable for the clockwork.

Mom making it to the top of the last ladder.  There are 138 stairs 

and then two ladders to get to the top. 

Nice view from the top of the lighthouse.  The ugly tower replaced the beautiful 

lighthouse and operated until 1998.  There is no longer a lighthouse 

at this location.  It's thought that GPS is adequate.

 Submarine Onondaga.  It's 300 feet long and had a crew of 70 men.  Mom said it was 

interesting to get the opportunity to go through it, but she got a little claustrophobic.  

She doesn't think she would  make it as a submariner.

Thursday, August 30 - Today is our 3rd day at Capitaine Homard's and he has fast, free wi-fi.  I've been using it to catch up on the blog while Mom and Dad are out doing some more exploring.  I'll write about their adventures as soon as I can, but we leave Capitaine Homard's in the morning, so not sure when we will have good wi-fi again.  

au revoir, 

Doolin

Montreal to Quebec City

Saturday, August 25 – Today we moved on to Levis, Quebec.  Levis is on the east bank of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, across from Quebec City.   We checked into Camping Transit and Mom and Dad went shopping.   They wanted groceries for them.  They’ve been eating what we've had to get rid of anything the Border guards might want to confiscate.  Now it’s time to restock.

They also went to the Costco Pharmacy.  They’ve done research and this is a highly planned stop.  I try to be a non-political Poodle, but healthcare for US humans is really messed up!!  Drug companies are gouging Americans and all our politicians are doing nothing. 

Case in point - At home, Dad’s insulin is $295/bottle, if he goes to his insurance company’s “preferred pharmacy” which gives him the “preferred price”.  Dad uses 2 bottles/month or 24 bottles/year, so the total cost is $7,080 for a one year supply.   Dad pays a $5500 deductible and then 20% of the balance, so his cost for the 24 bottles is about $5800.  

Here in Canada, at the current exchange rate, it's $24.64 US/bottle.   His 24 bottles cost him under $600.  $600 vs $5800.  Yikes!!  Do you have any idea how much dog food Dad can buy for $5200????  I could eat like a king!  Mom says that it's paying for our trip, not more kibble.  Darn!  

I also need to mention that at the Costco Pharmacy in Quebec, he’s getting the same type of Insulin made by Eli Lilly that he buys in the states.  The sealed vials come in sealed boxes, just like in the states.   Canada isn’t a 3^rd world country that dispenses inferior drugs.  

Sunday, August 26 – Today was more fun for Mom and Dad.  They drove to the Ferry Dock in Levis and took the ferry to Quebec City.  Much easier than trying to drive the Jeep on narrow streets in Quebec and much cheaper than parking in the City. 

View from the Ferry, crossing the River.

They went to the Citadel (Fort) and took a tour and then they took a tour of the Quebec Residence of the Governor General of Canada that is inside the Citadel.   They learned that the Governor General is appointed by the Queen and is on an equal level with the Prime Minister who is elected by the Canadian people.   The current Governor General is Julie Payette, a French speaking Canadian, who is a former astronaut.   The Governor General has to sign all the laws passed by the Canadian government.   While they rarely veto a bill, they have the power to do so.

The Headquarters Building inside the Citadel

Panorama of the City and River, taken from the Citadel.

The only disadvantage to taking the ferry into Quebec is that you start on the shore of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, but most of Quebec is on top of a big high bluff.  There is a Funicular, but Mom and Dad are trying to get their exercise, so they decided to take the stairs.  Even at the top, the town is pretty hilly, so by the time they’d done both tours, they’d done a lot of walking.  Then, as they were finishing up the tour of the Governor General’s Residence, it started to rain.  While it was a short shower, Mom and Dad decided that they had enough walking and decided to head back to the Ferry dock.  They looked in a few shops in Old Town and then took the Ferry back to Levis.  

Umbrellas over the street in Old Town

Bobble-HANDS of the Pope and the Queen in the 

window of one of the souvenir shops.  The 

hands turn from side to side.  The Canadians

 certainly have a sense of humor.

Monday, August 27 - Today Mom and Dad went to the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency.  If you only speak English, you would call it Montmorency Falls Park. The Falls are 83 meters high (273 feet), which is 30 meters (almost 100 feet) taller than Niagara.   Mom showed me these pictures of the Park.

Panorama of the Park.  If you look closely, you can see a 

bridge over the falls.  To get to the bridge, you take the 

stairway on the right.  That takes you to the top of 

the ridge.  Then there is a trail to the bridge.

Dad near the falls.  See the bridge at the top?

A view of the stairs from the bridge.  You can also 

see a bit of the Saint Lawrence River in the 

background and also Isle de Orleans, which is a large 

island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence.

A view off the bridge, looking straight down!  Mom doesn't

like heights.  I think it made her paws sweat to take this picture.

  

Lockport, New York to Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Note - We crossed into Canada on Thursday, August 23.  Now that we are in Canada, we don't have use of our Wi-Fi Hot Spot with Unlimited Data.  We have our cell phone data that is $25 per GB while we are in Canada and free wi-fi, when we can get it.  Mom and Dad have really cut back on my computer time and I'll only be posting when we have access to free wi-fi.  I did want to let you know that, if you need to reach us, you can call or text us on Dad's cell phone (Mom's won't work in Canada).  You can also send email to Mom or Dad at their regular email accounts.  Dad can see his on his phone.  Mom has to wait for wi-fi to look at hers.

Wednesday, August 22 – Today we left Lockport and drove to Watertown, New York.   We just spent the night, so set up camp at Wal-Mart.

Thursday, August 23 – More driving today, a quick border crossing – no sir, we do not have guns with us.  Yes sir, I understand that you can search my vehicle and you can send me to jail if you find a gun.  "No sir, no guns they are locked up at home." – then on to Saint Jean Baptiste, Quebec, Canada.   Saint Jean Baptiste is a small town about 20 miles east of Montreal.  We found a fantastic campground called Camping Au Clair in the middle of an apple orchard that was far from busy roads, trains, or any source of noise.  It’s a Passport America park, so also pretty inexpensive. 

For anyone interested in our Border Crossing experience.  We waited in line for about 15 minutes.  When we got to the Customs officer, Dad presented his and Mom’s Passports.   The officer asked Dad twice, very sternly, if we had guns on board.  Also wanted to know where we were going and how long.  He couldn’t see Mom from the ground, so he asked her to stand up to compare her picture to her passport.  He never asked about me at all.  I felt kind of left out!  He just wished us a safe journey and we were on our way.  No questions about food or anything else we had on board.  Just smooth sailing.  Glad they didn’t confiscate my kibble.  We are allowed 45 pounds and we had closer to 50 pounds, but please don’t turn us in!

Friday, August 24 – Today Mom and Dad drove to a Park and Ride lot and took the Metro into Montreal.  They said that their first stop was in old Montreal at the station closest to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  There was a big line to go into the Cathedral, so they just took a walk through the old town, looked in a few galleries, and had Poutine for lunch.  They saw lots of beautiful plants.

In case you want to know how they keep them looking nice.  It's hard to

see in the photo, but Mom said that the gardener had little clippers and was

clipping the plants, similar to pruning a hedge, but in miniature.

After lunch, they decided to go to St Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal, so hopped back on the Metro.  The Dome is the 2^nd largest in the World.  Second only to St. Peter’s in Rome.  It looks like a pretty cool place, but I’m glad that I didn’t have to climb the stairs to get to it.  If you decide to go, wait a few years, they are building a new visitor center at street level, and an elevator to take you to the Oratory.

That's a bunch of stairs!

The Dome was too large to photograph, but there was a lot of beautiful art.

When they finished, they decided to go back to the Notre Dame Cathedral and were glad they did.    They said that it was beautiful.  A great difference in Architecture probably due to the fact that St Joseph's  was built in the 20th Century vs Notre Dame built in the mid-19th Century.  Here are a few of their pictures.

The Altar

The Pipe Organ

On the way back to the Park and Ride, they hopped off the Metro at the Olympic Park.  Montreal hosted the summer Olympics in 1976.

Lockport, New York

Sunday, August 19 - Today Mom and Dad drove to Niagara Falls, which is about 1/2 hour from Lockport.  It's not quite as hot as it has been, but I decided to stay behind in the A/C anyway.  Before they left, I had to make sure that Mom got our map updated.   We've added Pennsylvania and New York.

That's me in the doorway, making sure she gets it straight.

Looks like Mom and Dad had a fun time at Niagara Falls.

Dad with a statue of Nikola Tesla.  No, he didn't invent the car!  He DID make

dozens of breakthroughs in the production, transmission, and application of

electric power.  He also invented the first alternating current (AC) motor and

 developed AC generation and transmission technology.  He and Dad

 are both pretty important guys in the electronic field.  

Lunch at the Top of the Falls Restaurant

The Niagara River, above the Falls.

After they left the Falls, they drove along the Niagara Parkway which follows the Niagara River downstream.  They stopped at the Power Vista Visitor Center at the Niagara Power Project Hydroelectric Generating Station.  Mom found it to be a "hair raising" experience.

Mom experiencing the Van de Graaff Generator.  

That's some awesome static electricity!

Monday, August 20 - Today was a catch up day.  Mom and Dad both spent time at their computers and Dad went away for awhile and did their laundry and got a haircut.  

Tuesday, August 21 - Today Mom and Dad went into Lockport to explore.  They learned that the town of Lockport exists because it was the site of the "Flight of Five" locks on the Erie Canal.  When the canal was built there was a need to change the level by 60 feet, so five consecutive locks were built.  It took awhile to get through all of them, so people would get off and look for opportunities to shop, eat, drink, etc.  The town was built to fulfill those needs.  

The canal provided a water source, so an enterprising inventor harnessed the water power for his factory.  He had to build a diversion tunnel and that is open today for tours.  Mom and Dad went inside via this pipe, which was originally the outlet for the diversion tunnel.  It was huge!

After the tour they drove out along the shore of Lake Ontario and then came back and Dad made steak for dinner.  Well, he made steak for them.  I got kibble.