Day 6 - Waterfalls and Orleans Island

The Goeliche Inn didn’t serve breakfast, so we drove up the road to a coffee bar and had pastries and quiche with our coffee and tea. Headed over the bridge back to the north bank of the St Lawrence and the Montmorency Falls Park. This grand falls drops 84 meters (almost 275 feet) off the escarpment down into the St Lawrence valley. It is open and flat but tumbles down a slight incline. We took the cable car up to the Montmorency Hotel at the top of the falls and walked to the suspension bridge at the head. The falls is the site of the first hydro power installation in Canada and the head of the falls is a smooth dam. Gail wandered back to the hotel while Marie and Bruce made the circuit around the falls and down the 400+ steps back to the visitor center. We took many photos of the falls from each stop along the way. Met Gail in the gift shop while Marie got a jacket she’d seen in Quebec City at a much higher price.

Back on the road heading north of east along the bank some 18 miles to the St Anne Falls. We pulled out some of our traveling food and picnicked in the grove in front of the falls entrance. Marie and Bruce went in while Gail waited in the shade. We walked the circuit around the 72 meter (225 foot) falls on the paved, gentle path. The way is replete with overlooks and vantage points to see different views of the narrow, rushing cascade. At one stop on the path is a replica of Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond. Turns out he visited the falls in 1850 as part of a large tourist group from Boston. He and a friend hiked two days from Quebec City to the falls after hearing how beautiful it was. And it certainly is. We went down to the lowest level at the base of the chute where it levels out onto the valley plain the walked back up the 178 steps to get back on the path

We headed back to Orleans Island (Ile d’Orleans) to explore it more. In St Laurant, we stopped at a couple art places and visited the maritime museum. Bruce toured the museum, which told the history of the boat building and storage business that made St Laurant prosperous. On around the island through St Jean, St Francois (the north point of the island), Sante Familie, and finally to St Pierre. One of the tourist maps noted a Brasserie there as a good spot for dinner so we found that and had a good meal. Bruce sampled one of the local dishes we’d read about – Poutine. Poutine is a large nest of French fries mixed with cheese curds and drenched in a gravy or sauce. You can get toppings and he ordered a pork topping. It was good but heavy. Back to the auberge to wind down and write this.En savoir plus