Day 8 - To the east Gaspe Peninsula

Had a great breakfast at a bakery around the corner from the hotel. Bruce’s came with two enormous (12” long by 5”wide) slices of sourdough bread! We bought sandwiches for the road there, too.

Off driving along the south bank of the St Lawrence on the scenic Rte 132, heading mostly northeast but curving always to the right and getting closer to due east as the road led on. Through places like St Flavie, and Monte Joli across the gentle rolling farmland as the mountains crept closer to the river. The trees are definitely showing strong color change in patches. Vibrant yellows, oranges, and deep reds carpet some of the hills. Past Matane, where they catch and process the coveted Nordic shrimp. Stopped at a town rest area (every town seems to have a small rest area, usually with toilets.) Took a short side trip to see the biggest vertical wind turbine in the world – an experiment in the 1980’s that shut down in the 90s after making important findings.

On through Cap Chat (Cape Cat), Saint Anne, Marsoui, all of them presenting exceptional views as we wound along between the mountain and the River (growing wider and wider, the opposite bank already long out of sight). Lighthouses are spaced along the way and we stopped at several. The road now traveled a narrow shoulder of land between the River and the Appalachian Mountains plowing into the Gulf of St Lawrence. The same line of mountains that cradle our home in Boonsboro continue up through PA, NY, New England and into Quebec. They make the spine of the Gaspe Peninsula, rising at its center but angling northeast. Here they are called Monts Chic-Chocs and have two large reserves covering parts of them. They are mere hills this close to the Gulf but still formidable. By Cap Chat they hemmed in the road, tall enough, still, to make stretches of shade on the route even at 14:00. We stopped to eat our sandwiches at another roadside rest of gazebos along a hillside with a narrow bay in front. We kept marveling at how sharply the mountains dove into the River and Gulf. The sheerness of the cliffs is awesome! Stopped to Look at the twisted sedimentary layers exposed on the cliffs above the 132. The northern-most point of our trip came somewhere around Gros Morne.

Now heading east and curving south, we started crossing the mountains. They shoot out into the Gulf and drop off so sharply that the road can’t get a purchase and has to climb across the ridges and valleys. The road climbs very steep grades and descends sharply – some grades noted as 12%, 14 % and even one at 17%! Through Grand Vallee and Pointe a la Fregate. In the tributary valleys and estuaries we crossed, the land is fertile and farmed. Each tributary valley has its community clustered near the bridge across it. The fall colors present themselves around every curve. Into Petit Cap, where we stayed on the 132 towards Forillon Park. We stopped at various places to catch the views or a lighthouse. Through Gaspe, itself, and continued to Perce. We found our hotel Riotel and took our room with a postcard view of the three sisters rock out our window. Had a fantastic meal in the hotel restaurant! We ordered the seafood special for two and shared it among us three. This came on a huge plate piled with a sectioned lobster, scallops, Matane shrimp, haddock, and Atlantic salmon fillets, all on a bed of rice. Great food and the Matane shrimp are just as good as advertised. Stopped at the firebox blazing under the one-day-past full moon on the way back to the room. Great road voyage!

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