Gaspésie
La Ville de Percé
© 2001 Robert A. Mackall
The drive northeast from Rimouski on Route 132 is a pleasant adventure as we delve deeper into the French culture of this region. We get the sense that this is the cultural heart of Québec. Music, art, sports, universities, etc. There is so much going on here; not just on the coast but inland in The Valley and in the Mountains. The countryside is so big, open, and uncrowded that it is a pleasure to drive anywhere, at anytime.Immediately outside of Rimouski, in the village of Pointe-au-Père, is the Museum of the Sea and the national historic site of the Point-au-Père Lighthouse. The exposition about the Empress of the Sea tragedy should not be missed for any reason. In addition, the strikingly handsome lighthouse is open for a 128 step climb to the top... the second highest in Canada.
InfoGaspésie has a wonderful Web site that visits each town around the Gaspé Penisula. It provides, by town, all the interesting attractions as well as demographic information. The pictures and descriptions provide a real feel for these little villages. And note well the population of each petit village. They are truly little gems. Use this WWW site to travel with us around this region from Ste. Flavie to Matapedia: http://www.infogaspesie.com/regions/voyn.html?dev=00
As we continue northeast past Ste. Flavie Route 132 does not pass through each village. Instead, a short local road will transport you in and out of town. As each town is truly remarkable in its own individuality, these local roads should not be missed. In particular, we enjoyed Mètis-sur-Mer, an anglophone village which with its hedges and huge old aristocratic homes cannot be missed as anything other than English.
In the towns of Matane and Cap-Chat we are mesmorized by the windmill farms harvesting the wind to produce electrical power. There is a awesome grace and style to these silent machines that make them seem almost part of the natural setting. However, they are startling to come upon with no warning. Continuing past Saint-Anne-des-Monts we begin to rise and fall into the mountains as we continue to hug the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. This is the beginning of the Gaspé Penisula that we have travelled so long and far to see.
As the Chic-Chocs Mountains flow down to the sea, the road follows the contour of these ancient mountains as we hug the coast between sea and hill. The little villages are precious, like gemstones in the mountains themselves. Each takes on its own personality as a fishing village or a resort community; in each case it feels that these towns have been here forever. Life seems slow here; there are no tourists, yet... they will come in August. It is a short, intense vacation season here. Although we are satisfied in driving through the area; we could pull up a chair on the lawn and watch the river go by for a very long time.We drive as far as Grande Vallée this afternoon and take a room at Le Motel Frigault Des Monts. Peculiarly, our neighbors are a pair of Harley Davidson riders from Boston MA. The first English we hear in almost two weeks and it has to be a Massachusetts accent! They did not speak a word of French and so have been ordering and eating pizza exclusively for 4 days. Thank you Mrs. Stewart for your French 1 class. The church in Grand Vallée is built on an extraordinary little plateau of exposed rock which at sunset is gorgeous and is worth waiting all day to experience.
We are up early this the morning as we have planned a hectic day of sightseeing at the Forillon National Park and at the famous Rocher Percé in the town of Percé. As this was a driving tour of the Gaspé, we enjoyed the sites and sounds of the open road until stopping at the Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse which is the tallest brick lighthouse in Canada. It is open and you are invited to climb to the top for a view. A view of what I'm not sure as we did not make the climb. But be assured that the view is fantastic. From here we visited the north side of Forillon National Park and the beautiful cliffs at Cap-Bon-Ami. The park's visitor center is an excellent starting point for any visit to Forillon; particularly the movie and short interpretational trail.
After leaving Forillon we started our drive to Percé to view the famous Percé Rock. As the crow flies the distance is short; however, driving by automobile is long but pleasant around la Baie de Gaspé and through the city of Gaspé.The town of Percé is small and given completely given over to tourism. Surprisingly it is completely charming. A bit on the busy side but nonetheless completely within the means of the town. Be absolutely sure to stop in at the information office to get a map of the town and to learn the route to an unsurpassed view of the town from the hills surrounding it. We enjoyed walking down the harbor pier to see the boats touring the Rocher Percé and well as Ile de Bonaventure, and its famous gannet colony. The view of the Rock from here is magnificent and awe inspiring. It is a beautiful place to visit and of special meaning to all the people of Québec. It has been said that the hole in the Percé Rock was formed by a mighty slapshot from Québec's greatest hockey player, Maurice Richard of the Montréal Canadians. A man of Paul Bunyanesque fame in Canada.
Le Rocher Percé
© 2001 Robert A. MackallAfter leaving Percé and the Land's End region, we enter La Baie-des-Chaleurs. This a charming region of the Gaspé; somewhat mundane after the grandeur of Percé, Forillon and the highlands of the Upper Gaspé. The climate is decidely warmer in the Baie des Chaleurs and accordingly there are more people and activities. As we approach the west side of the region, the mountains reappear. We cross the bridge from Point-a-la-Croix, QC into Campbellton, NB leaving La Belle Province and beginning the drive to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Click here for some great pictures of Gaspésie courtesy of the Terrain Sciences Division of Natural Resources Canada.
