L’automne 2024: Day 7: Drummondville, QC: Ferry fun

T’was a foggy morning as I ventured out on my walk. I planned to take some of the paths and get back after 3.5km or 30 minutes as we were on a schedule. Along the way I found what my bonafide outdoorsman cousin thinks are wolf tracks. Whilst I was away, Mrs Milddogs spotted a whale swimming by. We liked Camping Paradis-Marin. It’s in the do again category, unlike Camping Tadoussac.

Our plan for the day is to start heading home in a circuitous route. We headed east (yes, we live west) towards Les Escoumins to take the 1040 ferry over to Trois Pistoles on the south shore of the St Lawrence. It was a 12 minute drive to the ferry terminal from the campground. We got measured and checked in. We were required to be there one hour before departure. While waiting with the other camper vans we chatted away. One couple was from Ottawa and they were driving the Jayco knock-off of our van. They did not have a reservation but were pretty sure they were going to get on. The other couple was from the Netherlands. They had shipped their van across the pond a year ago and have been travelling around North America. He was very friendly and she was his wife. BTW, it cost 7,000 Euro to ship the van over.

The whale watching boats were congregating to the east of our ferry. We could not see anything from our vantage point.

Loading time. Just as it became our turn, the crew were staring at the loading ramp. We had to approach slowly as they made sure we did not bottom out. The crew member mentioned the shore ramp was not lifting as it should so the angle was off. We were delayed 30 minutes while they loaded the SUVs first and then grabbed some metal covers and used them to try and even out the angle of attack. The last vehicle to attempt to get on was the couple from Ottawa in the Jayco. They could not make it and had to reverse back up the ramp. The crew then announced that the ferry would go over to Trois Pistoles but not return this day due to the broken ramp. A bunch of people on foot then left and we got underway. I imagine the Jayco people headed east to Forestville to cross there.

On the ferry we initially sat on the port (leeward) side but we were too close to the engine so we went inside for a bit. Given the fog and wind, it was going to be challenging to see any marine mammals. Sad face. After some moments indoors we completed the remaining 66% of the passage on the starboard (windward) side all by ourselves. I did see one dolphin swimming in the opposite direction of the boat. RIght after the sighting, Mrs Milddogs pointed out the dolphin shaped cloud in the sky. It was my first dolphin sighting this trip.

Fun facts about this ferry. All of the inflatable life rafts require recertification November, 2024. The boat is named L’Heritage 1. It definitely appears to be part of provincial heritage.

We arrived back on land uneventfully. Our first stop was at Fromagerie Des Basques in Trois Pistoles. It was a huge complex with plenty of parking (which I discovered after entering through the service entrance the wrong way). They had lovely washrooms. Mrs Milddogs bought some cheesy stuff and I got some biscuits de gruau. They were pretty good.

Next stop was Poissonnerie Verseau where Mrs Milddogs got some more stuff foreign to me. The easternmost point of Highway 20 is at Trois Pistoles. We had decided to take the older highway 132 once it cut to the north of 20 around Riviere du Loup. Once on the 132 we then cut down to a road that runs between 132 and the river. It was a lovely drive through many small towns we had never seen and often with a nice view of the river. Eventually, we were forced back onto the 132 and then the 20.

That was about it for the fun driving. The rest was just along the 20 with a healthy dose of traffic around Levis / Quebec City. We had been warned but both GPSs insisted we were on the fastest route.

We gassed up the van just before Drummondville. It was thirsty. The headwind was taking a toll on our fuel economy. We arrived at our campsite without any problems getting through the automated entrance system. Last time we were here our code didn’t work and we had to wait for another person arriving to use their code.

There is almost nobody here in Zone 2 of the campground. Just us and a class C way over there.

Once plugged in (using the Drummondville power adapter I had to use buy after our last stay here). It’s just a 30 amp (M) to 15 amp (F) so I can plug my 15 Amp extension cord in. I don’t carry a 30 amp extension cord as I have only possibly needed it here in Drummondville.

OK, power connected. Time to hit the shower. Oh, it’s been too long my darling shower! They are free, pretty clean, private enough, good water temperature (not adjustable) so I give them a 6/10. Whilst pre-prepping I was a bit startled when another dude walked into the washroom. Where did he come from? He left after dropping off some garbage. I think he was just as startled to see me. The whole building was now all to myself!

That’s about it for today. In total it was about 9 hours of travel time, but only about 03:45 (hh:mm) was actually driving time. The ferry was fun and a nice change from the hills of death on the north shore.

Tomorrow we head home. Looking forward to seeing our offspring, our pup and that Paralympic bronze medal that offspring #1’s partner won. Go Canada Go (or is that now Went Canada Went?). Congrats to the women’s para-volleyball team!

Maybe, if the weather holds, I might get a few more rounds of sailing in. Fingers crossed.

Love them all!