Travels with rarecat: October 2021

Sunday 24 October 2021

Gaspé Road trip - destination Percé

We had an eye on the weather forecast all the way and adjusted our itinerary based on the weather. Rain and winds were forecasted for the following day in Percé so we pushed forward with our weather-dependent activities, top on the list was the boat cruise to Bonaventure Island. As Carleton-sur-mer was only 2 hours from Percé, we made sure we arrived in good time for the boat departure.

This was the view from the pier

Close-up of the arch from the boat

View from the boat

I read on a Tripadvisor post that one should sit on the right side of the boat to get the best view of the gannets on the island. As it turned out the boat went around the island in an anti-clockwise direction, possibly because of the strong winds. So we were stuck on the right side of the boat and I had to scramble to get a seat on the left side in order to get shots of the gannets flying over the water.

Bonaventure Island

Gannet flying over water

Gannets on the side of the island

Observation tower in the gannet colony - we did not get to this part of the trail

The boat let us off on the island at 3pm. We were told we have to be back at the pier before 5 pm as that would be the last boat back to the mainland. It was an uphill 2 km climb to the top of the island to get to the gannet colony on the north side, not normally a long hike but the steep incline and the added pressure of watching the time made it a rather stressful climb. Of course when we got to the gannets, we forgot everything - it was such an amazing sight to see thousands of these birds in one area. There was so much activity going on it took a while for us to absorb it all - there were mating pairs, bullying gannets, gannets in different stages of development - it was fascinating! It was very cold and windy at the top so the photography was not easy. We also had to make sure we get back in time for the boat!

Gannet colony on the north side of the island

Young gannet still with down feathers

Juvenile gannets

The boat ride back was even choppier than earlier in the afternoon so it was a relief to be back on solid ground and just in time for the golden hour on the rock. We were lucky to have done the boat ride that afternoon as true to the forecast, the following day was cold, rainy and windy. It was a good time for a break and we were glad we had booked three nights at Percé to allow for the weather.

TIP: Definitely book your hotel ahead of time for Percé. Rooms with view of the rock in September were all booked even as early as July. Dinner reservations for the highly-rated La Maison du Pêcheur are a must. We only got a 5:15 pm slot in spite of booking a week ahead.

Golden hour on the rock

We got up early the following morning to catch the sunrise. True to the saying "red sky in the morning, sailors warning", the wind and the rain arrived shortly after sunrise and all boat cruises were suspended.

It went from this...

to this in a couple of hours...

With nothing better to do, we climbed up a tower to get a panoramic view of the town during a lull in the rain.

Next post: Second sunrise and Forillon National Park

Saturday 23 October 2021

Gaspé Road trip - first stretch

After 20 months at home with the pandemic, we finally ventured out on a road trip in September, with the Gaspé peninsula as our destination. On the way to and from the Gaspé, we stopped at many interesting places. Please come along with us to enjoy some of the scenery.

Nicolet caught my eye when I was looking for a place to stop near Trois Rivieres - it is near the south shore of Lac St. Pierre which has a significant bird sanctuary. Since September is migration season, I was hoping to see some migrants while we were there. As it turned out, we arrived late in the afternoon and caught the golden hour on the cornfields but the light was too dim for us to see anything on the vast meadow near the birding hotspot Baie-du-Febvre. Since we had to be on our way first thing in the morning, we skipped the bird sanctuary thinking we would be stopping here again on our way home.

Corn fields catching the golden light

Minimalist farm scenery in Nicolet

Blue hour on the river

We headed for Riviere-du-Loup the following day with a stop at the Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere to see the spectacular falls. The bedrocks there are even more spectacular. We also stopped by a couple of the picturesque towns along the route - Michel de Belchasse with its many silver-clad rooftops and Kamourasaka, a legendary town. I stopped because of Anne Hébert's book (Kamourasaka) but the town has many other interesting aspects, including a chocolate shop and a romantic pier. I encountered two lifers here - the sanderling and the semipalmated sandpiper. The sunset at Riviere-du-Loup that evening was beautiful and we were lucky to catch it before we arrived at the hotel.