Fiona, Falls and French Canada

(2022 Newfoundland Ep 16)

With Max repaired, we left eastern Nova Scotia on Thursday, September 22. as Hurricane Fiona was set to strike after a destructive and deadly path across the Caribbean.

We were surprised that traffic on the Trans-Canada highway, the main east-west route across Nova Scotia, was light.   This was unlike Florida’s major highways that would be bumper-to-bumper two days (or more) before an approaching hurricane.

Fiona made landfall near Whitehead, Nova Scotia, 150 miles southwest of Sydney, early Saturday, September 24.  The category 2 storm had sustained winds of around 105 mph and Fiona was regarded to be the strongest such storm in Canadian history. 

By then, we were safely camped 550 miles away near Grand Falls, New Brunswick.  We were thankful for light rain and a few moderate gusts, and our prayers were for the people of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in the storm’s path.

We stopped to see the world’s longest covered bridge in Hartland, NB as we traveled.  We drove down a steep road that led to the 1282-foot-long single lane bridge where it crossed the St John River.  As we neared the bridge, we realized the bridge had a height limit of 10 feet.  We had to do some quick rerouting – Oscar is 11 feet 6 inches tall!

That afternoon, we were surprised to find out the campgrounds in Grand Falls had closed for the season.  We finally found a campground several miles away that kept a few campsites available for fall travelers. 

We hiked to several viewpoints of Grand Falls and then along the gorge downstream.  At 75 feet, the falls are third highest major waterfall in eastern North America after Niagara Falls and Quebec’s Montmorency Falls.    During the spring runoff, the volume of water flowing over Grand Falls is nearly 2/3 that of Niagara Falls!

From Grand Falls, we drove north to the Gulf of St Lawrence and then west to a campground near Quebec City.  It was there we wished we had learned French when we were in school.

The campground office was closed when we arrived, so we called a phone number posted at the entry gate for assistance.  The man who answered did not speak English – he only spoke French!  Several minutes later he pulled up on a golf cart.  We showed him our reservation email and after trying to communicate via various hand signals and pidgin English/French, he let us in and showed us to a campsite.  We were glad the campground was not full.

We toured Old Quebec City the next day to take in over 400 years of history in the birthplace of French North America. 

At the recommendation of two travelers we met at Crow’s Nest Café in Twillingate, Newfoundland, we started our day with coffee and amazing French pastries at Paillard Pastry Shop in the Old City.  It was raining lightly when we finished.  

We walked down narrow streets, stopping to shop in a quaint district with interesting souvenir shops. Then we visited the magnificent Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral and Seminaire de Quebec next door.  The Seminaire had a large courtyard that reminded us of a scene from the movie Papillon. 

We continued a short ways to ledges high above the St Lawrence River displaying various restored cannons that once defended the city.  At least four cruise ships were docked on the waterfront below and we surmised many of the visitors we saw that day were from those ships. 

At Dufferin Terrace we signed up for a two-hour walking tour of historical fortifications in the city.  We walked past Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, an impressive hotel, and toured inner sections of La Citadelle de Quebec, a historic fort that is still an active military outpost.  Our tour finished in Artillery Park, where there was large scale production of munitions during WWII.

(traveler tip – Parks Canada tours cost considerably less than comparable commercial tours)

Our Old Quebec City visit came to an end, and we stopped for a light supper at Le Petit Coin Latin, a cozy little café close to where we parked Max.  We dined on a delicious charcuterie board with various savory meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts and crackers.  It was nice end to a very full day.

Despite the rain, we had a wonderful time in Old Quebec City and hope to visit again. 

Next week:  we visit Montmorency Falls, the second highest waterfall in eastern North America, a few miles outside Quebec City.  Then we drive to a remote provincial park a few miles south where the fall colors were on glorious display!