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The next few days were us taking turns driving along the Saint Lawrence.   Soon after leaving Quebec City, signs for lobster and shrimp started appearing  – ah yes, we’re at the seaside.  As an aside – the water in the Saint Lawrence is still fresh water at Quebec City, but they still have tides.  I did not realise you could even have fresh water tides (it’s probably the same on the Thames, and other rivers with a wide mouth to the sea). 

But back to Gaspé seafood.  Of course, we found the best fish monger in Bas St-Laurent (Les Pêcheries Desbois) and the best seafood restaurant (Le Matelot).  Parking is always a consideration at these places, but we manage.

We did come across the oddest winery I’ve ever visited: Vignoble Carpinteri in Saint-Ulric. A winery on the cold Gaspé seaside seems daft, but this winery makes 5 whites, 6 reds, 10 brandies, plus jams, spreads, and vinegars, all on site here in grey, salty Bas St Laurent.  It seems that all the grapes for the wines are grown in greenhouses (18 of them) and the fruits and brandy grapes are grown outdoors.  The place is massive, it was packed when we were there, and it is clearly a profitable and going concern.  (LL & I weren’t too keen on the wines, so our purchases were limited to their line of imported Italian products.)

We’re in Quebec City, and LL has fallen in love with the town.  I like it too, but boy oh boy, I’ve never seen her like this (and I’ve visited some pretty remarkable places with her). To be fair, it is adorable.  Winding cobbled streets, petite buildings, lots of wrought iron, and terrasses everywhere. We arrived early; the campground just across the river from QC has a shuttle (brilliant – a serious cash cow for them); and we spent the day on the Hop On, Hop Off, followed by an absolutely fab lunch at Le Lapin Sauté, and an obscene (yet again) amount of clothes shopping along Le Petit-Champlain.  I bought a cute print (very abstract expressionist, think Kandinsky) from a local artist.  And, when we went in to tour the interior of Château Frontenac there was a huge, very impressive looking, black-tie affair going on – felt so dowdy in comparison.

Odd thing happened: we called an Uber back to the campground (we missed the return shuttle due to shopping – oops) and when he arrived and realised where he was taking us, he claimed he ‘wasn’t allowed to cross the river’ and made us get out.  Fortunately the 2^nd Uber driver was willing to take us.  Did you know that Uber drivers don’t see their destination until you get in the car?  They only see their starting point.  So likely he didn`t want the long trip at that price.  Hunh.

But overall, Quebec City really is delightful.  And everyone is so friendly.

Scout & I volunteered at a middle school in Milton this past year, and Scout made friends with one grade 8 girl in particular. When this young lady heard we were going to Quebec, she said we had to go to Bromont, and we had to eat at the Pizzeria No. 900. I knew I would be volunteering at her high school in the fall, so I planned to stop there and take some pictures of Scout and me, standing in front of the restaurant, which I’d be able to show her in the new school year.

Sadly, we couldn’t do that. But we were still going through Bromont so we did indeed stop at the restaurant, and she was indeed right: the pizzas were spectacular.

I just wish I had a way to show her that we took her advice. Ah well.

I wanted to spend some time in Perth to visit with a friend, and because it’s just a lovely town. Lunch with PG at The Tangled Garden, then dinner at his house with his family, then a ride back to the Top Gun Gin Distillery in his vintage convertible.

I had booked two nights at the distillery; they were so welcoming.  Later that evening I noticed a few people gathering in front of the shop (I was parked at the far end of the parking lot) as it was getting dark.  One of the staff came over and explained that this was a stargazers’ club, the Milky Way was to be particularly visible and active that evening, and if I would like, I could bring a lawn chair, a blanket, and a glass of wine, and join them.  It was such an interesting evening!  There were experts wandering around and explaining things, and showing time-lapse photography of the various galaxies and constellations.

What a wonderful way to spend an evening.

I’ve mentioned before: the expectation at Harvest Hosts is that you will buy some of their products, as a form of payment (usually around the $30 mark).  It seems this year’s vintage of reds at Vignoble Clos Ste-Croix won so many medals, that they fully sold out.  Fortunately the whites were very nice, and we were introduced to two varietals we didn’t know well.  So that was nice.  But we were extravagant in our purchases (early-in-the-trip impulse buying), so we’ve agreed to rein it in at future Harvest Hosts.

Last summer 3 American friends and I discovered that Quebec has a wine region – who knew?  (Well, I suppose most Quebeckers knew. Duh.)  Tonight is our first night boondocking (dry camping) at a winery.  The owner of Vignoble Clos Ste-Croix is a very nice man, but gives lousy directions.  I ended up with the RV in a very small gravel parking lot – that was a 17-point turn to get out of there.  Eventually, we ended up parked in a grove of trees with vines all around – lovely.  Except.

Except, the ground wasn’t level, and my rig doesn’t come with levellers.  And LL (seasoned RVer) isn’t used to that, and RV fridges don’t work well if they aren’t level.  Splendid.  And then . . . . .

One slide-out got stuck.  Nooooo!!!!!!  This is not good.  We kept bringing it in, and trying again, and eventually, it worked.  (But will we be able to get it back in when we leave?)  And then . . . .

None of the electrics worked.  We turned on the generator, which sounded like it was running, but no power to charge our electronics, no lights, and worst of all, no AC.  It was at least 26°.  This can’t be happening.  We texted the service department of Heidi’s but no reply. 

We opened every window (including the door!), LL moved her bed down to the dining table, I slept horizontally across my bed against the window, and we had the worst night’s sleep imaginable.

Sigh.

It was so much fun showing off the rig to LL; she spent two years in a Class A travelling across North America, so she really appreciates the motorhome in ways completely different to those who have never RV’ed.

Getting through Toronto was not as stressful as I’d anticipated, although I’ve decided to fork out the extra money and take the 407 any time I’m crossing T.O. Afternoon stop in Kingston turned into a clothes-shopping marathon (oops).  But lunch at Chez Piggy was lovely.

Settling in at the Mallorytown KOA went fairly smoothly, although it looks like I will need a new water pressure regulator to stop the constant drip as we hook-up.

So much has been going on this month: club events, losing Scout, yard work, a lot of technology issues for the club, clearing up now that the contractor is gone; I just haven’t had a chance to pack.  And I had planned on taking some driving lessons from a truck-driver friend, but another friend asked to borrow the RV to put in their driveway to use as a shower room during their renovations.  So I’m maybe not as prepared for this trip as I should be.  But, my office is starting to fill up with ‘stuff’ for the trip, and it’s not like I’m heading to a remote foreign land; what I forget, I can buy (Canadian Tire & Home Hardware in every other town).

I did tell LL to go easy on the groceries beforehand – she has been to Chambly, QC, but she hasn’t been to the IGA in Chambly, and until you have been to the IGA in Chambly, you haven’t really shopped. 

She was also quite tickled when she mentioned that she thought she was overpacking, and I told her not to worry – she was getting her own closet!  (God, I have so much storage space in this thing.)

We’re booked. Starting in Kingston, then Quebec’s wine region (Brome-Missisquoi), Quebec City, then loop along the coast all the way around the peninsula to Percé Rock, back along the St Lawrence, eastern Ontario, and home.  That is a lot for 15 days.  Several KOAs, several Harvest Hosts, a National Parc, and a few private campgrounds.

Home for two weeks, then off again!  This time LL & I are hitting the Gaspé Peninsula.  We’re working with a tight two-week window – we both have commitments in mid-June and mid-July – and I’m not sure two weeks is enough time. 

I’ve started booking campsites and discovered a brand new issue, one I hadn’t anticipated when starting all of this: because of Trump, Canadians aren’t travelling to the States, and reservations in southern Quebec (and elsewhere for all I know) are filling up.  Splendid.