Exploring St. Lawrence’s North Shore

The Saguenay Canyon runs east-west at the mouth of the St. Lawrence just south of the port town of Tadoussac. It’s a popular spot with the outdoorsy-types for hiking, kayaking, skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, etc. We decided to camp at the National Park there because we wanted an inexpensive place to stay and thought our Parks Canada pass might relieve some of the cost and besides, we were ready for wilderness after our week of cities. What we didn’t know is that although Quebec designates a park as National it is not national in the Canadian sense but national in the Quebec sense. All other provinces call those kinds of parks; Provincial. We accept it as one more indication that Quebec still sees itself as a distinct society, national in its own right, remembering where it came from and afraid of being swallowed up in Anglophonium.

To make an even longer story short, after paying a full camp fee, succumbing to a cold semi-shower, and taking in the valley scenery, though not as advertised, we headed more north than east toward the Saguenay Gorge and an 1800’s tourist trap called Tadoussac. Mostly, guide books have been helpful; however, today was not one of those days. We did enjoy the drive but in the end felt we could have better spent the day and that’s a consequence we accept. Adventures aren’t always fun but they do stretch a person.

Our topic of conversation at Timmie’s on the way out of the Gorge centred around Quebec’s history, her yearning for distinct society status and our inklings on that entire much-debated topic. We will keep those to ourselves for now but let me say, the province’s landscape is spectacularly varied and beautiful, the language is melodic and the people are  industrious and determined. Quebec has a lot in its favour.

Tonight we are camped on a grassy knoll just up from the high tide line of the St. Lawrence River in a township called Saint-Simeon. We can see the freighters gliding westward, the herons fishing for a late dinner and the sky finally clearing. It’s been another blessed day, though not as advertised.