Dec 31, 2013

| TRIP # 001: Gaspésie - Part two...

Day #4 Gaspé to Percé

The road to Percé once again was beautiful, though it was getting dark rapidly. It's imperative to make sure your brakes are working properly because there are super steep sections, from 8% to a crazy 17% which is probably the steepest part i drove so far on a regular road.
Once at destination it looked like a ghost town, everything was shut down except for a pub but i badly needed a shower and couldn't care less about it. I can't use the diaper wipes we bought recently because i'm allergic to Paraben and it started to burn my skin a little, yeaaah my mistake for not reading the label! So we left Percé to Grande-Rivière where we would find many open restaurants and motels, as told by a local friendly old dude (i think he's still laughing at us for touring the place in winter).
Indeed there is a more lively vibe as soon as we entered the city but the only place we could find was the Motel du Rivage (~82$/night on WE). Although there are lit-O-rally hundreds of gites, hotels, camping and B&B along the coast they are almost all closed now, and if not, their receptions are shut down after 4:00 pm so you know, we've tried.
Grande-Rivière is a charming city with a nice little harbor, a few restaurants and friendly folks. We checked out around 11:30 am and went looking for a brunch, which is apparently too much to ask for. Then we had no choice than to go back on the road and try to visit the famous Rocher-Percé. It was amazing to drive the same road again because we could finally enjoy the view in daylight, and it's stunning.

There is so much we didn't see the previous night, the rock and the island Bonaventure are beautiful from every angle, at close range or far away in the distance, making it difficult to drive and admire the landscapes all together.
Everything was closed, not even one available boat on the ice-free waters, we were starving and then decided to go back to Gaspé for a lunch. Dominique one of our friend grew up here and she told us to go try the poutine aux crevettes at the Brise-bise restaurant. Hmmm pretty good i have to say!
Okay now what about the 31st? because i originally envisioned something more exciting that what is going on here we decided to drive back near Québec city and to check the mood there. On the way back we stopped again at Saint-Jean-Port-Joli but went to visit the city this time, it was a pleasant surprise with its very artsy and odd vibe, there are plenty of cool boutiques, boulangeries and gourmet restaurants to enjoy.
We are now back home in Montréal and the return was exhausting, we will be celebrating here so we wish y'all a Happy New Year, enjoy your last day of 2013 and see you guys in 2014!

Dec 28, 2013

| TRIP # 001: Gaspésie - Part one...

Hoo shit what an old fart!!! now i still remember the big party in Madagascar that my parents threw for my dad's 40th birthday, i was just a kid back then and now it's my turn, how weird? Anyway we are finally in Gaspésie after our very first long road trip and this is how it started...

Day #1: Départ Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu

Gifts, food and joy are the key elements for a stereotyped good Xmas' night isn't it? And it worked out pretty much like this for once, I have to admit that I usually don't like this period of the year as it is an awful reminder of a cultural paradox and an outrageous Ode to consumption (what crisis?). My family is in France and I couldn't go visit them this year (je vous aime <3) and we started our quest to finding useful gifts for Nhu's family.
We decided to sleep in their driveway despite the cold and tried to plug the van for the 1st time using our brand new 30 Amp locking powercord, it worked like a charm and it comes with a light indicator to let you know if things are running well or not.
It's only late in the afternoon that we left St-Jean-sur-Richelieu after a lovely family meal. Our first idea was to go celebrate New Year's Eve in St-John, New-Brunswick, but they have been badly hit by an ice storm yesterday and it seems like the aftermath party is not so fun,
The city is still recovering and many houses don't have electricity yet. On top of that they are announcing a snow storm for tomorrow so forget it, let's find another goal and Gaspésie it will be. Anyway we drove past Québec city and i decided to keep driving until it was time to refill the tank as well as our stomachs. We don't want to drive too much during one day because there is no hurry right!
When I was too tired we stopped at the Normandin truck stop near Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, there are a few restaurants and a gas station, but above all some showers (even a spa) hOoo yes! Now I have to change my Garmin GPS for a truck/RV version because these stops are life savers, especially in winter.

Day #2: Saint-Jean-Port-Joli to Matane

It was a good night and the van was pretty warm in the morning, We packed our stuff, took a shower and then hit the highway. The shower cost was high at 5$ (+5$ deposit) but it was comfortable, spacious and not limited in time like in the National Parks, let's say it was worth it :)
We arrived at Rimouski at night for a short stop, it seems to be a vibrant and exciting city with a beautiful promenade along the river, As you can see in the photos below, the St-Laurent is frozen and it looks like a large white field with messy ice blocks all over.
Our first overnight stay at a Walmart parking yey, now we are officially stamped "American RVers" i guess. The RV area is located in the Eastern part of the parking lot, right near the Tim Hortons (open 24/7). You have the choice between TH and WM's Wifi hotspots there so it's pretty convenient.
Matane is a really small town and in winter there isn't much things to do to be honest except maybe if you are in the wind turbine business, We woke up, got a breakfast at TH and went shopping at WM for the Boxing day, we needed a blender and found one at a great price and now we are all set :)
Now it's time to leave this quiet port and keep rolling.

- Note: It's easy to find internet at local cofee shops or chains like Mc Do and Tim Hortons along the way but concerning cellular's coverage it is a dead zone for me, as of December 2013 Fido does not cover the Gaspesian peninsula at all, I lost contact past Rimouski, dude it sucks! So if you guys want to join me, please use emails or I'll read your messages later.
 

Day #3: Matane to Gaspé

The road 132 from Matane to l'Anse-Pleureuse is following the coast and it is breathtaking, honestly the landscapes are amazing with steep cliffs plunging in an ocean of ice and snow, frozen waterfalls and charming villages, it is a no-brainer and you have to see it for yourself. It's beautiful and this must be also true for all seasons.
Moving forward we saw a dramatic scene in the horizon with a giant dramatic cloud pissing over the mountains and 30mn later we drove right under it just to discover it was actually a snow storm which covered the road in no time and it became dangerously slippery, The locals apparently not bothered by the event keep driving really fast and, as most Quebecois, don't understand the use of blinkers (f****ing annoying to say the least), guys this is not an option!
Ok here we are *target achieved* and i'm writing this from my Surface tablet at the Café des Artistes in Gaspé. A cosy, artsy café with nice people, we thought it was probably the only place we would hang out if we were students here, the town seems so small though.

Dec 24, 2013

| Merry Xmas et Joyeux Noel!..

Have fun everyone, hope you'll enjoy the holidays! On our side we are heading towards the Maritimes after the anticipated epic meal tomorrow at Nhu's parents. Love y'all!

Dec 22, 2013

| Peuf peuf peuf...

I haven't seen such a rad start of the winter since 2004, snow keeps piling up and again we have to dig it all up! Not even Xmas and we went snowskating many times under some of the best conditions in a long while. It's quite a funny sight to look at all the cars buried in the street until you try to get into yours, hoOo well this is life in Quebec :)

It took about an hour to clean this mess...

Dec 15, 2013

| White dump...

Today i was awake early because of the kids upstairs running like crazy, one of the many problems of the old wooden houses here in Montreal. Anyway outside was a pleasant surprise, about 30 cm of fresh powder and it is still snowing. However it's always fun the first few dumps of the season, but it will soon become annoying especially when you have to dig your car out for the next morning -___-

Dec 1, 2013

| 1ere fois...

Last week we took the van for its virgin trip without planning and it was epic, right in the middle of this years' first snow storm, by -11°C and strong winds and, as we found out... no open campgrounds in Estrie :) note to ourselves: next time, leave early, book a camp and check the weather channel!
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Le WE dernier nous avons pris le van pour son 1er test sans aucune réelle préparation et ce fut un drôle de périple a vrai dire! Nous voulions passer 2 nuits au Mont-Orford et faire un peu de marche mais le temps de se lever, d'aller faire quelques courses et de s'y rendre et voila qu'il faisait nuit noire, tempête de neige (la 1ère de l’année ça tombait bien) et des routes glissantes balayées par des vents violents.
Bref, le Parc était ferme et on s'est arrêté un peu plus loin dans une halte routière ou nous avons passe la nuit sur le parking a l'abri d'un gros camion, le tout par -11°C et oui, un gros fail en quelque sorte! 
Malgré ça c’était le bonheur, l’intérieur est petit et se chauffe rapidement grâce au chauffage Webasto relié au réservoir d'essence (~220 ml/h), le problème est qu'en plaçant le rideau du pare-brise et de la cabine, j'ai accidentellement ouvert une fenêtre, donc ça aurait pu être encore plus "cosy". On a encore pas mal de choses a apprendre hein et ça va venir tranquillement. C'est étonnant le sentiment de liberté lié a ce véhicule, on va ou on veut, quand on veut et on se gare n'importe ou... avec la banane.

Le lendemain on a laissé tomber les plans de randonnée car nous n'avions pas de vêtements assez épais, il faisait vraiment froid je rappelle, ceci dit je conseille le Parc du Mont-Orford a tout le monde, surtout pour faire de la raquette ou profiter de leur station de ski. Nous avons visite Magog qui est une ville vraiment sympa avec plein de restaurants de qualité, des boutiques partout et une belle vue sur le lac Memphremagog. Ensuite retour Montréal, en passant par St-Jean-sur-Richelieu pour dire bonjour aux parents de Nhu, puis faire une halte salvatrice a la Maison Kam-Fung = pétage de ventre! Et voila, une belle façon d’étrenner notre p'tit condo roulant :)
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| Snowskate quiver...

This winter has already broken all the records in terms of cold, snowfall and ice storms, thank you  El Niño ! We have been snowskating quit...