Category: USA

Day 30

The first objective of the day was to cross Prince Edward Island and then Confederation Bridge over Northumberland Strait. Piotr did not want to get caught driving on long (13 km) exposed bridge in whatever wind leftovers the huricane could still produce. Driving into side wind-gusts with cargo box on the roof is not fun. We just moved steadily and arrived midday in New Brunswick. We new parks and park camgrounds remained closed. At Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park Visitor Center was closed, but we decided to take to the trails on the coast with quite a few other visitors. Weather was not bad. People come here mostly to watch the tide come and go.

Later, we drove up and down Scenic Drive along the coast (Rte 915). Stopping at Cape Enrage Lighthouse. Piotr did not like wild camping spots Joanna found and we spent the night at The Shire, small camping next to (old) Ha Ha Cemetery. Convenient and nice spot. Hats, mosquito nets, two layers to cover entire body and we were stil bitten multiple times.  No way we could cook dinner, we ate whatever sitting in the car. All mosquitos from Canada converged on us there, they were not really a problem anywhere else.

Day 31

Next stop, Fundy National Park. We considered staying in Alma, but after talking to rangers at the Visitor Center decided park campground was a better option. We had plenty of time to walk around. Spent some time on the beaches watching the tide sweep-in quite quickly. Watermarks showed impresive tide-height  in Bay of Fundy (up to 16 m), among the highest in the World. We also walked two trails, Shiphaven and Coppermine, through forested high banks.

Chignecto Campground is quite large, but there were only a few people around that day late in season. We found a good spot near shelter/kitchen. Everything looked new. With plenty of firewood and food we were set for the evening. It was cold and rainy outside.

Day 32

Now we knew the Canadian adventure is ending – we were heading toward US border. Six more days, 2500 km to Chicago. Driving, some stops to rest and look around. Next major destination: visiting friends in Cleveland.

Coffee break for XL latte at Picadilly Coffee Roasters in Sussex NB (recommended) and brief visit  at New River Beach Provincial Park NB, Joanna walked around, Piotr took driver’s nap. Last two stops in Canada.

When we arrived at Fogg Brook Resort Campground, Palmyra ME, the office was alrady closed but the staff was very nice and came back to check us in. Then neighbours came over with strong flash light, as we were setting camp after dark, and big bundle of camp firewood. It was the first time we camped on golf course.

Day 33

We stopped in Freeport ME to pick-up groceries at Bow Street Market and for lunch at Lobster Cooker (recommended) followed by coffee at  Siphouse (recommended) on Main Street. All selected based on friendly recommendations at Mainly Seafood Company just off the highway. Lobster time for Joanna, Piotr settled for fish & chips basket plus later extra-large latte. And we were back on I-295/95 heading south and then on Hwy 202 and 9 west to Vermont.

George D Aiken Wilderness Rd dispersed camping in Green Mountains, VT (recommended). Last chance for wild camping and we liked it.

 

 

Day 34

Joanna was looking for one more short hike and we decided to go on Long Trail to Maple Hill near Bennington VT. Weather was beautiful. We added a couple of miles  on one of our favorites: Appalachian Trail. Coffee at The Perfect Blend on Broad St in Waverly NY and driving on major highways for the rest of the day until Unadilla / I-88 / Oneonta KOA Journey campground (our first KOA and it was very good). We got a nice spot at the end of the campground and not between large campers/RVs.

Day 35

All day of highway driving with short stop for sunset and short walk at Elk Creek, Erie Bluffs State Park, PA. We arrived at Joanna’s friend’s house in Cleveland suburb in the evening.

Day 36

We spent half-a-day visiting Cuyahoga National Park, OH. A combination of easy walk through forested hills and creeks, and on  Cuyahoga River with a bit of history: Ohio & Erie Canal and Valley Railway (18th century), and industrial sites such as Jaite Paper Mill (early 20th century). 30th US National Park we have visited so far. We spent the rest of our time with friends.

Day 37

Just driving from Cleveland to Chicago.

Day 1 -3.

The trip started with pretty much non-stop driving. We crossed the border in Detroit on Ambassador Bridge (after relatively short wait) and arrived at Big Band Conservation Area campground in early evening. Yes, we camped on Thames River near London. Ontario has great network of small Conservancy Areas that offer short walks, picnic and camping. Next day we passed Toronto and camped at Darlington Provincial Park on Lake Ontario, where we walked along the shore. The following day we drove to Milles Roches/Snetsinger Island campground (recommended). On the way, we spent some time exploring locks 46-49 of Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills. We also took a short break from highway-driving (Hwy 401) and slowly moved along St Lawrence River on 1000 Islands Pkwy (between Rockport and Butternut Bay) with good views on the river (Thousand Island National Park).

Day 4.  

We moved past Montreal to Petite-Rivière in Quebec where we stayed two nights at camping du Domaine à Liguori/Coopérative de Solidarité l’Affluent (recommended). We knew nothing about this place as Joanna found it in late afternoon researching options for O/N stay. Pleasant surprise: not only a nice place to stay and friendly people, but also mountains in the backyard to hike.

Day 5.

Finally without driving. We walked over to the lower Massif de Charlevoix gondola station, took the gondola to the top and following advice received at the Co-op started looking for trails to walk back down. We were unprepared. To a hiker it looked like the mountaintop was just plowed over –  it is skis and mountain bikes territory. Nobody insisted on selling us single-ride tickets as everybody else had a pass. When asked about “the trail”, locals told us just to go downhill. Friendly ATV rider directed us to power line on the horizon and we found it there. Piotr tuned-in to Organic Maps. There are many well maintained and marked walking trails on the mountain, separate from mountan bike trails. Once a bit away from the center of activity, it was quiet, with good views on surrounding hills and St Lawrence River. We completed 14 km loop (almost 3 km/650 m gondola ascent and 11 km walking) through forest with some open vistas and visiting small waterfalls near our campground (recommended).

Download Piotr’s GPX file

Day 6.

Laundry, hot shower and good, morning coffee at the Co-op, and we are ready to go. After short stop in Petite Rivière, we drove closer to the river  through small towns and villages along Rte Du Fleuve (382) from Baie Saint Paul to La Malbaie, rather than on the main highway (138). We stopped at St-Irénée beach and train station. A round trip on Train de Charlevoix along St Lawrence River sounded interesting, but we were a day behind our initial schedule already. We stopped for lunch at Boulangerie Artisanale in La Malbaie: good coffee, pastry and bread (recommended).

Next stops: Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre to watch belugas and, after crossing Rivière Saguenay by ferry, Marine Environment Discovery Centre in Les Escoumins (both Parks Canada). We visited this part of Quebec on earlier road trip (☞ Quebec 2009). We purchased our annual park pass there (hoping to use it also in western Canada in 2024). We then observed several beluga pods for an hour or so. The Discovery Center was closed, but we were allowed to visit the rocky coast behind it – popular whale-watching spot (no luck this time).

We arrived at Les Dinosaures du Quai De Ragueneau after 7 pm.  Popular and very nice (parking lot) camping site on the peninsula (recommended on iOverlander etc) was packed with large campers. Not for us even though a tight parking spot was available. We walked around to check out the views and dinosaur-like sculptures next morning. We decided to O/N on the main picnic area parking lot (next to Oie de George-Henri Gagné) with a few other (dispersed) car-campers, not bad. Access road to perfect camp sites on the other side of the bay, which we checked-out next day, looked impassable (mud). It was getting dark and started to drizzle. Enough time to cook dinner in nearby shelter. Toilet was permanently closed. Weather was nice next morning so we took to the trail through taiga and rock outcrops along St Lawrence River.

Day 7.

Real adventure begins: we are driving from Baie Comeau inland on Quebec Rte 389 heading north towards Labrador, tank full. The first section of the road to Manic 5 is in very good shape with very few cars/trucks. It feels somewhat remote but safe. The landscape is flat with some hills. Endless dense forest, meadows, marshes, lakes, rivers and streams. Changing all the time but not in very dramatic way, making the trip relaxing. We loved the emptiness. There aren’t any organized rest stops or even just accessible side roads to park for a break. It is continuous ditch on both sides of the road. We found a decent spot on side road for Piotr’s obligatory afternoon nap. Next stops: Visitor Center at Manic 5 (very engaging staff) and viewpoint on nearby hill. The size of the dam is impressive. We learned about meteorite crater filled with water when the dam was built.  Lac Manicouagan with island in the middle, the round shape on map,  attracted our attention years ago.

Two sections of Rte 389 between Manic 5 and Labrador City are unpaved gravel, but quite well maintained (mostly). We encountered few passenger cars and a number of heavy trucks. Yes, one speeding truck sprayed our windshield with gravel (luckily causing no damage), but the road does not really live-up to its reputation as difficult, bad and dangerous. Patience and slow driving helps.

As we were driving along Lake Manicouagan, we found on map a road section running very close to the shore. We decided to look for wild camp site in this area. We took first obvious dirt road towards the lake and found good spots on stony beach, but decided to park a short distance away. Weather was changing and we thought we would be better protected from wind there. Rain and wind came, but nothing serious. There were obvious signs (tire tracks) of other visitors but no one in sight that day, even at access points further down the road. Piotr started fire on the beach and Joanna cooked dinner. All sounds great, but we were also attacked by swarms of (nasty) biting black flies. Glad we had mosquito nets, but were bitten many times anyway before we took precautions. They fly in front of your eyes just for deception but crawl into your hair and bite your neck. It takes quite some time to feel it. Painful lesson learned. End of August was supposed to be already past peak fly season.