8/5/14 – We have decided to head the inland route to the north, since the coastal route would take too much time. Our goal is the Gaspésie – the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec – which is almost 1000 km to tour around, and we have to decide if we even have time for THAT this trip. Shediac has nice beaches, and only a short walk from this campground, but it rained overnight, and still threatens, so we decide to continue north on the 11 to Kouchibouguac National Park, and drove in to explore. This park has nice bike trails and hiking paths, and bags, forests, and beaches, all pretty flat. Also lots of mosquitos, so we lathered up and headed out on a coastal trail to the beach. Quite a few beachgoers, as even with some cloud cover, the air and water were pretty warm. On the way back to the rig, we picked wild blueberries and a few raspberries for our morning fruit.

 Onward via the 11 to Miramichi, where we transition to the 8. This highway cuts across a peninsula, thru a wild area with a lot of logging. BUT, Nancy spied a moose crossing the highway way up the road ahead! The blind driver took her word for that. We pass thru Bathurst, and back on the 11, to Nigadoo, to spend the night at Motel and Campground Haché. Other than Nancy taking a dip in the pool, we relaxed from the long drive. Some rain at night, but not enough to douse the campfires.

8/6/14 – North on the 11 again to Campbellton, where we stopped for groceries and then took the bridge over the Patapedia River into Quebec, and the information site for the Gaspésie. Decision time, and since our plans included taking the ferry across then St. Lawrence Seaway in order to drive back on the north side, we opted to skip the long drive around the peninsula – for another trip. Instead, we drove east just beyond New Richmond, turning north on the 299, towards the Parc National de la Gaspésie. We had been a bit lax at this point about topping off our huge 55g gas tank, but when we passed a sign saying 153 km to next gas, I drove with a feather under my foot! We hoped to spend the night in the park, and do some hiking, in addition to the drive. Even though there were steep, green Appalachian peaks all around us, most of the drive followed the gently descending Cascapedia River, at least until we reached the park – and with very little traffic.

That changed at the visitor center. Even with a lot of parking, the lots were almost full, and swarming with people! When we checked, none of the campgrounds close by had openings, except an overflow RV parking lot for $27 a night – no services. So, we decided on a short hike instead to where we were told the highest concentration of caribou and moose could be found. This involved a steep drive several kilometers up a dusty dirt road, and as I watched my Scanguage drop my current average down below 2.7 mpg, we decided getting stranded in the park was just not worth it. We turned around and ‘feathered’ our way back out the north end of the park and to the town of Ste Anne des Monts, and gas stations galore!

Amazingly, our average on the tank was 10 mpg, and 20g was left! Anyway, we then pulled into the visitor center to make camp and ferry reservations. The campgrounds there were full, and the ferries were not capable of taking a full-height motorhome, except the one leaving Matane. The soonest they had space would be 3 days hence at 5:30 am. Reluctantly, we abandoned the ferry plan, and will drive the south shore to Quebec City. We did make reservations there at the KOA for three nites – as members still $50 a night! Then we continued west under sunny skies to Cap Chat, and the ‘Camping aux Bord de la Mer’. Camping here is in a big, open, well-groomed field with beach access, and the proprietress will boil up a lobster for you on request – and we requested one to split for dinner. Nancy fixed a nice salad, and we hors d’oeuvred on chips and salsa until the bug was ready – shell-cracker, bowl, and pickers provided. Ahhhh…