Leaving the Relatives Behind

I am now entering the realm of the unfamiliar...

The next portion of my journey is to get me to PEI safely and without driver burnout.  My research on the internet about traveling with an RV suggests driving between 325 and 485km per day and getting off the road by around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon.  (The suggestions are more catchy when you speak in miles than km.)  So, with little else to go on, I figured I would work on that basis for this trip and then if I feel I can do more in the future I will plan accordingly.  An this basis getting to PEI will require 3 more days/nights on the road.  

The first stop was Trois Rivieres.  I joined an online RV club called Boondockers Welcome and one of their members with a place for people to stay is in Trois Rivieres.  I made contact and was welcomed to stay.  This worked out very well.  I was able to quite easily back into the parking spot and my host gave me a great tour of his organic farm.  He says his English isn't good but we had no trouble communicating.  He mostly grows grains to be used as seed for future organic grain crops.  He also has a small personal garden plot close to the house, from which he gave me the first zucchini of the season.  It made a yummy dinner for the next two nights, with the addition of some ground beef and tomato sauce.  In appreciation for the place to stay, I treated him to dinner at a Thai place he likes and then we went to a park near the St. Lawrence River to watch the sun set.  These activities gave us more time to discuss traveling and other things.  He uses a truck camper, which he gave me a tour of. 

It was about 20 minutes walk at a brisk pace along this boardwalk to get to the shoreline.  Along the way there were some wider parts with picnic tables and interpretive signage explaining about all the various plants, birds and fish.  Unfortunately for me it was all written in french.   

I think the view was worth the walk.

The second stop is Riviere-Du-Loup, where I found Camping Du Quai, which was across the road from a hideous looking Santa's Village attraction, but also the river.  The campsite was easy to get into and set up on.  They had a rule that was new to me, that you had to have an adapter for the end of the hose going into their sewer.  They said it was because if you hose went too far into the hole it could "block up their whole system."  Of course they had them for sale, but seeing as I wasn't in urgent need of dumping I decided to forego the purchase for the time being.  

Seeing as this was my last stop in Quebec and given that I had never eaten Poutine before, I figured I had better cross that off "the Bucket List."  I asked where the best place for it was nearby and was directed to Snack Bar D'Amours, a short distance away.  I ordered the petite portion:

The gravy was a little on the salty side for me, but there were enough cheese curds to have some in every bite of chips.  I guess it was pretty good overall, but I don't think I will be rushing for another Poutine any time soon, as it isn't worth the calories to me. 

The final stop before PEI was Waterville, New Brunswick.  I found a nice family run campground online called Sunbury-Ormocto Park.  It is a nice setting on the lake.  The husband of the couple that lease the park from the Provincial government helped me get situated on my site.  I had to back a long way up a hill, but all went well.  He helped me set up for the night.  I had a nice visit with one of the wife's sisters and her husband and then with the owners as well.  While visiting with the owners, on their screened in porch, I was able to play with their litter of four, 5-week old black Labrador retriever puppies.  I would consider staying at this park for a longer period in the future.  They had kayaks for rent but the sky was threatening so I decided not to do it.  As it turned out it never rained and in fact the weather cleared up quite nicely.