p1michaud
Expedition Leader
My wife and I recently returned from a one week vacation to les “Iles de la Madelaine”, Quebec, Canada. We did take the Tacoma but our exploration was mostly by foot, mountain bike and included an attempt at sea kayaking…
On route to our destination with some good reading material…
We stayed at “Parc de Gros-Cap” campground (N 47 Deg. 20.7343 Min, W 61 Deg. 52.8827 Min). It’s located out on a point and you are surrounded by ocean. Nice views, nice campgrounds and you can pick clams right there. I’d stay there again.
Evening view looking south with a full moon, the blurry lights in the background are houses located on “Ile D’entrée”.
Interesting to note that the clam fishery on this sand bar had been closed for 15 years up until this year. Every evening the sand bar was full of locals picking. I was very tempted to go pick my own meal, but the water was very very cold (they use wetsuits for the kayak tours until July 15th!) plus I had lots to eat.
Enjoying the sights along the coast with the trusty bike, I purchase this thing in 1999 and have abused it ever since. Still ticking away, however I’m afraid that if anything major breaks I’ll have to replace the whole bike. It’s a GT Karakoram, tough bike.
Eating on the islands. Our very first meal was freshly steamed lobster (in season) washed down with a cold brew. I knew there were going to be some good eats on this trip right at that moment. We tried a few of the many coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants on the islands and they were all tasty. One place worthy of mention is “La Table Des Roy” (N 47 Deg. 22.4137 Min, W 61 Deg. 53.8541 Min). Our meals were simply out of this world, but they one that stood out was the “LA BOUILLABAISSE” this dish included a half lobster, clams, mussels, scallops, cod, snapper and haddock fish all in a bouillon. Accompanying this was a dried bread complete with garlic or red roasted pepper spread. I’m drooling just thinking about this meal again. Don’t have any pictures unfortunately, but check out the provided link. It’s the meal pictured on the main page. No affiliation, but do check out this place if you ever visit the area. Be warned, bring an appetite and your wallet, worth every penny you will pay! :chowtime:
On another evening we decided on a typical island feast. It consisted of freshly steamed lobster, “Pot en Pot” is pot pie type of meal originating from the islands made up of lobster, scallops, shrimp, diced potatoes, mussels, etc… and finally a local brew from a microbrewery called “L’abri de la tempete” (shelter from the storm). This beer is brewed from barley whipped by the wind and salty air of the Islands and I liked it. What a meal! Good thing we kept the activity level up during this trip otherwise we would have gained a few unnecessary pounds!
Finaly here is a quick shot of our sea kayak attempt. It was short live since the sea and I don’t agree…I got sea sick after 15 minutes out but hung in there for 1 hour until I could no longer take it. We hit dry land where I laid low for 2-3 hours recovering. Fun sport, but not for me unfortunately.
There are plenty of nice beaches in the area, but the water stays cold for most of the summer. So that’s my quick and dirty trip report on les “Iles de la Madelaine” enjoy!
Cheers :beer:,
P
On route to our destination with some good reading material…
We stayed at “Parc de Gros-Cap” campground (N 47 Deg. 20.7343 Min, W 61 Deg. 52.8827 Min). It’s located out on a point and you are surrounded by ocean. Nice views, nice campgrounds and you can pick clams right there. I’d stay there again.
Evening view looking south with a full moon, the blurry lights in the background are houses located on “Ile D’entrée”.
Interesting to note that the clam fishery on this sand bar had been closed for 15 years up until this year. Every evening the sand bar was full of locals picking. I was very tempted to go pick my own meal, but the water was very very cold (they use wetsuits for the kayak tours until July 15th!) plus I had lots to eat.
Enjoying the sights along the coast with the trusty bike, I purchase this thing in 1999 and have abused it ever since. Still ticking away, however I’m afraid that if anything major breaks I’ll have to replace the whole bike. It’s a GT Karakoram, tough bike.
Eating on the islands. Our very first meal was freshly steamed lobster (in season) washed down with a cold brew. I knew there were going to be some good eats on this trip right at that moment. We tried a few of the many coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants on the islands and they were all tasty. One place worthy of mention is “La Table Des Roy” (N 47 Deg. 22.4137 Min, W 61 Deg. 53.8541 Min). Our meals were simply out of this world, but they one that stood out was the “LA BOUILLABAISSE” this dish included a half lobster, clams, mussels, scallops, cod, snapper and haddock fish all in a bouillon. Accompanying this was a dried bread complete with garlic or red roasted pepper spread. I’m drooling just thinking about this meal again. Don’t have any pictures unfortunately, but check out the provided link. It’s the meal pictured on the main page. No affiliation, but do check out this place if you ever visit the area. Be warned, bring an appetite and your wallet, worth every penny you will pay! :chowtime:
On another evening we decided on a typical island feast. It consisted of freshly steamed lobster, “Pot en Pot” is pot pie type of meal originating from the islands made up of lobster, scallops, shrimp, diced potatoes, mussels, etc… and finally a local brew from a microbrewery called “L’abri de la tempete” (shelter from the storm). This beer is brewed from barley whipped by the wind and salty air of the Islands and I liked it. What a meal! Good thing we kept the activity level up during this trip otherwise we would have gained a few unnecessary pounds!
Finaly here is a quick shot of our sea kayak attempt. It was short live since the sea and I don’t agree…I got sea sick after 15 minutes out but hung in there for 1 hour until I could no longer take it. We hit dry land where I laid low for 2-3 hours recovering. Fun sport, but not for me unfortunately.
There are plenty of nice beaches in the area, but the water stays cold for most of the summer. So that’s my quick and dirty trip report on les “Iles de la Madelaine” enjoy!
Cheers :beer:,
P
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