Monday August 14, 2017

Egg in the Hole

We both slept well last night and are ready to begin our day. We sit down for our last breakfast prepared by Jacques and Diane. Diane is the chef and Jacques is the waiter. We begin with the fruit and yoghurt and the croissant. Our choice for today is egg and cheese in a hole. The whole is in the bread and served on the side. Being a hole, it is light and airy!! Everything is good and we load up the RAV for the days travel. I say to Jacques in French “you have been very kind” and Diane says “what about me” to which I respond you also and “the breakfasts were wonderful” also in French, which brings a big smile. Having exhausted most of my French, we hug and say Aux Revoir.

Forges Historic Park

Today we are driving toward Montreal but not to the city. We will be making a few stops and ending in the bustling Burg of Yamachiche, about 90 minutes from Montreal. We make it out of Quebec with no traffic and then the highway becomes the usual not very crowded. It makes for easy driving and we come to our first stop 90 minutes later, the Forges du Saint Maurice. This was the site of the first industrial town in Canada created in 1730 to use the nearby iron ore deposits. The forge and blast furnace were the most technologically advanced in North America and operated almost continuously until becoming outdated and shutting down in 1883. We tour the site and the old blast furnace before heading back on the road.

Lac Fou

Our next stop is the Visitor center in La Mauricie National Park. This park has 150 lakes in it and is in the more mountainous region of Quebec Province. It is a canoe and kayak paradise. We tour the exhibits to learn about the history and the local wildlife which includes the usual assortment of woodland and lake creatures plus moose and black bear. We stop at several overlooks, hike a few short trails and enjoy a leisurely drive through the park. It takes us about 3 and a half hours. From there, we drive the backroads of the area until we hit the main drag in Yamachiche. Along the way we pass several villages, all with names of Saints in French. The lake country gives way to farm country and we pass through 30 miles of fields growing corn and hay.

At Chez Archie

Reaching Yamachiche, we stop in the only restaurant we had found here, Chez Archie. It is a burger and chicken joint. The girl speaks English and explains the chicken options which are all in French. Carol chooses a chicken platter and I get a steak and onion pita. We sit in the shade and enjoy the nice meal. After, we get two soft serve cones for dessert, one is covered with a maple topping, and I will let you guess who ordered that. A short drive up the road and we check into our small bargain hotel, the only one in town. No Vacancy, so we are glad we booked. The room is small but very clean and nice and we settle in for the evening. I than realize that the GPS does not know the street we have to go to in Montreal so I will have to google map and write down directions tomorrow. It is fine as we can sleep in and take our time leaving due to the short drive.

Expenses                                                                                                                                         12 Beers for the Road 18.44 CAD (much cheaper in Quebec)                                                Gas 33.65 CAD                                                                                                                       Dinner and Dessert at Chez Archie 27.30 CAD                                                                 Hotel Lyston 67.82 CAD