What I Did On My Summer Vacation

My account of my recent travels, featuring themes of loss (hat, money, shoes), acceptance of loss, and feeling so lucky all the same.

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Day 1- July 29, 2006 (Friday): Heading to Tadoussac

My trip is finally beginning. I was supposed to wake up at 4:30 this morning to take the 6 o’clock to Quebec, but I made a mistake in setting the alarm. This is the second-time in the last couple of weeks that this happened. A week or so ago, I missed in an early morning "worry burning" thing that a friend of mine had going (as part of his birthday celebration) at the crack of down on Mount Royal. I guess there’s a part of me that just objects to getting up that early.

I’ll need to develop and then scan photos I take during this trip, as I don’t yet have a digital camera. I’m doing some writing and planning for future issues of my zine on the bus.

Afternoon- Short stopover in Quebec City. Ended up mainly sticking near the station as storm clouds threatened (but never made good on their threat). Also had to sort things out with the B&B in Tadoussac since I’ll be arriving there later than expected (about 9:30 this evening). There’s a nice park and a market (where I had an ice cream) near the bus station, and I had lunch at a nearby restaurant. Practiced my guitar in the park.

Late afternoon- Internet addiction withdrawal! There was a Bell internet station at the bus stayion ($2 for 10 min.!) It didn’t work. I tried telling myself I didn’t need to check my email.


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Day 2- July 30, 2006 (Saturday): Watching Whales/Much Sand, Sun & Wind in Tadoussac



Went whale watching this morning. It was a really good day for it. Very good visibility, many whales, several kinds. Fun to be out on the water too- it's actually cold! It was also cold on the ferry crossing to Tadoussac. I did feel some motion sickness- just a slight queaziness and trouble keeping balanced.



Walked along the beach this afternoon, saw the whale museum and went to see some sand dunes in the evening. The weather's been glorious- they were predicting showers today, and indeed ominous clouds did gather this morning, but they moved on soon enough.



email addiction update- there's an internet café here in Tadoussac! It's a nice café too- a bit like l'Utopik, though more touristy. This town's a real tourist town at this time of year.




The accomodation's pretty basic, although the staff are pleasant people.

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Day 3- July 30, 2006 (Sunday, Hallelujah!): Ferries, buses & hiking in the sunshine (from Tadoussac to Pointe-à-la Croix)




The ferry to Baie Ste. Catherine: It's glorious- the sunshine forming brilliant points of light on the water, under a clear blue sky, between two juttings out of land, where the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers meet (this is actually the sea though- the water is salty and there are tides here). Far across the St. Lawrence, I can see the faded blue outlines of distant mountains. (unfortunately, my camera wasn't available, so this description'll have to do).

I had to use my ticket to Quebec just to get to St. Simeon, because of my rather haphazard (even whimsical) approach to travel planning. I find it hard to travel this sort of thing, at home, in the abstract- at least when I'm out there, it's easier to see the problem that needs solving- how to get to the next place. Even bus companies, which are more flexible than train companies, don't work along with that..

Riviere-de-Loup bus station: The ferry across from St. Simeon to Rivere-de-Loup took about an hour, then I had to hike into town, which took about another hour. At the bus station I bought the tickets I need for the next leg of the jouney.

The weather's been glorious so far- sunshine and blue skies, with wispy white clouds here and there, cool refereshing breezes (well, winds really- actually the wind blew my hat off- I think it now resides somewhere at the bottom of the Tadoussac harbour or the river). The countryside here is beautiful.

Rimouski bus station (4:55 PM): Does being in unfamilar territory sharpen the senses? I feel more aware and more present here than I did back in Mtl. When you're not so familar with the place and how things happen here, I guess you need to keep your wits about you to a certain extent. It also helps that isn't terribly hot + humid in these here parts.

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Day 4- July 31, 2006 (Monday) : Extra day at the Bay des Chaleurs



2 PM (New Brunswick Time)- So here I am in New Brunswick (Campbellton). Another adventure. I neglected to find out when the bus through New Brunwick was passing through town- I arrived late, and then I has a leisurely early-to-mid morning, having a wonderful breakfast languidly observing two hummingbirds hovering at high speed at the feeder on the porch, blissfully unaware that I was missing the bus and would have to spend an unplanned extra day around the Baie de Chaleurs.




The folks at the B&B at Pointe-a-la-Croix (La Maison Verte- a great place) were very helpful- thanks to them I got a room in Campbellton, just across the bay. Campbellton's quite a nice place, as you may have noticed from the photos.






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Day 5- August 1, 2006 (Tuesday): Through New Brunswick



late morning- Spent a really comfy night and breakfast at McKenzie House, here in Campbellton. Now on the bus, heading down New Brunswick. It's another sunny day- there's hardly a cloud in the sky. The landscape here doesn't seem quite as interesting as in Gaspesie, though.

My hostess said at breakfast today that the main employer in the Campbellton area is a pulp and paper factory. The jobs are well-paying, but the industry's in a precarious state these days, and it seems the factory could close at any time. But in fact, even having the fafctory around isn't that great- it emits noxious, toxic pollutants into the air, and the people who work there tend to get pretty sick soon after retirement. Cancers are common.

How are communities like this to survive? Should we try to keep these factories open? But then, aren't we encouraging practices involving the destruction of nature and the poisoning of people? But if we don't, what can we do to make such communities both economically and environmentally sustainable?

This morning I finally finished Life of Pi, and then promptly lost it. Seems somehow appropriate. Maybe someone else'll find it and read it.

What is the value of a story- does a "better" story carry more truth, or meaning, or whatever? Hmmm....

12:35 PM- Short stop in Bathurst. Nice place. No place to quickly get lunch though. Got an ice cream instead. Mint and chocolate, mmm....

afternoon- "Chinese and Canadian cuisine"- seen on the front of a restaurant as we pull into another town. I don't want to be unpatriotic or anything, but just what is Canadian cuisine?

Can't get this Paul Simon song out of my mind- "Look At That". That's what tourist travelling is, isn't it?

Sackville, N.B., 10 PM (N.B. time)- I'm in a very nice B&B now (see photo above)- one of these old country houses, my room is quite large and luxurious- far better than a hotel, and cheaper too. Earlier had a brief stopover in Moncton, and I actually was in the first real city downtown during this trip. (It's really only a few blocks, but whatever) I bought The Globe and Mail- big mistake, it got me riled up. Keep me away from the daily paper! I will only say this: I sincerely hope that Canadians won't fall for the sleazy Conservative spin doctors who treat us as sheep who only seek leaders with clear directions to follow, never mind the details. Luckily, it now looks like we're not falling for it.
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Day 6- August 2, 2006 (Wednesday)- Sunshine, Shoes, Heat & Mud



Mmmm.....the taste of amoretto gelato lingers on my lips....uh, where was I? Oh, yes, here I was, and here I am, sitting dazed on the Mt. Alison campus. It's really hot in the sun now, so I'm sticking to the shade, and moving slowwwly. I'm reliably informed that this merciful wind blows from the Bay of Fundy...yes, yes, that's it...mmmmm....



This morning I got to an inlet coming in from the bay, only it was a trickle because it was low tide and because it was stopped up by a dike over which the Trans-Canada Highway runs , onward to Nova Scotia. And there I did a rather stupid thing. Attracted by the maritime air, I came in closer to this inlet, through the rushes, into the mudflat by the inlet. This was described by the local tourist office, I later found, as "the glistening expanse of mud deposited by the Fundy tides". Sounds alluring, but beware! for the mud turned out to be like quicksand, and seconds after I ventured into it, I found that one of my feet was stuck. I wrenched it out of my shoe. I tried to pull the shoe out, but to no avail. It's now, as I write, becoming one with the Fundy Bay muck. With some difficulty I got out of there and found myself with one shoe and two socks, all covered in mud. I decided to walk back to the B&B barefoot.


It was a slow walk, especially where I had to walk over pebbles. It was quite a bit quicker when I had to walk over ashphalt. It was a meditative experience- you have to be in the moment, making sure you know where your feet are treading. D'you know, I actually enjoyed it. I left my other shoe at the roadside- there seemed to be little point in hanging onto it.

A pity about the shoes, of course, but, well, maybe it's the heat and sun getting to me, but I don't really care- I can buy a new pair. Or can I? Not so easy to find a place that sells shoes in small-town Brunswick if you don't have a car. But the Salvation Army was my salvation- for lo, I espied a thrift store, to which I did then proceed on unclad feet, and there, having taken hold of a pair of ratty second-hand sandals, did proceed to purchase them for the price of $4.95 (tax included). Here endeth the lesson.

Earlier in the morning I went to another wetland where I didn't try to muck about in the muck- it was the Sackville Waterfowl Park (see photos above). I saw ducks, geese and other waterfowl, but I was more impressed with the birdsong- the differant calls weaving in and out of the soundscape- a time of peace, enjoyment, and rising heat.

I'm exhausted now. I've had a good trip and I'm about ready to go home. I can't do any more hiking in these sandals anyway. And did I already mention that it's really hot in the sun? Ah, another embrace from the maritime wind...yes, yes, that's it....

There's actually some cultural stuff happening here, but my timing was off and I'm missing it. This weekend there's some interesting stuff going on, like this midsummer music festival. But I've got to be in Montreal on Friday. Oh well...

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Day 7 (+1/2)- August 3-4, 2006 (Thursday): The Journey Home

Well, the title sounds grand, but anyone looking for exiting adventure is bound to be disapponted. After all, what we're looking at here is 18 hours mostly spent on the bus, some of it spent trying to sleep, but ending up with the half-sleep that doesn't rest you but at least means you're not conscious for the sheer tedium of a nighttime bus ride. On the bright side, though, remember that when travelling, an exiting ending is not necessarily a happy one.

THE END