Tadoussac, Gaspe, Dalhousie NB

Got the Triumph serviced yesterday at Moto Vanier in Que. City. They were extremely helpful getting the bike in without an appointment and Francois gave us recommendations of what to see and do on our route. Breathtaking ride through St Lawrence River Valley and St. Simeon and Tadoussac, where the Saguanay and St Lawrence meet. This is an excellent whale watching spot for blue and beluga whales. We saw belugas on the ferry across the St Lawrence, and dolphins, we think, right alongside the boat. The belugas were breaching, but quite a distance away. Too cool! We stayed right on the beach at Baie St. Catherine just across the Saguanay from Tadoussac by ferry. Woke up in the morning to a low tide and mist as the sun was peeking through. Fabulous!
Caught a little of the Gaspe in our ride today and the road across followed the Matapedia River with covered bridges and twisty roads. Lovely! Then left Que and went from Atholville (thought maybe I should leave Erik there) to Dalhousie along the scenic coast. So many properties for sale right on the ocean and if it were closer we might consider it. They have just lost their two biggest industries with the pulp mill and chemical factory closing this spring. Love it here. Erik was happy to return to English speaking Canada as he found it frustrating to not be able to have sustained conversations with     Interesting people. We got by and folks were undeniably patient with us but we certainly gained a new appreciation for the two solitudes.  What we learned over the last couple of days: brush up on your French BEFORE you visit Quebec, book the ferry early across the St. Lawrence (Erik almost had to wait 4 hours and catch the one after me) and consider buying retirement property in Dalhousie. Tomorrow we hope to see Ricky, Erik's former coworker and friend from Blackfoot at Dieppe near Moncton.