Magdelan Islands Part 1

The Magdalen Islands or the Îles de la Madeleine consists of a dozen islands, six of which are connected by long thin sand dunes. The small archipelago is located in the middle of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of 205 square kilometers. Though closer to Prince Edward Island (105 km) and Nova Scotia (95 km), the islands are part of Quebec.


Geographic position of the Magdalen Islands

Iles de la Madeleine Archipelago

To get to the Magdalens, you either fly or take a boat. And that my friend is where our fun began. I will pop a few more tidbits of history, demographics, etc. in as we travel the islands. In order to get our rigs to the islands we had to cross on the CTMA Traversier ferry called the M.V. Madeleine how fitting.  Reservations had to be made well in advance and a $50 nonrefundable deposit given at that time. We arrived early and waited with great anticipation and excitement.

Souris dock & marina

Finally the ferry arrives and we are loaded on.

M.V. Madeleine

Jean is first on the boat, we are somewhere in the middle, and Louis & Guy are the last. All aboard.

Louis & Guy last to board

The crossing itself takes about 5 hours, leaving Souris at 2pm and arriving in Cap-aux-Meules at 7pm. During the crossing all propane has to be turned off on the rig. Dogs are allowed up on deck but not inside the ship. We left ours in the rig below that way we knew they were safe. No one is allowed down by the vehicles while crossing which made it hard because I wanted to check them.

We all met up on deck and watched as the shoreline disappeared from the horizon.

The Maggie Group all ready to sail

About an hour out of port we saw some dolphins jumping out of the water. Of course they were too fast to take any pictures.  The ferry is fully equipped with everything to make a trip across more enjoyable. There’s a movie theater, cafeteria, internet, bar, quiet rooms, arcade room, dining room, gift shop, and more. Did someone say bar. Looking at water for 5 hours can be boring so we all headed to the local drinking establishment.

Bar Bums

After a couple of drinks we decided to go for supper as the day was getting on and everyone was hungry.

Ready to eat



Fern stop playing with your food

My supper

Some opted for their first taste of seafood while others stuck to more traditional food. The lobster was fantastic. Hopefully this is just a taste of the next two weeks. After dinner we walked back out on deck to await the sight of land. And yes there it is land ho matey.

Land Ho

As we docked I can’t help but think what a gorgeous day and how smooth the crossing was. Departing from the ferry took no time at all and before you knew it we were at the campground and all set up.

Home for the next two weeks

Our site #25

What a wonderful day and experience. 

Stonehurst RV Park

As we continued our travels through New Brunswick our next overnight stop was Stonehurst RV Park in Moncton.

Upon entering the campground you have to go down a hill that's at least a 30% grade. After that everything is flat. All the sites were very wet and soft due to the amount rainfall in the last 5 days. We were all together in one area which made it nice.

 

The campground was clean and tidy. We had W/S/50amp which is all you really need for an overnight stay. The WiFi was very iffy at the best of times. I checked out the golf course, the price seemed okay but the fairways were very narrow. The driving range was just behind us. The only thing stopping the balls from hitting our rig was a large row of trees.

The permanents

The tenting sites were half way down the hill coming into the park. The sites themselves were level and very shaded. I walked up and down the hill a couple of times and it was a good workout. I'm sure my truck(Precious) will make it no problem. Would we stay here again, yes only if we had too.

Tent camping on the hill

We had our own welcoming committee at our site. The ducks enjoyed the wet sites more than we did.

Add caption

They were there when we left in the morning also. Goodbye ducks hello sunshine.

Riverside(Iroquois) Campground

When planning the trip, this park had everything we needed for an overnight stay. It is located just outside of Edmundston, NB close to the Trans-Canada Highway, and had pull thrus. Upon arrival we were met by a lovely host and escorted to our site. The sites are grass with lots of space between them.  The pull-thrus are long enough you don’t have to unhook. The power worked great, the water smelled okay, and the washroom/showers were very clean.

Riverside(Iroquois) RV Park, Edmundston, NB

Our site #25

Showers

Washrooms (Note the angle of the trailer, you had to hold on)

It’s a small park so walking around took ten minutes at a very slow pace. It’s quite pretty, set in a wooded area with a river running alongside.  I spotted a young deer frolicking along the river providing my entertainment for quite sometime.

Small park with gravel roads

Their beach

A river runs through it

It was a long drive today but very enjoyable. It’s an early night.

Camping La Cle des Champs

We arrived at Camping La Cle des Champs which is in Saint Philippe Quebec a few days ago. The weather was terrible for the entire drive heavy winds and torrential downpours all the way. I’ve seen a lot of campgrounds in my travels but I was somewhat wowed by this one.  What a beautiful place. I thought we would have problems because Susan and I both don’t speak French. Not a problem everyone speaks English so far. Check in was great, escorted to our spot, all hooked up and YES my fridge fix worked no blown fuse. Yeah baby!!!!!!


Camping La Cle des Champs RV Resort

Campground Entrance



Our site #2020

 

Our Patio



Recreation Hall

Exercise Room/Laundry Room/ Washrooms

Swimming Pool

The reason for this stop is to meet up with the rest of the group I nicknamed the Maggie Group, before heading further east. The convoy will consist of Jean & Danielle, Louis & Louise, Fern & Guy, and Susan & me.

Danielle & Jean

Louise & Louis

Guy & Fern

Susan & myself

We were going to head into Old Montreal to do some sightseeing. However, after listening to the Maggie group and their family members who live and work there they suggested another time because of the long weekend. So we decided to take their advice. I walked around the campground numerous times getting ideas for our place back home.

Nice well kept sites

Our street

Our morning walks, we don't get far

Patrick, that's a manly axe you have there

The last day we had to do a little grocery shopping so we found a Wal-Mart. We should know better than go to Wal-Mart, $200 later and way too many groceries we are stocked up for the next year. You would think we are going to the end of the world where there are no grocery stores. Oh well we will definitely eat well.

As we pull out we say goodbye to all the people we met. I’m leading; Jean & Danielle behind me and the others are coming along later in the day.
 

Refrigerators & Peacocks

As I sit back and think about how time is flying I can’t help but wonder what adventures this trip will bring. As we make the final preparations for our 2 month excursion down east, anyone in the RVing world knows that things happen. This time it’s the refrigerator, it won’t turn on. Checking the fuses, their we go a blown fuse, easy fix. Everything else is working great.

Fast forward 2 days and off we go.

All hooked up at N.E.T and ready to go

It's a beautiful warm sunny morning to start an adventure. Of course driving through Toronto is always fun wall to wall traffic, stop and go for 40 km. This traffic has never really bothered me, you just take it in stride. We decided to stop for lunch I checked the fridge Susan went for food. Trouble, fridge won’t turn on. The fuse has blown again I can’t change it because it’s behind the slide. We arrived at Rideau Acres Campground in Kingston made all the outside connections changed the fuse and yes the fridge works again. Something is pinching a wire causing it to short out. I checked underneath looks like a pinched wire. I will fix it later we have a lunch or supper date with some great friends Brian & Carol. Supper was at Swiss Chalet in Kingston topped off with wonderful conversation. It was good to see them again.

I chose Rideau Acres Campground because of the huge discount with Passport America and also I stayed here back in the 80’s. This campground has been around for many, many years. It is on Hwy 15 just outside of Kingston on the Rideau Canal waterway.


Rideau Acres Campground

Front Entrance

Site # M17

We decided to do a nostalgia tour of places I worked, played, and lived. Wow things have changed. What did I expect after 40 years? The gym I work in is now a computer center. All the soccer and ball fields are still there. After a quick tour of CFB Kingston we drove around the city seeing some of the site i.e. downtown Kingston, the Kingston Pen, and the waterfront. The nostalgia tour was fun but I wanted to get back because I have been hearing peacocks. As I walked the entire park I realize how big this campground really is. Along with the numerous activities i.e. disc golf, mini putt, boating, and swimming, the park is quite beautiful.


Open Field Campsites



Waterfront Sites



View of the Rideau Canal

Pull-thru Campsites



Wildflowers throughout park

Disc Golf

As I walked the park I finally found the peacocks. What an amazing site. I was able to capture several pictures of the young males, females, and older males in full plumage.

I had to take the picture at a strange angle to get all the plumage

Male Peacock

Female Peacock

Young male strutting his stuff

Continuing my walk through the park there were a number of other birds and fowl present.

Rock Pigeons

Young Mallard or Mexican Duck

Guinea Fowl

Our two nights here has been quite enjoyable. I would stay at this park again if visiting the area. Tomorrow it’s on to Montreal.