Up the St. Lawrence ... part of the way to Gaspe ...(with apologies to Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Railroad Trilogy ...)

After leaving Quebec City, we went along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, through the lovely countryside where many people still live on small farms. Simple, beautiful countryside. 

So many gorgeous bays, one almost gets blasé. Almost ... 

Upon reaching the whale-watching centre of Tadoussac, where the great Saguenay Fjord meets the St. Lawrence, we couldn't stomach the extreme touristiness. We ended up spending the night up on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence (by now, the salt-water "St. Lawrence Seaway" rather than just the "River"). A perfect example of the flexibility our camper van gives us. We just decided to stay the night, once we saw the amazing location. 

It was an incredible whale watching vantage point overlooking the mighty St. Lawrence.

Click on the photo to enlarge this panorama of the view we had!

As if that wasn't enough, the magic began as the night fell.  The full moon rose directly in front of us, reflecting into the Seaway. Breathtaking! 

 

And then the morning.  Magical mists weaving around the water, in turns showing, then hiding what lay below ...

The next day, once we determined where best to cross the seaway, we got on the ferry instead of of going on the "whale-chasing" boats. 

One of the "whale-chasers"

Luck was on our side. What a thrill to see Beluga whales from the ferry!!!  Definitely, Surrinder's favourite sea mammal.

Elusive to capture in still photos ... here's one of the belugas.  We caught more on video ...

Life sized sculptures outside the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre

After crossing to the south shore of the St. Lawrence, we decided to pass on the Gaspe this time, and press on to New Brunswick. The tiny bit of the Gaspe which we caught en route was beautiful, though.