We were off the major highways at this point. The Trans-Canada Highway followed along the St. Lawrence going through many small towns. The English language was never used on signage. There was one point where I forgot if Ouest is East or Est is West. It didn't really matter. After 4000 miles, we could always make a u-turn if I was wrong.
We headed Est, correctly and ran across so many Mom & Pop stands. Our first stop was to get some ferme. Fresh and delicious vegetables. Tom had read about this particular store in one of our travel books that we picked up at the information booths. We picked up some bluets (blueberries), tomatoes and some ears of corn.
We traveled down Rt. 132 and Tom kept telling of more and more stores that he wanted to stop at. A Chocolaterie (chocolate), a Pouissanerie (fish), a Fromagerie (cheese). At this rate, we would be arriving into Listiguj by midnight. There were churches with tall silver spires in practically every town. We learned that the spires were actually gilded with silver in the olden days.
We stopped in Kamouraska and walked through the town a bit. We went to the La Fee Gourmande Chocolaterie to check out there chocolates. Take note, that when you go to a chocolaterie, you will spend at least $50. There is something about the selections of truffles and bars. Each of them with their own flavors and sizes and shapes. We took one of these, one of those, ooh...that one. Needless to say, $60 spent.
Next to La Fee was a pouissanerie. We stopped in and Tom picked up some Salmon Pate. Further down the road and out of Kamouraska, there was signage for a fromagerie. This place was packed with people. One door to enter, the other to exit. From start to end there were wares everywhere. Fresh baked bread, soft serve ice cream, cheese and more cheese.
Tom can get lost in stores like these. He tends to follow my lead when it comes to spending money. He'll be thrifty but also want to get a bit of this and a bit of that. He appeared lost at the cheese cases, as he picked up a small wedge, then another after putting the first one back. I wanted to get back on the road, so I found a nice sampler pack, showed it to him for approval and paid the clerk.
All of these shops had the backdrop of the St. Lawrence. It was a cool day with cloud cover which was a nice difference from the hotter plains. We were headed to Rimouski, a town we had both been before when we traveled around the Gaspe Peninsula a few years back. Tom had found a brewery, Le Bien Le Malt, that opened at 3 PM. We were approaching the town around 1 PM. Tom thought we should see if the hours had changed. I doubted it, but took the right into town anyway. It was a nice building with shuttered doors. No beer for me here.
We headed out of town, passing the unique lighthouse on the waterfront. It was here that we took the right on 132 down towards the border of Quebec and New Brunswick. We had a few hours left of driving before getting to Listuguj and getting more petro at my reserve.
We traveled through the valleys of the Gaspe, following the rivers along the road. The sun was playing peek-a-boo through the clouds. Tom was driving at this point, as I tried to nap. I got turned around in my head and we arrived into Mi'gmaq land from a different direction than I thought.
I have been to Listuguj many times, so I knew my way around. The first order of business was to get some gas. We saw the Woodpile Handicrafts store and out front were the pumps. I got out of the passenger seat and went inside to handle payment. I showed my indian card and was completely shocked that they said they do not honor them anymore. I got gas from every other reserve in Canada except for the Blackfoot (where I'll never go again).
We filled up anyway, as we were just about empty. Needless to say, I was very annoyed and disappointed. We headed to Pow Wow grounds, where I was planning to set up camp. The Pow Wow grounds were located on the bank of the Restigouche River.
The community was at work setting up the grounds for the Pow Wow which start off with a wellness fair in the big tent the next day. The layout had been expanded since my last visit here. The housing had also grown with a number of newly built homes along the bank of the river.
There is a cemetery on the outskirts of the Pow Wow grounds, next to the catholic church on the reserve. This is where I wanted to set up camp. I had seen so many others doing the same in years past and this was my land, so no issues.
The next order of business was to meet up with my family. We drove across the river into New Brunswick over the bridge that the Mi'gmaq disallowed entry thirty years ago in a standoff over fishing rights. The other unique item about this bridge is that it is the border of the two provinces and the edge of the Atlantic Time Zone.
Going through time zones is fun. We always check our phones to see how long it takes AT&T to change. I change the clock in the car and sometimes we gain an hour, sometimes lose depending on the direction we are going. I always like to "chase the sun" rather than lose an hour. Heading west though does have it's drawback. Sunset is not easy to drive into. Too much glare!
My family was staying at the Super Eight Motel in Campbleton. It is always the same people that come give or take a niece or two. My mother and father, my sister Karen, her husband Naresh and their kids. I don't see them too often since moving to California, so this was a nice treat for me.
We made plans to meet at the Red Roof Hotel for dinner. It is located on the reserve and generally has good food. It was great to break bread with the family and to tell of our travels across the country. We did have to deal with everyone's food issues when ordering, which also became a topic of conversation.
We finished dinner and the family headed back to their hotel. We went back to camp and let the dogs enjoy their new home for a few days. A few dogs showed up and really brightened up the dogs day. They all got along, fetching sticks and balls. They also went down to the river and swam together. It was a great finish to the day. We let the dogs dry off in the cool early evening air and then went to bed. Tomorrow, Pow Wow!
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