29 August 2013 - Grand Falls, NB

Today dawned blustery and cool.  We decided to take a walk and drove a short distance to a park on the Falls of the Cardiere River.  This beautiful river cascades over rugged shale rock on its way to the St. Lawrence River.  Unfortunately, I did not have my camera. Mom may send a photo on Instagram.  We then packed up and again headed east. This time we decided to follow the Route de Naviguers. This is a scenic byway along the St. Lawrence Seaway.  It was like driving the rural roads in the countryside of France.   All the signs were in French and the little towns dotted the road with well kept fields and farms in between.

Each town had its own church, with one or two pointed steeples and a statue in front of the Virgin Mary or the Christ.  Some had lovely windows and most were of substantial stone.  One town had been founded in 1713 and they were celebrating their 300th anniversary. It was a most lovely spot.  The homes were quaint and the streets narrow and it was situated right on the edge of this beautiful body of water.  With the wind, the waves washed against the shore and as we went along we could see that the water level was now being affected by tidal changes.  The whole route carried us along a pastoral scene out of a picture of the countries of Europe.   We found little wayside chapels and memorials along the way, some to the early pioneers or settlers of the area and some for local worship.

Nestled along the waterway were cottages, farms, parks and view spots that were so attractive and lent a sense of peace to the area.  Although we had a ways to travel today, the speed limits were not high and our travel was prolonged, but we enjoyed the scenery so much that it didn't seem to matter.

As we traveled further east, the waterway grew larger and larger, dotted with islands and the shore both rocky and with small beaches. Trees marched to the edge in some places and in others, fields were farmed almost to the waterline.



We loved the farms and found men cutting hay, winnowing the crops and fenced in paddocks with Holstein cows, mottled in black and white and peacefully feeding.  When we stopped to get a closer look, they seemed to be as curious about us as we of them.

I think this one was not only curious, but much interested in being milked, as you can see from the crossed legs :)

Where the farmers were cutting the fields, the seagulls flocked to eat the insect and worms disturbed by the tractor. It was beautiful and the air smelled of farming.  In fact, in general the air is so fresh, clean and rich with fresh smells as to be very invigorating.



When we got to the town of Riviere de Loup, about 125 miles from Quebec, we directed the car south into the lovely Appalachian Mountains of New Brunswick. We climbed up from the St. Lawrence valley into rich, pine forests with flowing streams and stony outcroppings.  At one point, I even saw a moose in the field nearby.  We are now in Grand Falls, NB.  We had supper at a little place in town and had, in my opinion, one of the best pizzas I have eaten in a long time.  Tomorrow we plan to go to St. John, right on the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean.  I am looking forward to it.