Saturday, August 18, 2018 (Nature Ocean Chalets and Camping, Perce, Quebec)

After such a beautiful day yesterday, we were surprised to be woken up by the sound of rain on the roof at 4:30 this morning. It had stopped by the time we got up but it was cloudy out, so we decided to leave our boat tour trip to Bonaventure Island until tomorrow...when the weather forecast is better.

Instead, we thought we would just check out the town...it looked pretty cool on our drive through it yesterday. So at about 10:30 we walked down to the office to get a shuttle into town. The shuttle is only for the boat tours but Jason, in the office couldn't see anything wrong with calling the shuttle for us, as long as we purchased our tickets today. And then tomorrow, if there were any questions asked, we could just say that we decided to wait until today since it wasn't very nice yesterday. Sounds good to us!

So we spent the day wandering around town and taking in the sights. There are lots of little touristy shops basically all selling similar things. But it was fun checking them.
Our kids grew up on Moose meat :)

Definitely a nautical theme...

Gannets, Puffins and Gulls

We wandered up one street and found Le Geoparc de Perce which is basically an activity centre. The one thing we were interested in was the Suspended Glass Platform. You can either hike up to it or for $5, take a shuttle up and back down...we chose the shuttle. You can see one of the towers...that's quite the hike!

The suspended glass platform is an ambitious project that was set up by the Percé Geopark cooperative during Phase 1 of the project. It took more than a year to complete the construction of this gigantic structure, installed cantilevered in the mountain, 200 meters above sea level. Once the construction was completed, topographic surveys and geotechnical field analysis were carried out, with the aim of "grafting" the starting point of a zip line . The plans and specifications were completed and a call for tenders was launched at the end of February 2017. Work began on the ground in the spring of 2017. The implementation was quickly followed in July 2017.

WOW!

The views are incredible from up there!

Our campground is on the far right...

I gingerly walked on the glass...not looking down!

Steve took a picture looking straight down...

The green pole on the right is the starting point for the Zip Line...

There were a couple of interpretive panels up there...
Perce, a site for tourists and artists
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were fewer seasonal fishermen in the Gaspe Coast's fishing locations, including that of Perce. The demand for dried cod had dropped off, and so had the resource availability.
Railroad construction (1911-1912) and the Gaspe Coast main road completion (1920), provided easier access to the territory and had a stimulating effect on local activity. Perce soon became a highly popular, world-famous vacation resort.
Every year, in addition to clients of prestige, many artists and nature lovers came here to admire the remarkable landscape with its numerous natural attributes.
Perce's artistic vocation has a long history. At the end of the 19th Century, American painter Frederick James yielded to Perce's charms and built a villa (still existing) on top of Cap Canon. Perce's imposing landscapes have impressed painters, poets and novelists. The community has therefore become a meeting place for song, movie production, painting and theatre.

Perce: a town of great heritage value
In 1973, owing to Perce's aesthetic, historical, and picturesque assets, the Perce National Protected Area was created by the Quebec Government. The purpose of this title was to protect Perce's integrity as a part of the heritage of all Quebeckers, while promoting a better harmonization between human activity and the protection of this irreplaceable wealth.
In 1985, the Quebec Government created Parc de l'Ile-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Perce (the Bonaventure Island and Perce Rock Park). The creation of this conservation park allows the enhancement of Perces's natural environment while ensuring required protection. 

This is the Zip Line...

Wow...that was a blast! It would have been a good hike up there...but we just weren't prepared for hiking today. Just a walk around town!

See the large lobster...

We walked to the western edge of town where the start of the boardwalk is...and walked the whole length.

La Normandie...

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Drying Cod in front of the Robin Company Agents home...

Looking back...

Tour boat pier...

La Maison Du Pecheur (The Fisherman's House)...

Lots of people heading to Bonaventure Island...

Now a museum...

This was The Fish Stage, Chafaud (1845) used by the Robin Company to store dried salt cod...

Built in 1888, the Frederick James Villa elegantly dominates the landscape of Perce...

We are going to walk up the hill beyond the Villa....

I believe this was a private residence and office for the rental of the cabins across the road...

We paid our $1 each to walk up to the very tip to the viewpoint. You can see people down below walking to the Perce Rock. You can walk it at low tide...we were told this morning that the tides were wrong and we wouldn't be able to make. Well...that's not so! Drats!

You can see the 17% grade highway into Perce...

A great view from up there! Now it's time to walk back down...you can see the rentals below...

An Art Gallery...

After all that walking we were too tired to walk out to Perce Rock, so decided to stop for a snack. We decided on Restaurant Le Surcouf where we sat out on the patio and each had a small lobster bun (it was actually a hotdog bun). It was tasty but not what we learned later is a "real lobster roll"...

And right after our snack, we went just down the street a short distance to the Pit Cariboo Pub for a beer...

A very unique spot...

And then it was time to catch the shuttle back to the campground. Steve took a few more pictures on the way back...

We were dropped off by the office and then had to walk back up the hill to our site. Pictures along the way. Nice looking chalets...

With fabulous views...

Now isn't that a postcard picture?!

We were home early enough to allow Steve to re-caulk the other side of the overhang on the trailer. He was glad to cross that job off his "to do list"!

We're looking forward to our tour of Perce Rock and then Bonaventure Island tomorrow! The weather is supposed to be perfect!