Tuesday and Wednesday, August 7 and 8, 2018 (Pointe-au-Pere, Rimouski, Quebec)

We woke to very thick fog and rain this morning...and it stayed that way for most of the day. So we basically hunkered down inside...but it was a good day for Steve to work on pictures. While he did that I read a book

The rain and fog didn't deter the local fishermen from coming out though...at least the rain had stopped and the fog had lifted a bit for this fellow...

By late afternoon, the sun actually managed to break through the fog and we were able to get out and have happy hour "on the rocks"...

We started the day off Wednesday with more fog...but the forecast is for it to lift by late morning. So we spent the morning researching, discussing and deciding on our next stops as we continue east along the Gaspe Peninsula. By the time it was all said and done, we had the next 8 days planned and reservations made.

The fog was lifting nicely by the time we headed out to Bic National Park (although called "National", it is not a "Parks Canada" park, it is actually a park managed by the province of Quebec). Still some fog out over the water as we head back through Rimouski...

There is a nice riverfront walkway in Rimouski, along with these viewing areas...

That's the greenest shoreline we've ever seen. It's extremely shallow here...all those black dots in the distance are rocks...

Shore fisherman in the distance...

 Approaching the park...

 Bic River...

The addition of bike lanes has made the roads within the park very narrow...especially if you're towing to the campgrounds...

Bic National Park is an 33.2 square kilometres (8,200 acres) national park of Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, near the villages of Bic and Saint-Fabien, southwest of Rimouski. It was founded on October 17, 1984, and is home to large populations of harbor seals and gray seals. Its highest point is Pic Champlain at 1,140 feet (350 m). Slightly less than half of the park is a coastal marine environment.
We payed our entrance fee and got instructions on the only place big enough for us to park and hiking trails. With the map in hand  we continued on...the roads within the park are mostly gravel.

We parked the truck at a lot close to the Discovery Centre and headed out for our hike. The trail takes you through a campground...cool yurts for rent...

Discovery and Visitors Centre (Rioux Farm)
This Visitors Centre, located in the heart of the park, is the perfect place to organize and plan your stay. It houses a Boutique Nature, a convenience store, and an information counter. Don't miss the access to Park Path Explorer with its kiosks and audiovisual presentations.

One of many historical buildings in the park...Maison Rioux

View from the picnic area beside the Discovery and Visitor Centre...

After walking through the Discovery Centre, we hit the trail along the waterfront...photo merge went a little funky...

The sky is clearing nicely....

We even saw some wildlife!

Chalet Feindel...This photo exhibition invites you to learn about the stages of human occupation on the park’s territory.

Nice view from the deck...

Chalet Woolton...

Cool mushroom!

Chalet Lyman...
The Rose des Thés tea shop is located in the Lyman chalet at Cap à l’Orignal and is open during the summer. Stop in for a well-deserved rest and to enjoy a cup of tea or other hot beverage along with a treat.

What a view from the deck!

Fire weed in bloom...

This is the end of the line for us...beyond here, the path leads off the maintained trails and along stretches of steep rocky coastline accessible only at low tide...

So after a brief rest, we headed back along the same trail  The area is very popular for cyclists...there are separate bicycle trails for them...

The best I can tell from the french sign is that this is now an activity centre....

On the trail back to the parking lot...

Love the name of this bay...Baie du Ha!Ha! (Bay of Ha!Ha!...too funny!) Of course, we had to take a walk beyond the parking lot and take a look...

Bay of Ha!Ha!

The park is huge and has many miles of hiking and biking trails. We had a great hike on only one of them and really enjoyed seeing the area...heading back to the highway now....

On our way home, we stopped in Rimouski to fill up with diesel and run a few errands. After a stop at Best Buy, Walmart and finally Super C, we were on our way back to Pointe-au-Pere.

The other day Steve found 2 rocks that are fairly flat and barely big enough to set up our chairs for the view. I must admit that I was a little skeptical at first, sitting very gingerly as not to fall over. You don't want to have too many wobbly pops navigating your way back and forth :)

Ahhhh....the end to a great day!

A small ship lays at anchor for the night...