Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - Part 2 (RV Camping, Restigouche River, Campbellton, New Brunswick)

After a quick stop at home to freshen up after our morning hike, we were off again. This time we headed back across the bridge into Quebec, but first we had to make a pit stop in Pointe-a-la-Croix where we were told liquor was much cheaper than in New Brunswick. Steve got a box of 60 Bud Light for $67! What a score but it later turned out to be a dud...about a third of that box tasted green.

Our next stop was at the  Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site.
The Battle of Restigouche was a naval battle fought in 1760 during the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War) on the Restigouche River between the British Royal Navy and the small flotilla of vessels of the French Navy, Acadian militia and Mi'kmaq militias. The loss of the French vessels, which had been sent to support and resupply the troops in New France after the fall of Quebec, marked the end of any serious attempt by France to keep hold of their colonies in North America. The battle was the last major engagement of the Mi'kmaq and Acadian militias before the Burying of the Hatchet Ceremony between the Mi'kmaq and the British.
In May 1760 a French relief fleet, unable to reach Quebec, took refuge at the head of Chaleur Bay. It was there that a British squadron blockaded them on June 22. Aided by Acadians and Micmacs, the French planted batteries on the shores and blocked the channel, hoping thus to keep the enemy from their ships anchored in the estuary of the Restigouche. The British were able to get by these obstacles and, on July 8, the French vessels were scuttled after about seven hours of fighting.
Anchor from the Machault...
The hill to the right is Sugarloaf Mountain and current day Campbellton is below it. The display shows the Acadian and Micmac villages with the French fleet at anchor...






The stem (or bow) of the Machault...
The stem below...
The rudder...














Exterior view of the above...
Those vertical columns are Bilge Pumps...didn't know they had that technology back then!
Some of the displays even include rats!































Overlooking the area where the final naval battles took place between the French and British in North America...
For a complete account of this final battle click here
After a couple of hours going through the displays, we were finished and on our way home. The historic site was very well done...we're glad we were able to see it. So much history!

Views on the way home :)
View of Sugarloaf Mountain from our site...
And another great day comes to an end...

Since we have now completed our tour of the province of Quebec we thought we would list some of the things we thought were unique other, than the French only signs....

The Construction Holiday, an annual event every summer takes thousands of workers, except for emergency maintenance, off the job for 2 weeks .This year it was July 22nd to August 4th so this is not the time to visit as you'll be joining almost 152,000 workers and their families on vacation.

No right hand turn on a red light.

All pedestrian cross walks get the walk sign at once stopping all traffic.

The steepest road grades we've ever experience in over 8 years travelling North America up to 17%.

Over the years we've heard stories about how rude Quebecers were unless you spoke French. Our experience was the opposite. Other than the one campground we tried to book, everyone we dealt with spoke English or tried in very broken English, and if they didn't they were polite about it. We highly recommend visiting this very beautiful and historic province!


4 comments:

  1. Glad you are still enjoying your tour of the eastern provinces. Lots of beautiful scenery.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. We really have a beautiful country with lots of history and it’s been fun and sometimes tiring learning all about it.

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  2. So much history! I loved the anchor and the shoe with the buckle. I'll bet Steve wished he'd saved that money on the beer and spent it "on the way home" ;-)

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    1. Yeah, his cheap beer backfired on him! It turned into a game every time he opened a can...is it going to be good or bad? LOL

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