As we continued traveling around the Gaspe (which means Land’s End) Peninsula, we were amazed at the beautiful sites that appeared around almost every corner. 
Each one seemed to be better than the previous.
Located on the south side of the St. Lawrence, this peninsula, with its rugged but breathtaking landform, is the continuation of the Appalachian range. The head of the Gaspe Peninsula constitutes the end of the Appalachians, and contains a large quantity of fauna and flora.
Here the land joins with the sea and from this union are born pebble beaches, dizzing cliffs, small coves and fine sand beaches. For as far as the eye can see, there is only water – the tide goes out, comes in and creates rolling surf and waves. 
While driving along, we spied the La Martre Lighthouse which was built in 1906 and remains operational.
As we had mentioned previously each lighthouse prism is unique to itself, so the ships will know their exact location by the light they see coming from the lighthouse. La Martre lighthouse signals four short lights and one long one. Soon after leaving, we found a lovely spot by the side of the road and figured it was meant for us to spend the night there. 
We pulled over and had a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence and we were able to see the lighthouse work once it became dark. We stopped about noon and just relaxed, watched the water and listened to the waves.
The next morning, we headed out to the towns of Gaspe and Perce. We had decided to take an interior road instead of the coastal one we had been on, figuring we’d see farmland and meadows. What a mistake! It was a hilly, curvy road right through and over the Chic Choc Mountains.
The grades were 14-16% and we were barely climbing up some of them. Once we got to Gaspe, we decided that we’d rather spend our time in Perce as there was nothing of real interest to us in Gaspe. So we drove a little further and stayed at the Camping Tete d’Indien about 20 miles from Perce. The campground was small but the staff was very helpful and sold us tickets for the Bonaventure Island boat trip as well as made reservations for us to have a wonderful seafood dinner at a very quaint restaurant. We sat at the table right behind the old stove and I have to say, it was an eating extravaganza! We had reservations (the only way you could get in) at 6:30. I had a whole steamed lobster (approximately 2 lbs.) and George had Cod. With that, we each had a seafood bisque that was to die for! Then our main dinner entre came. After eating that, we were served a chef's salad. By this time, we were absolutely stuffed, but it was time for dessert and coffee. They had apple pie, sugar pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberries and fresh fruit and cheesecake. We could hardly waddle out of the restaurant. There was absolutely no rush. In fact, they didn't finish serving us and get us our bill until 8:45 p.m. That would never happen in the states. It was a bit pricey but what a dining experience!
Each one seemed to be better than the previous. Located on the south side of the St. Lawrence, this peninsula, with its rugged but breathtaking landform, is the continuation of the Appalachian range. The head of the Gaspe Peninsula constitutes the end of the Appalachians, and contains a large quantity of fauna and flora. Here the land joins with the sea and from this union are born pebble beaches, dizzing cliffs, small coves and fine sand beaches. For as far as the eye can see, there is only water – the tide goes out, comes in and creates rolling surf and waves. While driving along, we spied the La Martre Lighthouse which was built in 1906 and remains operational.
As we had mentioned previously each lighthouse prism is unique to itself, so the ships will know their exact location by the light they see coming from the lighthouse. La Martre lighthouse signals four short lights and one long one. Soon after leaving, we found a lovely spot by the side of the road and figured it was meant for us to spend the night there. We pulled over and had a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence and we were able to see the lighthouse work once it became dark. We stopped about noon and just relaxed, watched the water and listened to the waves.The next morning, we headed out to the towns of Gaspe and Perce. We had decided to take an interior road instead of the coastal one we had been on, figuring we’d see farmland and meadows. What a mistake! It was a hilly, curvy road right through and over the Chic Choc Mountains.
The grades were 14-16% and we were barely climbing up some of them. Once we got to Gaspe, we decided that we’d rather spend our time in Perce as there was nothing of real interest to us in Gaspe. So we drove a little further and stayed at the Camping Tete d’Indien about 20 miles from Perce. The campground was small but the staff was very helpful and sold us tickets for the Bonaventure Island boat trip as well as made reservations for us to have a wonderful seafood dinner at a very quaint restaurant. We sat at the table right behind the old stove and I have to say, it was an eating extravaganza! We had reservations (the only way you could get in) at 6:30. I had a whole steamed lobster (approximately 2 lbs.) and George had Cod. With that, we each had a seafood bisque that was to die for! Then our main dinner entre came. After eating that, we were served a chef's salad. By this time, we were absolutely stuffed, but it was time for dessert and coffee. They had apple pie, sugar pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberries and fresh fruit and cheesecake. We could hardly waddle out of the restaurant. There was absolutely no rush. In fact, they didn't finish serving us and get us our bill until 8:45 p.m. That would never happen in the states. It was a bit pricey but what a dining experience!
The campground we stayed at got its name from a rock resembling the profile of an Indian. Notice the face in the middle of the picture? 
Legend says “white men came from Europe on a great ship, kidnapped a young Indian girl and took her back to their country far away. Ever since, her lover tirelessly awaits the return of his beloved, with his back to the sea and sorrow in his eyes, his gaze fixed on the cliffs.” Once we set up, we drove into Perce
and looked around for a while, found where we could park the truck without having to pay, for the boat trip tomorrow, and looked over the dock 
where we would be boarding the boat. We also took some pictures of the Perce Rock 
and both of us walked in the St. Lawrence Gulf. It’s about the coldest water I think I’ve ever been in! 
The next day we drove into Perce, parked the truck and walked to the dock. The boatride would go all the way around the Perce (pierced) Rock
which is an impressive monolith that is one of the most photographed sites in North America. It is made of limestone and the arch is 20 meters in
diameter. On our way to Bonaventure Island, 
we saw thousands of Northern Gannets nesting on the ledges of the cliffs. They,
are delightfully animated and colorful birds, and share their spot with seals splashing about in the lower waters.
The highpoint of our visit to this 4 square kilometer rocky land fashioned by the sea, was the sight of 250,000 Northern Gannets nesting on the island. These Gannets return to the same nesting site each year.
Both partners help build the nest using algae, feathers, flotsam and grass. We noticed that many of the Gannets raised their heads with their beaks pointed at the sky. We soon learned that before taking off, the Gannet raises its bill skyward for a few seconds and fills its air cells located in its neck to absorb the shock of the dive. 
Then taking a deep breath, it releases a hoarse cry and takes flight. These little creatures fascinated us for quite some time. Babies had been hatched and mothers were protecting them from danger. The babies were fuzzy, like newborn chicks, and had black beaks instead of the grey color on the adults. 
The boat tour was $25.00 per person and took about an hour and a half to go around Perce Rock and then travel around Bonaventure Island and back to the dock. You could get off at Bonaventure and pay an additional $3.50 each to hike any or all of the four trails on the island. We hiked two of them, which was approximately 4.5 miles – plenty for us since a good deal of the hike was uphill. We were both pooped by the time we returned to the dock and caught the
ship back across the Bay. Included in the price of the tour was the Discovery Museum which gave us a great deal of information regarding the settlement of Perce. In the 17th century, Perce was to become the pride of fishing in the Gaspe Peninsula. 400-600 European fisherman would gather each summer to catch Cod. Under the English regime, experienced Cod fisherman set up permanent instead of seasonal stations along the St. Lawrence Gulf run by well organized fish trading companies. The crews of the cod trading vessels were no longer equal to the task and laborers were hired from as far as Quebec City. The fisherman would set out to sea before dawn, while at the packing shed, others performed specialized tasks to process the fish. Throughout the season, the workers would prepare dried cod (summer fishing), 
green cod (fall fishing) and cod liver oil for foreign markets. At the dawn of the 20th century, the era of great fisheries came to an end. In the calm serenity of Perce, Bonadventure Island, and Perce Rock, a new era was about to come to life. While the first cruises around Bonaventure Island were getting under way, painters, photographers, poets and novelists, naturalists, and other passionate visitors from home and abroad were discovering the area and tourism began to flourish!
Well, this was definitely a full day and tomorrow we will continue our trip around Gaspe Peninsula. McKenzie says she is bored and it is time to get back on the road. We will see the Bay area as well as the Valley area before we head into New Brunswick. I’m sure we’ll find new and different things to enjoy so stop back by the blog whenever you can. We miss and love all of you and hope you are enjoying this trip as much as we are. See you soon!
and looked around for a while, found where we could park the truck without having to pay, for the boat trip tomorrow, and looked over the dock where we would be boarding the boat. We also took some pictures of the Perce Rock and both of us walked in the St. Lawrence Gulf. It’s about the coldest water I think I’ve ever been in! The next day we drove into Perce, parked the truck and walked to the dock. The boatride would go all the way around the Perce (pierced) Rock
which is an impressive monolith that is one of the most photographed sites in North America. It is made of limestone and the arch is 20 meters in diameter. On our way to Bonaventure Island, we saw thousands of Northern Gannets nesting on the ledges of the cliffs. They, are delightfully animated and colorful birds, and share their spot with seals splashing about in the lower waters. The highpoint of our visit to this 4 square kilometer rocky land fashioned by the sea, was the sight of 250,000 Northern Gannets nesting on the island. These Gannets return to the same nesting site each year. Both partners help build the nest using algae, feathers, flotsam and grass. We noticed that many of the Gannets raised their heads with their beaks pointed at the sky. We soon learned that before taking off, the Gannet raises its bill skyward for a few seconds and fills its air cells located in its neck to absorb the shock of the dive. 
Then taking a deep breath, it releases a hoarse cry and takes flight. These little creatures fascinated us for quite some time. Babies had been hatched and mothers were protecting them from danger. The babies were fuzzy, like newborn chicks, and had black beaks instead of the grey color on the adults. The boat tour was $25.00 per person and took about an hour and a half to go around Perce Rock and then travel around Bonaventure Island and back to the dock. You could get off at Bonaventure and pay an additional $3.50 each to hike any or all of the four trails on the island. We hiked two of them, which was approximately 4.5 miles – plenty for us since a good deal of the hike was uphill. We were both pooped by the time we returned to the dock and caught the
ship back across the Bay. Included in the price of the tour was the Discovery Museum which gave us a great deal of information regarding the settlement of Perce. In the 17th century, Perce was to become the pride of fishing in the Gaspe Peninsula. 400-600 European fisherman would gather each summer to catch Cod. Under the English regime, experienced Cod fisherman set up permanent instead of seasonal stations along the St. Lawrence Gulf run by well organized fish trading companies. The crews of the cod trading vessels were no longer equal to the task and laborers were hired from as far as Quebec City. The fisherman would set out to sea before dawn, while at the packing shed, others performed specialized tasks to process the fish. Throughout the season, the workers would prepare dried cod (summer fishing), green cod (fall fishing) and cod liver oil for foreign markets. At the dawn of the 20th century, the era of great fisheries came to an end. In the calm serenity of Perce, Bonadventure Island, and Perce Rock, a new era was about to come to life. While the first cruises around Bonaventure Island were getting under way, painters, photographers, poets and novelists, naturalists, and other passionate visitors from home and abroad were discovering the area and tourism began to flourish!Well, this was definitely a full day and tomorrow we will continue our trip around Gaspe Peninsula. McKenzie says she is bored and it is time to get back on the road. We will see the Bay area as well as the Valley area before we head into New Brunswick. I’m sure we’ll find new and different things to enjoy so stop back by the blog whenever you can. We miss and love all of you and hope you are enjoying this trip as much as we are. See you soon!
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