Travelling Whale

Sorry I didn't write much lately, I'm always running out of time. Also, despite the poor weather of the last weeks, the Travco was used for what is was built for: travelling!
Indeed, since the end of June, where the Whale went to our annual group camping in Stoneham, the Whale has been on the road almost continuously.

On their frist trip my parents brought the Whale to the Lac St-Jean area, north of Quebec City, where my father comes from. Then the Whale went on the St.Lawrence north shore, all the way to Sept-Iles. Appropriately, highway 138, that runs along the north shore if the St. Lawrence, is named the Whale Route!.

I must say that in our family, the North Shore region holds a special place in everyone's heart: my parents got their first jobs over there in the late 50s / early 60s. That's where they first met, and where they raised their family. We lived in Baie-Comeau until 1984. We still have many friends and relatives up there.
A few pictures:

This is the St-Nicolas' hill tunnel, along highway 138, between Franklin and Godbout. This tunnel openned in the 70s. This is in a very rugged area, and before they made the tunnel, there was the steepest and most dangerous hill along the entire highway 138. Many road accidents happened there, especially in the winter, and this was a hill to take very seriously. Dad, who was a truck (semi) driver, can tell quite a few stories about this place. Nowadays with the tunnel it is perfectly safe. I remember when we were kids, everytime we drove in the 'new' tunnel Dad honked the horn and we lowered the windows to hear the reverberation inside the tunnel !


This picture was taken in Baie-Trinité.


Picture taken along the Pointe-aux-Anglais beach. The Whale spent a couple nights in that nice spot. The beach, a few miles long, is wonderful (yes it is cold!) and if you're lucky, you can actually spot real whales. Pointe-aux-Anglais, along with nearby Ile aux Oeufs (Egg Island), is the site of the historic wreck of the 1711 Walker Expedition. The huge armada had left Boston, hoping to attack Quebec City and conquer New France. Unfortunely for them they crashed along the north shore of the St. Lawrence during a foggy night. The following day, the nearby beaches were littered with hundreds of dead Englishmen, hence the name Pointe-aux-Anglais, "English Point". There's a small museum in the village about this event, and if you want to learn more you can you can click HERE.


Picture of the Blue Whale taken near an old QNS&L steam locomotive, on display in Sept-Iles.

Back to Quebec City about two weeks later, the Whale then went north of Montreal, to pay a visit to my two younger brothers. Back in Quebec City again last week, my parents left this morning for Edmundston, New-Brunswick. They they will probably drive the Travco all around the Gaspé peninsula, since this year marks Gaspé's 475th anniversary.

And that's not all: upon their return to Quebec City, the Whale will head once more to Lac St-Jean. This means the Travco will have travelled over 4000km in a few weeks. Here's how it looks on the map:


Agrandir le plan

I too will be on vacation over the next few days. I will soon post a few more "technical" posts on the lastest jobs Dad had done on his Travco since last spring.

Carl