Road Trips

Tadoussac - at the edge of a murky underwater world

Trip distance - Ottawa to Tadoussac - 800km.
Number of people - 2
Number of days - 3.5 days
Vehicle - Subaru legacy
Fuel costs - $190 (at $1.43 per litre!)
Cost of stay - $93 for 3 nights
Cost of food - $150
Activities - Whale watching cruise ($120)
TOTAL = $500

Tadoussac is a little picturesque town that stands at the meeting place of the St. Laurance estuary and the magnificent Saguenay fjord. Saguenay fjord is a U-shaped valley created by retreating glaciers and is now a deep river (275 m.) flanked by vertical cliffs that act as granite sentinels just before the river enters the estuary. The cold waters of the Atlantic ocean flow inland and greet the warmer waters of the Sagunay river forming a clearly visible divide between the salt water of the ocean and the sweet water. About a kilometer into the estuary, which is about 10 kilometers accross at Tadoussac, you can see the blue salt water form a jagged line where it creaps below the river water which is a darker liquid. And beneathe this large body of water gigantic creatures forage for food. The blue whale (25-33 m), the Minke, and the gray seal can be seen in the waters off Tadoussac. The most favourite creatures of all, though, is the white Beluga - a 3 m. long whale that can be found here throughout the year. It is easily distinguishable from land when it breaks the water, becuase of its color and a huge hump like protruberance on its head that is used to break the thin ice during winter.

We started out on Friday afternoon from Ottawa, caught some traffic in Montreal on the 417/40-east, and made it to Quebec city on the 138 in 5 hours. The next day we continued on the 138 which passes through breathtaking scenery as it leaves Quebec city. On the left is the fleuve St.-Lawrence (St. Lawrence river) and in the river is this long green island called the L'lle-D'Orleans and on the right are the hills and forests inhabited by caribou and deer. The road rises and falls and follows the contours of the river banks and passes through picturesque little villages with brightly colored houses, logs of wood piled high, gentle meadows, and a strong smell of horse manure.

This road goes all the way to Baie Sainte-Catherine a small town south of the Saguenay river from where a ferry leaves every 10 minutes, taking cars and passengers to Tadoussac on the other side. On the way we spotted a minke which I am told is a common occurance.

Tadoussac overlooks the estuary and the bay is considered one of the 10 most beautiful in the world. With its blue waters, sandy beach and a steep rise all around it, like a submerged tea cup, it did make an impression, but I was not too sure about its high ranking. Or perhaps it was just that the water was too cold to swim in without a wetsuite, and therefore I was a bit biased. In any case the row of restaurants surrounding the bay and the magnificent Tadoussac hotel with its bright red roof standing guard at the mouth of the deep blue waters gave it a marine charm very similar to the french riviera. The row of yatchs along the right added to this feeling, and so did the quebecoise french spoken here and the good food I had here on the second day - seafood pizza!

The night we arrived in Tadoussac we decided to camp at a private campground here called Domain de Dunes, which offered great facilities for just $18 a night. Never having camped at a private campground, we were surprized at the well maintained surroundings and campsite, especially the clean bathrooms with beautiful fixtures (like the engraved bathroom door!) and several playing areas and toys for kids.

On that first day after a long drive, we just had time to do a short hike along the rocky terrain overlooking the estuary and fjord to the south-west of Tadoussac. There was a wooden walkway throughout to protect the delicate plant life here and was a popular place for people to spot whales as they broke the water surface. The proximity of these great creatures that inhabit the deep waters at once makes us feel how alien their world is to us. 2/3rds of the earth's surface is covered with water and of that we can access maybe the top 100 meters, while the rest of it is near impossible for most humans to go. Imagine how much of nature we would miss if we were able to climb only 100 meters above sea level on land!

The second day was sunny and we had a chance to enjoy the town a bit more. To start off we took a 3 hour cruise to spot whales. It was a double decker boat with a restaurant on the first floor and a covered viewing gallery on the top deck. The commentary was delivered in both french and accented english by a lively lady who was traversing the boat with a microphone and pointing out whales and seals all around us, reminding us that we were indeed lucky to see a minke right off the bat, or the migratory birds that were resting in the water and made off further west in a long line.

In any case we did spot minkes as they surfaced within 100 meters of us, and eventually belugas and gray seals. The sun was up by this time and our quest for whales took us past this red and white lighthouse that was once inhabited, but now lies empty and photogenic in the waters off L'lle Rouge island (the little red island) - a bird sactuary.

We finally entered the fjord, and the captain took the 18-meter boat within a stones throw of the shoreline since the water is so deep even close to the shore. The boat then slowly inched forward to within feet of a huge waterfall that cascaded down the side of the almost vertical cliff and fell into the river. That was the last highlight of the trip before we headed back to the Tadoussac bay.

We decided to skip the whale museum there but drove over to the dunes about 1 km west of Tadoussac. These is a sandy stretch with sparse vegetation that was formed due to glacier action several million years ago. It offers a view of the estuary from a high vantage point and the strip of beach far below.

I was sad not to be able to dive these waters which is supposed to contain an amazing variety of salt water critters. I had never dived in a dry suit before and also this required deep water diving skills which is an advanced course that I have not taken.

After our 24 hour stay in Tadoussac we drove to Saguenay national park located about 40 minutes up-river from Tadoussac. But the sad part is to get here we have to drive down the 138 for about 40 minutes, and then come back up 170 for another hour or so to be at the camping ground here. We were there on Sunday evening and were able to catch the sunset from a look-out point high up in the hills near Riviere Eternite from where we could look eastward towards the great fjord meandered towards the estuary and to the west where the sun disappeared in a purple haze behind the high hills of Parc du Saguenay.

The night was perfect for a campfire and hot coals to ward off the chill. The food was good - choley and tortillas. I had prepared some masala with fried onions, tomatoes, garlic ginger and garam masala. By adding some canned chana to this mixture, we had hot choley ready in about 10 minutes.

We did not have much time in the park. Although kayaking in the cold waters did not appeal to me, I would have liked to do a hike or some rock climbing. We headed back on Monday, Septmeber 5th, on a bright sunny day through rolling hills and forests with trees fringed with a hint of red, a harbinger of the fall season. The highlight of the drive back was a brief stop at the Montmorency falls close to Quebec city. These falls, at 93 m. are 30 m. higher than the niagara falls. They dont seem that high when seen from the freeway, but climbing up the steps and looking down from the bridge that spans them one can see how high it is and as far away as L'lle Orleans that is connected to the mainland by a span bridge.

One of the best things about camping out is coming back home to the easily forgotten luxuries of life that we have grown used to - a bed, electric lights, our own private bathroom, comfortable chairs, email, and the most captivating of all - a flat screen TV. We were home just in time to watch Robby Ginepri take on R. Gasquet at the US open in flushing meadows, New York.