Saguenay Park

Morning at Parc du Saguenay

We wake up early for the ferry crossing of San Lorenzo, scheduled for 9:30 AM. Given our experience from the 7:50 departure, we were already at the port. A zealous employee immediately helped us board with the car. To our surprise, they told us that the ferry departs at 8:00!! At 9:30 it's the return trip from St. Simeon: this is the first sign that fatigue is starting to cloud our judgment. But sometimes, luck and foresight allow us to arrive well in advance and not miss the departure. During the journey, we talk with a geologist from New Brunswick, and halfway through, we also spot a white whale, a beluga. Under a beautiful sun, we travel from St. Simeon north towards Tadousssac, crossing the Saguenay River on the seventh and final ferry, but this time the trip is short. The village of Tadoussac is charming, and it allows us to Saguenay Park The road that runs alongside the park at the beginning is full of farms and cheese factories. Further on, it becomes wild and winds its way through beautiful pine forests with streams. rich in salmon. We stop to see a viewpoint in the area of L'Anse Rocher, we visit the charming village of St. Rose du Nord and continue to Chicoutimi to return to the other side at Baie Eternité, from where we set off on a 3.5 km trail that leads into the park and shows us... wonderful landscapes on the cliff stunningly beautiful along the fjord. In a couple of hours, we cover the round trip.

The arrival point is a huge Madonna statue... high 8 meters, and built at the end of the nineteenth century by a lucky traveler on horseback, who miraculously survived after the ice covering the river broke in winter. On our way back to La Baie, we visit a collection of depictions of the Sacred Family carved from various types of wood by local artists. We stay at a B&B in La Baie, which is pleasant and has a bathroom fit for royalty. The owners are two friendly elderly gentlemen with whom we spend a delightful time learning how they survive the cold winters, as they tell us that temperatures can reach -40°C, with peaks of -45°C due to the wind. They have a variety of tricks, such as underground pipes, which are buried at depths greater than ours. In summer, they lay the foundations for houses, then cover the area where the house will be built, and in winter, they actually work indoors and in warmth. The coats are reinforced while the cars are pre-heated by connecting them to the electricity grid. The river in this area would also freeze solid for a long period if it were not for a central channel that allows ships to reach Chicoutimi. Therefore, it is impossible to cross on foot. It is also important to be aware of the areas, for example, further downstream there are underground currents that make the ice layer very thin and therefore dangerous. In La Baie, you can drill through the ice and cast a fishing rod while comfortably seated by the river. There is heavy snowfall, so much so that there are signs indicating the points where snowmobiles cross. It is likely that in certain seasons, sleds are used more than cars.
Dinner at a restaurant just a few dozen meters from the house we are staying in (mixed salmon with other fish and beef tenderloin with pepper). A relaxing walk to cross an aluminum bridge, which the guides highlight for its remarkable lightness.
We can see how several houses, under the sloping awning from the roof, have plastic spiderwebs to prevent ice buildup during winter.