07/06/2018

Fermont Outdoor Recreation Association Camp Ground,

Fremont, Quebec, Canada

Well folks the day started out with a wonderful cup of coffee and a 62 degree morning. The ski was blue and the wind calm. Did our world change by the time we got to Fremont. I am now huddled in the camper writing this with the OAT at 42 degrees and dropping, 25 - 30 mph wind and rain!!!!! Thank goodness we persevered and drove through to Fremont or it would have been a cold night dry camping along the highway. The thought of dry camping along the way are now gone!!! We want 120 volts at every stop. (-:

We stopped at the Manic 5 power station. It is the largest hydroelectric dam of its kind in the world. The free 2 hour long tour was amazing. Google Manic 5 and read about it. The only fly in the ointment was that everything was in French. A couple from Washington state were the only other English speakers in the group so we were given a university drama major temp for the summer as our 'translator'. Patrice was willing enough and did his best but could only manage about 5th of what the cute French tour guide was saying. So the four of us missed a lot of the details. Still very impressive tour and dam.

If Quebec is a bilingual province, they do a poor job of making any non-French speaking person welcome. No signs in English, flat refusal to speak English if they can and no effort at accomodation for the language barrier. They truly act as if they don't want non-French speaker money or presence in Quebec. A very odd attitude on the whole. Now before someone jump me, I'm not anti French Quebec. I just don't feel welcome and won't come back and spend anymore time or money here. The rest of Canada, I'm in. (-:

The drive today included over two hundred miles of gravel road at 35 - 40 mph. Fortunately the rain damped down the dust and except for the speed it was a pleasant ride. Black Spruce and moss was the major landscape the entire way.

One thing has struck us as odd. We have not seen an single animal. Not a bird, chipmunk, moose, racoon - not even roadkill. No animals whatsoever. Even the couple for Washington made the same comment. A mystery.

More excitement tomorrow. We will enter Labrador tomorrow around noon if all goes as expected. (-: