The Baisley Lodges Experience

. . . then onward to Quebec!

If you read the blog post made earlier today (Bonjour!) you may have gleaned that we were growing desperate for water!  AND that Harold had located a source where we would be "taken care of."

So . . . on with the adventure . . .

Arriving at the very beautiful but seemingly "remote" Baisley Lodges near St. Jacques, New Brunswick, I wasn’t at all sure about this “situation”.   

We were greeted by Gino, a powerfully-built "younger" fellow, and he and Harold set off across the property, presumably to locate a hose bib.  Suddenly, the sky opened up and a pounding rain commenced.  This was accompanied by lightning, thunder and the barking and howling of “a pack of dogs.”  After 20 or 30 minutes, the rain abated, but there was no sign of Harold.  When another 20 minutes had passed and still no Harold, my imagination got the best of me. Holed up in the RV with a violently shivering Trixie, the weirdest thoughts crossed my mind.  What if Harold didn’t come back?  Who and what IS this Gino-guy?  Thoughts of axe murderers and other grisly visions occupied my mind.  I turned my cell phone on “just in case”, only to discover NO signal whatsoever.  And this did NOT seem a place where one could just lean out the door or walk down the road and yell help!  It was a short while later (seemed an hour!) that the two men reappeared, much to my relief!  I eventually came to understand and love this “slice of heaven” as Gino calls it, but it was pretty creepy while Harold was “missing.”

This place is a most incredible, peaceful and wondrous haven!  Gino and Fran Roussel are an uncommonly friendly and hospitable couple that we had the amazing good fortune to stumble onto. Not only did they give us water and offer a spot to park our rig overnight, we were invited into their “bunkhouse” where, in the company of their three lovable house dogs Mosqua, Maggie and Sasha, we drank more than enough wine and talked the night away!

Stories & wine in the Bunkhouse with Fran & Gino. 

Gino is an Acadian sled dog musher and he has 20 beautiful dogs who pull his sleds, sometimes as an activity for guests staying at Baisley Lodges – and sometimes in mushing races.  We watched in awe as he took those dogs of his from their kennels in shifts of 6 or 7 to give them a good workout.  Very cool to see those gorgeous canines romp and run.  Gino loves those pooches – and they love him! And, BTW, these are rescue dogs!  

A few of the "boys & girls" at play

"Howl-a-Day Inn"

Beautiful ol' Mosqua was trailing after Harold & Gino

After watching the dogs for a time, Harold and I climbed into Gino’s "African Queen" – an old beaute of a boat! - and off we went for a delicious ride on the Madawaska River. He took us upriver several miles to where the Madawaska comes into New Brunswick from Quebec, and where we saw rare old white pines on the hillsides above and listened to more of Gino's stories, including the bitter-sweet tale of an "imaginary island!" Then, back downriver, stopping at the exquisite Jardin Botanique. OMG this day felt like a gift! A thoroughly delightful and unexpected pleasure.

Our host at the helm

Motoring up the Madawaska . . .

A GIFT!

Tying up at the Jardin Botanique dock

Late afternoon, hint of a breeze, river like glass!
Can you just imagine?

More about the Roussels - over the past 20 years they've built an amazing collection of buildings, rustic and sound, on Baisley grounds - their home, cottages, a kennel, a gazebo, various outbuilding and numerous other structures, including this working sawmill . . .

. . . which, if I understand it correctly, came first -
because the lumber for all the buildings
 was milled right here.

And last, but definitely not least, Gino is a retired vet of the Canadian military, with a deep passion to remember and honor soldiers, living and dead, who have fallen victim to the consequences of war.  He's constructed an awesome monument on the grounds, and is driven to preserve the memories there of those lost. Just as importantly, he has an ongoing quest to aid those returning soldiers left struggling with the after-effects of combat.

And then a second night with our new friends!  Back from our outing on the river, we saw that Fran, home from her rural mail delivery route, had prepared for us a feast!  Gino grilled up juicy steaks and Fran served up a spread to remember!

At the gazebo

Another memorable evening as we relished that scrumptious meal - and ambiance I cannot find the words to describe! At days end, with an orange moon casting its glow on the glassy waters of the Madawaska, we were treated to an impromptu musical fest presented by a delightful couple having their holiday at Baisley. 

John Boulay & Lyne - you can see John on YouTube!

Friday dawned - time for us to bid our new friends adieu . . . had a truly amazing time here at the special place with some very special people!

Au revoir à notre nouvel ami . . .
Hopefully we'll return - maybe in winter?
Oh, yes, for a real mushing adventure!

Baisley Lodges - "A Slice of Heaven" . . .

Merci, Fran and Gino –  Merci beaucoup!

Okay, let's head for Quebec . . .

. . . after one longing look up the Madawaska River at St. Jacques.

On the road again - just a few more kilometers in beautiful New Brunswick - more luscious scenery . . . and then -

Bonjour!
Quebec

Soon we were passing
Lake Témiscouata, stretching for miles -
the headwaters of the Madawaska River

Grain shimmering like taffeta in the breezy sunshine

Cool rock forms & outcroppings along the way

Finally reaching the mighty St. Lawrence at this small picturesque city -

Rievere-du-Loup from the "blue highway"

Leaving the "TransCan" found a "blue highway" along the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The road was crap, but the views and quaint settlements along that route made it worthwhile.

In one of many little villages along the way

Stopped here in tiny St. Roch-des-Aulnaies where we bought
 a delicious meat pie for our evening meal!

Along the "highway" in Lévis -
houses practically in the roadway!

At last - Quebec City! We spent just a day here, trekking around the old part of the city.  We saw the Citadel and walked along the top of the huge walls around it.

From there, quite a sweeping view of old Quebec with the awesome St. Lawrence beyond - beautiful!!

Lovely spot to take a little break!

As we walked along by the gates to old Quebec, we saw a group of marchers parading through the streets with a crowd trailing, so followed, too. This is some avant garde troupe that wind through the city, stopping here and there to perform intricately choreographed movements in slow motion that some people (namely Harold) don't actually consider dance. We followed along for a while, too, and I was fascinated.  It's interesting and looks like FUN!

Canterbury Dance of Quebec

Then today, Sunday, we had a nice long drive on the “TransCan” all the way to Cornwall, Ontario!  We zipped right through Montreal like it wasn’t even there – just not in the mood for a mega-metropolis “adventure”!  And as much as I enjoyed the exotic flavor of the very French Quebec (city and province!) a small dose was enough.  Wish I’d learned to speak French! It was a bit of a challenge for us, being in a place where Francois is the only language – verbal and written!

So it feels great to be in Ontario, back in English-speaking territory, and Harold is one happy camper now that he can read the road signs again! We’re relaxed and ready to amble on to our next few destinations . . . 

  . . . . Niagara Falls, Oshkosh for the EAA Fly-In, and maybe to Davenport, Iowa, to meet up with Karen & Clint at the end of RAGBRAI (big bicycle ride across Iowa!)