Blogs from Quebec, Canada, North America - page 11

Kilomètre 381, route de la baie James, 3 août Dépaysement total... Rouler au coeur de la taïga est une expérience vraiment particulière et les superlatifs sont ici de mise. Tout est immense, le regard embrasse l'infini et la quiétude des lieux nous plonge dans un état contemplatif des plus agréables. Je n'en suis pourtant qu'aux deux-tiers de cette route unique et déjà je suis comblé. Sur la recommandation de la préposée à l'entrée de la route de la baie James (indépendante du réseau routier public et entretenue par la Société de Développement de la Baie-James), je campai hier sur les rives de la rivière Rupert, au kilomètre 257 (sur les 620 entre Matagami et Radisson), et je m'y baignai avec bonheur. Cette majestueuse rivière prend sa source dans le lac Mistassini et se jette dans la ... read more

In late June, a conference trip took me to Montreal. I arrived there on a Saturday afternoon, caught the shuttle bus into town, and walked to my hotel. It was screaming hot, which I absolutely had not expected. I had checked the weather forecast, so I had been prepared for temperatures above 30° Centigrade. However, what I had not expected was the humidity in the air. It was almost as humid as in Singapore! So I definitely needed a quick shower once I had checked into my room, then walked into town to meet my colleagues (the gang of cuties who had arrived just shortly before me) for dinner. It was great to catch up with Achim, Richie, Mats, and Alina. The food was nice, but we did not stay for too long because all of ... read more

I always enjoy learning new vocabulary words when I travel abroad, especially when they're immediately useful. But la canicule is not one of those words I wish I had to learn. Another thing I learned from the Biosphere park today was the origin of the Humidex, something I had heard about in my previous Canadian adventures but just thought was a weird way to refer to what we call the "heat index" in the States. It was also 'fun' to find out how that whole system works--I had no idea how those forecasters got the heat index, but now I know the way it works. So, in Fahrenheit, the temperature made it up to 91 (though I saw at one point on my phone it was 95), and the heat index was 110. I'm still in ... read more

Levis to Lake George When I left the campground the morning sun was rising over Ile-D'Orleans where huge towers support the high tension wires that cross the St. Lawrence there. I was on route 132, the highway that follows the south shore of the great river. Along the way I passed through many small towns and larger ones such as Montmargny, a town that has all the usual big chain stores and fast food places that you find anywhere. The smaller places like Berthier-sur-Mer, Cap Sant-Ignace and L'Islet, epitomize an older look - at least in my mind. The highway is also the main street and the houses, all shapes and sizes and ages, crowd up close to it and to each other, like spectators at a parade. Even the smallest villages seem to have a ... read more

Randonnée de VTT à notre camp de chasse.... read more