Spoffords Travel

Edmondston New Brunswick to Miramichi New Brunswick 243 miles

Today is mostly sunny and a little warmer. We left late because we had to do yesterday’s blog and make a plan for travel today and get a place to stay. As usual the car would not start. Almost all of the hotel guests had left so Rob walked down the street. He knocked on the door of a house with a pickup and that guy agreed to help. It took a couple of trips up and down the road to get it going. The carburetor is putting out too much gas so the new trick is to start the car with the gas off and then turn it on after the car starts. This works but not on the first start of the day. The carburetor float maybe stuck. Rob wants to purchase a rubber hammer to beat on the carburetor. Now we just need to find one in a store. I forgot to mention that the odometer turned over 20,000 miles. Not all this trip thank goodness. We have only traveled 7,435 miles so far on this trip. Another thing of note is the postal delivery. Looks like areas have mailboxes at the beginning of the road. Usually quite a few. So you stop at those to get your mail. The postal delivery must be easier too. The US should consider this approach. We are driving through the province of New Brunswick. Thank goodness English is back on the signs. Sometimes it is even the first language. Obviously more English speakers here. More churches in these towns. Still a lot of forest and logging trucks. We left the main highway to go for gas. The town was having some kind of celebration. Part of the street was blocked off and people were everywhere. We tried a Tim Horton Restaurant for lunch. They are all over the country. Their specialty is coffee and donuts but they also have sandwiches. Ours was a tasty chicken chipotle wrap. Coming into town we crossed a very tall bridge over a pretty big river. Rob wants to change the engine oil tomorrow. A good day all in all.

Portneuf Sur Mer Quebec to Edmondston New Brunswick 180 miles

Last night at least three other guests arrived. So the house that was all ours became more crowded. That presented another problem when Rob took suitcases out to the car. We were blocked in. Everyone is still asleep so we ate a couple of granola bars for breakfast and tried to stay quiet. By 9 am no one was up so Rob started knocking on doors to get the owner of the Mazda to move it. She really hadn’t had much choice. The driveway is very small due to the new construction going on next door and the road is not wide enough to park a car. It’s probably against the rules anyway. She apologized and moved the vehicle. Then as usual the woodie would not start. The guy across the street had a four wheeler. They tried that but it wasn’t strong enough. So the other neighbor got his truck. Still no start. So they parked it in front of his house and the two neighbors and Rob went to work. These gentlemen only spoke French and Rob doesn’t speak French so communicating was rather difficult. Over time other members of the community showed up. One finally did speak English. In total at least six different people worked on it and finally got it started. We headed out of town to the ferry location. We stopped at the gas station from last night to call the ferry company. The lady who answered spoked very good English. Their ferries are completely full for at least another month. We could come to the ferry and wait to see if a no show opened up but the odds are not good. Her best suggestion was to head south and take the ferries that operate on a first come first serve basis. So we went back some of the way from yesterday. Still along the St Lawrence River. The tide must be out or they are in a drought because the water does not come all the way to the shore. We can see big barges out in the main stream. The highway dead ends at the first ferry which crosses the Saguenay River. On the map the river looks small but it takes about ten minutes to cross by ferry. Two lines form going down a rather steep hill. They use two ferries here so they do come more often. There is no charge for this ferry because it connects a major highway. Uneventful crossing. Now a drive up and down hills still along the St Lawrence River to the next ferry. Many of the houses along the way have metal siding. Sometimes they use multiple colors to make the house different. There are also many houses that are the size and shape of a single wide modular home. They are placed on concrete foundations. The other houses often have basements so they sit up higher off the ground. Most still have porches. We soon arrived at St Simeon where the second ferry crosses the St Lawrence River. They only run one ferry and it takes 1-1.25 hours to cross. We got there about 2:30 and the next ferry leaves at 5:30. They gave us a paper that indicates number and category of passengers and the vehicle. We are to be back to the car by 4:15. So we headed for the information building and to walk along the river. We picked a destination based on the time of arrival. Then we took a short walk out to the observation area. At least three barges are navigating the river. We were also lucky enough to see glimpses of a small whale. It passed about three times but our timing was never good to photograph it. We talked to a lady who lived on the other side. She had just missed the earlier ferry. She said just because you have a slip of paper does not guarantee you a spot on the ferry. Oh dear. This is the last ferry of the day. While waiting, the car in front of us had a tire going low. The decision was made to change the tire. They were four tourists from France. I don’t think they had ever changed a tire. Rob went right out to help and so did another motorist nearby. After some effort the tire came off and a large screw was imbedded in the tire. That was pulled out with pliers and the other motorist had the tools to repair the hole. Then the tire went back on and all appeared to be good. One of the four French tourists spoke good English which really helped. Yeah the ferry has arrived. The loading process begins. The leftover cars from earlier go on first, then some campers and small trucks. The newcomers are the last to go on. The row to our left gets on and then our row. Only a very few cars from the third row make it on. We are at the back but we are on. A row of cars are above the outer row. Sure glad we were not up there. Seating is available in several areas both inside and outside. The river is more narrow here than down stream. The ride cost us about $88 Canadian. We ate sandwiches while on board to save a stop later. On the other side we drove through a larger community of interesting shops and houses. No time to stop and we really had to pay attention to the GPS. Lots of twists and turns. Finally we are on the side road to the freeway. Almost no other cars were on the road and it was in good condition. Unfortunately all good things come to a close. We were forced onto the freeway. It is undergoing expansion so there is lots of major construction. The sign says to be finished in December but I doubt it. Our travel distance is further than we thought so it is getting dark. Those of you who have Model As know the lights are not all that bright. For those of you that don’t know, imagine driving at night in a strange location with one dim flashlight. We are often following the tail lights of cars in front. Finally we get to the town. Now to find the hotel. By now it is quite dark. Thank goodness for lines on the road. We wandered through all residential areas. The roads are narrow and heavily patched. We came to the spot the GPS sent us and no motel. A second GPS sent us back somewhere nearly 8 miles. Oh yes we are nearly out of gas. We missed one turn completely because we could not see the road. Then the road had no lines. They are not straight either. Finally we got to this location and the motel was there. Still in a residential area. We arrived about 10:15 pm. We were both tired and ready for bed.

Alma Quebec to Portneuf Sur Mer Quebec 168 miles

Today is mostly sunny with a ring of big puffy clouds all around the horizon. Today is a light mileage day. The towns we would like to go are booked full due to a world title cycling race. We have a request out for an Air B&B but haven’t heard back. Connie got concerned about the planned route. She found a write up that said the road was very bad with very few services. Fine for a modern car perhaps if you don’t care about it. We studied the maps and decided to talk to the Visitors center. So after our morning tow we headed out. We found the center but the girl there really didn’t know anything about the road nor the ferries we were considering as another option. We eventually found the information on our own and attempted a booking. Later in the day Rob got an email saying their cruises were all booked for the year. We didn’t think that was what we were booking but they did. The Air B&B message came back confirming our booking. So now we can hit the road. This a bigger metropolitan area so more traffic. They have very different traffic lights. They are horizontal and have a red light on each end. Probably a carryover from the French trader days. The flow of traffic is also different. It’s a pretty drive through farm land, towns and beside waterways. Quite a few tall hills to climb and descend. Glad I don’t have to drive these in the winter. Summer is bad enough. Quebec Provence has a law that during the winter cars registered here must have snow tires on. All weather tires aren’t acceptable. We found the house where we have a room. Turns out we pretty much have the run of the house. Looks like the owner is remodeling as time and money permit. He did let us use the washer and dryer so that was good. We bought hamburgers and fries from a permanent food truck down the road. Once the sun goes down the temperature really drops. Rob spent the evening trying to book a ferry. We may be down to plan D. The ferries we would like best are booked full. An observation: in western Canada written material has English with French subtitles. In Ontario written material has French with English subtitles. In Quebec written material is in French only.

Chapais Quebec to Alma Quebec 210 miles

Today is mostly cloudy and everything is really wet. It’s not currently raining however. We ate breakfast in the little restaurant attached to the motel. They are supposed to open at 8 am but the cook arrived late. Four other people were eating there as well. Rob tried drying the engine before breakfast. He also tried starting it. That didn’t work. Three First Nation guys stopped. One really wanted to buy it. Rob didn’t ask them to help pull. He did ask the folks at breakfast. One of them agreed. It took two trips around the block but it did start. Next stop was the gas station. Oh the car was a hit again. People came from everywhere. One gentleman was really fascinated. He spoke perfect English and had lots of questions. He is from Nova Scotia so he told us to tell them hello. We went past a huge sawmill just out of town. The parking lot had electric wires hanging down with electric outlets. You have to keep the engines warm in winter. The road is once again long straight stretches with forest on either side. We go up and down over numerous small hills and along rivers and lakes. We also went in and out of rain. Sometimes just small drops and other times bigger. Well eventually the engine got wet and started to cut out. We were slowed down to a jerky crawl as Rob kept coaxing the car forward. Amazingly it never completely died. It sure backfired a lot however. Most were small and rapid fire. When we came to the gas station and filled up the car would not start to move away from the pumps. A young man helped us push it out of the way. The distributor was very wet again. The leak in the radiator must still be there only not as big. Rob dried everything off and then took plastic from the bag of ice we bought and placed it as protection for the coil and black junction box. Now the car started. Since we were stopped we ate lunch in the car before continuing. The car seemed to run better and the rain has quite at least temporarily. We came to a flatter area and followed a lake. More people and small farms. More towns and bigger ones. Most of the houses have small front porches. We saw people sitting in chairs on their porch watching the traffic go by. They had lots to watch. Campers and fifth wheels were all heading in the opposite direction. We have also seen more churches. They usually have white steeples. Then we got a real surprise. Two police cars pulled us over. One in front and one behind. Lots of lights but no sirens. After a short conversation they asked us to pull off onto a side road away from the traffic. They did check Rob’s drivers license but nothing else. They did inform us that in the Provence of Quebec the driver must have at least one ear uncovered. We had our headphones on listening to a story. Rob told them we were listing to a murder mystery and they had a good laugh. Both of the officers took several pictures. It was probably a slow day and this traffic stop gave them something to do. We had no trouble finding our hotel. Tonight I tried poutine which is a dish invented in Quebec in the 1950s. Take french fries, add cheese curds and smother in brown gravy. It’s not bad but once was enough. Lodging for tomorrow is getting very difficult to find. We have spent over an hour and have one unconfirmed room maybe. Two of the hotels just hung up on Rob when he could not speak French.

Amos Quebec to Chapais Quebec 235 miles

The skies are mostly cloudy. Doesn’t look like it rained during the night which is a good thing. The car still doesn’t start without a pull. A very short pull but successful. We drove to a nearby McDonald’s for breakfast. We can tell we are in French Canadian territory because all the signage is in French only. The egg McMuffin tastes the same however. Another fill up of gas before departing the town. The car is once again a big hit. The road starts out pretty good just bumpy. Then it turns to gravel. Not many cars are on the road now. This is still a provincial highway. We went along a lake for a short distance. Of course that is nothing new. The area has numerous lakes and rivers. We crossed another small bridge with a wooden deck. After roughly 30 miles of this we came upon a man in a small motor home. He told us the bridge was out further down the road. We should turn around. Well that cost us at least 15 miles to get to where we should have been. It is still gravel. We had only gone a few miles when the car sputtered and died. We have a small leak in the radiator and water splashes back on the engine causing it to short out. Rob tried drying it but no luck. He started to walk back to a house when a pickup came from the opposite direction. A very nice young man agreed to pull us. Even then it took a couple of tries. We only got another mile or so and it died again. This time another man helped us. The car started and went a mile or two before stopping once again. Luckily a third man stopped. This time Rob spent even more time trying to dry the engine. He also replaced the distributor cap which had a small crack and the coil. We tried pulling again but no luck at all. It backfired a couple of times but that was it. We sent the man on his way even though he didn’t want to leave us out in the middle of nowhere. He was on his way to work and we had already kept him for close to 45 minutes. He only left after Rob told him we had a satellite phone. Rob tried some more things and finally pulled out the main fuse, looked it over, and put it back. The car started on the first try! That fuse may have been part of the problem all along. It still sputtered occasionally especially when going up hill. However it does keep running. We came to one rather strange bridge that had a bar at 3 meters and barriers on each side. The car barely fit through. The pot holes on either side were terrible. Finally we are back to pavement. But then it begins to rain. We turned off the main road to go to a small town for gas. After filling with gas a nice man (interpreter) went with Rob to the Napa store next door to buy Stop Leak for the radiator. He poured that in and hopefully that will help. Then we went to a small convenience store and bought sandwiches for lunch. Actually by this time it was mid afternoon. Back on the road. We went in and out of rain showers. Some light and some much heavier. We also had to stop twice at lights used for one lane construction areas. When we finally got to town the rain was coming down so hard we could barely see. We did find the hotel and checked in. The place has a small restaurant attached. They are open until 8 pm. We got there at 7:30. We had toasted cheese sandwiches and french fries. We were both hoping to get a hot bowl of soup but they ran out. Maybe the locals also wanted something hot to eat. The outside temperature was about 50 F. The local curling rink is across the street.

Hearst Ontario to Amos Quebec 320 miles

The morning is sunny with only a few clouds in the sky. The woodie still doesn’t want to start. A guy who we think lives in the apartment across the parking lot offered to pull the car. They only had to go a short distance thank goodness. Then its off to the gas station. This was a full service station but Rob still fills it himself. Most of the kids that do the gas don’t have a clue where the gas tank is. This guy’s native language is French so explaining was more difficult. The manager came out to take a picture and talk a little. His native language was also French. We are in a different environment. Near the end of town is a big statue of a cross cut saw cutting a log. May have to do with the fact that a sawmill is located here. The stack of logs is quite large. We drive along one of the major roads for about two thirds of the day. That means lots of semi trucks. However, most of the trucks are headed west. Road crews are working on the road in several places so we had to wait our turn to go. The population is greater here. More houses and small communities. Amazing though how many of those small communities don’t have gas stations. We turned off the main highway onto a lesser road. Still paved however. The number of semis has reduced so that is a good thing. We also saw a couple of signs for horse drawn buggies. We didn’t see any but there must be some Amish in the area. The road now goes up and down a lot. Not big hills but lots or little ones. Feels like an easy going roller coaster. We did see more stacks of split wood that appeared to be for sale. I know if I lived in this area I would like a fire place. We took a short break near an RV park that was located near a lake. We walked down to the lake to stretch our legs. A very small beach was at the end of the road. Several ducks were sitting at the water’s edge. Several of the trailers looked as though they stayed a long time. They had wooden decks and screened in areas. Bet the mosquitos get bad at times. The sky has gotten very cloudy. First with huge fluffy clouds and then really really black clouds. It starts to sprinkle and then a wall of water hits. No way the windshield wiper can keep up. Thank goodness the road had white lines on the side. Gradually the rain lessened. We even came to a stretch where no rain had fallen. All the rest of the way we went in and out of rain. When we got to town we were in another major downpour. The car is starting to sputter because so much water was getting to the engine. Of course the hotel was difficult to find. We had to turn around and find a different route. The car died when we pulled into the parking spot. We waited in the car for the rain to ease before checking in. Several big claps of thunder occurred. The lightning must have been really close. We have driven approximately 6,500 miles on a lot of bumpy roads on this trip so far.

Thunder Bay Ontario to Hearst Ontario 319 miles

Today is sunny and warm. The woodie needed a pull again today. At least this time it was only about 30 feet. After leaving town we took a wrong turn that put us on a road between the highway and Lake Superior. As usual the trees blocked our view of the lake. We did spot a couple of big ships in the distance. The houses along here are a mix of big new ones and little old ones. We eventually got back to the highway with all the big semis. Three deer were grazing in a patch of tall grass. They did look up as we drove by. What seemed to be a small park was full of Canadian geese. The road was split as a freeway for a few miles then returned to two way traffic. The road is in the process of being widened so we had three construction stops. Should be a great road when finished. We noticed several 1950-1960 era vehicles some pulling campers. They were going the opposite direction from us. When we stopped for gas two more of them were also stopped. It is a group called the Canadian Coasties. This year it is 60 vehicles driving from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. We had a short visit with them. Not far from the gas station was a beautiful bridge across a river. After crossing the bridge we turned onto a lesser highway which followed a lake for several miles. No trees this time. The lake is very calm. The lake ended and we were in forest on both sides of the road. A black bear ran across the road about 100 feet in front of us. He was really going. As usual by the time we got to where he crossed, he was no where to be seen. Logging trucks are going in the opposite direction. They are loaded much differently than back home. The logs are all loaded with the large end at the front of the trailer. Then more are added with the large end at the rear of the trailer. The skinny ends are all in the middle. All the ones from the front on the bottom and the ones from the back on top. A small white wooden church sits on a small rise across from the lake. We really haven’t seen many churches of any kind. One of the small towns had a giant snowman with a fishing pole. Not sure what he was made of but he was close to two stories tall. A motel in the same town had a statue of big foot. He must reside up here too. We go along numerous lakes, rivers and creeks. Towns are further apart now. The next gas stop was operated by one of the First Nation folks. They were sure excited about the car. One lady asked to put a picture on Instagram. The wind has really picked up. It’s strong enough to push the car at times. The lakes now have white caps. We arrived in town. This one has the usual Tim Horton and Subway restaurants. It also has a McDonalds. After settling into our room we went to the only “grocery” store in town. This is another all in one store. Produce and bakery on one end. The remainder of grocery items on the other end and across the back. Then sundry items and clothing in the middle. Rob put off the normal maintenance tonight until tomorrow morning.