It’s good to know there is a small town in northern Ontario called Moonbeam. You’ve probably heard of it – it’s known throughout the entire galaxy:
Yup
I’d read there was a UFO monument in Moonbeam (we were camping a few kilometres away) and didn’t tell Mrs PC about it, not wanting to spoil the surprise. I think it was probably more than she could ever dream of?
“Take me with you!”
After all that excitement, we had to stop for refreshments.
Stellar!
Oh yeah, and we’ve camped in some lovely spots – this might be my favourite, so far:
Somewhere near Val-d’Or, QC, Canada, the world, the solar system, the galaxy, the universe
It’s big out here! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Huh?! Where could this one possibly be going? No idea! By the time this is posted, we’ll have set off for somewhere and already be happily lost for the third or fourth time (or more!) out on the backroads of NW Quebec and beyond. We’re taking our time on this trip, aiming to travel no more than six hours in any day, and often no more than four. A morning in the car is quite enough as temperatures warm up and we work up a thirst. Perhaps there’ll be a series of microbreweries we simply have to visit along the way, where we purchase something good to try later at a campground? Yeah, perhaps…
Might have tried one or two
Before we left, my brother paid us a quick visit, keen to extend his knowledge of local ciders, leaving no apple unfermented. Or something. We spent a couple of (happy) hours in PubLeProjet, a wonderful old bar on Rue St. Jean that caters particularly well to cider and beer drinkers, and featuring a wide range of Quebec products. You won’t leave thirsty, but you might be a bit wobbly… taxi!
Or three or six – between the three of us, not each!
Brother OPC had stopped at a favourite cidrerie on the way up, and when he went home he forgot to take a couple of four packs he’d left in the fridge. So I tried one. I tried, I really did, but, nope, not for me. Mrs. PC didn’t mind his forgetfulness though!
I’m assured it is very good, but it’s not for me. The label is a winner for sure!
When we were out and about, instead of cider, I went absolutely nowhere outside of my comfort zone, predictably choosing and enjoying a couple of IPAs that were really, really good. Not too heavy, one hazy, one clear, and one happy OldPlaidCamper.
Happy
It wasn’t all beer and cider. We spent a couple of fun hours at the Plains of Abraham museum, and the exhibits and stories were very engaging. I wish I had photos I could share of my brother trying to shrug his way out of a rather snug replica military redcoat (younger?) visitors are encouraged to try. Chaps were smaller back then… There were lots of replica artefacts to handle, and plenty of interactive exhibits – if you’re ever looking for a rainy afternoon activity on the Plains, I’d recommend the museum.
Guilty! Was this before I tried the cider? Yup…
Models of cannons, replica muskets and swords, and a dressing up box? Goodness, each of our inner twelve year olds left the museum very happy. Let’s leave it here, with tastebuds and knowledge buds somewhat quenched after a busy weekend.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
(Over the next few weeks I’m not too sure how regularly I’ll be posting – it’ll mostly be determined by the reliability of coffee shop wifi and whether or not I find myself back in the stocks again. They’ll never find me since even we don’t quite know where we’ll be, other than contentedly lost…)
…as anyone who has seen me change a tyre can testify. I can do it, and have had to, but I won’t be finding employment in a Formula One pit lane anytime soon.
Anyway, rather than tinker myself, I took the truck in for a service the other day. We haven’t put many miles on it in recent months due to being mostly city bound, but now we’re making plans for a lengthy trip. Turns out if you don’t drive your car out and about often enough, there are consequences:
Oops…
Oh, ok, not mine. To be fair, I wouldn’t mind a run out in the vehicle above, once a little work has been done. Just a few updates: engine, tyres, windows, all the running gear, the interior… Hmm. Maybe we’ll stick to the Tacoma for now!
No worries – tried, tested, and trusted!
Keeping it brief as we’ve a bit more to do before setting off. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
…and we wouldn’t mind if we were still down by the river, but we came home after the third day of rain, and five nights out overall. It wasn’t the rain, it was the cold – it barely hit 10C for the afternoon high. Ok if you’re hiking, less so for sitting around enjoying the fire in between rain showers…
“Mountain” sector tent site – light that fire!
One afternoon we decided to revisit the microbrewery just outside the nearby village of Frampton. It wasn’t too busy, most likely due to the unseasonably chilly temperatures, but we received the usual warm and friendly welcome from the brewer on for the afternoon. We tasted a light lager, pretending it was late May, not mid-March, and it was pretty good, one for properly warm days ahead. For those, we stocked up on the raspberry sour we’d enjoyed so much last summer. It’s not a style I usually like, but this one is really good.
Last summer – raspberry sour on the left – yum!
I couldn’t resist a new NEIPA and bought a couple to savour later – slightly too strong but very tasty if you like a big hoppy beer. The last one we tried was only currently available on tap, so we’ll hope to return and buy a bottle/can or two – a new nut brown that was, for me, a perfect autumnal sipper. Goodness, I only had one sip but it was absolutely spot on!
Absolutely a good spot to be in
We weren’t only tasting beers or sitting by the fire or snoozing or in between snoozes – we also wandered up and down a couple of nearby trails. The vibrant fresh greens and bright new spruce tips were very welcome sights.
Happy trail
The rain and mist cleared from time to time so we were able to see longish views across the valley. The trail winds past a second section of the campground, a few walk in tent sites in the “mountain” sector. These are lovely secluded spots if you’re happy to hike up a steepish short way with all your gear.
Across the valley
One afternoon, mind and body suitably rested from the hiking, the scenery and the all round pleasantness of the Etchemin valley, I fell asleep and had the strangest dream. There was beer, spruce tipped and resinous, growing on trees. Oh, if only…
Can(ned) dreams come true?
Time to wake up! Well, this has been less sunny but not miserable, like a rested OldPlaidCamper during the second and rainier half of a camping trip. Apologies for the ridiculously long post heading this week, no idea how that happened. Sleepy brain?
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thunder? Heavy rain showers? Heat? Humidity? One or two bugs? Check, check, check, check and check!
But… almost constant birdsong, a musical river, freshly unfurled spring greenery, a distant farm dog barking, spells of warm sunshine and a remote campsite in the trees above a river? Yup! On balance, let’s just say “when can we go again?”
Hanging out
We had a splendid few days down by (or just above) the Etchemin. Two decent sized bug bites on my ankle (how? I was wearing boots!) had me temporarily renaming it the Itchyman River, but I got over it, and barely mentioned it at all out loud. I didn’t provide any insects a free lunch once I’d applied the bug repellent. Use it, OPC. Happens every start of camping season – when will you ever learn…?
Itchyman – are those clouds bubbling up? Maybe…
The trailer and bug screen performed as hoped for, the wood-store was well stocked and dry – one match got our fire lit every time, maintaining a pretty good run (he says, modestly) – and is there a better outdoor aroma than woodsmoke and coffee? Perhaps my hiking boots left outside and under the trailer? With that aroma, why do the bugs even approach my ankles?
A splendid site
We saw and heard geese, and I startled a pair of ducks as I leant over to snap a shot upriver, at which point a kingfisher scolded me, Scout shook her head, and Mrs. PC seemed happy enough I didn’t fall in.
Several mornings a hummingbird buzzed me as I was making coffee, darting to the side I wasn’t looking as I tried to spot her. I caught a blur of small brown bird as she buzzed into the trees, perhaps disappointed we don’t take nectar with our coffee.
Set up
The Etchemin flows through a lovely little valley of low wooded hills and patches of cleared farmland. Not much more than an hour south of Quebec City, it is a delightful spot to find a change of pace. Breathe in, breathe out, stretch, relax, repeat, and it’ll soon be beer o’ clock.
It’s beer o’clock already? Well alrighty…
A very welcome break from the noise and nonsense that can be hard to avoid in the wider world. Spring this year hasn’t been all that it could have been, but a few more trips like this as we edge towards summer and maybe all will be well, with equilibrium maintained…
Fresh
More about this trip next week – the river, the rain (yup!), the microbrewery and hiking trails nearby.
New
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Aiming for glass half full in this brief post, but be warned, it might seem like I’m moaning about the weather. If so, it’s because I am.
Right, let’s give half full a go, with something to brighten up our slow start to the season. C’mon, spring, time to show yourself – it’ll soon be summer…
A host? Almost…
We wandered the Plains of Abraham last weekend, taking a picnic with us as we searched for some spring colour. We found one or two bright patches in the not quite planted Joan of Arc gardens, and it was pleasant to find a bench in a sunny spot and turn our happy little faces up to the sun, almost golden and contented. Yes, mother, with suitable hats and sunglasses. We’re hoping to head down there again this coming Sunday, see if any more has been planted.
Spring blues?! Not me…
Prompted by two sunny days in a row for the first time since, well, it’s hard to remember, we uncovered the camping trailer on Monday. Happily, all is well with it, so we’ll be up and out from midweek and through the Victoria Day weekend, camping whatever the (rainy) weather. Optimistic sunblock and bug repellent, as well as a tarp or two if needed. Surely not…
Grand unveiling
Let’s keep it short this week and end here with a spring in our step! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Bright, cheery, and hoppy, like a springtime OldPlaidCamper – cheers!
Hooray! I said I’d share the first green blades of grass when they appeared, so here we go, from earlier this week:
Green! Just…
Ok, so we had to look hard, but it was there! Since then, with a morning of sunshine and a few more heavy showers, it has been greening up nicely. Spring! Boing! May! Phew!
Finding and fixing a puncture – the bike would be enormous!
Now our thoughts can turn to camping, so much so, I finally repaired a puncture in the inflatable tent yesterday, and next week we’ll be uncovering the trailer and seeing if any small critters need rehousing before giving it all a general spring airing. A riverside site in mid May is booked and beckons… Yup, it’s May! Hooray!
Sunny on the plains
Short this week, rather like the stretch of sunny spring days so far… Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
… of joy. An unexpected gift (thank you, Mrs. PC!) arrived in the post the other day, “A Thousand Feasts” by Nigel Slater. As the cover blurb describes it, this is a memoir of sorts, and, if the first few chapters are any indication, an utter delight.
I really enjoy reading Slater even if he can (sometimes) come across as slightly fussy. I prefer to think he is simply being particular. I would say that, as I’m certainly particular about particular issues. But never fussy, oh no…
Can we all agree that strong, black coffee should be just that, and if a warmed croissant isn’t served with an offering of apricot jam on the side (ok, or strawberry at a pinch) then it probably isn’t (another) sign of end times? No need to fuss. Although, if we are going to hell in a hand basket at ever increasing speeds, surely apricot jam isn’t too much to ask? Anyway, I’m not fussy, oh no…
Small cups for a small moment, and just right! Not that I’m fussy…
Back to small moments of joy. I often recall a favourite breakfast we shared with friends on the road many years ago. We’d taken the overnight boat to France, and (some of us, no names) had probably explored the outer limits of how many pints a person should consume in a ferry bar on a choppy cross-channel trip.
Designated drivers aside, we were feeling a little worse for wear as we rolled up to a small railway station cafe somewhere in Picardy. It was just as you might imagine – wicker cafe chairs, red check cloth covered tables, and a dapper waiter. The waiter was poised in every sense, happy to take our breakfast order, and never mind our mangled French.
Rural QC, not rural France, but just as one might hope?
Petit déjeuner? All the essentials – strong dark roast coffee, chewy country bread with a firm crust, and warm flaky croissants. Oh those croissants! I get warm and flaky just thinking about them. (And yup, for the children, they were served with apricot or strawberry jam on the side!) How I enjoyed that restorative spring sunshine breakfast – nothing fancy, and a perfect meal!
Warm and flaky, coffee and pastry
Right, enough with the reminiscing, I’ve got to go make a cup of strong coffee and get back to reading “A Thousand Feasts” – both are recommended! I’ll finish by saying this is a splendid book if you enjoy wonderfully descriptive writing on people, places and cuisine. It’s often amusing, very observant and it celebrates the joy found, home or away, in small moments. For me, that’s most welcome in these broadly troubling times!
“That’s right, Scout! Strong and dark!”
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
As winter retreats and spring gains something of a foothold, Scout and I have been searching for that first blade of green grass in the backyard, a sign of warmer and sunnier days ahead. We know those days are coming, but they are elusive, like that first green blade…
Look closely and you’ll find… brown grass!
The thaw and recent rains all point to things greening up soon enough. With glass half full, looking out at our miniature prairie (as well as trawling through photos the past couple of weeks to search out some prairie car treasures mentioned last week) reminded me that these dun colours have a certain attraction:
“You bet they do – look at me! – in the right light, dun is golden!”
A friend of ours back in Alberta (originally from Australia) used to describe the early spring prairie colour as “that f#*king brown grass” – I think she didn’t love it? – but we always enjoyed her forthright commentary, and, when rolling through Alberta and Saskatchewan we’ll call out to the grasslands (windows up) “why, here’s some more f*#king brown grass!” always meaning it affectionately.
Love it, love, love it!
Back in not always so sunny Quebec, we have had one or two hours of spring sunshine, occasion enough to dust off a chair brought up from the basement and spend a moment or two basking.
A vision in beige and brown
Scout wasn’t complaining, although as I write this on Wednesday morning she isn’t too impressed with the sleety rain falling right now…
Tuesday was pretty good…
Rest assured, if we spot a blade of green grass in the backyard we’ll let you know – now isn’t that something for us all to look forward to?!
I like it, even if there isn’t a patch of green to be seen!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 