Highway 132 along the Gaspe Peninsula to Forillon National Park, Quebec

Legendary highway 132 along the Gaspe Peninsula

Another lengthy travel day to get to Forillon National Park, so we are up at 5:45 am to get some miles in before the strong head winds forecast for later today. We are taking the legendary highway 132 with sweeping coastal views and towering sea cliffs amongst quaint seaside villages. 

The first order of business is fuel at a lofty $2.17 per litre. We hope to see some relief in these prices as the trip goes on but for now it's all part of a bigger picture. 

Cheap compare to down the road

Foggy breakfast break

After a couple hours driving we pull into a municipal rest stop for breakfast and a quick stretch of the legs. A thick fog has set in so we only catch glimpses of the water here and there. 

Sun breaks out of fog

Thankfully the sun breaks out and the views of the coast are very nice as we make miles along the Gaspe Peninsula. 

Nice to see the Canadian flag flying by the Quebec flag

Repairing a washed out section of highway 132

Road construction and windy roads off the coast through the mountains slow the progress in our already long day. 

These are serious ups and down...ugh

Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse-tallest in Canada

Eventually we finally make it to Cap-des-Rosiers where Canada's tallest lighthouse sits. Built in 1858 it is 112 ft / 34.1 meters tall. The stone tower has walls over 7 feet thick at the base tapering to 3 feet at the top. 

Views of the Atlantic ocean from Cap-des-Rosiers

It takes about 7 hours of windy coast and serious ups and downs for inland stretches but we finally arrive at Forillon National Park. 

100's of dead lobster carcusses

Once set up inside the National Park, we head down to the water and are shocked at the amount of dead lobsters scattering the beach. There are literally 100's of dead carcasses. Apparently severe drops in water temperature after a major storm can cause mass mortality plus the fact that the lobsters get body slammed by huge waves onto the beach.  Whatever the cause of their death, it wasn't fun nor expected for them. 

Massive dead lobsters

Feeling very far east :)

It was almost a 7 hour drive today and we are feeling like we are very far east!! Chris is exhausted as he does the driving on these narrow, up and down roads so we spend the night in the trailer watching FIFA team Canada beat Qatar 6-0...WOW. Great for Canada :)