Farsighted Fly Girl

Besides maple syrup,moose are probably the most common symbol of Canada's expansive natural beauty. I've tasted lots of maple syrup but I've never seen a moose up close so I was excited to hike through the Gaspe Peninsula's Chic Choc Mountain s and track moose.  Chic Choc ( pronounced shick-shock) means impenetrable in the First nation Mic-Mac language and the mountains did indeed present an endless maze of jaw-dropping vistas that I certainly wouldn't have navigated without our sure-footed guide, Jean Pierre. We spotted a female moose (no antlers) early in our trek and I couldn't believe our luck. I was close enough to watch her delicately select leaves to munch but she didn't seem to be fazed by the presence of five gawking humans. Staring directly at us, she calmly marched away, convinced that there was nothing we could do to all 600 pounds of her. She personified the phrase, "large and in charge." The moose was huge but we ...

The stench arrives before you even spot them. Sailing to Bonaventure Island, absorbing the stunning scenery, you realize that you're near the world's second largest Northern Gannet breeding colony when the noxious aroma of pounds of bird poop accosts your nose. But the wonder of the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of birds quickly helps you forget that. Gazing at them from a distance, they don't even look like birds but blankets of white, covering slabs of rock. Even if I didn't know that these were birds I soon received sticky proof in the form of bird poop dropped on my shoulders from the 250 foot nesting cliffs. I was glad to arrive on the island and wander the pretty trails lined with lush greenery. We hiked through the cleared trails that lead to the birds. We hiked up hills. And down hills. And through forests. And we hiked some more. Finally, there were the birds. Flapping, squawking, flying, everywhere. Everywhere you tu...

The stunning vistas of the Gaspe region of Quebec is most often characterized by the massive limestone arch of Perce' rock. Rising from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it looks like a giant, prehistoric fossil, floating in the waves. Perce' rock ,which translates from French to "pierced rock," is part of Bonaventure Island so you can only view it close up by boat. At 289 feet high and 300 feet wide, it's a striking sight. Some locals say that the rock resembles a horse feeding and looking from a distance, I can see that. Although the rock is a beloved landmark for Gaspe, there are all sorts of sad legends attached to it. Various lovers, sailors and Iroquois chiefs supposedly died at the location and there is a melancholy vibe that floats around Perce' rock. To me, that wistful air just adds to the memorable beauty of the Perce' rock experience.

This week, I'm off to the storied natural beauty of the Gaspe Penninsula. The peninsula hugs the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec and is noted for it's maritime history and stunning landscapes. I'll be exploring most of the region on a press trip hosted by Quebec Tourism and I'm excited about experiencing whale watching off Bonaventure Island and hiking the Chic-Chocs Mountains, shown above.  Catching glimpses of moose, caribou and lynx are also on my itinerary so please stay tuned for upcoming posts!