Mary Lilly Smith and her family, husband Marc and daughter Sarah, at Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. The Smiths camped for three weeks.

Canadian camping

Posted online October 8, 2006 | 11:00 pm

We spent three weeks camping along the Gaspé peninsula of Quebec, in Halifax and at the Bay of Fundy. Our favorite campground was Forillon National Park in Quebec. It’s at the tip of the Gaspé peninsula, where the St. Lawrence River meets the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They call it Lands End, and it certainly seems like that.

We hiked to the terminus of the International Appalachian trail and the very point of the Cap Gaspé, where we spotted whales and seals.

The very best thing about our vacation was the spontaneity.

We changed our whole itinerary based on a campground conversation in Quebec City. That led us to the Gaspé peninsula, which is one of the prettiest places we’ve ever visited. The road hugged the St. Lawrence and every cove had a picturesque small town with a fishing fleet and a silver-roofed Catholic Church.

Since we hadn’t planned to visit the area, each day was a new discovery. We especially liked the community of Percé, which is famous for the L’ile-Bonvaenture-et-du-Rocher-Percé. Another highlight was attending the 20th annual International Busker (street performer) Festival in Halifax.

We also walked on the ocean floor in the Bay of Fundy, where only six hours earlier the area was covered with almost 30 feet of water.

—Mary Lilly Smith, City of Springfield[[In-content Ad]]