Quebec Road Trip, Day 4: Tadoussac

The Hotel Tadoussac

We woke up early on July 5 at the Ferme 5 Etoiles to enjoy breakfast followed by a farm tour. The breakfast is farm-to-table and excellent. The chef was extremely nice and made eggs and bacon for us while we enjoyed yogurt, fruit, and juice. Following breakfast, we went on the tour of the animals. The tour is conducted in French, so we were a little lost on the details, but were able to interact with several animals.

A porcupine right outside our motel room. 

Saying hello to the deer. 

Nolan pets Luna the farm dog. 

The Ferme 5 Etoiles raises sled dogs and this is a fun activity in the winter. One of the "dogs" above is actually a coyote. The farm rescues arctic wolves and other wildlife, and this coyote is a rescued baby. He is being raised alongside the dogs and was exceptionally cute! 

 A close-up of the rescued coyote pup.

Nolan is rather comfortable around chickens, since we raise chickens. He saved a young pullet from getting pecked to death and was quite proud of himself for saving the young hen.

After our farm tour, we drove to Tadoussac for our zodiac whale watching tour. The real reason we came to Tadoussac was for the whales - Beluga whales live here year-round in the wild. There are also Humpback, Fin, Minke, and the occasional Orca whales. The tour was bilingual in both French and English, so we were able to understand everything very well. We checked in and were issued survival suits for the zodiac ride. No matter how warm it may be in Tadoussac, the water temperature on the St. Lawrence Seaway is just above freezing - we were very grateful for the survival suits!

 The boys are in their survival suits.

The whole family is ready to go! 

 Matt and Nolan are on the boat.

The Tadoussac Light House. It was very foggy on the morning of our tour. We still managed to see Minke whales, Beluga whales, and Fin whales (and a few seals)! 

Matt stands up for a view on the zodiac. 

Looking for whales. 

Zooming off to look for more whales 

Entering the fjord. 

A waterfall on one side of the fjord. 

We backed up into the waterfall spray, which was quite fun.

After the whale watching cruise, the fog started to lift and we explored Tadoussac's harbor and took a hike out onto the rocks. The area is really beautiful, and the fog started to lift.

Nolan tosses some stones on the harbor. 

Going for a small hike. 

Heading down to the water. 

The rocky tidepools were beautiful. 

Examining krill in a tidepool. The junction of the Saguenay River and the St. Lawrence Seaway provides an excellent breeding ground for krill, which causes the whales to visit in large numbers. 

The boys behind a large rock. 

Unusual striation in the rock. 

In front of the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre.

We had lunch at what remains Nolan's most favorite restaurant in the world: Le Cafe Boheme. He had a hand-crafted pizza and side salad and was completely smitten with the location. He has asked repeatedly to eat there again, but it is quite a long drive... so I think he will have to wait a while!

Nolan's favorite restaurant in the whole world.

After exploring and a late lunch, we returned to the Ferme 5 Etoile and walked around, exploring the larger animal enclosures. The moose and bison were particularly interesting to watch.

Crossing a stream on our exploration of the farm. 

Bison herd. 

The bison were quite curious about us. 

Up close and personal with a few bison. 

This is Azur, a rescued moose. Azure is not very friendly, but is extremely beautiful. 

Azur the moose.

After our exploration of the farm, we drove back to Tadoussac (about a 20 minute drive) and had dinner at the Pick-Up Grille along the harbor-front.

Sandwiches and burgers at the Pick Up Grille.

The rain started to pour down, so we were grateful for the overhang! We had quite a run back to our car when dinner was over!