Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 13

All three sights would have been welcome compared to
what actually stands in front of us.
“T’as un flat,” the ferryman says in Québécois French. He
directs us to a parking spot on the vessel that would take us
across the St. Lawrence River from Baie Comeau to Matane,
gateway to the Gaspésie. “Comment?” I ask, imagining that
I’m doing something wrong, perhaps about to drive over the
boat’s gunwales. “T’as un flat!” he repeats, pointing to the
front tire on the passenger side of the car.
A flat tire is never happy news. But it’s particularly
unhappy news in the middle of a family road trip. Our
adventure has been carefully constructed around three gems
of Québec camping: the marine park on the Saguenay River,
Parc du Bic on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River,
and Forillon National Park at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula,
where we’re headed, by way of ferry.
Each of these campgrounds has been thoroughly
researched and selected months in advance for their
outstanding amenities, extensive schedule of activities and
abundant wildlife. For these same reasons, each of these
parks is popular and none of the reservations could be
changed. It’s Saturday evening on the ferry. The search for
a tire repair strategy would not begin until first thing the
next day, Sunday, in order to make Forillon National Park
by sundown.
The Gaspé portion of our trip was built around a few days
of glamping in this pristine spot, staying in one of the very
few platform tents overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This part of the peninsula is known for its mix of cultures,
beautiful scenery, spectacular views of the water and diverse
wildlife, including black bears (more on these later). We
didn’t want to drive this next leg of our trip—a twisty section
that stretches along the coast—while riding on a donut and
worrying how far it would take us.
We drive off the ferry at Matane, a useful place for picking
up supplies. The town, as it turns out, is also the perfect size
to accommodate a garage that’s open on weekends. By noon
that day, we’re back on the road again.
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