L’ile-aux-Lievres

“Canada was built on dead beavers.”    Margaret Atwood

Île aux Lièvres, the islands of the hares, sits in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, a twenty minute boat ride from the marina at Rivière-du-Loup. With no roads or no motor vehicles, the ten mile long, half mile wide island generates its own electricity, however, the power is so limited, toasters, hair dryers and coffee makers are prohibited. The Auberge, hotel, with nine rooms, seven cottages, and 22 campsites make up the entire lodging on the island. The common eider, a large, distinctive sea duck, receives top billing on the island.

Continuing north east from Quebec City, we followed the Saint Lawrence River for two hours, reaching Rivière du Loop, the northern most point of the journey, by ten. The river has grown to a width of twelve miles, looking and smelling like a large saltwater bay. Whales swim here, electing to raise their young in the warmer and safer waters. In the parking lot, we consumed the remaining food in the cooler, Brie, Swiss cheese, carrots and a bottle of Chardonnay, before boarding our shuttle. Yes, this was at 10am.

The small 12 passenger shuttle boat takes nearly thirty minutes to reach the island.

Our guide, from Lyon, France, explained the most famous resident, the male eider, a duck which usually evacuates the area in the summer, allowing the females to raise their newborn without them. We saw a female with her chicks, now nearly full grown, during the ride. 

Tired from the long day yesterday and the early start today, (not to mention that bottle of Chardonnay at 10am) an unscheduled afternoon nap became a priority. Our exploration did not begin until five, and ended at 6:30, in time for our evening meal. The initial walk found many seabirds, none of which we could identify. The only non bird spotted, was a black rodent, twice the size of a mouse, which sprinted across the trail on the approach to the dining room. The hares remain in seclusion. Initially, we found the trailhead signs a tad confusing. 

The stay on the island includes three meals a day. On the first night, they served a melon, prosciutto appetizer, a sweet onion soup, a main course of halibut, and cheese cake for desert, all freshly prepared, far exceeding expectations. Forgetting to pack a flashlight, we stumbled in the dark back to the room, finding the building, door and lamp by touch. A lone landscape light, exposed the small flight of stairs along the route. 

Electricity is limited here. The only wall switch in the room is a timer connected to the overhead bathroom light. Showering could be an adventure after dark. One lamp and two bed lights complete the lighting for the room. All chargers for our iPad, flip phone, and camera stayed packed in the car. Quiet reigns, making Montebello seem noisy. 

Other than the staff, when speaking to us, we heard only one family use English as French surrounded us. The small child of the English speaking family, excitingly announced the island to be the best camping spot ever. The birds, who wake early, before five, start talking loudly, probably also in French. 

The quiet, the air, the exercise produced a great night sleep. We almost missed breakfast, waking just a few minutes before the scheduled meal. 

The western end of the island requires a round trip of 14 miles. Not having a specific plan, we wandered westerly,

until reaching the Eider Trail, which hugs the southern shore, except at high tide it actually is under a few feet of water. Rock hopping, especially when using old knees and hips, takes time. About a quarter of the way into the walk, the rising tide convinced us we needed to retreat and try a different route. We made it back to the trailhead just as the trail disappeared under the incoming sea. 

With a new route selected, the Cedres Camping Area on Anse (beach) A Arthur-Jen seem to be a good spot to stop for lunch. Little did we know. 

This year we have many extraordinary dining opportunities with family and friends. In January, I ate with Bob Winstead, Justin and Garrett at a phenomenal steakhouse in Las Vegas. A week later, Lois and I along with the Albrights and the Evans meet in Williamsburg to dine with Italian Chef Extraordinaire, Carlo Zarri and his wife Paola. In February Lois, Garrett, and I ate one meal with Maria Guadalupe Bercera Gomez and her family, and another with Earnest Burke, a Rocket reunion of sorts. While in Texas, we also spent time in the Amore Restaurant with the owners June and Roy, dined in Plano with the Pulliams and with the Drews near Grapevine. In May, twe once again ate with the Albrights and Evans, adding Gary and Cheryl from Maine to the party. 

Before leaving for Europe, we had lunch at a German restaurant on the Rancocas Creek with with Perritts and my brother. A week later we added a spectacular meal in the Effiel Tower with Garrett, Katy, Todd and Britni, accompanied by a violent thunder and lightening storm. Onto Holland, we stayed and ate with Judith and her family, before we enjoyed several meals with the Wrights and Ritva, her mom and friend in Austria. In Hungary we dined with Justin, Julia and her family at their home. 

Today while eating lunch on the beach overlooking the Saint Lawrence Seaway, a group of unexpected guests suddenly appeared. We spent nearly an hour joined by a dozen Beluga whales, feeding just outside of my camera range. Our large and active companions frolicked in the waters, feasting on seafood, while we consumed a ham, apple and Brie sandwich. The whales have now been added to our memorable list of 2018 dining companions. 

The whale photos are not mine, they were too far way.

After lunch we started our trek eastward, crossing the island on the Jardin (Garden) Trail, ascending to its highest elevation about 100 meters. The descent included a 200 foot section with a 65% grade. Fortunately, the Canadians installed ropes to assist the passage. 

The trail empties onto the northern beach, for a mile or so, then heading back inland, the Campground Trail introduced us to 70% uphill grade. Thankfully, once again installed ropes enabled us to continue. 

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We reached our room a little after four, tired, but still ready for another exceptional meal at the cafe. Tonight fresh seafood of shrimp and scallops in a creamy sauce served over pasta filled us up, sending to bed again a little after nine. 

The island arranges your stay to include all three meals each day. Since we arrived after lunch on the first day, they scheduled a departure at three in the afternoon, allowing us breakfast and lunch on our final day and time to explore the closer, east end of the island. 

So far the only disappointment, the failure to observe a rabbit on the Island of the Hares. I speculated the hares, may be like the dodo birds of the Mauritius, the grizzly bears of California, a garden in New Jersey, or a fiscal conservative in a Washington, all now extinct. Alternatively, perhaps the silly rabbits took a collective wrong turn in Albuquerque. The search continued. Here are some of the birds encountered. 

On our third day on the island, we visited the eastern tip. Another beautiful day with birds and several seal sightings, but still no rabbits.

The ominous warning at breakfast should not have been ignored. As a devout omnivore, I still avoid liver, maple syrup, beets, marshmallows and very cautious with any dish prepared by Lee Albright. For breakfast, they served French toast, with maple syrup already poured onto the toast. Fortunately, unlike many maple syrup purveyors, they applied only a tablespoon, as opposed to a lake of liquid with the toast floating on your plate. The small application actually enchanted the dish, even for someone who dislikes the syrup. 

Then they presented the lunch menu, a choice of a liver pate or a beet salad. Having already survived a liver meal earlier this year in Austria, I did not want to tempt fate a second time. The beet salad appeared a safer option. How many beets can they put into a salad? The answer turned out to be more than I could imagine. The waitress delivered  a large salad, infested with beets, to the table. I somehow found the courage to consume the entire meal. No beet went to waste. I did fear my only dinner option would be a marshmallow encrusted 32ounce piece of skate, reclaimed from the depths of Albright’s freezer, placed there during the previous century. Lois opted for the liver mousse. When our young waiter explained the options, she tormented his English to make sure he did not mean moose livers. 

Liver and beets withstanding, the island ranks as one of the best spots we have ever visited.

On the shuttle boat back to the mainland,  two Beluga whales passed near our boat, with the second one just exposing his flapper, as if waving goodbye. With the four hour drive and a time zone change, we reached Fredericton, New Brunswick around nine. Rarely eating fast food, we have not eaten at a Burger King for many years. Late, tired, with a Burger King near the hotel, we picked up some sandwiches, a truly awful meal. Where was that marshmallow encrusted skate?