Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 4: Percé Rock, Quebec

Finally we had made it to Percé Rock on the tip of a peninsula of the Gaspé. As we walked around the town and came upon this school, we headed over the hill and were able to see the dock and a tour boat that was much like our own. Click photos to enlarge.


Unfortunately, it was quite foggy! But I guess you'll rarely see photographs of Percé Rock in the fog!


Here is the infamous rock as we saw it the day before from 'Surprise' lookout point. Note how there was little fog the day before.


And here it is the day we took a tour boat out to see it! Where is the top of it??? Note the other large tour boat that is in front of it nearing the hole.


Here is a closeup of the hole which is 15 meters high (50 feet).


This was a hole, but broke through some time ago.


This is the far side of the hole.


This photo was taken looking back at the rock as we steamed towards the nearby Bonaventure Island.


Bonaventure Island shelters many seals which I found challenging to photograph!


There was a really cute one where the splash is!!!


Well, that camera setting didn't work!



But, Bonaventure Island is most important for housing the largest colony of Northern gannets in the world with over 100,000 birds. See all of the white dots on the cliffs? Those are gannets!


Our boat even powered close up to one of their nesting rocks, and of course, this blogger was in exactly the right place on the boat to get a photo! I could have reached out and touched a bird! I was in the prow leaning on the railing while the Captain had the front of the boat almost touch the rock! I was afraid to move and scare the birds away! Isn't this a great shot!


I didn't use my zoom at all so that you could get a feel for how close I actually was.

I was disappointed though because I wanted to see an Atlantic Puffin [to add to my life list] and we didn't see a one!

Below is our capable and bilingual tour guide, Guillaume.


Guillaume has the typical Quebecois looks: short, swarthy and very sexy. His voice was quite low and he was super friendly. It is too bad that he chose to hold his hands where he did, because he seemed rather hung to me. Note how much he resembles the artisan Hector, who is also Quebecois.

It was also too foggy to see whales. Well, that was what happened the last time I was on a whale watch too. I must be jinxed!

Stay tuned - there is so much more Canada!