Final Rest

DW and I could have driven all the way home from Tadoussac. The drive is only about eight and a half hours, meaning that by the time we had checked out and were on the road, we could have been home that evening (allowing for a couple of stops for fuel and meals).

Ferry crossing at Tadoussac, looking up the Saguenay River.

But we didn't want to get home late and exhausted. We've always promised ourselves that at the end of a trip, when we walk through the door, that we'll put everything away right away.

This would mean that first and foremost, we'd have to take our kayaks off the roof of our car. We'd have to wash them (it's good practice to remove whatever had collected on the hull before you put the kayak into different waterways) before we hung them on the wall in our garage, make sure our gear was dry and put away, where they belong, and bring in any other gear that needed to be cleaned, separately.

We do this after any kayaking trip.

Our car was stuffed full of camping gear, including our tent, which was wet from when we packed it up. We wanted to set it up in our backyard and let the sun and air get at it, to make sure it was completely dry before we rolled it back up in its bag, which also needed to dry.

Having camped for a week and kayaking five times, the car was full of sand and other dirt, so I wanted to fully vacuum it out. The Niro could also use a wash on the outside but that's not a critical issue: I could take it to a car wash another day.

Plus, laundry needed to go into the wash.

There was no way that DW and I would feel like doing all of that if we had driven all day from Tadoussac, so we agreed that we'd stop somewhere along the way; somewhere that would be a great ending to our trip.

I told DW, before we left for our vacation, to leave that final detail to me. She thrives on planning and organizing our trips, but I'm also pretty good at planning, too.

I found a Bed & Breakfast spot that was along the St. Lawrence river, just a half hour west of Québec City. It was an old house that had the feel of late-Victorian times with some modern amenities.

It's called La Demeure du Capitaine—The Captain's Mansion.

Pauline, the host, put a lot of work into the rooms, where the main and upper floors were designed for guests. She and her family lived in the basement. DW and I were given a grand room on the main floor with an even grander private bathroom. Even a part of the back porch, which looked out toward the St. Lawrence, was for us only (the bedroom windows looked out onto this porch area).

We checked in, got settled, and then headed down the street to a great brew pub, L'Esprit de Clocher–Microbrasserie & Le Baldaquin Resto-Pub. Reservations were recommended but on a Sunday night, DW and I didn't think we'd need them.

We were wrong. The place was packed and we had to wait about 20 minutes just to get a seat at the bar. But that was okay, as the bartender—who was also our server—was a nice man who was great to talk to.

The food was great and the beer even better, and I'll have a post next week about some memorable brews of the trip.

By the time we were done dinner, we were done overall. It had been a long day and we still had a considerable drive the next day, so we got back to our room and called it a night.

Breakfast was served just after 8 the next morning, and if I'm going to be honest, it was the only disappointing part of this B&B. I mean, the house and rooms were so immaculately kept, with so many decorations that we felt almost afraid to touch anything, but that wasn't a big deal.

Breakfast consisted of croissants and baguettes with a few spreads, apple or orange juice, coffee or tea, and a few pieces of fruit. That's it. No protein, no fibre (or very little). We quickly ate our meal because there wasn't much of it, grabbed our belongings, and were on the road before 9.

The drive home was uneventful and we arrived with plenty of time to get all of the chores that I listed at the beginning of this post accomplished before dinner. Though, when all was said and done, we were too tired to be interested in cooking, and ordered in, instead.

Like almost every other evening of our trip, we found ourselves in bed at an early hour. The realization that we were home and in our own beds brought the exhaustion of our trip to the forefront.

When I started writing about our trip, a week ago, I said that I always needed a vacation after a vacation to recover. And this one was no exception.

In fact, this vacation showed me that I'm no spring chicken, that I'm out of shape, and I need much more recovery time than with previous trips. Even this week, I've felt my age and have been tired.

But we're already planning our next big vacation, that next major trip. And I had better start preparing myself for it now.

Happy Friday!