Ile d'Orleans

After visiting Montmorency Falls, we crossed the St. Laurence to Ile d'Orleans, a large agricultural island in the middle of the river. Our first stop was a small vineyard which made wines from black currants, including a world class Creme de Cassis. We tasted and purchased both and then continued on, looking for a picnic spot. There were farm stands all along the road with fall produce (including raspberries, strawberries and blueberries). We purchased fruit and small tomatoes and went on to another vineyard where we ate lunch.
Lunch time! This view is north over the St. Laurence. The north side of the river is actually narrower than the south side and it is as wide as the Columbia. We discovered in the Biosphere a few days later that the St. Laurence tides at Quebec City are 5.9 meters and that a way further down stream the depth increases from 11 meters to almost 300 meters.
At the east end of the island there is a lookout tower. You can't drive to the end of the island which is all in forest. Most of the island is still laid out in narrow strips and there are truck crops, wheat and dairy farms scattered over the island. The population consisted of farmers, ship builders, pilots and captains.
We continued on around the island to this lovely church along the river. The tide was out and Bob and I went down to see if we could walk along the river's edge. It was muddy and slippery, so we returned. The rocks here were wonderfully colored and stratified. Three different tectonic plates collide here including the northern-most portion of the Appalachians. This church had a parsonage across the street which now houses an artisinal bakery where we had a drink. The parsonage even had two bowling alleys in the basement and an attached barn/garage where the priests would accept the tithes from the parishoners in the form of wheat. We returned over the bridge to Quebec City.