June 23, 2009
We were dismayed on our way up to see the Saguenay Fjords to find plenty of road work under way. After traveling for an hour we hit hot dusty roads. Luckily we got behind a water truck that was spraying the roads down to keep the dust clouds at bay, we definitely wanted to avoid a repeat of our interior being covered in dust as happened in Saskatchewan. The drive to Baie-Sainte-Catherine was very picturesque with quaint little villages, darling cottages and neat houses all along the road side. Although it was windy and hilly it was worth the drive.
We were really wanting to see both the fjords and the whales of the St. Lawerence. With Teyauna being so little we knew we could not take the ever popular Zodiak tours so we went with AML Cruises that also offer a small ferry like ship that takes people into the fjords and also promises an incredible marine life experience. I tried not to get my hopes up and told myself even if we do not see whales up close it will still be fun to see the fjords.
Not long into our cruise I knew this would be a special day. We saw minkes, belugas and even humpbacks whales. These are quite rare to spot and the naturalist on board gave some interesting information about all the mammals we were seeing. I was in heaven and could not believe how close they came to our boat. Norm got some amazing footage and everyone on board except Teyauna seemed awed by the whole experience. Teyauna just ran around the boat making friends with anyone who glance her way. We spent so long with the whales that we did not get to go up the fjords as far as we had hoped. It was gorgeous at the mouth of the Saguenay fjord and again we got some beautiful pictures.