October 12, 2024 - Trois Rivieres, Quebec - Saturday

October 12, 2024 – Saturday                       Day 17 of this journey 

Trois Rivieres, Quebec Province 

We were about 1-1/2 hours late arriving in Trois Rivieres this morning due to the traffic at the locks and the wind. We don’t have an excursion planned until this afternoon. But we did have a beautiful sunrise.

It is quite brisk outside, (mid 40s) and the wind is pretty constant. We do head out mid-morning, just to look around. There is a local, welcoming passengers as they exit the dock. She is passing out maple candies and pointed out a young man with a pedicab. She suggested he could give us a 20-30 minute tour of the town and point out some sites. The ride is free. We thought that sounded like a good way to see the area. We were offered a blanket to cover our legs, thank you, and off we went.

Our guide is a very nice young man who struggled with his English a bit but did great. Lots of churches. Trois Rivieres was settled in 1634. It is one of the oldest settlements in Canada. It is midway between Montreal and Quebec. There is a lot of building of apartments going on. People from both Montreal and Quebec are coming here to live, seeking a more quiet lifestyle. 

All signage is in French. As we were going through the downtown area, we felt like we were IN France. This is not artifice; this community is French. 

The fall colors are beginning to turn here. More than anywhere else we’ve been in the last couple of weeks. And in looking at the weather app on my phone, they are anticipating snow within a few days. It won’t stick, but I think winter is just around the corner here. 

Our afternoon excursion is a zodiac ride. We bundle up, adding long johns, sock hats and gloves. We are pleased when our guide for the day is Keirran. He is the lead guide on the zodiacs, and we think he is great. He is from the Isle of Mann. He has a great sense of humor, but extremely professional at the same time. He explains the boat and gives a briefing on safety. We also have Isabel with us. She is the Exhibition Team leader. 

From the Octantis, we head just downriver, then into the St. Maruice. The St Lawrence is a greenish color with a lot of sediment. It flows over limestone and carries a lot of those minerals with it. The water is rather alkaline. The St Maruice water is very different. It flows through an area that has been mined for iron ore for centuries. Those elements are picked up and the water has become quite acidic. When the St. Maruice joins with the St. Lawrence, they do not mix. You see a definitive line in the water. One is black, the other green. They continue downriver for quite a way before finally mixing.

You can see the two rivers. The black is not mixing with the green

Just a bit of fall color

You can see the line between the two different types of water.

 Our zodiac ride is about 45 minutes and before we know it, it is time to go back to the ship. We are very glad we added the extra layers. We were not uncomfortable on our ride. But must admit, any skin exposed to the air, was quite chilly. We dropped off our coats in our cabin and headed to one of the bars on Deck 5 and warmed ourselves up with an Irish Coffee. 

We leave late this evening and will be in Quebec in the morning.