 Set against the backdrop of the mighty St. Lawrence River and the rugged Appalachian Mountains, the Gaspe Coast beckons travellers with promises of endless exploration and sights to see.
From the picturesque lighthouses along the coastline to the lush forests filled with wildlife, each mile of your road trip will be filled with plenty to see and do. With the open road stretching before you, you will travel along winding coastal highways and see mountain cliffs plunging into the sea. You'll get to immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of the local culture and enjoy freshly caught seafood delicacies while sharing stories with the local people who call this place home. There is so much to know about the Gaspe Coast and this travel journal and guidebook is filled with information about things to see, do and learn about the Gaspesian Peninsula on your trip. Discover the world-famous Perce Rock, the bird sanctuary on Bonaventure Island and the breathtaking scenery from the top of Mont St. Joseph on Carleton Mountain. Enjoy the beautiful beaches of the Bay of Chaleurs, go hiking, whale watching or on an adventure to discover some long-lost pirate's treasure that has washed up on the shorelines of the Coast. This unique travel journal will be a place to plan and take notes about where you went, what you saw, and what you did. After you get home and unpack your luggage, you can then relive some of the amazing memories that you made on your road trip to the Gaspe Coast! You can find this book by visiting the Bookshop! #gaspesie #gaspecoast #gasperoadtrip #traveljournal #percerock #gaspe #carletonsurmer #bonaventureisland #atrdelagaspesie #gaspeguidebook #islebonaventure #rockerperce #steannedesmonts #meretmountagnes
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 On this St Patrick's Day, my thoughts go out to my Irish ancestors who came to the Gaspe Coast so long ago.
Gaspesians have always been known for their resilience and strength, and much of that spirit comes from the Irish who settled here in the 1800s. My ancestors were among those who arrived with little more than hope in their hearts and a determination to build a better life. They faced many challenges, hardships and harsh winters in an unfamiliar land, but with courage and perseverance, they created a new life for themselves here. Their love for all things Irish never faded. The music, traditions, and deep sense of community that they had brought with them from Ireland became woven into the fabric of the Gaspe Coast. Today, those influences remain. I am proud to be a little bit Irish, to carry their legacy forward, and to honour their journey. Their strength and spirit live on, not just in my family but in the heart of the Gaspe Coast itself.  Just in from the printer, the revised paperback edition of the Pirates of the Gaspe Coast book.
The Gaspe Coast was once a much sought-after destination for some of Canada’s most famous and notorious pirates. The shores and inlets around the peninsula offered strategic advantages and its many resources made it a focal point for pirate activity. Its geographical features, combined with the rich fishing grounds and sparse population, provided pirates with the perfect environment to conduct their operations. Piracy thrived during the overseas expansion of Eastern Canada and the Gaspe Coast got caught up in the chaos. The Gulf of St Lawrence was one of four areas that were central to the Golden Age of Piracy. And because the Gulf is among the largest and deepest estuaries in the world, covering 236,000 square kilometres, with an average depth of 148 metres, we can only imagine how much traffic there would have been in this body of water during that time. When England, France, Spain, and other powerful navies weren’t exploring the New World, they were often busy fighting each other for ownership of these new territories. This resulted in numerous ships navigating the open waters between Europe and the maritime regions of Eastern Canada including the waters of the Gaspe Coast. Therefore, these routes were lucrative targets for pirates because they were filled with valuable goods and resources being transported. Many of the small fishing stations were vulnerable to pirate attacks because they were isolated and had little protection from the colonial authorities. The legacy of piracy is interwoven into the intriguing history of the Gaspe Coast. Today, for the most part, their stories have been forgotten in the pages of history. This book will take the reader on a journey back in time to meet some of the pirates who were known to have sailed in the Gaspesian waters. This book is also available on Amazon as a paperback or on Kindle.  Last Winter’s Snowman is a delightful family story about a brave little snowman called Snow Storm who was afraid to melt in the spring.
It all started one snowy winter on the Gaspe Coast of Canada. In fact, it snowed so much that everyone was very upset with the weatherman who kept forecasting more snowstorms. The people who lived there were used to dealing with all kinds of winter weather but never that much snow. So they decided to build snowmen in every town on the Coast to add some fun to the worst winter they ever had. By the month of March, everyone was looking forward to spring. Everyone except the snowmen, who knew that they would soon melt and fade away into watery puddles. Last Winter's Snowman is the tale of one little snowman, a very tall fir tree, a magical night in the forest and how a little girl called Maggie helped to save him. This heartwarming and fun winter adventure will remind us why snowmen are special and that we all have to take some time to chase the snowflakes and build a snowman.  The Gaspe Coast is a place of stories, legends, fables and folklore. This forbidden love story is one that took place a long time ago and tells the tale of a young salmon who fell in love with a handsome fisherman. Despite the warnings of her elders who oversaw the river's habitat, she allowed herself to be taken from the river because she believed his promise to love her forever.
“One evening when the daylight was finding its way towards a magnificent sunset, he noticed a beautiful silver-speckled salmon in one of the shallow pools. He tied a new feathered fly hook called the Maiden’s Run onto his fishing line and cast it out into the water. The salmon swam around it but did not go towards his lure. Instead, the bewitching creature remained nearby and seemed to be watching him. He was mesmerized by her perfection and knew that she was the one he had spent years hoping to catch.” This short story is an evocative tale will linger in your memory long after the last page is turned, for it is a testament to the fragility and resilience of the human spirit.  Well, it looks like someone is going to be reading about where to find some of the lost and buried treasures on the Gaspe Coast!
 It was sure a nice surprise to see my books listed as two top sellers in the Amazon Gift category for travel guides this year.
I guess it says something about why the Gaspe Coast is such a special place. It also reminds me that I have more stories to gather and write about the Coast in the new year ahead.  The Revised Edition for 2023 is now available with 7 new stories and photographs! After writing the first edition of The Lost and Buried Treasures of the Gaspe Coast book last year, I found more lost treasure stories to write about in 2023. Therefore I wrote a revised edition of last year's booklet and added 7 new stories and pictures. This new edition includes all of the stories from last year's booklet and also tells these new ones...
A translated French version of the book will be available at the end of February. You can find out more about this book by clicking the link below... Lost and Buried Treasure of the Gaspe Coast - Book  What had been a booklet collection of stories from the Grand Cascapedia River, has turned into a book of forgotten tales from the river that runs through my home town. The Grand Cascapedia is a river where great fishing stories are told. But here on this fabled river that runs through the forested mountains of the Cascapedia Valley, there are also the stories about the people who made their way to this beautiful river. This is a collection of intriguing stories about some of Cascapedia’s richest and most interesting anglers. It includes the untold story of a real princess who just happened to be Queen Victoria’s daughter and why she kept some secrets to herself about her time on the river. There is also the story of a very rich fisherman who was found shot at his fishing camp on the river…who pulled the trigger? What angler from one of the richest families in America bought a camp on the river and also bought Amelia Earhart a plane to fly across the Atlantic? What tragedy happened to the richest man in Canada while on the Cascapedia? What fisherman inspired Ian Fleming to write the best-selling book called Goldfinger, that was later turned into a movie starring Sean Connery as James Bond, agent 007. And who told the biggest fishing story that may or may not have been true… you get to decide! #grandcascapediariver #cascapediariver #cascapedia #salmonfishing #atlanticsalmon #flyfishing #cascapediasociety #forgottenstories #salmon #book #amazon #kindle #read #availablenow #writer #simplelife #richandfamous #jamesbond #princesslouise #ameliaearhart #outdoorliving #cascapediastjules #maggiesinn #gaspecoaststories  As I was finishing up the details yesterday on my collection of forgotten stories about the Grand Cascapedia River, I found this painting called, On Wooden House.
It was painted by a young woman called Louise. And I can only imagine what her thoughts were as she painted this watercolour scene while looking out over the river on a summer’s day back in the early 1880s. For she was Queen Victoria’s daughter and how she found herself sitting on this veranda up in the woods on the Cascapedia River, so far away from home, is one of the stories that I wrote about in this collection of stories from my hometown. According to some of the research that I did on her, it was said that this was the best painting she did while in Canada. Maybe it was because there is more to this painting than meets the eye. #watercolour #painting #artist #oldpaintings #princesslouise #grandcascapedia #river #fishingriver #salmonfishing #forgottenstories #daydreams #backintime #stories #maggiesinn #hereathome #writer #storyteller #gaspecoaststoriesto edit. |
StorytellerCollector of the stories, legends and folklore of the Gaspe Coast. Archives
June 2025
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