Chi Chi Chicoutimi Eh

East of Lac Saint Jean is the Saguenay Region which includes the communities of Chicoutimi, Jonquiere and La Baie. Chicoutimi and Jonquiere rest on the shores of the Riviere Saguenay while La Baie is on the Baie des Ha Ha! All are west of the cliffs and canyons of the Fjord du Saguenay. My next destination.. and I am a bit excited about the Fjord as I have been looking at some pictures and reading all about it. Did you know Beluga Whales visit the Fjord? I did not.

For now I am based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec. Again, my tourism info centre visit was good and bad. They seemed like very nice enough people, but they were not sure on what to say or do when I opened with the comment that I was not interested in their museums at this time not was I interested in their paying attractions. That seemed to confuse them. “What do want to see,” they asked? I answered with, ” What most people want to see, your commuity, your best sightseeing destinations, your parks, activity trails, heritage sites and points of interest.”

They told me about one park – Parc de la Riviere-du-Moulin, a lookout, Petite Maison Blanche and the waterfront promenade. I could of figured those out. However, all were worth the visit. But they did not mention anything about any river activities like canoe or kayak? And, while wondering around I found on their tourism map the Velo de Montagne (mountain biking trails) and the ruins of the Puperie de Chicoutimi. Pretty good for me as I am having a see-saw battle with the French language.

The Petite Maison Blanche was an interesting site with an interesting story. The story goes that the small house survived one of the most massive floods in the region in the late 1990s. It was hailed as a miracle. Today, they have rigged the house as an exhibit with the water still flowing through the house and then down into some waterfalls. It is quite a neat little exhibit they have pulled off. It makes for a popular photo spot too when in Chicoutimi. I got sucked into the picture taking euphoria (Main PHOTO BLOG).

Not far from the house that leaks are the impressive ruins of the Puperie de Chicoutimi. These are massive stone buildings. The ruins are best viewed from a serious of boardwalk paths, stairs and bridges which take you through the ruins leading out to lookouts. The walkway zigs and zags, up and down and around each of the buildings and over rock boulders. Along the route there are information boards with the details of the history of the site.  The building has seen better times, but you can still feel the age and story behind the large stone walls.

I started off my visit to Saguenay by walking along the waterfront promenade in Chicoutimi. It was early morning and a good way to wake up with a coffee in your hand. Must of been around 8 AM. There was little traffic. The joggers were out, huffing and puffing. And the sun had not yet warmed up the skies. The boardwalk was lined with buildings, mostly buildings of government and tours but I had no interest in them.

I kept to the shoreline of the Saguenay River. I passed by a marina and where the cruise boats docked when visiting. I passed by empty playgrounds, sitting benches and picnic tables. I was alone enjoying the whale fountain and alone again enjoying the geyser built on the Riviere Saguenay. It was not till I doubled back along the waterfront back to my vehicle that the noise picked up and people were beginning to wake. I heard road construction machinery clanging. Horns were beginning to honk like a rooster in the morning.

Later on the day I crossed the bridge and visited the lookout cross on the cliff known as St. Annes Cross. It is marked on the map, but there is no name of the lookout on the map. I decided to check it out because I love heights and viewpoints. Once I found the lookout it was very well done. There were viewing benches, gardens and picnic tables. But only parking for 5 cars? Luckily I was one of the five as not many people were checking it out. I could not understand why either as the view of the Riviere Saguenay and  Chicoutimi was amazing. Plus there are the gardens and the giant white cross which you can see from Chicoutimi.

I kept the best for last, as per my own preference. I like to hike and explore so it was only natural I would finish my visit in Chicoutimi in the Parc de la Riviere-du-Moulin. It was a good idea. I took the 5 kilometre route around the outter edge of the park, sometimes venturing down to the rapids on the Riviere du Moulin. Being that most hikers were sticking to the main trail going up the gut of the park, I did not meet many people exploring the outer trail. I hiked from start to finish, meeting one person along the way. I sang with my walkman (who is going to hear me), I danced (who is going to see me), I skipped (who cares) and I thought allot about how I enjoy my lifestyle and the direction it is going. Hiking is very therapeutic that way.