An Unplanned Stop

The morning after my GPS excursion, Ruth rode with me and we headed off to Quebec City and a KOA. You can usually rely on a KOA to be clean, accessible and near a main road. After my drive the day before I was quite happy to have company. Once again the GPS was set and off we went. Before we had gone too long we saw a sign for the Point au Pere lighthouse. I remembered it from my previous trip and we decided to take a quick three kilometre detour to look at it. We were well aware that we would soon be leaving the ocean coastline behind us and wouldn't see ocean again until we reach the Pacific Ocean. It seemed fitting to visit one last lighthouse. When we got there we discovered that not only was the lighthouse open to the public but there was also an Empress of Ireland (E of I) pavilion and a former Canadian submarine, the Onondaga, to view. I phoned my Mum to get the surname of my great-great-grandmother who was on board the E of I when it sank in the St. Lawrence and Ruth phoned Ken to see where he was and suggest he retrace his steps and visit this with us. This slight detour took about three hours and was definitely worth seeing!

 Three things to see at one site!

    

  

This is the outside of the E of I exhibit and it is has been made to look like the boat after it was struck by the other ship. The back half of the building lists to starboard.

Once again our Parks Canada passes offset part of the admission. The lighthouse is a National Historic Site and the sub and the E of I exhibit are not for profit but all three work cooperatively. There is a film to watch before you go into the E of I display and it was a unique experience. The seats are long wooden benches and when we went the large screen at the front showed two couples already sitting on benches. it took a moment to realize that they were the people already in the theatre. In a few minutes our silhouettes joined theirs. The side walls of the theatre were also screens and it effe timely made you feel that you were on the boat. This interactive experience also included cold wind, heat from a fire and more. Pictures had been taken of actors and then these were animated and the script included parts by several different people who would have been aboard the night of this tragedy. 

     

This local man was one of the people used to recreate the pictures that were then used to make the film. He is also a guide for the E of I exhibit and for the lighthouse. His knowledge of the E of I is extensive and he made our visit, and that of many others, an interactive experience that will not be forgotten. There are many, many items on display that have been brought up from the shipwreck by divers. I was very impressed with the history of this "forgotten tragedy". It is on a scale with that of the Titanic but was overshadowed by the outbreak of WW1.

  

The lighthouse has a unique design, a lot of stairs and a great view from the top.

  

The Onondaga was in service in the Royal Canadian Navy for 30 years including a lot of years when it was just the CAnadian Navy. Yes I was a Navy kid and I am very happy that Royal is once again part of the official name!! 

The display on board the Onondaga was geared to explaining what it is like to live on a sub. The entrance is aft via a fixed gangplank and the commentary is heard on indivual handsets by pressing the number of the area you are in.

    The bunks are very narrow!

 This was the view from the periscope.

 

There are lots of controls and very little space. This is not a job for just anyone.

Probably the most important thing I have learned on this trip is not to have a rigid schedule and if you do have one be prepared and willing to change it! Now that we had done just that it was time to find some lunch and make tracks for the Quebec City KOA.