Trip to the end of Quebec Route 138

Gerhard said:
Pictures from our trip from last summer to Labrador, Newfoundland and Cape Breton (NovaScotiaSToc). This first video goes to the end of Route 138 at Kegaska Quebec.

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Thanks Gerhard, the coastal journey looked peachy and loved the John Deere, hope the Kawasaki Classic Police don't catch up with him.
Upt'North.
 
How about a road report Gerhard. The last time I was up there we really didn't want to go much passed Natashquan on our ST1300's because of what the road looked like. Now that there is a new bridge and the 138 has been extended what is the road like? Is it no problem on an ST?
 
Great pictures!

I just sold my 83 GL650 Interstate to a fellow who took a CBR250 over 4000km and 7 days to the James Bay Hydro Electric dams at the end of the road in Northern Quebec. Dirt roads, moose, logging trucks and more on a CBR. The guy is about 6’ 2” and 225 pounds...

Apparently the only issue he had on the trip was when he put the bike’s sidestand down in the Arctic Ocean. When he moved to the camera on the tripod to take a picture, the water washed the sand out from under sidestand causing the bike to fall over and break the side mirror.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Andrew we only rode to Natashquan and then took a boat to Blanc-Sablon. I walked from the dock to the end of 138 and the road was fine on the reservation but from what the host at the B&B said it is about how you remember it from Natashquan to Kegaska.
 
Hi Gerhard:

I did more or less the same trip in 2016 with my ST 1300, except in the opposite direction.

There's not much riding available in Labrador. The road west is fine from Blanc-Sablon to Old Fort Bay, but going in the other direction, from Blanc-Sablon any further than Red Bay, would be impossible on a ST. Well, maybe not impossible, but certainly not enjoyable, and probably very hazardous.

There's a little ferry that runs from Blanc-Sablon across the Strait of Belle Isle to Black Duck Cove at the northern tip of Newfoundland. All the Newfoundland roads are in very good condition.

Michael
 
So it sounds like I have to take the ferry from Natashquan. i.e. It is not advisable to go by road all the way to Kegaska to pick up the ferry. According to the what I see it is only a distance of about 50 KM from Natashquan to Kegaska so it doesn't make any difference anyway.
 
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Yeah, I think it would be more stress-free to get on the ferry at Natashquan. Trust me, by the time you have ridden all the way to Natashquan, you won't miss another 50 miles of riding to get to Kegaska.

Another consideration is that there are probably much better facilities for loading the motorcycle onto the ship at Natashquan.

The food on the ship (the Bella Desgagnés) is very good, but expensive. The trip on the ship is very pleasant, there is an excellent library on board and various members of the crew make very interesting presentations in the auditorium at different times of the day.

Michael
 
Andrew Shadow said:
So it sounds like I have to take the ferry from Natashquan. i.e. It is not advisable to go by road all the way to Kegaska to pick up the ferry.
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It is not so much a ferry as a combination cargo/passenger ship. All vehicles that go along with passengers are put in containers and lifted on the ship. They tell you that cargo takes priority over passengers so if they have a lot loading and unloading to do the schedule gets pushed back, didn't happen on our journey. The ship also serves as transit between the outport communities where you see a lot of people board to get to the next community, those folks had a lot of carry on luggage because they would buy things not available in their home community to take home. The ship travels every week from Rimouski to Blanc-Sablon and back.

CYYJ said:
Yeah, I think it would be more stress-free to get on the ferry at Natashquan. Trust me, by the time you have ridden all the way to Natashquan, you won't miss another 50 miles of riding to get to Kegaska.
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When I bought the ticket I had wanted to board the ship in Kegaska but the agent recommended against it and I took her advice. The day we sailed it had stormed during the night and the sea was choppy along with a thick fog over the water so the shipping rep said if it was a problem if we had to ride to Kegaska in case the ship was unable to dock. It turned out the ship docked fine and everything went according to schedule.
CYYJ said:
The food on the ship (the Bella Desgagnés) is very good, but expensive.
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Maybe things have changed since you took the trip, the food was included with our cabin. There was a dinning room and a cafeteria, our meals where served in the dinning room and had a cruise ship type atmosphere.
 
Gerhard or Michael:

I was poking around on their site looking at this trip with Natashquan as a departure point heading to East to Blanc Sablon. Their fare schedule lists pricing for passenger passage only as far as I can see. Can you give me an idea of what they charge to transport a passenger with a motorcycle?

Thanks.
 
We paid about $1500 for the mid-range cabin which included all meals on board which where the quality you expect in a decent restaurant. There where three levels of cabins and you could go without a cabin and those accommodations where similar to the Newfoundland ferries, airplane reclining seats with sufficient leg and elbow room. I talked to one passenger that did it that way, he was riding a bicycle, and he said it was all he needed and there where public showers available but he needed to supply his own towel. The bike cost $150 to ship and the crew made sure it was properly tied down, which was necessary more for the loading and unloading than the our journey.

video of the bike being unloaded

 
Nice Gerhard.. So you were scouting out area for STOC event up there? Put me on the RSVP.
 
Thanks, Gerhard..... there is an FJR event in Baie Comeau in later June, will be doing 138 from Quebec City. While in Baie Comeau, I'm planning a day ride further east on 138 and I now see what I have to look forward to. STrep also filled me in a little from his trip. Thanks again!
 
Ray:

Since you are already in Baie Comeau I would recommend taking a ride from Baie Comeau to Sept-Iles and back. You can do it in a day easy enough.

While you are there you might also want to consider going up highway 389 to the Manic 5 Hydro-Electric dam. You can take a tour of the facility for free. They take you right in to the dam. Kind of scary standing at the bottom of the dam knowing how much water is behind that concrete wall that you are looking at.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Can you give me an idea of what they charge to transport a passenger with a motorcycle?
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Hi Andrew:

I don't recall the exact prices, but my general recollection was that the fare for the passenger (cabin and meals) was pretty expensive, and the cost of shipping the motorcycle was relatively cheap compared to the passenger fare. They put the moto into a special twenty-foot container that they use for motorcycles and bicycles, and tie it down in there. The container then gets winched on and off the ship with the ship's giant crane. I had no concerns about that process, the longshoremen & stevedores were competent.

I do recommend getting a cabin. I've done a lot of ferry trips with my motorcycle (Spain to England, Spain & France to Ireland, Northern Italy to Albania, England to Netherlands, even New York City to Southampton England once - that trip took 6 days), and my rule is that if it is an overnight trip, I get a cabin. Think of what you would feel like the next day if you did a long overnight flight in economy class in an aircraft, then had to ride the bike immediately upon arrival... now multiply that misery by several times because ferries generally tend to have more loose children running around than aircraft, and this particular ferry trip will be at least 24 hours long.

Coincidentally, I'm taking a ferry later today (Africa to Europe), but fortunately, it's only a 90 minute trip.

Michael
 
Thanks, Andrew, in the past I have read about the hydro dam, and it is on the list. Route planning in progress... thank you for your recommendations!
 
OhioDeere said:
Nice Gerhard.. So you were scouting out area for STOC event up there? Put me on the RSVP.
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It would be a nice area for a STOC but very remote and big distances between places. Cherie said she would love to go back.

Only a couple of more months till we can ride again

Gerhard
 
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