EV Road Trip Day 35
A beautiful but weird drive day. We started with breakfast at our hotel, with a strange offering in the SPECIALTIES department. The oddest was the, “Dungarvon Whooper” (see description). Apparently named after a local legend: “Death of a young cook in a lumber camp and his burial in the forest originated the celebration myth of the Miramichi woods.
A young cook by the name of Ryan hired himself out to work in a lumber camp near the Dungarvon River. When he arrived at camp, he brought all his worldly possessions with him. Around his waist was fastened a money belt stuffed with coins and large bills. Nobody knew where he got the money, but the young cook made no secret of the fact that there was plenty of it.
Ryan was a handsome fellow, tall and strong with ruddy cheeks and black, curly hair. He was well liked and could whoop and holler better than anyone in the camp; and a good strong shout was an accomplishment much valued among woodsmen.
Every morning Ryan was the first one up so as to prepare breakfast and fill the lunch pails with bread and salt pork. Then he would let out a tremendous ear-splitting whoop to get everyone up. After breakfast the men would go off to work leaving young Ryan alone.
It was an unlucky day for Ryan, for on this particular morning, the camp boss decided to remain with the young cook. The boss was a stranger, but he was respected and his orders were obeyed.
When the men returned late in the afternoon, they found young Ryan lying lifeless on the floor. He was dead and his money belt was gone.
When asked what had happened, the boss said the young cook had taken sick suddenly and died. None dared question him further but the woodsmen were suspicious. Where was the money belt?
That night a raging storm swept upon the camp making it impossible to leave so the men had to bury the poor cook in a shallow grave in the forest. As they trudged back to the camp they stopped dead in their tracks, for above the howling and moaning of the wind came the most dreadful whoops and screams anyone has ever heard. It continued all that night and all the next day driving the men crazy with fear. They left camp never to return.
For years the haunting sounds continued until Father Murdock, a priest from Renous, was asked to put the poor spirit to rest.
From over the wilderness grave Father Murdock read some holy words from the Bible and made a sign of the cross.
Some say Father Murdock succeeded in quieting the ghost but others declare the fearful cries of Ryan can be heard to this very day”….more like a whopper than a whooper IMHO…
Other menu items included, “Log Driver,” and “The Rodd-Man,”…. Also at breakfast, we were the overflow from a large bus group of Octogenarians. When Suzanne ordered her coffee, they said they had a run of cream and were out. The server brought her a bowl of 2% milk servings and a handful of upside down 18% cream servings, which we quickly hid.
Best things about our Miramichi hotel was their commitment to sustainability with level 2 EV chargers, organic soaps and hair care products, recycle bin in the guest room, and availability of vegetarian and vegan menu items.
Today’s destination, Matane, is on the Gaspé Peninsula in the Province of Québec. “The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on its southern side by Chaleur Bay and the Restigouche River. The name Gaspé comes from the Miꞌkmaq word gespe'g, meaning "end", referring to the end of the land. The Gaspé Peninsula is slightly larger than Belgium. It is also noted as being the only region outside the Channel Islands to contain native speakers of Jersey Norman.”
Our chosen route took us from Miramichi through rural New Brunswick to Cambellton and then along the Matapédia and Matane Rivers of the Gaspé Peninsula, through rural forests and farmland to Matane. It was captivating, but there were far more Moose warnings in New Brunswick than in Newfoundland. Grogu was vigilant scanning the road ahead for moose.
We arrived at the Matane Tesla Supercharger at 2:08p and left a Tesla Cache, and ate lunch at La Fabrique Microbrewery in Matane, which served outstanding beers and house-made veggie burgers, pomme frites with dijonaisse sauce, and an opportunity to practice my Francais with the server and on Facebook check-ins with my friend and high school French teacher, Christian Abrioux, watching.
