Discovering Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is just fun to say. Never mind that it’s the only place name in the world with not one but two exclamation points. The “Ha! Ha!” may originate with the old French word meaning “barrier,” which in this case would be Lake Témiscouata. No one seems to know who Louis was, much less his spiritual status. But the name remains and the village of 1,300 was my starting point for touring the Gaspé Peninsula – a lifelong dream.
What’s more, I was riding a new-to-me red 2016 Suzuki DL650, my second V-Strom, appropriately named Suzi II. As an “adventure” model, luggage was stock and the aftermarket lowered seat meant that I did not need the bar risers from my old machine. It was a perfect fit. Nimble on gravel, smooth and solid at highway speeds, she was a delight.
As I rode along Highway 232 through St. Esprit and St. Gabriel, my route opened onto one spectacular valley after another with terrain so steep I wondered how they farmed it, but farm it they did. The road then led to a trench cut deep into the Appalachians by the Matapedia River. I stopped to watch two men standing waist-deep, fly-fishing for salmon – one of the river’s prime species. A stretch of old Hwy 132
