My Chouchoux: Autumn in Cap Tourmente

I love the color of autumn. Late September to mid October is a big tourist season in Quebec. People come here from all over the world to see the maple leaves fall and the colors fade from red to orange, orange to yellow. There are other attractions, however, besides the autumn leaves. One place we were told we had to see was Montmagny, a well known town for watching migrating snow geese in early October and late April.

During our first year here, we went to Montmagny in early October, but ended up not seeing many geese (we heard that they change location if there are too many hunters around). Also, it really depends on the temperature, so it is quite hard to predict exactly when and where they would be passing by each year. The following week we went to a different location - Cap Tourmente, and there we were lucky enough to see the whole shore covered with geese! (see photos 15-16 below).

This year, we decided to return to Cap Tourmente again, mostly just to walk and to let the nature clear our thoughts. Unlike the first time, we didn't see that many geese, and a lot of leaves had already fallen, but just to be surrounded by nature, I was very content. Here's a last look at the Cape before nature takes her seasonal sleep and everything goes gray for many months.

秋季的顏色對我來說是最充滿詩意的。九月下旬至十月中旬是魁北克的旅遊旺季之一。不少來自世界各地的人們特別來到這裡觀賞秋季變色的楓葉；從紅變橙，從橙變橙黃，這褪色的過程是最優美的。然而，除了賞楓葉之外，其中一個魁北克有名的景點是Montmagny；每年秋季與春季，有許多當地的居民與遊客會到那裡觀賞雪鵝南下北上。

來到魁北克的第一個秋天，我們試圖在十月初時到Montmagny去看雪鵝，但是卻沒看到幾隻(聽說有一部分的原因是被獵人嚇跑了)。每年牠們到達的時間與地點也都隨著氣候有所改變，很令人難以精準的預測。在隨後的一周，我們又嘗試了另一個不同的景點 - Cap Tourmente，那次很幸運的看到覆蓋整個沿岸的雪鵝！(請看下圖15-16)

因為愛上了那個地方，我們決定今年再度返回。這次不完全是為了看雪鵝，只覺得那如詩如畫的景色，似乎可以讓人完全忘卻塵世間的困擾。雖然沒有能像上次觀賞到那麼多的雪鵝，但是能置身在如此美麗的"楓"景中，還是件非常幸福的事！

Though the true Quebecers don't care to stay indoors, we were very grateful, as foreigners, that there was an indoor heated picnic space like this (you can see the heating system on the ceiling) since the outdoor temperature felt like 5ºC!

雖然大部分的當地人不在乎停留於室內，但是我們這種外地人，對於在戶外溫度5ºC時能有這種室內暖氣野餐區卻感到額外的感激!

Leftover ingredients can come in handy for a quick meal, brunch, or even picnic! Here's our quick put-together picnic for that last-minute day trip.

有時候在急著需要準備一頓快餐、早午餐或甚至野餐時，冰箱剩下的食材可以在此派上用場喔~這是我們臨時決定出遊的最後一分鐘快速準備出來的野餐食物！(烤黑麥粗麵包上放有鷹嘴豆泥、燻鮭魚、蛋及生菜)

I always bring some fruits for the picnic!

我一定都會帶水果去野餐！

Ground cherry - one of the common fruits that you can find in Quebec in the early Fall

鵝莓 - 這是在魁北克秋季常見的水果之一

Cap Tourmente is one of the places where migrating geese stop to fill their bellies on the rich plants in the St. Lawrence river bank before their long trek.

Cap Tourmente是飛往南方的雪鵝在長途旅程中，於聖勞倫斯河畔停留下來填飽肚子的其中一個地點

My first time here was one of the most amazing and beautiful experiences of my life!! I'll never forget what I felt that day: I first heard the geese calling in the far distance, then as we approached, my heart was pounding with excitement. It was so moving that I cried the moment I saw them up close. I would never have imagined that I would witness something so magnificent!!

第一次來Cap Tourmente見到雪鵝時大概是我生命中所經歷過最美的一刻！我永遠無法忘記第一次去那裡的感覺：從在遠處聽到雪鵝群體的叫聲，到慢慢的接近牠們，我的心激動的怦怦直跳；特別是在看到牠們的那一刻，那全景是如此的感人！就這樣…我哭了。我不能相信自己的眼睛，也從沒想過能目睹到這樣壯觀的景象！

Each time I come to the Cape, I confess I have mixed feelings: I'm grateful that I can still get to see such an incredible scene like this, but at the same time, it makes me sad to hear gun shots every once in a while in the distance. Part of the reason that we see fewer and fewer geese each year is because of hunting and global warming. Perhaps we can leave nature alone, and just enjoy its sound and its beauty.

兩次到那裡，心情都有些說不上的複雜。能在這季節觀賞到令人難以置信的景象雖說是一種幸福，但是當我走在那景至優美的山林間，偶爾聽到遠方傳來狩獵的槍聲，我的心難免感到些感傷。或許我們應該單純的享受大自然，不去傷害也不打擾自然的生態，就單純的去享受它的聲音與它的美…