- We're the Troutman family.

- And on this episode of Great Family Adventure, we're exploring the the Outaouais and Laurentian here in Quebec, Canada.

Wow!

(upbeat music) - [Nick] We're kicking off this family trip with the the Outaouais region here in Quebec, Canada.

- As a family, when we try to look for somewhere to go, there's a few things that we look for.

One, we love the outdoors, getting out in the water, going out on hikes, visiting mountain ranges, parks, history.

There are so many things that go into planning a good family trip and it just feels like Quebec has so many of those things to explore.

- I'm Emily and this is Nick.

As world champion Whitewater kayakers, we're not just navigating the rapids, we're navigating life on the road with our kids Tucker and Parker - [Nick] Join us as we tackle the wild ride of parenting, homeschooling, and competing all while exploring the great outdoors.

- [Nick and Emily] This is our great family adventure.

Funding for Great Family Adventure is provided by Collette offers small group exploration tours, destinations and local experiences.

Explorations by Collette.

Guided travel since 1918.

Alaska by rail.

Passengers can travel the coasts and wilderness of Alaska with baggage, service, meals, and wheelchair access.

Information available at AlaskaRailroad.com Vivid-Pix memory station and software allows users to scan personal history items like photos and documents, record voice narrative, and share what has been conserved.

More online at Vivid-pix.com.

Host- And by these additional sponsors ♪ upbeat music - [Nick] I grew up here in Eastern Canada and I've been living down in Tennessee with my family for a decade and a half.

So it's really just, it's special for me to bring the whole family up here and really kind of introduce them to what fall is, or at least what I always had and saw fall as a child growing up.

- [Emily] I absolutely love how grounded we feel here during the first few days of fall.

- This looks pretty cool.

- We are rolling up to the Fairmont, Montebello here in the Outaouais Valley in Quebec, and this place is unbelievable.

The look, it's like a massive old cabin.

- [Nick] The whole building and structure itself was incredible and it was built back in the 1930s, handbuilt with logs that are still, you know, the original logs.

The kids and I, we walked in and they're like, this is like a log cabin castle.

3, 2, 1 go.

(gentle music) Montebello is this quaint little town nestled in the forest on the banks of the Ottawa River.

(gentle music) - [Emily] The kids were really excited when they found out they got to learn how to make and taste some chocolate at Chocomotive.

- Hi, welcome to Chocomotive.

I have a little tasting for you, maybe we can... - We like tasting, don't we?

- The first chip that we're gonna try, it's very, very dark.

It's a hundred percent cocoa.

Like it said in the name, it's a hundred percent.

There's no sugar, no dairy, no nothing.

It's only the pure cacao.

- I like it.

- So we can go ahead and try the milk chocolate chip.

- I like the milk chocolate.

- You like milk chocolate?

- Milk is usually the favorite.

- Wow.

- This chocolate flow and we put under it the mold just like that.

- The kids were definitely very stoked on getting their hands dirty, making the chocolate, learning how you actually make a chocolate barn.

(upbeat music) Are you excited to go check out some animals?

- Hm hm.

- What about you Tucker?

Are you gonna try to feed some?

Off to Parc Omega?

You get a good bear.

(upbeat music) - My name is John.

I'll be your guide and driver today.

Welcome aboard.

- Parc Omega absolutely blew my mind because I couldn't believe how close that we were gonna get with the interactions with the animals.

Look at the tongue.

Look at the tongue.

Oh, you've never seen one.

- I saw a little baby, this is a little baby one.

- That one never gets feed.

(upbeat music) (wolf howling) (upbeat music) - It was really cool to be able to kind of go through almost like a zoo of Eastern Canada animals.

- We are feeding deer apparently, and it is really up in your face so it's super neat.

They're really friendly and the kids are really enjoying the experience.

- Parker is one of the most empathetic people I know and when it comes to animals, she absolutely loves them.

How can you not keep it?

She wanted to take every animal home.

- Bye dear.

- [Emily] After we did the guided bus tour, we decided it was so much fun that we hopped in our own car and did the whole tour again.

- This is actually pretty hilarious.

- My hair, he chewed my hair.

Oh oh, okay.

- Don't eat my glasses.

- [Emily] After the Safari tour, we checked into the Wolf and Bear suites.

We really didn't know what to expect.

Nice scene - A wolf.

- Do you see a wolf out there?

- Cafe.

- That's a rock.

- [Nick] So the kids had high expectations being that we were staying in a Wolf and Bear Suite hoping that we were gonna see these animals and at first they were nowhere to be seen.

- But sure enough, after dinner we went, you know, dark, look out the glass and what was looking back at us but big wolf, just a big wolf staring right at Parker so it made our entire evening.

(wolf howling) I definitely went to bed with happy and tired kids.

- [Nick] So we're staying here at the Wolf and Bear Suite and we saw some wolves last night.

What a cool way to start the day.

- The Outaouais Region's known for having a ton of amazing outdoor scenery, which led us to the Plaisance National Park.

- I'm excited.

- I know.

- Yeah - I don't know.

Which bike you want to get?

- Biking as a family right now is a whole new world for us 'cause Parker just learned how to ride her own bike and that's a really big step in her own independence.

- Go.

(gentle music) - Well, we made it to the boardwalk.

Here, we've been biking all morning with the kids and they decided to hop off the bikes and check out this awesome little marsh area.

What do you see, Nick?

- I see the beaver dam And a blue heron over there were looking for frogs at the moment Parker is doing a phenomenal job.

riding her own bike So proud of her - Parker was biking on her own, which was incredible.

But then Tucker really surprised me when we got into the canoe because he said, no, mom, I'm paddling.

And sat up front, grabbed the paddle and he was one of our main paddlers for the day.

- He's been practicing a ton in his kayak this summer and so being able to watch him kind of like harness those skills as a father, it's awesome to watch.

- Clap, everyone clap.

(upbeat music) - What do you do when you go canoeing?

Dance party.

(upbeat music) Okay, Tuck.

Which one are we going?

In the middle?

- Which one Tuck?

- Here we go.

- Make a decision.

It's getting scary.

Oh God.

Whoa.

- It's gonna be all fun and games until it flips.

- I'm serious.

- Tucker has a wicked sense of humor.

He absolutely loves just pushing the boundaries a little bit too far, which ended in almost flipping the canoe, but it was, he was laughing the whole time.

(gentle music) - Parker, check out the waterfalls.

- Attention.

- Tuck, Tuck, I think you could run that water.

- Would you kayak down there?

- You don't think you run those rapids?

(gentle music) - It is been quite an action-packed day, but all within a short distance, we managed to do some canoeing, some biking, and now we're enjoying a beautiful waterfall here at Chutes de Plaisance, enjoying a family picnic.

So good way to unwind and just reminisce about the day, right?

Yeah.

Ready to eat?

(gentle music) (birds chirping) - [Nick] With a big day, we were a little late getting to our next accommodations and checking in was an adventure on its own.

- We're on our way to our Wi-Tent and Tucker decided he was tired so he's somewhere in the luggage and Parker's pulling him up the hill.

See if we make it.

(playful music) - Wow!

Whoa.

(playful music) - Oh, what a day.

Should we all go to bed now?

No chocolate.

Oh God (Emily chuckling) - Wee, wee, wee.

- Oh my goodness.

Oh my goodness.

Monkey jumping on the bed.

- We just made it to the Wi-Tent here at Parc Omega.

It's like a cool mix between a teepee and a yurt and the kids are absolutely loving it.

Setting up an awesome little campfire and enjoying in the woods tonight.

(gentle music) - We are leaning the Outaouais region and heading towards the Laurentian, beautiful car ride so far.

About an hour away so perfect time to get a little bit of a nap.

(upbeat music) - The town of Tremblant is really cool.

It definitely has this mountain vibe.

In the fall season, everybody's out and about on bikes, which was really cool because I got to ride the local pump track.

(upbeat music) - [Emily] One of my favorite ways to explore with the family is to go by foot, by stuff, by waterway just to slow down the experience of soaking up the area around me.

- We just made it to Mont Tremblant National Park and what a gorgeous day.

We thought it would be a perfect day to take this sups out and go paddle.

(upbeat music) So Tuck your fins a little bit longer so we gotta walk it out just a touch more.

Come with me buddy.

Come here.

Okay.

Right there.

So just like Mom, get on your knees.

Okay.

Just like that.

Right in the center.

You wanna be in the center, okay.

Yep.

And then just, oh, here, let's take your shoes off.

- Whoa.

Whoa.

(upbeat music) - [Emily] For me, this trip, the word independence comes up a lot.

So for Tucker, another aspect of his own independence here was in Mont Tremblant National Park, he decided that he wanted to use his own standup paddle board and this was a first for him.

He's been on it maybe once or twice, but this was an actual adventure where we were going out and exploring and he was on his own board.

(upbeat music) - What do you think about standup paddle boarding for your first time?

- My favorite part is bumper boat.

- Bumper boats.

(upbeat music) - One thing we don't do very often, but I appreciate it every time we do is go on guided hikes.

- Welcome to the National park.

You're in one of the biggest park in Quebec, is 1,500 kilometers square.

So we are gonna take the La Corniche, which is right on the rock face, that's what it means.

- Cool.

- You excited?

- Rock face.

Let's do it.

Yeah.

- This is the oldest national park.

- Oh wow.

- Wow.

- Yeah, it was 1895.

So it was the first one that got like the real conservation.

- Yeah.

Did you hear that?

- Wow.

- Something unique about this place is we are in the Canadian Chills so the forest, it's a really old mountain range so we have a diversity like unique from the Boreal Forest as a variety of trees and we have those really solid rocks that's been here for like billion years, which is quite amazing and that's why we have so many lakes too.

- 4, 3, 2, - 1, lift off, rrr.

- Tucker, do you know this used to be the way that people were writing to people, like now we use like iPhones or iPads.

- The benefit of going with a guide like we did with Detour is that my kids learn so much about the area from the plants, from the creeks, the stone to the Canadian Chill.

- Look at how many orange and red there are on top of the mountain.

You see that Parker, count how many red trees you can see.

(gentle music) - One thing that keeps my kids very motivated on all these outdoor experiences is knowing that we're gonna have some good food.

And not only just any picnic, but really good local food is just the best way to end activity like that.

- This is iced tea.

It's a winter green, so (speaks foreign language), it's a green leaves that do taste like winter green.

Then you find in the forest really good, a good antioxidant too.

- Parker is definitely a little woodland elf.

Her name Parker actually means keeper of the forest.

I find there's a deep sense of spirituality when we're in the woods.

(birds chirping) All right, after a busy day, it's nice to have some chill time.

Just relaxing and hanging out by the beach here is absolutely gorgeous.

So I'm relaxing.

I'm not so sure about them though.

Ooh.

(playful music) (water splashing) Look at all the minnows.

(gentle music) - [Nick] So today is the first day of fall and what better way to kick off the autumn season than go apple picking.

Parker, look at that, that's like the world's biggest sunflower.

See how tall it is?

Go up beside it.

It's a little bit taller than you are.

- Whoa.

- It's almost as tall as me.

- Almost as tall as you.

Oh my goodness.

- Hi, welcome to Labonte de la Pomme.

- How are you doing?

- I'm very good and you?

- Good.

- [Farm Keeper] So the main building has such character.

It's actually on the right side from the late 1800s.

It was a stable, so you might see some features inside from the old elements that were used, but we totally transformed it over the year to make it into our homemade boutique.

- It's a very mini farm.

- Usually kids come here and they feel so free.

There aren't so many barriers.

There aren't so many rules or laws to follow.

They can be themselves, they can run around, they can meet other kids and they get to enjoy all of their fruits and vegetables.

- We are getting ready to go pick some apples.

- Here it comes.

- These are my favorite kinds.

These are, well I, because you know why?

Because daddy grew up near here and I always loved these fall apples.

Can you pick the best red one?

- The trees were abundant.

There were apples everywhere, but it was fun getting to watch them really look at the apples and decide which ones they wanted to pick.

- Oh my gosh, these are amazing.

- Apparently they have a corn maze here, so we're gonna go get lost in some corn.

- Run.

Okay, come on, let's go into the labyrinth.

- Tucker.

(Parker laughing) - Hold on - Michael.

- Hold on.

- I found them.

(upbeat music) - You think we'd be stuck in there forever.

I was getting worried.

You guys wanna go grab a picnic, Parker?

- Yeah.

- Let's go eat a picnic.

- We're here in the apple orchard and they have these amazing boxes like preset picnics that everyone's really excited to be diving into the food.

Lot of apple theme going on, but delicious.

Salmon, meats, cheese, we're in food heaven right now.

- Cheer.

Cheers to adventures.

(upbeat music) Alright, we just rolled up to acro nature to go check out the high ropes course for the kids so we're all excited to see how it goes.

- So welcome everybody to acro nature.

So first of all, we're just gonna quickly explain how to put the harnesses on and then we'll give them to you, inspect them, make sure they're all and put good.

And then once you guys are ready, we'll send you up into the course, okay?

- Awesome.

- When I hear the words high ropes course, I anticipate being nervous right off the get go.

And I was nervous for Tucker too 'cause he can be a little bit more timid.

There were moments when we got up there where you could tell that Tucker was a little bit nervous.

You know, some of it was wobbly or the zip line maybe moved a little too fast, but that's all part of it and he really pushed through it the entire time.

It was pretty neat to watch Parker have to navigate her own safety.

I mean, she's only seven and what a better way for her to learn than really being in a controlled environment like that.

(upbeat music) - I think this is the best day ever.

- The last thing on our hit list for visiting Quebec was visiting the Sentier des cimes.

- [Nick] We definitely didn't wanna miss the sunset on top of the tower, so we had to hustle a little bit to get there in time.

(upbeat music) What?

Pulling me.

Okay, let's do it.

You pulling mom too?

Ah.

(upbeat music) - We are here at the top of the Centier des cimes.

It is literally like walking on top of the treetop.

They said we get really high up, but I did not expect to have this amazing viewpoint.

It is absolutely gorgeous.

Quebec's been amazing.

(upbeat music) Visiting the Outaouais and Laurentian Valley, this whole region in Quebec really gave us everything we could possibly want on a family vacation.

(gentle music) So as a family, it's definitely a winning location.

Funding for Great Family Adventure is provided by Collette offers small group exploration tours, destinations and local experiences.

Explorations by Collette.

Guided travel since 1918.

Alaska by rail.

Passengers can travel the coasts and wilderness of Alaska with baggage, service, meals, and wheelchair access.

Information available at AlaskaRailroad.com Vivid-Pix memory station and software allows users to scan personal history items like photos and documents, record voice narrative, and share what has been conserved.

More online at Vivid-pix.com.

Host- And by these additional sponsors ♪ upbeat music Tucker, without using words what was your favorite animal?

- That's what I ..... - Oh, she said baby wolf.

Tucker, without using word, what was your favorite animal?

- [Nick] Oh, the chipmunk.

- [Emily] I saw the chipmunk too.