Quebec City – David J. Kent

Part of my recent science traveling jaunt included Montmorency Falls, better known to the francophonic Quebecians as Chute-Montmorency. While not as broad as Niagara Falls, at 275-feet high (84 meters) Montmorency is almost 100-feet higher (30 meters). And it is spectacular.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec

To get to it you simply drive a little over 7 miles (12 kilometers) beyond Quebec City, or you can take a shuttle tour bus from downtown. The parking price is a bit steep ($12CAD), but if you decide to spend some time there it is worth it. That time spent can be simply photographing the falls, of course, but I highly recommend walking up the panoramic stairway that climbs the cliff next to the falls.

The views from each stopover hut on the steps are magnificent, and at the top there is a surprisingly nice park space for picnicking. But the best is yet to come. Follow the short trail over the fault bridge and onto the amazing Falls Suspension Bridge that straddles the top of the falls. You’ll see on one side that there is actually a small entree falls coming from the Montmorency River, which turns into the huge drop cascading over the other side of the bridge.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec

Smaller falls beside the main falls add further character. If you don’t want to walk the steps (or get wet in the mist at the bottom), you can take the cable cars from the main terminal near the ample parking. The cars bring you up to the Manoir Montmorency, where you can find a restaurant, the Kent House pub (one of several Kent connections I saw on this trip; more on those later), shops, and even a theater.

To get a feel of the power of the falls, check out this video:

Montmorency was one of two impressive waterfalls I saw on this particular trip, which adds to the hundreds of waterfalls I encountered on my earlier trip to Norwegian fjords. More on those soon.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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[Daily Post]

For some reason I thought of the old days in Catholic confessional in which I would ask the priest to bless me from my sins and say “It has been 30 days since my last confession.” Well, I’m not really confessing, and I don’t consider it a sin, but I must admit “It has been 30 days since my last science traveling.” That trip was to Scandinavia – Denmark, Sweden, Norway. As you read this I’ve already been several days into my current trip to the northeast – New England and Quebec.

Fireworks and fourth of July parades will highlight (have highlighted) the first part of the trip. But even before that we stopped off in West Orange, New Jersey to visit the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. While Edison was nicknamed “The Wizard of Menlo Park,” he actually spent more time working out of his much larger laboratory complex in West Orange. It was here that he had his grand mansion called “Glenmont,” his multi-story laboratory, several separate smaller labs, and the Black Maria – the film studio where he made motion pictures. This was a must-visit for me as I write my book on Edison; so too was a stopover in the town of Edison (as Menlo Park was later renamed in his honor).

Edison Lab, Menlo Park, NJ

After a few days with the family and the fireworks we’re headed even further north. A couple of days in a Quebec City B&B will let us see Montmorency Falls, the funicular, the aquarium, and, of course, Maison Kent. From there it’s on to Montreal for the Notre Dame cathedral, Musee des Beaux Arts, and for the science part, the Biosphere and Jardin Botanique.

Quebec City

The rest of the trip will be spent leisurely working our way back down western Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut where the main goal is to do some old bookstore hopping. Some of the coolest books in my Lincoln collection have come from old barns and basements, so I’m hoping to make some lucky finds.

I’ll be posting periodically during the trip, both on here and on Facebook, so keep checking back for more science traveling tidbits.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. He is currently writing a book on Thomas Edison.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page. And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn. Share with your friends using the buttons below.