the long, long road

arty shot

not an arty shot

 

bus stop?  on one hot day, around lunchtime we came across a picnic table in the trees

I'm looking out of the window at the Visitor Centre for the Manitou Falls - a spectacular waterfall by all accounts although I am not in the least bit tempted to head down the trail.  It is hammering down outside.  One of the women working at the centre looks out at the carpark with me.  We have already asked if it would be okay to camp here for the night and the two women readily agreed, out of pity, I suspect.  But now as we gaze out at a carpark that is now flooding with surface water she asks "Can you swim?"

a familiar scene

The North Shore is turning into an endurance event, albeit one that is not too tasking.  The trees have been driving me insane, driving me on.  Gayle seems quite unperturbed by them. The weather has been reliably good but today it starts raining and it doesn't want to stop.  At lunchtime we feel overjoyed to find this unexpected visitor centre here in the middle of nowhere.  Like an oasis in the desert.  We hurry inside with our flask and lunch.  It's a quiet day, unsurprisingly, at the visitors centre and we chat with the two women in a bit of French and a bit of English.  Thankfully by closing time the rain has stopped.  We put our tent up off to one side.

our hosts at the visitor centre

                 The road to Havre St. Pierre suddenly opens up.  The trees thin out, there are coastal views again.  We pass through several small communities.  One of them looks different - a little scruffy, new houses - and then we realise it's an Innu community.  There's a large wooden church in the village which we look into out of curiosity.  It's an eye-opener and reminds us of Catholic churches in the Chiapas region of Mexico.  The altar decoration and stained glass all reflect the indigenous community.  The indigenous community is supported by government grants, but the benefits only apply if the people stay in the community.  Fishing and hunting rights remain unrestricted, unlike for other Canadians, and regardless of stocks.

Our ride along the North Shore of the St. Lawrence Seaway ends in Havre St. Pierre.  Here we're picking up the supply boat that services the coastal settlements further up the Quebec coast.  We are both really excited about the boat trip - Gayle is looking forward to being on the water and another viewpoint of the coast and I'm looking forward to sleeping without having an ear open for bears.

do not camp here!

not your regular garden gnomes