Iles Hopping

Waterfront View
I love these red rocks at one end of our Iles de la Madeleine beach:

Day 9: July 4
The day started with blue skies and the rising sun shining in the window after a night of wind and rain.
We decided on a drive north and saw these sights:
…an ususually-shaped windmill (like one we saw last year on the Gaspe):

…wild, breaking waves on a different beach:

…a salt mine:

…sadly, no shorebirds, even in the Wildlife Refuges!
A poignant stop at Sea Cow Path where, once, 400 to 500 walruses were dragged ashore:

We stopped at the Pointe de la Grande Entree harbour (and its unusually-named boats!):

…saw a great potential purchase on Grosse-Ile ($10,000 including an acre) at a lobster-fishing harbour:

…and observed lobster pots stored everywhere (similar to Newfoundland), even beside a graveyard:

We came back for lunch, then I took a beach walk. Yesterday, we saw a seal; the best I could do today was this: maybe a Navy S.E.A.L.?:

Later, we spent some time on our beach chairs, then I walked again to the red cliffs. More people are arriving at the campground (we were amused by the guy spending a LOT of time putting up his bug tent in the strong winds (which in fact mean no bugs!).
Here’s another view of our campsite:

Day 10: July 5
It was another great day for a drive. We went through the Cap aux Meules “business district” (complete with Tim Hortons, as witnessed by abandoned cups on the roads). Our first stop was Martinique Beach (no birds or Sand Dollars as advertised):

The houses are beautiful, multi-coloured and well kept. People are very house-proud:

We headed to La Grave, the first touristy place we visited here, complete with loads of people and small and large tour buses! But it’s also very pretty:

…and has a great beach where we hit the motherlode of glass and pottery shards:

Next stop was the Bassin Lighthouse and lunch:

…and many more beautiful houses (many for sale; too bad this isn’t PEI).
On our way back, we stopped at “Bird Shit Rock” (NOT a bad French-to-English translation, just our name for it) filled with Cormorants, Gulls, and even some chicks:

We stopped for groceries at the IGA and got cheap beer (30 Coors Light cans for $38)!
I took my one-hour beach walk (there are 300 kms of beach on the Iles). I would have loved this souvenir (the current owner was still in residence):

…but I found this little Sand Dollar:

We took a post-dinner bike ride, and I headed for the regular Tuesday Music Night at the campground office (two fiddles and a guitar). They were amazing: a perfect way to end a perfect day:
Here’s a “backyard” view from my chair (of my favourite house with, by chance, a boat driving by!):

Day 11: July 6
The sun rose brightly again, but it was a dull, chilly (mid 55F/12C) day. But we started with a beach walk:

After lunch, we decided to drive the last roads on the Iles.
First was Chemin de Noel (no Santa Claus, but there WAS Christmas tree!). Then the Cap de l’Hopital beach (with a kite surfer AND some unexpectedly beautiful glass):

There was Cap de la Belle Anse harbour and the Cap Herisse Lighthouse (where the red sand is sadly being blown away):

There were so many more beautiful houses and a little tourist stop at the Site de la Cote with boutiques, a harbour, and a statue dedicated to Les Pecheurs:


Next stop was at the Helene des Iles Patisserie for a Broche a Papa (OMG!!!):

…a stop at L’Echouerie and the Cap Alright Lighthouse:

…and a different view of our campground (and fabulous beach) from on high:

Day 12: July 7
You’re going to have to believe that the sunrises through the bedroom window are beautiful!
Today is our last day here, so we decided on one more drive north. We solved the problem of what people were picking among the dunes: teeny, tiny wild strawberries. Delicious, but so small.
We stopped at the Pointe-aux-Loups fishing harbour:

…then at the Plage de la Dune Nord (yep, speaking French now!):

Once again, we noted that there are trailers “squatting” among the dunes in places:

…but very few places to boondock (No Parking between 10 PM and 7 AM).
We honoured Prince at Pointe de Old Harry:

…and admired the Grande Echouerie Beach (that’s another place they dragged seals and walruses onto the beach in the past!):

On the way back, we stopped in Grosse Ile, an English village complete with Anglican church and gorgeous organ, altar art, and contemporary and a location-specific stained glass window:


…oh, and good Fish and Chips at B & J’s (sorry no picture; we dove right in).
On our return, I took a final 2.5 mile beachwalk and finally found where all the birds are hiding:

…by the way, the Garbage Dump is just beyond the dunes on the left!
Back home, I got one last great view from my chair of our neighbour’s amazing kite:

Here are some final words on the Magdalen Islands:

• come if you can; the ferry ride is reasonable and the destination is amazing
• there are very few non-Quebecers here; we have seen maybe 10 cars from other provinces
• camping is a bit expensive (by our standards), but the beach at Camping des Sillons makes it worth the price (we think it’s the best campground here)
• there are many other types of accommodations across the islands
• driving is easy and there are many fabulous beaches with good parking and access (there was only one paid parking beach)
• few people speak English (the people from the campground did), but it was never a problem; we relied on our highschool French for understanding, but anyone can cope
• there are great sights and a great feel