In my previous post, I wrote about the best day on the trip. The next day was significantly less spectacular, though it still had its moments. This was the second last day before returning home, and I debated merging this post with the final day…but it had its own story, and there’s an interesting point to be made on this one.
The road became more remote after Sept-Iles, which was to be expected. There were some quiet little towns that were very much un-touristy. I attempted to get a few photos, but often couldn’t find a nice way to frame them. The road also didn’t have as many great viewpoints, and I travelled over a hundred km without stopping much.
The major destination of the day was Havre-Saint-Pierre, gateway to Mingan Archipelago National Park. Years ago, when I looked into driving this route, Mingan was the only thing I was aware of…back when google maps had almost no camping locations aside from the official parks. It is a purely marine park, made up of islands. The photos online look amazing, with lots of sea stack/hoodoo type formations. There are day trips via boat to go hike the various islands, but as this was a largely unplanned trip, I didn’t end up doing that.
The docks at Havre-Saint-Pierre were quite busy with tourists, and made the town feel bigger than it actually was. I wandered around for a bit, but decided to move on.
Just beyond the town is Cap Ferré, which is advertised as having some similarities to Mingan, while also being accessible by car. There was a sign at the highway, pointing down a rough gravel road. It was a little unclear where to go at first, but I ended up parking by some other cars. There is an established trail, and this was the busiest spot I’d been at in several days, busy enough that I did have to pause in some spots to wait for people to move out of my photos.
It was one of the more unique spots on this trip. In some spots the rocks had cracks through them and in other places there were a few small hoodoos.
Further along there is a reddish stream that falls to the water below. I’m guessing there are metal deposits in the water, as everything around the falls is coated in a rusty red. It was an interesting contrast to the almost white rocks. Maybe where the name Cap Ferré came from?(iron cape)
After the hike, it was still reasonably early in the afternoon, and I only had 135km to go to the end of the highway, but I wanted to save the end for another day, so I started looking for a place to spend the night. There isn’t much past Havre-Saint-Pierre, so I eventually found a random parking lot off the highway and setup camp. It was a very quiet spot.
The area was that kind of boggy scruff with stunted trees that is common in the far north. I enjoyed hiking around a bit, although wet areas and trees stopped me from going too far.
From the previous day onward I had been feeling like the colors were off…as though my experience of reality was edited wrong. The colors had lost some warmth and felt undersaturated, and it seemed even more pronounced this evening. It’s possible that there was an odd haze in the sky, but otherwise the weather seemed perfectly clear. The best theory I have is that I slightly “burned” my retinas. The previous day(s) had a number of longer hikes along very bright beaches, on perfectly sunny days…and then the bright white rocks of Cap Ferré. Mix that with the fact that I don’t like wearing sunglasses when I’m using my camera. I decided to be a bit more protective of my eyes the next day, and things eventually went back to normal. Kind of a weird experience.
Anyway, my evening was interrupted by a storm. At first I rolled out the awning, but it was too windy, and since I was in a parking lot, it wasn’t possible to properly stake it down. So I retreated into the Jeep for the night.
In the past, I’ve tended to build my trips so the highlights are at the end. This trip had the best highlights in the middle, with a nice period of winding down near the end. The result was that by the end, I was satisfied, and ready to return home. Trips that end with the highlight just leave me wanting more. I’m not sure if there’s a life lesson there. Probably something like the highs and lows of life both having their purpose and time. God has a plan, and if we submit to him the ebbs and flows of life will work out in the end, for his glory.
The Narrow Twisty Road 