It was 12º, felt like only 10º with a strong wind and mainly cloudy so we decided not to go cycling. Instead we went sightseeing. The Iles de la Madeleine are an archipelago of 12 islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec. 6 of the islands are connected by narrow sand dunes. A group of 7 islands form the central core. There is one bridge on the archipelago.
We returned to Cap aux Meules to the Tourist Information Centre by the ferry terminal where we got a lot of very useful information. We also
bought the cycling map. Before heading out to explore the southern end of the archipelago and the two communities of Havre Aubert and Bassin, we climbed the giant stairway, 187 steps to a panoramic view of Cap aux Meules, the largest island in population and second largest in size.
We took hwy 199 which follows the wind swept dunes and stopped along the 13 km Plage de la Martinique, had our lunch there and continued onto Ile du Havre Aubert, the largest of the islands. This island has the most extensive forests of the archipelago.
The community of Havre Aubert is a natural fishing and yachting harbour surrounded by sloping hills. It is known for its pebbly beach. While Kathy browsed through the numerous boutiques, I walked Shadow and took many pictures and video. It was very picturesque.
We literally drove to the end of hwy 199 before taking a coastal road around the west side of the island to Bassin.
We returned to Ile du Cap aux Meules where we toured the west side of the island . The road was very scenic. We passed many spectacular red sandstone cliffs, were able to stop for some pictures and view an impressive sculpture.
On our way back to our campground we passed a wooden church, one of the largest wooden churches still existing in North America.
We motored only 114 km but saw so much. A most enjoyable day
