14 August 2019, Wednesday

After another lazy morning during which we finish our Aucoin Bakery pastries, we drive to Green Cove, site of some very interesting rocks: granite which predominates, gneiss, and schist. The pink of the granite, the intensely blue ocean, the green trees and the blue sky make for an incredibly beautiful afternoon. From Green Cove we drive the coastal loop starting at Neil’s Harbour. This area is not part of the national park so O stops to seek a few pieces of gneiss to take home.

The coastal loop is quite scenic. We drive to White Point and then back to Effies Brook. From the north side of the loop we can see North Harbour and South Harbour, near Cape North. Next we drive south again, enjoying views south towards North Bay and South Bay, Ingonish. From here we drive up to Cape Smokey Provincial Park at the top of Smokey Mountain. On the way to Cape Smokey we drive around Ingonish Harbour which,we learn, is actually a fjord.

Having worked up an appetite from all this geology we stop for dinner along the Cabot Trail and then return to camp. In the evening Philippe and Constance, our neighbors for Quebec come over with a pot of herbal tea. We contribute some chocolate and the four of us enjoy conversation ranging from politics, health care and plastics to travel adventures.