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St. Lawrence North Shore
July 2000
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After returning to Baie Comeau from
Labrador, I headed
east to my second destination of my "To
the Ends of the Roads" tour: Natashquan,
which is east of Havre St. Pierre on the north shore of the St. Lawrence
(1010 km east of Quebec City). By that point you are actually on
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, no longer the river. For me this was a
570 km drive east from Baie Comeau.
For the time being, Natashquan is as
far as you can drive on the north shore. A look at a map of the
north shore east of Natashquan tells you that this will likely be the
end of the road for some time to come. There are many very large
rivers to cross if the road were to be extended further east.
(Click
here for Travel Information for
this area)
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A
bay on which I camped, near Sheldrake (west of Sept Iles). The
water here is salt water, and the essence is that of the ocean, with sea
birds and other ocean life. |
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This
informal campground was interesting in that each community along the
shore had contributed a uniquely-styled birdhouse to the
campground. Here are a few. |
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| Although this area is not as remote as the
Trans-Labrador Hwy, it is still a remote area, and the road can be a bit
empty at times. The longest stretch between gas stations is
100km. But it is paved all the way to the end! |
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At
the Riviere du Sault Plat (not too far past Sept Iles) there is a rare
geological feature known as a "glacial groove". The
river flows down along 3 of these grooves, as shown in this photo. |
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The
river then goes over a falls, seen here from the highway |
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For
a long time Havre St. Pierre was the end of the road. The highway
was recently extended 130km further east to Natashquan.
This is the typical
scenery east of Havre St. Pierre. A barrens-type of country, with
lots of rocks and spruce bogs.
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As
you travel further east, the coast gets more barren. Here is the
typical coast near Natashquan. |
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At Natashquan you have little choice but
to turn around and head back the way that you came. For me, this
meant heading west 768 km to Tadoussac (on the Saguenay River).
Alternatively, you could get on the
coastal ferry that travels along here.
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