July 16, 2018
Eventually we are back on the main road and the route gets easier. It is very hot and sunny this morning and we take quite a few breaks just to cool off in the shade. Luckily the way is flat. We roll past many small farms and homes catching glimpses of the water shining. We have followed the great lakes and the St. Lawrence and have finally reached the ocean.
The waves are gentle here and the dunes are beautiful. It is only 2:00 pm when we get to camp and the campground has a great beach with warm shallow water perfect for swimming. After cooling off, we spend a lot of time in the shade reading. There are a bunch of old satellite dishes which have been brightly painted and inverted to form little mushroom shaped shade shelters. It’s odd, but effective.
We follow Tom’s mapping from Mirimichi and it keeps leading us to snowmobile trails again. “Forest Street” starts out as an actual street in town and then it just looks like maybe it will be a reasonable gravel road. Soon it becomes a muddy, rutted path in the woods frequented only by deer flies. Now, we are a mile or so in and it’s too late to turn around.
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| Persevere |
Eventually we are back on the main road and the route gets easier. It is very hot and sunny this morning and we take quite a few breaks just to cool off in the shade. Luckily the way is flat. We roll past many small farms and homes catching glimpses of the water shining. We have followed the great lakes and the St. Lawrence and have finally reached the ocean.
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| Sunset over Escuminac. |
We are staying in Escuminac which is a tiny town whose economy is wholly dependent on the sea. There are a couple of shellfish processing and shipping facilities and many small fishing boats. There must be a boat for every one of the 212 residents. The lobster catch is shipped out to be eaten by people of greater means all around the world.
In 1959 this small port (then population about 600) was devastated when a hurricane with 80 mph winds sunk 22 fishing boats and drowned 35 men. There is a memorial on the site where so many wives and sisters and daughters stood scanning the horizon waiting for news and praying for the safety of their loved ones. So many of the family names are identical it is hard to fathom the grief which fell to such a small close group. Eighty-three children were left fatherless after this one night.
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There are many reports of the storm which came up suddenly and caught the fishermen. This one by a first nations writer truly captures the humanity of those involved.
The memorial also includes a tribute to the bravery and heroism of the fishermen who risked their lives to rescue others on that night.
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