The Islands of Magdalen

What a beautiful place!! I had never heard of this place until I moved to Montreal and saw pictures of it in the airport. It is a very popular place for 'Quebecers' to vacation. I have been fortunate enough to go there on clear days. In this picture, we are just about to cross over the largest of the islands in preparation to land.



Our view of the runway as we turn on to final approach.



Short final Runway 34. This is Iles de Madeline's shortest runway, at 3600 feet long. This is a very nice approach, turning over the water and crossing farmland to touchdown.






There are miles and miles of beaches here. If it is not a sandy beach it is cliff of sort. Some cliffs are white shale and others are a dark red sand. A large portion of the Northern part of the island is a bird sanctuary.



One portion of the shoreline I walked along was strewn with rusty old machine parts. I believe these were part of a track assembly, upon further inspection. From their condition, I can say they've been here a while.............a long while.



The islands run Southwest to Northeast in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, just above Prince Edward Island. This view is looking Northeast...



...and a look South East...



These are a common sight in Eastern Canada. There are actually wind farms with dozens of these propellers, spread out across the countryside.



Here is an example of the houses in Iles de Madeline . It is almost like being on a movie set, because every house is perfect. The paint is new, the grass is cut perfectly, there is no garbage anywhere and the flower gardens seem perfect. It was a bit creepy actually. One might think they were on a different planet...



I visited a small harbour where, once again, everything was perfect. All the fishing boats were spotless and looked like they just come out of the paintshop.



After all of my sightseeing, I figured it was time to relax on the beach for a bit. Did I mention I was here for work? This is truly a beautiful place. Those looking for a hot day on the beach may be out of luck. It gets warm, but very seldom is it more than 25 degrees and it's often windy. I have been informed that it almost shuts down in early fall, due to the drastic drop in tourism. I am sure it is quite beautiful year round.



A nasty isolated storm on the way home the next day. It has a perfect anvil shape, as the winds of the tropopause push the top over.



A bit of an unusual sight to see two aircraft so close!! Obviously at different altitudes, these two are on their way to Toronto. The race is on!!

Until next time..........