An ocean view

Sunday, August 26
Neither of us were too ambitious this morning, although I did manage to get out to get some early morning pictures. Cheryl has been fighting a cold the last few days and she has graciously passed it along to me. We got away from the campground (Camping Nature Ocean) here in Perce about 10AM or so and drove back on the road we came in on yesterday (Hwy 132). We took the tourist roads around the Gaspe area and then drove down toward Forillon National Park. We weren't up for long hikes today so much of our sightseeing was through the windshield.

Sunrise 

About 6AM. Sun is just rising. That is Ile Bonaventure on the right. This island is home to some huge Gannet bird populations. You can take a boat to the Island and walk it's perimeter.

From a viewpoint just off Hwy 132 outside of Perce

Reddish cliff s on this side...

...white coloured on this side

We enjoyed the views on the drive through Forrilon National Park.

The Mascot of the Park. Sorry, don't know why they call him 'Parka'.

We made or way across the peninsula to Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse. This is a beauty. The tallest lighthouse structure in Canada. Built in 1854 - 58. I paid my $10 for the guided tour that the volunteer preservation group provides. As luck would have it I was the only person on the tour so my French guide and I had an interesting tour. Actually she spoke quite good  English albeit a very thick accent so I had to listen closely. You can read the story of the lighthouse here.

Beautiful marble covers the exterior. Apparently imported from Massachusetts.

The mechanical building. There was a residence attached at one time but was destroyed by fire years ago. 

After they stopped using whale oil they used this container for kerosene to light the lamp.

These are 'modern' fog horns. They replaced the compressed air coronet and have since been retired as well. They sounded like a wolf's howl.

This is the original air powered coronet. It replaced the cannon. It had a low moaning sound.

Originally the lighthouse keepers used a cannon to warn ships in a fog. It was a lot of work and was dangerous.

The valve that allowed air into the coronet. The actual horn was controlled by a timing disc. Each lighthouse had it own timing. This one was 45 seconds on, 20 seconds off, repeat.

The diesel engines that powered the compressor that filled the huge tanks with compressed air. (The lawn tractor is just stored here!)

Inside the lighthouse. The base walls were eight feet thick  of stone and mortar.

They used block and tackle to hoist drums full of whale oil from the ground up to the sixth floor!

The walls at the sixth floor are three feet thick.

The base of the light assembly. There was a wick that ran through the center from the floor below.

The piston pumps they used to pump oil from the barrels. The lighthouse keepers were definitely in shape!

The lamp today is a 400 watt electrical bulb that is replaced every five years. Way less maintenance than in the early days. 

The fresnal lens and the lamp assembly was made in France and shipped to Canada.

The view from the top of the lighthouse. You can see a long way. In fact the lighthouse keeper spotted a German U-boat from this spot in WW2.

View from the top!

This was a weekend and certainly a lot of traffic on the roads. You just have to be patient. Even if you managed to pass someone slower you would just come up to another slow moving vehicle in short order. What's the rush? Enjoy the scenery!

We made our way back toward Perce and enjoyed the view from the campground.

......and that was Our View From Here!