Back to Ottawa from Mont Joli

This briefly describes our homeward journey on June 30th. 

Last call at the Auberge Portes sur Mer

Rimouski from above

The weather was no longer rainy; once again we were in luck, although very reluctant to leave this part of Canada behind. As we left Mont Joli on an IFR flightplan, climbing over the scattered clouds, we followed ATC's instructions to climb and maintain 6000ft. St. Fabien-sur-Mer, as we passed it, where we'd been the day before, was under a layer of mist.

St. Fabien visible, St. Fabien-sur-Mer concealed by mist

Beyond Rivière du Loup we headed back over the water for 35 minutes in the direction of Quebec City, eventually climbing to 8000ft. The ripples in the clouds beneath us (dissipating fog) looked like water, too. 

Ripples of fog over the St. Lawrence

The clouds were similar on the other side of the fleuve, with similar mist in the Baie St. Paul and over the Isle aux Coudres (its southern shore just visible). As usual in this part of Canada pilots were broadcasting messages from solitary and remote locations, from Shefferville, for example, way up north, where all the airspace is unmonitored (uncontrolled), and from Sept Iles. As we crossed the St. Lawrence and approached the Isle aux Coudres area, we could hear that an American plane was preparing to take off from Charlevoix airport, and expected to see it climbing towards us, but its departure was delayed, so we never did.

Low cloud in the Baie St. Paul

By the time we passed Quebec, moving inland, the skyscape began to look more like what we're used to. Once again, we stopped at Trois Rivières for lunch and then flew home from there above flocks of summer cumulus clouds.

*****

The following day was Canada Day, not so fine and sunny. Although we did get outside, it was a wash-out. We had the Rockcliffe Flying Club Canada Day breakfast in the hangar with friends, and in the afternoon got soaked to the skin during a cloudburst in town. I have never before seen Rideau Street looking like a river, but that's how it was! In the evening came dryer, cooler weather and an excellent firework display, that we watched from near our house.