LAST DAY - DAY 11 - Baie-Comeau - June 20, 2017

We spent our last day of Leg 2 at Baie-Comeau, docked alongside a huge industrial wharf. It was nice being able to walk off the ship, but it was bittersweet knowing that we were almost done our adventure, and there would be no more splashy rides in the Zodiacs. Our morning was spent at a conference nearby, within walking distance. The conference was the CCUNESCO Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association AGM, hosted in Baie-Comeau, part of the Manicouagan Uapishka Biosphere Reserve. The conference is hosted in one of Canada's 18 Biosphere Reserves every year (or second year? I'm not sure), and the timing and location lined up perfectly with the arrival of C3 ship. The sessions that we were able to attend were really interesting, as the focus of the conference this year was Reconciliation in Sustainable Development. There are three Biosphere Reserves in Nova Scotia, and wouldn't you know it? I ran into someone I know. My friend Katy Hopkins was there!

In our requisite conference credentials, drinking our requisite conference-catered beverages. Photo credit to an unknown conference attendee!

It felt weird and good to see a familiar face after 10 days of being a stranger in a strange land. Seeing her was very comforting (even though I didn't need comforting in any way!), like a nice cup of tea on a cold day. Because our ship was docked and not anchored, Katy was able to come aboard for a tour later that day.  She was excited to see the ship, but she was more excited to meet Alex Cuba :)

After lunch we headed up to the nearby Le Jardin des Glaciers. The Garden of the Glaciers is an interactive multi-media attraction inside a re-purposed cathedral, and it allows visitors to explore the geologic history of the region, and how it was formed by glaciers. I enjoyed it, but I would have enjoyed it more if it had been air-conditioned. Honestly, making us watch a movie about ice while it was 30 degrees in the building was a lot to take! However, we got through it, and I have to say it was pretty cool (pardon the pun).

After that we headed back to the ship to pack and clean our cabins for the participants of Leg 3, and to finish up odds and ends like signing the drum in the Legacy Room and put the finishing touches on the Leg 2 mural panel in the hangar that was spearheaded by Sandra.

A journal was placed in each cabin with the intent that there would be a unique thread throughout the journey within each cabin. Lyne and I were scrambling to complete our journal entries for the next people who would take over our bunks. I finished up my part, and Lyne was still working on the journal in the van to the airport later that afternoon! She got her part done and sent the journal back to the ship with the van-driver. Phew!

We changed sheets, made up the bunks, cleaned out our cupboards, and swept and vacuumed the floors, making everything as clean and welcoming as our welcome had been. Then there was nothing left to do but say goodbye. Final hugs were shared. Final pictures were taken, including this one, one of my favourites. That's me with Al, one of the members of the totally awesome Polar Prince crew. Oh, and Kevin.

To quote Al re. Kevin: "He certainly knows how to turn on the Manson lamps, doesn't he?" Hahaha!

I held it together pretty good, hugging everyone with promises of staying in touch (we have, by the way). Then I turned to Dardia, darling Dardia, and we cried all over each other!

Fortunately, there wasn't a ton of time to spend crying because about a fifteen of us had to get to the airport; we were all on the same flight back to Montreal, and from there we splintered all over the country. The airport in Baie-Comeau is pretty small, with just a few flights everyday. The plane we were about to board was the same plane that the Leg 3 people flew in on. As the Leg 3-ers walked in to the airport (which is pretty small) we formed up an impromptu choir behind the security windows and sang River of Nations to them. (I wrote about the writing of this song here.)  What a welcome for them, and what a way for us to say goodbye!

Each leg of the Expedition has some very special Canadians along as journey participants: Olympians! Leg 2 was exceptional in that we had two, Guylaine Bernier (1976, rowing, also unanimously elected as the Mayor of Leg 2) and Jennifer Jones (2014, Gold-Medallist, curling). Jennifer and I hit it off, and ended up being bus-buddies; we often wound up sitting together when we took a bus to an event or museum. Imagine our delight when, completely by chance (fate?) we ended up sitting together on the plane! It certainly made for a pleasant flight home.

We all got off the plane in Montreal, and more hugs were exchanged as we headed for our different gates and hotels. It was bittersweet. Sad that our time on the C3 Expedition was truly over, but so intensely grateful for the experiences and opportunities we had been given.