Avondale with a twist

The usual paddle in Avondale is to stay in Gasters Bay paddling either clockwise or counterclockwise.  On Friday with Eleanor and Jenn who were visiting from out of province we began our paddle down the east side towards Salmon Cove Point but after that we left Gasters Bay for Harbour Main.

From the put-in the shoreline is either steeply forested or low laying with scattered trees.  Its a paddle but not necessarily to awe.  Jenn spotted a white bucket floating in the water; it was to become her constant companion for the day along with other "ocean treasures".

On the west shore at Bacon Cove is a well known unconformity where Cambrian age rocks lie on Precanbrian, Protorzoic rocks. Here a block of red Cambrian rocks were faulted, that is, physically moved, against Conception Group siltstones.  The red staining was the result of hematite, iron, in the rock being oxidized in the rapidly oxygenating atmosphere of the time.

The lower laying forested shore gave way to more dominating cliffs as we approached Salmon Coe Point here ...

... made white by the guano of nesting birds.

Whereas we had small wind waves until we got to Salmon Cove Point, we then felt the effects of a swell running out of the north at the Point.

Looking south and admiring the swell crashing over the rocks.

We rounded the Point and were in Harbour Main.  The slot at the Point was a no-go zone.  This picture is not worth a thousand words for it doesn't come close to the action there.  But, it is worth a few to say that as swell hit the Point, seconds later it surged through the slot from both sides meeting in the middle and spraying meters into the air.

On the Harbour Main side the imposing cliffs sheltered us from the westerly wind.

A cave to explore that ...

... is open at the far end.  I've spent enough time in the cave so I lay back happy to see Eleanor and Jenn enjoy the spectacle of water surging into the cave at the far end.  Only at the high point of tide and calm seas do the rocks at the far end offer an opportunity to enter there.

After some minutes the three of us moved further down the shore to find a beach for a break before returning uneventfully to Avondale where ...

... the scene looking down the bay as we got off the water was a payoff and conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable day in kayaks.