To Plan or Not To Plan

 

Although only one blade is visible, others are added when the windmill is put into use.

I'm a planner. I like to make lists, check off items as they are accomplished, and generally know where I'm headed in my day. Except on vacation. We had a rough idea of the things we wanted to see on our cross-Canada trip, but details were very sketchy. When I read about Isle aux Coudres in a tourist brochure, we thought it would be a fun place to visit. Sandy beaches and a 22-kilometre bicycle ride around the island attracted our attention. We drove to Baie-St. Paul and took a ferry to the island. In the rain. 

Water is brought from the pond to the waterwheel inside the stone building. The miller and his family lived in the adjoining house. 

Alas, the beaches were drenched with rain and cycling was out of the question. Instead, we visited Les Moulins de L'Isle aux Coudres - The Mills of Coudres Island. On this small island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River a waterwheel and a windmill still grind grain in the old fashioned way. It was a fascinating glimpse into the way life used to be lived. 

A small bridge over the stream accesses the inner workings of the waterwheel.

Jacques Cartier was the first European visitor to the island in 1535. He named it for the plentiful coudriers, an old French word for hazelnut trees. Later, in 1687, a monastery was established on the island, followed by granting land concessions to settlers. At that time, grain grown on the island had to be taken to the mainland by canoe, a journey of about two miles. It wasn't until 1825 that a watermill was constructed. However, with unstable water to supply the mill, a windmill was also constructed on the site in 1836, providing two power sources for grinding the all-important grain. 

Old millstones lie here and there on the grounds; some used as planters for flowers and herbs. The mill continues to grind grain. Jerome Desgagne, a modern miller says, "Every time I fire up the millstone to grind wheat, I think of our ancestors who needed to feed the island families with this flour that was their food staple." 

A modern house seen from the moss-covered stone windmill.

An old stone building sinks oh, so slowly into the ground. 

A cross marks the spot where Jacques Cartier erected a similar cross in 1535, and also marks the final resting place of sailors who succumbed to the difficulties of the long sea voyage. 

I bought a bag of fine whole wheat flour from the mill and kept it in the freezer on our trip. Today, finally, I baked four French bread loaves from the flour. They tasted just fine! 

Our spontaneous adventure to Isle aux Coudres was a great success in spite of the rain. Tell me, do you plan your vacations or do you decide at the moment?