Saturday, September 1, 2012

Newfoundland4

Leaving Labrador on the 8 am ferry gave us enough time to continue on journey north.  As the road parallels the Strait of Belle Isle, we enjoyed the added benefit of seeing more icebergs.



We couldn't pass up a morning walk around the winter headquarters of the village of Anchor Point, a few more miles up the road.  Nothing remains but a few ramshackle ruins, but a wonderful boardwalk encircles the area.  Villagers moved to this small, protected area during the winter, sheltering them from brisk, chilling winds.  Residents used this area until the 1960's.  One item caught my attention: there were numerous school teachers who came and then...left.  I suspect life was not easy and its remote location was a challenge for young single men or women.





I couldn't wait to see the Trombolites in Flower Cove.  We used The Marjorie Bridge and the Trombolites Walking Trail to view these bun-shaped rocks up close.  I thought they resembled the tops of mushrooms. They're actually fossils of unicellular creatures.  The Marjorie Bridge was the only access to the surrounding communities in the early 1900's.  Rocks, rocks and more rocks; but peeping out of a crevasse was a tiny flower with immense courage.

 After lunch at a local spot and a visit to the bank, we decided to move on to St Anthony where we could get our oil changed.  We had driven 5000 miles at this point!!  Waiting on our van, we had a pleasant talk with a couple who had grown up in the area.  The man told us of how he helped with the Viking archaeological dig back in the '70's and his wife had actually grown up in Anchor Point, even living at the winter quarters.  And, wouldn't you know it, we were cautioned to watch out for moose.  Mike spoke to one of the customer service employees at the dealership who said that he had driven to the airport last night and had seen some 30 moose along the road.  Bears and moose, bears and moose...

Before we left St Anthony, we drove on to Fishing Point in search of a geocache.  By this time, the temperatures were hovering in the low 40's, the wind was strong and a foggy mist clouded our view. Mike was so accommodating; he led the way across the scrub-covered rock to uncover that geocache.  I was so proud of his enthusiasm until I realized he was freezing and just wanted to get it done.





We spent the night at Triple Falls RV Campground 10 miles back and toward our next destination, the L'Anse au Meadows National Historic Site.

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