A Litl' Bit of Labrador

The ferry to Labrador leads not to Labrador; the ship arrives in Blanc Sablon, Quebec; but once you exit the ferry and turn right, you are shortly in Labrador. Five kilometres "up" the road is L'Anse-au-Clair and the New Light Inn RV Campground.  Across the highway from the motel, the campground is not a resort; but has all you need for a couple of nights or so, especially since the temperatures were beginning to dip into the 30's (F) at night.

L'Amour Lighthouse, at 109 feet, is the tallest of the Atlantic lighthouses.  120 steps lead to a panoramic view of the Strait of Belle Isle and the rocky landscape of Labrador.  But, that's not all. Looking down into the water reveals a fossil bed, a colony of one-cellular "something's" 450 million years old.  Like an oblong pan of brownies divided evenly in edible morsels  Probably not, but that's what it looks like to me.

A nearby ancient burial site is that of a 12-year-old, dating back some 7500 years.  Goodness!

Our guide grew up in the area, went off to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and came back home with a degree in English.  Understandably he is looking into graduate school, having few options in the small villages along this shore for work.

Grabbing the geocache here was fairly straightforward, although our efforts were overseen by the local groundhog.  I guess he/she was making sure we didn't mess with her/his stuff.

Despite the rugged and barren land, the small towns along the way are quite well-maintained, almost every home had new siding and roofing.  At one time, Basque whalers developed the first whale oil manufacturing industries here, but that was in the 16th century. Today, fishing is still a major employer.

The paved road ends at Red Bay, our turn-around point.  We were told later that the gravel road across Labrador had recently been plowed, so it might not have been too bad a ride.  However, a semi just exiting the gravel road had mud so thick on the back of the trailer that the signage was completely unreadable. Maybe another trip....

Beyond Red Bay, villages are accessed by ferry.  Many  older residents have been "re-settled" in other areas of Canada in order to have access to social services.  As the youth leave for employment, little is left to provide for those that remain.

Not disappointed, icebergs floating in the Strait were clearly visible despite the heavy overcast skies.

Lunch was at the local Chip Bus in Red Bay.  We then drove back the way we came into Quebec, stopping to buy some lobster at a local fishery.  The man who waited on us tried to sell us fresh, live lobster; but we opted for a couple of frozen, cooked lobster that we could just warm up on our grill. He admonished us: it won't taste the same as fresh.  We could have bought a pot big enough and tried to cook it ourselves.  We'll know better the next time.

A brief sojourn into Labrador, but well worth the effort.

Newfoundland3

Before we took our afternoon cruise up the fjord, we stopped at yet another lighthouse/geocache, Lobster Cove Lighthouse.  The weather this day was cloudy, windy and chilly.  The geocache was close to the lighthouse, so we didn't think twice about the weather.  Looking for this one was fun because we had to walk around to the "front" of the lighthouse and the view proved to be unique. Massive, jagged rock is a really good reason for a lighthouse!

Authentically restored, the lighthouse keeper's quarters show the spartan life of a lighthouse keeper.  The guide graciously offered tea - hot, of course.

Back on the TransCan, we found Sea Breeze RV on Shallow Bay, just a stone's throw from our next geocache.  It was getting colder and wetter, so we decided to wait for the next day to search for the cache.  In "town", we had dinner overlooking the bay and it is shallow as evidenced by the receding tide.  I had my first taste of Bakeapple on ice cream.  It's not an apple, nor is it baked.  It is a raspberry-like berry the color of an apricot that grows on low-lying bushes between the rocks.  It wasn't until much later in the trip that a guide pointed out the bushes.  The berries usually appear in August.

Not feeling so great after the day's outing in the cold and wet the day before, we skipped going after the Cow Head geocache.  Instead we stopped off at the Port Au Chois Historic Site. Spread out over 3-4 kms, several Dorset and Beothuk archaeological sites dot the landscape.  We were told to watch for caribou.  Okay, bears, moose, caribou....

I was impressed with one of the guides from Montreal who told just how special it felt to him to be on this land overlooking the sea that had provided food and shelter for thousands of years.  I began to get it.  Newfoundland's shores have been inhabited for thousands of years because of its unique location.  Ancient Eskimos travelled long distances to fish the rich waters.  The land provided shelter. A 1000 years ago, the Vikings discovered it and for generations, French fishermen came as the seasons allowed to fish and then sell their dried, salted fish in the Caribbean and in Europe. And then some stayed, followed by the British.

Sea Breeze RV on Shallow Bay

Port Au Chois Meditative Point

Not far up the road, we turned to take a look at some sea arches, carved by the relentless movement of the tides. But, more importantly, we got a good look at some dying trees that we had caught a glimpse of earlier.  Whether by an infestation of a bug or by sea spray caused by hurricane-strength winds, what remains are ghostly statues of gnarled and twisted wood.

Listening to weather reports, we realized that Newfoundland was to receive more rain in the next few days, so we opted to take the ferry to Labrador.  We waited for the 3:30 pm ferry along with a few others at the terminal/motel/restaurant.  Moving up to the lounge near the bow of the ship we watched patiently for any sight of a whale.  Briefly and I mean briefly, we caught just a partial view of one as it slid back into the water. 

The news reported that the eastern shores of Newfoundland were disappearing in dense fog, but the NE winds were blowing icebergs ashore.  My heart fell; I just knew they would all be blown out to sea by the time we returned and worked our way around to the east.  But, I was totally taken by surprise when the white speck I saw in the distance proved to be an iceberg!  Yes, of course, Labrador has an eastern shore, too.  Things were looking up.

Newfoundland2

Next on our lighthouse/geocache list was Cape Ray Lighthouse.  It is also the site of a Dorset archeological find; to be exact, a site where Dorset Paleoeskimos occupied for some 800 years about 1800 years ago.  Now, I'm from Indiana.  We have corn and soybeans and towns that date back to the mid-1800's.  Indians roamed the area before that, but we do not have Paleoeskimos.  I am in love with this island!

We promised ourselves that we would make a special effort to get ourselves off the main highway. Thus, when we read about The Codroy Valley Wetlands that attract hundreds of rare species during the migratory seasons, we knew we could not pass this area up.

Across the road from the Interpretative Center, a  wetlands trail of 3 kms or so seemed to be a great way for us to enjoy the fresh air and cool breezes.  The young woman told us that the trail had just been groomed up to a road and then we had to follow the road and then pick up the trail again, going past a wildlife preservation center.  Bears and moose, bears and moose.

Mike led the way and in due time we found the road.  Then we found the bridge to nowhere.  Absolutely nowhere.  Scrambling around, stepping carefully, we finally crossed a large expanse of field, followed a long driveway back to the road some 6-7 kms later.  It was close to noon and we saw a total of three songbirds and few geese on a lake in the distance.  Oh, and fresh moose tracks, too!!!

Despite our poor timing, this is a beautiful area and birding should be wonderful.  The town of Stephenville Crossing boasts a Piping Plover nesting site, so off we went.  Before we got there, we found a cafe out in the countryside.  I had my first moose burger.  Not too bad, but a bit stronger in taste than a bison burger.  Again, the Piping Plover nesting area was fenced off; but I respect their efforts of save these little shorebirds.

In Stephenville itself, we found a Chinese restaurant that had been there for 52 years.  Stephenville was the home to Harmon Air Force Base from 1941 to 1966.  It is apparent that the local government is trying to utilize the remaining buildings and space for small businesses and a regional college.  We found the Zenzville Campground just out of town.

Not quite ready to get back on the main highway, we turned toward Lark Harbor and  Cox Cove. Not disappointed, in Cox Cove the ships were unloading tons of fish right into the fishery.  We ate our lunch in a Take-Away.  Fish is abundant, but most of it is fried.  In Lark Harbor, we saw the Viking boat replica which was used in a movie set in this quaint fishing village.

Bears and moose, bears and moose...driving along the TransCanadian Highway toward Rocky Harbour we finally saw a real moose - startled, it ran quickly into the nearby brush.  Fortunately for the moose and us, a fence kept us apart.  Designed with openings, it allows a moose to run for cover behind the fence, but it can't exit onto the road. 

Gros Morne RV Camp is well-kept, quiet and convenient to Gros Morne National Park where we were to hike 3 kms across expansive bog and join a cruise up the fjord at West Brook Pond the next day.  We had to wait a bit to find out if the cruise was on because it was cloudy and foggy and they would cancel if it did not clear.  It did, slightly.  Huddled together against the 30 kt wind, we enjoyed the tales of the grandson of the gentleman who started the cruise up the fjord.  Of special interest to any boater is his description of how they helicoptered in the current boat, too large to be trucked over the bog.  Piece by piece arrived and then was fitted together.

Gros Morne is a backpacker's and hiker's paradise.  We knew we could not do it all and so walking the 6 kms out and back to the fjord and then taking the cruise was our focus.