A Visit To The Big Land - Labrador

Red Bay, Labrador (52 degrees, rain with some blue skies)

And there you find yourself,

seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

And oddly enough,

it's exactly where you want to be. 

Point Amour Lighthouse

We traveled by ferry after leaving St. Anthony from St. Barbs to Labrador. It's a very northern, sparsely populated (26,000 residents) providence of Canada and we suddenly found ourselves in a very untamed and beautiful place. 

The night before we stayed at St. Barbs RV Park just on the other side of where the ferry would take us in the morning to Labrador. It's basically a huge gravel area with a hookups around the perimeter. There is good WYFI in the office building but definitively does not have any "it" factor. 

The ferry is not nearly as bright and shiny as the one we took originally upon entering Newfoundland but it was very reasonable and for about $40 it transported our car and us over to Labrador. It was a 1 1/2 hour journey and once again easy to get on and off. Note how the bow of the ship lifts up and this is how you enter the ship with your car.

We arrived with our friends in Quebec. So, where are we exactly? Below is a map of our route since arriving in Newfoundland to help orient you. As you get off the ferry Quebec is to your right and Labrador to your left with three different time zones. Sheesh! We left the dock and decided to drive the French side first. It was raining quite a bit but we still enjoyed the pretty countryside as it unfolded for about a couple of hours.  There are lots of hidden lakes, tidy village, and waterfalls along the way. We stopped at a visitor center for a quick look and then decided to head back. If we had continued the  road would eventually turn to rough gravel and it's possible to continue on into Quebec. 

We saw a funny sign in a visitor center which said "God made Labrador in six days and on the seventh he threw rocks". Labrador is a very rocky place. In fact, there are huge rocks (non native) looming over the cliffs in many places left behind by glaciers. 

We then drove into Labrador and dropped our friends off at their hotel. We took a spectacular drive out to Red Bay where we were supposed to stay at the Whaling Village. Unfortunately, they had us booked for the wrong month and made alternate reservations back where our friends were staying. It was a long day but it will make traveling together a lot easier plus our room had a whirlpool tub. Sweet!

Puffins usually hang out at this island.  Not today...far too windy and cold

The next day we went back out to Red Bay to tour in more detail the whaling village. It's a World Heritage site and it was very interesting to hear the history of whaling and cod fishing in this area. It was originally settled by the Basques in the 1500's. Many ships got caught up in storms in this area and in the 70's they told us about a ship which was excavated, studied, and then buried back in it's original location. Hunting for whale and procuring the oil was a very dangerous but lucrative business. 

Boat used for whale hunting

Whale bone in the forefront

Processing center

Interpretive center

Basque whaler

Whale oil barrels

Replica of the ship

We also saw a big iceberg out in the bay.

We had a nice dinner later in the evening and found out our waitress was the daughter of the assistant light house keeper. She had spent her childhood growing up at the Point Amour Lighthouse and told us a little bit about her life there. It was a lonely place to grow up and her only friends were the other lighthouse keepers family and one other family. The next day we went out to see the lighthouse and toured the museum and grounds. It was a beautiful day. 

Point Amour Lighthouse

The museum and lighthouse were very well done with excellent displays. No one lives here now since it's automated. There were some famous ship wrecks here and tales of great risk in saving the sailors and cargo. There is still wreckage shewn along the shore here from several wrecks. This lighthouse was created to help ships navigate a quicker passage into the St. Lawrence seaway. 

The gift shop is where the lady we met had grown up. We found some really pretty jewelry to take home here. There is a stone found here called Labadorite which is usually blue in color and changes with the light.  I purchased a very pretty necklace.

Kitchen

View from the top of the lighthouse

Jann examining the lense

Carl peaking down the stair case

Our quick visit to Labrador was delightful and we were all glad to have come over for a visit. Our next stop is Gros Morne National Park. Lots of hiking awaits. Stay tuned!

Kissing the Cod - We Are Now Honorary Newfoundlanders

Straitsview, Newfoundland (48 degrees, grey skies, chilly)

Barry puckering up!

Part of the Iceberg Festival included a Newfie Night at Skipper Hot's Lounge about 45 minutes from our campground. There was a traditional four piece band playing which was really great. The accordion player and owner of the lounge, Ford Blake, is very talented. They mostly played Newfoundland tunes but by far the most popular tune was a Beach Boy hit. There was lots of dancing and stomping going on. 

They kept asking if anyone wanted to be "Screeched In".  At first we were hesitant but after a third call Jann, Barry, and I raised our hands.  It was only after signing up did they say "food was being prepared".  Good grief! 

Drinking the screech

Well it turned out to be a lot of fun. I think about 17 people signed up and we each had to wear some type of Newfoundland clothing. Jann and I each wore one rubber boot and Barry wore a yellow rain hat.We were the only folks from the U.S. Out came the food...first there was traditional meat (bologna), then some type of very smelly fish whose name I've blocked, then a small piece  of molasses bread. Each sampling included a "blessing and toast". But wait there is more. Out came a whole cod fish and we were instructed to tell it something sexy and kiss it. It was too late at this point to turn back and the crowd urged us on. We did it! Afterwards we each got a shot of Screech which is a type of rum and officially became honorary Newfies. I have a certificate to prove it.  It was a fun night and certainly one we will always remember.

Dr. Grenfell

Grenfell Interpretation Centre

The next day we toured the Winfred Grenfell Interpretation Centre in downtown St. Anthony. It tells the story of how Dr. Grenfell in the late 1800's came from London by ship and was the first doctor to arrive in this very remote area.  He witnessed so much suffering and decided to dedicate his life to  improving  the health of the people living St. Anthony and many surrounding towns including some in Labrador. He did a tremendous amount of fund raising and recruiting which  established hospitals, clinics, orphanages, a dog sled medical team, and a medical ship which toured the surrounding areas providing health care. He and other volunteers also taught them how to start gardens and use their craft producing skills with  rug making to provide income and improve their way of life. We were awed by how dedicated he and his wife and over 150 volunteers were in providing care to this area at the time. The museum is excellent and it includes a tour of their home across the street.  There is also a very nice gift shop which sells very local crafts, rugs, carvings, and an excellent water repellent parka.

Hooked rug

We continued to drive all over this area chasing icebergs and checking out the small towns. Along the roads we often saw huge stockpiles of stacked firewood not near any housing areas. It's in various stages with some of it being dried tepee style, split, and eventually stacked. Local residents apply for a license to chop down a certain amount of trees for firewood. Local loggers bring it to their spot and drop it off for the owner to chop and sort. Each has a license tagged to the pile and we were told no one bothers each other's firewood.

Also right along the road we saw small fenced in gardens. Most of the homes are along the coast and we were told the constant winds and salt makes for poor conditions to grown a garden. Folks stake out area away from the coast to plant and grown their own fresh vegetables right along the ditches of the roads. The fences are to keep moose out and again no one bothers their garden. Some of these gardens seem to be far from the villages but  the ground is very fertile and must be worth the effort. The economy is struggling in this area due to cod fishing being banned. Many of the young people have moved away or commute long distances to make  a living. Oftentimes, the men are gone for two to three weeks at a time and return home only for a few days. Having a way to grow fresh vegetables and have plenty of firewood to heat their homes during the long winters helps out in so many ways.

One other fun thing we have learned about Newfoundland is the local people enter homes even when visiting through the back door. This tradition started when most folks were fishermen and this practice kept them from tracking through the front parlor. Due to the economy oftentimes the front porch or step is never completed. Folks now  call them "mother in law doors".  Here is an example below. :) 

We will end the post today with a few more icebergs and a fun dinner in Raleigh enjoying a "lobster experience". After checking into the restaurant the owner drove us out to a dock to pick out our own lobsters for dinner. He pulled up a big crate of them right out of the cold waters. We then drove back and his wife steamed them and served them for dinner. Each were over two pounds and the best lobster we have had to date. It was a very enjoyable evening with our friends. Life is good!

Heading out to the catch of the day

Lobster traps

Fine mess of lobsters

I'll take that one please 

The finished product....yummy!

Be sure to check back soon. We are on our way to Labrador. It's another ferry ride and we will be spending two nights this time in a whaling village.

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Hike To The Back Of The Land

St. Anthony Area, Newfoundland (52 degrees, chilly, grey skies)

The Visitor Center at Grenfell has a great trail guide. We are in a very  rural area and there are surprising trails tucked in many of the surrounding villages. We were traveling with Jann and Barry and  stumbled across a spectacular overlook while trying to find the Treena's Trail. We got out of the car as the fog was rolling in and out of this harbor. We lingered for quite awhile at this high perch because it was just so beautiful and serene. We still weren't sure if the trail had been found so we wound down the road a little farther to a cute B&B called the Tickle Inn. In the front yard we found this sign and took off on a lovely hike up into the "Back of the Land".

Jann and Barry  (best picnic spot ever)

Fog rolling in and out

Fog lifting 

Within minutes the fog was gone

Someone had gone to great lengths to make this trail very usable. They had put in lots of stairs and cut back evergreens. We climbed and climbed and at the top was a nice bench to sit and view the surrounding area and water from 360 degrees. It was amazing view from the Back of the Land. We saw lots of tiny flowers which are considered arctic-alpine plants. We all agreed this was our best hike so far.

Back of the Land

Picnic table far in the distance

Afterwards we stopped at a unique shop called Taylor's Crafts to see his hand carvings and then headed to an area Barry had heard about called Burnt Cape. There is a very rugged road leading up to a unique limestone barren land which made us feel like we were on the moon. Arctic plants hung on for dear life in the wind and weather. It was an eerie place to visit. There are several plants here which are considered very rare so we carefully walked around due to it being such a very fragile environment. Unfortunately this place recently lost its funding and there are no longer ranger led hikes. We sure would have liked to know more about what we were seeing.

Carving at Taylor's Crafts (four generations of carvers)

"Moonscapes" Burnt Cape

Tomorrow we plan to check out the Grenfell Museum in St. Anthony. It honors a physician who came here from England in the early 20th century and provided much needed care and medical services in this remote area. Stay tuned.