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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| Boat used for whale hunting |
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| Whale bone in the forefront |
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| Processing center |
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| Interpretive center |
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| Basque whaler |
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| Whale oil barrels |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Kitchen |
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| View from the top of the lighthouse |
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| Jann examining the lense |
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| 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!
